How To Get What You Want from a Freelance Writer
One of the greatest frustrations for both freelance writers, and the business owners or managers who hire them is a final product that is not what was wanted. A good freelance writer wants to deliver a good end result to their client and does their best to do so. However, there can be a breakdown in communication over what the deliverable is supposed to look like. Often this can be remedied with just a few simple steps.
Freelance Writing Perfection
In order to achieve perfection, one has to know what perfection is. In gymnastics, a perfect 10 from all of the judges represents perfection. It is not a secret how to achieve such a score. There are published rules regarding what kinds of things the judges must see and what kinds of things they must not see in order to get a 10 score. These rules are specific. They do not say “a flawless routine that is inspiring.” That is what they want, but that is not how to communicate. After all, what is inspiring to one person may be showing-off to another person. However, many clients will give no instruction beyond “something simple, yet inspiring.”
In order to get what they want from a freelancer, clients need to break it out further. In our gymnastics example, it is specified that stepping outside the white mat border will mean a points deduction. Now, the gymnast knows specifically what they cannot do. A freelancer needs the same kind of guidance. The above client has asked for simple, but there are many ways to interpret that. Does he mean black and white? Does he mean short? Does he mean no big words?
Freelance Writing and the Haircut
When a person gets their haircut, they have to tell the stylist what they want. This usually takes place in the form of a conversation. The stylist asks questions to clarify what the client wants. When the client says “short,” the stylist can ask “how much shorter, above the ears?” To which the client can answer, “No, just to the tops of the shoulders.” This illustrates exactly how you should communicate with your freelancer.
When the client says, “simple,” the freelancer should inquire, “No color, or no graphics?” The client can then fill in the details as to what they mean by simple.
Professional Freelance Writers Write First
A professional freelance writer will always try to put your request in writing. At ArcticLlama, LLC we strive to put together a simple looking write up of what the client wants. Of course, if the project is very short, or needed very quickly, this step may need to be skipped. But, if the client has sufficient time, this write up saves frustration for everyone involved. As a client it is important for you to review this document of understanding carefully and make sure that it not only does not say the wrong things, but that it also says all of the right things. So, if your DOC (Document of Understanding) says “A three-page article outlining the current economic environment for rental properties,” and you want a three-page article outlining how the current economic environment affects the people who manage rental properties, now is the time to speak up. The freelancer will now write exactly what you want.
Freelance Writing and Re-writes
Remember, rewrites are not the time to change what is being written. It is a time to add on to what was written, or to take out what was written. It is also the time to add examples, change the “sound” of a line or two, and maybe even to add graphics. Changing the theme, the length, or the audience of the product amounts to starting the project over.
Communicate
Remember, the point of hiring a freelance writer is to get someone who is an expert at communicating. Use this expertise in the beginning and you won’t go wrong.
If you have any questions or would like to see a sample DOC, please email us or call us.
Search Engine Optimization and Advertising - Why SEO is Important
Why SEO is Critical to Your Ad Campaign
Search Engine Optimization is a critical linchpin in the success or failure of your advertising campaign. To understand why SEO is so important, let’s take a quick look at the advertising campaigns of two jewelers.
You’ve probably heard of both Kay Jewelers and Jared’s. You also probably know the slogan for each. That is because their multi-million dollar advertising campaigns are working. Between television commercials and radio commercials, both companies have spent lots of money to build brand awareness. That is why every Kay Jewelers commercial, whether T.V. or radio, includes the short melody along with the words, “Every kiss begins with K.” Similarly, Jared has every commercial contain the words “He went to Jared.” Why?
Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is often difficult to explain to clients, but in this case, it should be fairly obvious. Let’s say there is a man. He is a normal everyday man who works at a regular job, has a regular girlfriend, and so on. Let’s call him Sam. Sam doesn’t buy much jewelry. But, today is different because he wants to propose to his girlfriend. Whether Sam buys jewelery or not, and whether or not he pays attention when jewelry commercials come on doesn’t matter. Because he has heard, “Every kiss begins with K,” and “He went to Jared,” so many times, when he tries to think of jewelry stores, those two pop into his head. Mission accomplished, advertising worked, let’s party, right?
Ready to Buy, Now What?
