How to Hire the Right Freelancer for Your Business

So, you’ve decided to hire a freelancer. Smart choice! 77% of hiring managers said utilizing freelancers helped them get more done, according to a report from Upwork. The same reports shows that 84% of hiring managers would have been forced to delay or cancel projects or heavily increase their team’s workloads without freelancers.

57% of companies in the United States increased their use of outsourcing in the last ten years, according to a study from Brandon Gaille.

The benefits are undeniable for any small business! Now, you need to find the right freelancer. Here are 4 ways to find the perfect fit for you.

Know what you need

First of all, make sure you understand exactly what you need from your freelancer. You can outsource all sorts of positions, and there are benefits to every freelancer. Before you approach anyone with an offer, figure out your

• Budget: how much money can you afford to dedicate to freelance? Consider carefully whether anyone on your current team can complete the tasks you need. Make sure to remember that freelancing is an easy investment; you don’t need to pay benefits, training, or time off for any outsourced workers.
• Content: What type of content are you looking for? Video editing, graphic design, copywriting? Any content you can imagine has a freelancer somewhere in the world ready to go. You should also figure out how much content you’re looking for. This might restrict the type and depth of work a freelancer is looking to take on.
• Tone: Make sure you’re getting exactly what you need by having an established tone of your content. “You can get ahead of any potential confusion by creating a style guide,” explains Answer 1. “This should include the proper spelling of your company’s name, your mission statement, preferred style of citing sources, any branded copy you need to be included, and phrases you’d like the freelancer to avoid. By doing this, you’ll save both writers and yourself time. Think of it as an FAQ section.”

Look in the right places

Now that you know what you’re looking for, you need to find where to look! There are tons of sites out there, but not all of them are verified or high quality. Take a look at Upwork and Indeed, which are leading spaces in the freelance industry. Upwork lets you choose location, type of work, and has freelancers for short term tasks, recurring projects, and full-time contract work.

Sites like Indeed and Medium are great places to find freelancers as well (and Medium has the benefit of letting you check out prospective writing styles with the samples of their work and who they interact with!)

The Cult of Copy work board is also a great resource, if you’re willing to sort through lots of responses. The good news is you can find freelancers with cheaper rates here than through official sites.

Find the right fit

If you have a few prospective freelancers on your hands, it’s time to get to know them. Find them on LinkedIn and check out their endorsements to see if they have a good reputation. Another great way to find the perfect freelancer is to find someone working with a business you trust. Reach out to your community and see if anyone can recommend strong writers, editors, and creators.

After that, it’s time to ask for portfolios and writing samples. Even if the work isn’t exactly in your subject area, try to examine it with tone and quality in mind.

If you’re feeling good about a candidate, you need to ask some logistical questions. Time zone is a huge concern for freelancers; the entire world is available for your work, but it can make deadlines difficult. Make sure your content calendar is clear, so your potential freelancers can work their schedules around it.

Get Started With Your New Freelancers

Finding perfect freelancers will be invaluable to your business’s success. See what all the fuss is about and join the thousands of other businesses utilizing freelancers.