Choosing The Best Freelance Copywriter For Your Needs

By Sally Delacruz


In any kind of business, you need to tell potential customers about your product. You do this though advertisements, brochures, your websites and other marketing materials. These all require engaging text and a good freelance copywriter is just the person to provide you with that text. However, you need to know how to find the perfect candidate.

Many people now use specialized online job sites for freelancers to find people who can work on their project. Because the internet has made it possible to instantly communicate with someone almost anywhere in the world, you may find that the right person lives in a faraway country like India or the Philippines. You may even save some money by outsourcing the project to someone from another part of the world.

When you place your advertisement, state clearly what you want and what kind of expertise you're looking for. Good freelancers tend not to respond to vague advertisements. They also avoid ones that offer a fee far below the market rate or ones that don't allow enough time for completion of the project. For copy in other languages, place your advertisement in the target language so you can avoid being spammed by applicants who don't know the language.

It's very likely that you'll receive many proposals from interested freelancers. A process of elimination will make it easier to create a shortlist of potential employees. Start by checking the quality of the language used in the proposal, because a badly written proposal will probably mean badly written copy for the project too. Promising to complete the project within a time frame that's not realistic or quoting a very low rate often means that the person is not a very professional or experienced copywriter.

Some people only look at the nationalities of potential freelancers and base their decision on this. However, just because someone's profile says they live in an English-speaking country doesn't mean that they'll be a good writer or even speak English. There are many excellent English writers living in other countries too, from Guatemala to Thailand, and most won't mind providing you with a sample of their writing.

Check the profile of each person on your shortlist. If the profile is full of mistakes, the candidate's work will probably be too. If you need a specific field of expertise, check the candidate's resume for his or her education and experience. Many freelancers also include a portfolio with their profile and this can tell you whether their style is what you're looking for. You should also feel free to ask for a small sample of their writing.

Before making your final choice, see what other employers have said about the freelancer. However, don't fall into the trap of looking only at the overall rating. Specifically look at the number of negative reviews and what the issues are that have been raised in these reviews. The way that the person reacts to any negative review is a good indication of their personality and their professionalism too.

When you use a specific freelancer for the first time, you're taking a bit of a gamble. Therefore, get the project done earlier so that there will be time to fix any issues that may arise. Once you've found the perfect freelancer, however, you may want to use their services again and again.




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