Actually, the next step is the most critical. Now, that Sam is ready to buy he needs to go to the actual building. Unless Sam lives near one and already knows where it is, how will he find either Kay or Jared? The answer is, the phone book or the Internet. Assuming both jewelers target markets are educated, upper-middle class or higher (i.e. people with money) which method is he more likely to use to find the jewelry store? Hint: If you said phone book, it might be time to take some continuing education courses.
So, Sam jumps onto his computer and…what? First, he probably guesses. If he types in www.jareds.com, then yippee! But what if he assumes the “s” is just part of the grammar and not part of the name? If he types in www.jared.com, he ends up at some unrelated advertising page that may send him to a competitor. Think this isn’t an issue? Well, www.kays.com does NOT go to the jeweler like jareds.com does. Instead, in that case the “s” is part of the grammar so, the real web site is www.kay.com.
Now, you are thinking that it is no big deal. Surely, our hero, Sam, will just type in the other web site, right? Well, maybe yes, and maybe no. Sam might decide that it will be more efficient to use a search engine so he can just find the right site and stop messing around. After all, he’s at work and the last thing he wants is to accidentally hit some porno site by getting the wrong site. He knows that it could be kay.com, kayjewlery.com, kayjewlers.com, kaysjewelry.com and so on.
If Sam searches for Kay Jewelers, then no problem. But, if Sam decides instead, “Hey, I’m here, I might as well just type in ‘jewelers’ or ‘engagement rings’ just to see,” there could be a problem. If you search Google for engagement rings, Kay doesn’t show up until page 4, well after Sam has been reminded of several competitors, if he perseveres until page four at all. Not only that, but along the way several benevolent sounding web sites offer what sounds like unbiased information. If he decides to check out those, he may decide to buy over the Internet, or direct from China, or whatever.
Small Business and SEO
Keep in mind, these are two big jewelry store chains that spend millions on advertising. How do you think this would play out for a smaller local business without a million dollar ad budget? Cracking the first page for a search on engagement rings would be great, but at a minimum a local business needs to be on the first page for results of engagement ring +cityname. For example, if you are a locally owned store in Denver, your business should really be on the first page when someone searches ‘engagement rings Denver’. Are you? If not, that’s where ArcticLlama and SEO comes in.
Too many other companies throw around the phrase Search Engine Optimization and SEO without really understanding the full process of moving up in the search engine rankings. Yes, keyword loaded articles are a start, but that is the easy part. The real skill comes from determining which keywords or key phrases can be best targeted for you. You could spend years writing key word filled articles and never end up on the first page for searches on popular phrases that have large multi-national companies servicing those niches. Just as important is getting links to those pages. Without links the search engines don’t care how many keywords are there. After all, no one wants to read meaningless articles just stuffed with keywords. The way search engines know articles are relevant is when people think they are important enough to link to.
A full service SEO (Search Engine Optimization) firm like ArcticLlama not only provides the keyword filled articles you need, it also provides the buzz necessary to generate those all important links while targeting the right keywords. Whether you are an advertising or public relations firm working for an important client, or if you are a business owner looking to maximize your Internet presence, we can help. In the mean time, don’t forget that finding your business is just as important as knowing about it.
Technorati Tags: Search Engine Optimization, advertising, SEO
Expert Status
Expert Llama
I won’t pretend to know how hard it is or anything, but I have been awarded “expert author status” on EzineArticles.com. I hope to use Ezinearticles as a place to publish some of my writing that hasn’t found a more traditional home. Sometimes you like to write about what you want to write about instead of what other people will pay you to write about. Should be fun.
Might write about ADD Tools Help next.
Ezinearticles Expert Badge
Becoming a Freelancer
Not long ago, becoming a freelance writer was akin to becoming an actor. Talent, ambition, and hard word were essential, but somewhere along the way you would need a lucky break. Jim Carrey languished in Hollywood for years before ending up on the television show, In Living Color, where his talents were finally on display in front of enough people for someone to notice. Likewise, a freelance writer could work hard to develop their craft but never get in front of the right people at the right time without some sort of a break.
The problem, in writing at least, was that people are reluctant to take a chance on an unproven writer. So, most people who needed to hire writers demanded some proof of skill and ability to deliver under the proper conditions like deadlines and changing requirements. This proof took the form of “clips” or writing samples. The famous catch-22 in any career path is that no one will hire you until you have experience and you can’t get experience until someone will hire you. For writers, no one would hire you until you had published clips to prove yourself and you couldn’t get published clips until someone would hire you. So, you worked for free, or submitted query after query until, hopefully, that big break came along. Once your foot was in the door, your skill and professionalism could finally carry you along.
