You have likely heard the saying, “you only have one chance to make a first impression.” When it comes to finding a professional writer for your project, this is most certainly true. Unfortunately, some of marketers might be inadvertently making the “wrong first impression” through various mistakes in either their instructions or Casting Call wording. If you have wondered why writers seem to pass up your work, and you are unable to find the type of professional you need to complete your project, make sure you are avoiding the following “red flag” mistakes in your instructions or Casting Calls. These will send writers running the other direction. [Derived from personal opinion and an impromptu forum post/poll that allowed me to pick the brains of other WriterAccess professional writers].
Common “Red Flags” To Avoid When Composing Instructions & Casting Calls
Using ALL CAPS
No one likes to feel attacked, and ALL CAPS just makes people feel like they are being yelled out. According to an Lifewire article, there are some occasions where ALL CAPS makes sense, and others where is seems a bit prudish. If you want to highlight one point, sure, use them, but if you are using tons of ALL CAPS throughout instructions or descriptions—as if all writers are hard of hearing (visually)—avoid them. Just use them sparingly or not at all. According to my research, some writers will avoid working with you due to ALL CAPS overuse. Be aware.
Implying Initial Work is a Draft
This is a huge “red flag” for me personally because it implies you don’t exactly understand how WriterAccess works. This is a platform where you initiate an order and have us writers complete said order for payment. You are entitled to send the order back via revision if you don’t feel we followed your instructions or the content isn’t up to the quality level you ordered. However, you are not entitled to send and order back simply because you thought of something later—after the fact—that would have been better and you want to take the piece in a completely new direction. If this is your thought process, you would be better off paying for you initial order, then ordering a new article to go down that new road.
When you write, “I look forward to seeing your draft,” or “this will be the first draft,” or use the word “draft” at all in your instructions, this tells the writer, “this client is going to send the order back to be fixed no matter what I do.” This is a huge “red flag“. You must understand that we are not paid at the level where this is cost effective for us. We have bills to pay as well. We can’t write the same order over and over, but only get paid once for it.
Just know, it is in your best interest to avoid the word “draft” in any instructions or communications with writers. Instead, consider each order on its own. If it needs to be tweaked, send it back. If it doesn’t, tell the writer great job, you nailed it. Don’t start out implying there will be a need for a do-over though. That’s just not how this system is designed to operate. Writers will not want to go near your orders if they see this type of wording.
Putting Down Other Writers
We get it. Not every writer is a good fit for every client. We also know that you have likely worked with other writers before. However, saying how unhappy you were with a previous writer, implying they did a poor job, putting another writing professional down in any form within your instructions is a big “red flag” for writers. This is because we feel if you put down another professional, you will put us down too. After all, we are all professionals just trying to make a living. Even if you did have a bad experience with a previous writer, there is really no reason to mention this. Make a fresh start with each new professional, as we are all different people. We don’t judge you based on all our previous client experiences, so give us the same courtesy.
The freelance writers here at WriterAccess are some of the best in the world, and I have no doubt, you will love working with them on a professional level. However, to ensure you open yourself up to as many writers as possible, avoid using the red flag phrases listed above. Contact us today to learn how to get started. We want to introduce you to an abundance of professional writers ready to work with you.
Brandie P. has worked with numerous clients to write thought provoking, informative marketing content. Some of these pieces were geared towards small business owners, some were focused on large companies and still others were about marketing strategies in general. In addition to this, Brandie has also worked one-on-one with an architecture office in her area to create content for marketing purposes. Brandie’s experience spans a wide range of businesses and her clients have come from all over the world. Therefore, you can be sure she can create the marketing content you are looking for.