Make Your Own Big Break
Today, with the ubiquitousness of the Internet, it is possible to develop a wide array of clips to rival all but the most prolific authors without needed to rely on “the big break.” By either starting your own web sites, or writing for those that take all comers, you can develop an array of links and electronic clips to reference for any job or query. However, the ease of establishing such an electronic portfolio means that you may be competing against others with similar pitches. The important thing is to distinguish yourself by generating the “right” kind of portfolio.
The most useful clips are those that match the kind of writing that is being asked for. If you are interested in writing about animals, then make sure you are devloping a portfolio of clips that includes articles you have written about animals. Start by writing basic how-to articles for a site like eHow. Then, move into writing more research oriented or topic oriented articles at another site that accepts such articles. This will allow you to build up a collection of stories and articles that you can point to when you apply for jobs. Make sure that you keep your own copies of these articles and be prepared to format them in a more traditional manner if the need arises. Not everyone is willing to accept “links” so you may need to attach your writing to an email, or even print and present it in person or via mail.
While developing this portfolio will give you some clout, there will be many other writers who have a similar collection of writings. It is paramount to make your writings stand out from the masses. The two best ways to accomplish this task are to develop your own web sites, and to expand fully into your niche.
Build Your Own Site
Developing your own web site allows you to write about everything you want to write about without the constraints of writing for others. If you choose to write very long or very short articles, humorous or melancholy, foraml or informal, your own web site gives you a place to publish them all. More importantly, as you develop your web site, the repository of writings availible also begins to position you as an expert. While there may be dozens of writers with samples showing their ability to write about animal shelters, only you would come with a collection of dozens or hundreds of articles about animal shelters including everything from operations, to fundraising, to community perception. This appearance of mastery makes you much more likely to be the person selected to write the newsletter for your local Human Society. After all, not only can you write what they are looking for today, but you have shown that you are almost certainly able to write what they may need in the future. Even better, you have demonstrated that you will be able to generate content without the constant need for prompting or being fed article ideas. Indeed, you wrote about two hundred different topics all by yourself.
Don’t worry about the complexity of developing a web site. While it is true that a full commerce site like Amazon.com takes an army of highly skilled programers, developing a regular content based web site is suprisingly easy these days. A number of software programs are availible for free to help with your site, or you can spring for the same kind of programs the pros use like Adobe Dreamweaver. Either way, making a web page becomes just like writing a Word document, and if you are going to be freelance writer, you better know how to write a Word document. Pay no attention in the beginning to concepts like search engine optimization, or CSS, or your web site’s design. Just start getting the copy on there. As you do, you’ll pick up knowledge that will help you better understand those things when you are ready. Remember, the purpose of your site is to have a place to show off your writing, not to become the next pets.com. Nobody needs to “find” your site, you’ll be telling them to go there.
The only question becomes understanding the internet well enough to get up and running. If you aren’t experienced with computers and the Internet, just head for the big boys. Microsoft recently began offering a free service to small businesses (that’s you!) to get a website online with virtually no technical knowledge. They’ll even register the domain name for you so you can write for juliarobertsanimalshelters.com. Don’t get discouraged regarding the domain name. Yes, animalshelters.com is almost certainly already taken, but keep trying and look for something that expresses you a bit. For example, utopiananimalshelters.com might be availible. Two rules of thumb to keep in mind. First, get a domain name that ends in dot com. It may seem like animalshelters.info is better than wishfulthinkinganimalshelters.com but everyone is very used to just typing dot com. Even if someone is looking at your resume there is a chance they’ll type dot com instead of dot info. They’ll probably realize their mistake, but there is no reason to give them the chance to make one. When you are big and powerful you can ignore this rule. The second rule of thumb it to never ever use register.com to look up your domain names. They keep track of what you look up and if you don’t buy it right away, they’ll “reserve” the name for you. Of course, then they’ll charge you extra to register the reserved name. It’s a big scam masquerading as a service.
Actually, Build More than One Site
While developing a single web site can be immensely valuable, developing more than one web site can be even better. Consider the pet food company looking for a freelance writer. While your animal shelter web site certainly positions you as an expert in that realm, as well as a compotent writer in the topic of animals, it does not show any ability in the ability to write in a more “corporate” sense. A second web site, perhaps dedicated to innovations in animal products would show that not only can you write about animals from the perspective of animal shelters, but also in regards to the products that exist for them. While you never would be able to develop a web site for every single kind of project that might come your way, just having two related, but different web sites shows that you aren’t a one trick pony. While the animal product web site is right up the alley of the pet food company, the combination of the two web sites shows anyone your ability to write on any animal topic. When the fur industry comes looking neither of your sites matches exactly, but you have already shown both an ability to write in different styles. There is no reason to assume that you won’t be able to write from their vantage point.
Once you’ve published articles both on your site and on others, your goal should be to fully expand into your niche. In construction there is a product used for insulating around objects that by necessity go through holes in the walls. It is a foam that you spray into the area around the object you need to insulate and it exapands until it fills the entire space so that there is not one tiny pinhold of unsealed space remaining. To build up a powerful resume full of clips do the same thing with your writing niche. While there thousands of people out there who want to write about animals, only a few are dedicated enough to follow through to a fully completed portfolio. This is because doing so becomes more difficult the further you take it.
Fill the Hole
Finding a web site that takes articles about animals is easy, as is getting one or two published on them. Starting your own web site is more difficult, but still not cumbersome. Going the extra distance to find a small online publication dedicated to hamster environments stimulating enough to improve the hamster’s ability to navigate mazes would take more research. Having something published on their site, as well as on sites about horse racing, dog shows, cat collars, vetrenarians, and so on again establishes you as not only an expert, but also as a valued and prolific writer. Also, sooner or later someone who reads highintellecthamsterworld.com will need a freelancer and the sample you have from their favorite web site will carry more weight than a hundred samples from elsewhere.
To fill your niche completely, don’t start out by doing research. Instead, start by writing for what you already know. After you complete an article or posting for a web site you arleady know about, read that web site for references to sites or topics you don’t know about. Follow those links until you find your new place to post. Write for that web site, and then follow from it to others and so on and so on. Incidentally, this is how search engines find all the pages on the internet. If you follow all of the links, theoretically, you would eventually find all the pages. While you are building up your freelance writing career, do the same thing. Eventually, you will find yourself far off the beaten path and your writing samples will far eclipse the ones of those around you. When they do, your big break won’t be a matter of luck, it will be a matter of being the best out there. Do us a favor, and remember us when you are writing the cover story for Horse and Hound.
How to Work with a Freelance Writer
Ok, let’s start with the basics shall we?
Whether you are a small business owner, or someone working at a Fortune 500 company, working with a professional freelance writer can be a very useful way to generate content for your projects. However, it is important to know how to work with a freelancer.
The Intangibles
First, it is important to understand that although we are professionals with experience in demanding and skilled fields, we do not work for your business. We don’t know the internal politics, the corporate mission, the philosophy of your organization or department, and we especially don’t know the people we are writing for. While we don’t need to know every detail, it is important that we have a feel for these things so that we can deliver a final product that works for you. What works for one company may be terrible for another. So, sit down and get an idea of what you are looking for and where it will be going. I find it has been helpful for many clients to imagine how you would give a similar project to a spouse or significant other. For example, if your spouse were writing up a twenty page summary of a large research project and needed to speak with the engineer that wrote the research, what advice would you give them? Would you say, “Bob is a great guy, and really smart, but sometimes he can seem a little cold especially on the phone.” This same advice would help your freelancer.
In addition, the following checklist should help you determine the kind of information your freelancer will need.
- Will any interaction be necessary with other people besides yourself? If so, how should that be established? Call directly, call you first, or let you setup the dialog?
- Should any outside knowledge or research be brought into the project or should the project be done without any such additions? In other words, do you consider the information you give us complete? If so, we won’t look anything else up.
- Who will be reading the final project? What do they like and not like in such reading? Do they like formal or informal? Long or short? Detailed or just the conclusions? Are they a numbers person, or do they just get confused by lots of numbers? We can write any of those and the success of the project depends on us writing the right one.
- How does the final product need to feel? Should it be light or heavy? Serious? Dire?
- What language style should be used? Formal or informal? Like a reporter writing a story or like a friend writing a letter about something they feel strongly towards? Slang or no slang? Contractions or no contractions? Technically formal writing has no contractions, but it can sound mechanical.
- Should the final project sound like outsiders wrote it or not? Sometimes it is an added authority when something sounds like it came from outside, sometimes it just sounds like outsiders (and sometimes you don’t want other people knowing you went outside.)
Another very important aspect of working with freelancers is knowing what you want and communicating it. Asking for a summary of Shakesphere’s works could be just a list, a list with a short explaination of each title, a few paragraphs on each style (comedy, tragedy, etc.). Should there be an exhaustive list (all works listed) or a representative list (just the highlights). Make sure you put in writing as many details as possible. If you are working with successful freelancers, your project won’t be the only one they are working on. That means they’ll need to be able to start your project and then come back to it later. Reading the project specification will be how they remember all the details of what you need.
Know Who You Are Working With
Some freelancers are full-time freelance writers. Others are part-time freelancers either with another writing job, or another non-writing job. Some freelancers are English majors (still in school or not) looking to just do a few things on the side. There are even people who have no professional writing experience at all dabbling in freelance writing. None of these freelancers is necessarily better or worse, but it can be helpful for you to understand who you are working with so you know what to expect. Someone freelancing on the side might not be able to return calls as quickly. Someone who is still in school might not be able to produce the same volume or quality of work during finals.
Get an idea of how they handle their business. For example, we work with many clients, sometimes on-site, sometimes not. Like most writers we don’t do our best work when frequently interrupted, so when working on a project we turn the ringer off on the phone. It doesn’t make sense for us to pay someone just to answer the phone, so chances are high that your call will go to voicemail. However, our voicemail system pages us for every new message, so we check as soon as we can, and we return your call quickly. Others might only commit to a 24 hour call back. Others might not even commit to that. Make sure your style matches what the freelancer can provide. If you have to speak to a live person right away, we might not be the right choice for you, for example.
Rewrites, Re-work, Scope Creep
A professional freelancer may discuss with you the provisions for adjusting their work once you have a chance to read it. It is common to include a certain number of rewrites. Two rewrites is common except for longer or more technical projects. This allows you to flag things you need changed. When you do, be specific. “Make this longer,” isn’t very helpful. Do you want examples? More details? Fluff?
If you need a freelancer to do the project again because it has changed, that is not a rewrite. The easiest way to tell the difference is whether or not you have to give the freelancer any more information in order to get what you need. For example, if you have to give more sales information, then you are asking for re-work. If you ask to have the sales information you gave at the beginning included, that is a rewrite.
Scope creep is fine when you are paying an hourly rate. After all, the time is yours to use however you would like. It may be wasteful to constantly change the project, but you are paying for the changes, so that it something you have to be O.K. with. When you are paying a project rate, however, scope creep can lead to tension between you and your freelancer. The rate you are quoted is based on the project you start with. Like in the movie The Transporter anything after that is a new deal. We understand when little things come up or a small detail is accidentally left out, but we can’t allow for major changes to the project without new pricing.
Sometimes scope creep can be obvious. If you ask for four pages to be used in a newsletter, and then find out later that your newsletter actually needs to be four pages double-sided which is actually eight pages, you obviously shouldn’t expect four more pages for the same price. Sometimes, though, scope creep can be a harder to spot. If you ask for a complete update of your website content, but then decide it would be better to combine three pages into one, it may seem like the same project, but it isn’t. Refreshing or updating a page is much easier than combining two pages. The latter requires adjusting the flow of each page to match the other page, determining where and how to splice in the data, and may require a complete rewrite. Don’t be surprised if your freelancer wants extra compensation to handle the change. Remember, the deal is the deal. Anything else is a new deal. But also remember, we aren’t looking to rip you off. If a change doesn’t require any more work, we won’t charge you more.
Get It In Writing
You don’t necessarily need a full contract everytime you work with a freelance writer or freelance copy editor, although we recommend it any time you start talking about bigger amounts of money. You do need to get a written understanding between you and the freelancer as to what you expect to be delivered and what your freelancer expects to deliver. If you are expecting five pages make sure you have five pages in writing, whether a formal document, or an email or letter. Also clearly spell out the rate you will be paying, when the payment will be made, and the procedure for going over the rate. Also spell out how and when the project can be terminated by either side.
Hopefully this article gives you a foundation for working with a professional freelance writer or professional freelance copy writer. If you have other questions you would like answered, feel free to email us. Also, I would highly recommend you get our feed so that you keep up to date with all the content coming for the site.
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Looking for a professional writer or professional copy editor? Look no further than ArcticLlama, LLC. Our writers and editors not only have experience in writing and editing, they also have years of experience in some of the most demading fields in business.
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