So, you’ve decided to hire a writer!
Everything is figured out, except
where to find an excellent professional freelance writer. Should you post the job or directly reach out to someone? Which platforms should you go for? Where can you find professionals and experts?
Don’t worry as I’m here to help you select the right website for picking your writers. I’ll be talking about the 4 main and most popular platforms where experienced and professional freelance writers hang out. I’ll be also mentioning their pros and cons so you can select the right platform for yourself.
Difference between a freelance marketplace and a job board?
Let’s clear this up first.
There are 2 different things when it comes to freelance websites, marketplaces and job boards. Before getting into the main topic let’s quickly see the difference between them.
Freelance marketplace:
A freelance marketplace is like a one-stop solution for hiring freelancers and getting your work done. From posting the job to paying and leaving a review to the freelancer everything is done within the platform.
Your payment will be protected in escrow and if any dispute occurs between the client and the freelancer, the team helps in resolving it and gives the money to the deserved one.
However, these platforms don’t allow you to share your contact information and communicate outside their platform. They take a certain percentage of freelancer’s earnings that you pay to them. So the marketplaces want everything to be done within the platform to secure their profit.
Job boards:
Job boards are like match-making websites. You post a job and freelancers can apply there. After that, everything is up to you, the communication channel, payment process and all other stuff are up to you and your writer.
The job boards just provide a platform for freelancers and clients to meet each other.
4 Best websites to hire content writers:
1. Upwork:
Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces. It offers a smooth and secure hiring process. It’s not only for writers but it features all types of freelance services from data scientists and app development to social media management and virtual assistance.
Upwork has thousands of freelance writers from all over the world. You can find some highly experienced professionals and new writers as well.
How to hire freelance writers on Upwork?
There are 2 ways you can use Upwork for finding freelance content writers.
Number one, you can post the job. You can mention all the requirements, experience level and rates. Interested freelancers will apply to your job and you can select whom you want to start the conversation with. Once you’ve found your writer you’ll assign them the project and put the payment in escrow.
The second way is to search for the services like content writing. You’ll see a lot of freelancers have already prepared a package for you. It’ll include the services they’re offering with the turnaround time and rates. Upwork calls this Project Catalog. You can directly buy one and the freelancer will start the work immediately.
How to check the credibility of a freelancer writer on Upwork?
You can see the profile of the freelancer where you can see his reviews, ratings, and portfolio. You can also see how many projects a freelancer has completed and how much he has earned.
There’s another interesting thing on Upwork and it’s the job success score. Every freelancer has a job success score from 0 to 100%. It’s pretty reliable for clients. They also have badges like rising talent and top-rated
Cons:
Although Upwork is a go-to platform for many to find professional freelance writers, there’s a drawback to it. If you want to onboard a writer and make them a part of your team, it’ll be a little difficult.
See Upwork takes a certain percentage of freelancers’ earnings so they don’t want clients and freelancers to deal outside their platform. They don’t allow you to share your contact details. Even if you have to get on a quick video or voice call you can do that within the platform.
Freelancers are also reluctant in sharing any sort of contact details or dealing with clients outside the platform. Why? Because Upwork can suspend their account for a lifetime. So even if you want a long-term contract you’ll have to stay within the platform.
2. ProBlogger:
Like Upwork, ProBlogger is the biggest name among the job boards for freelance writers and bloggers. This job board is specifically for hiring professional and experienced writers.
It’s like a match-making website. Hundreds of jobs regarding content writing are posted here every day and freelancers from all over the world can apply.
How to hire freelance writers on ProBlogger?
You can post your job on the website with all the details and requirements. As this is a job board there’s no built-in payment or application process. You can receive the applications through email, google form, through a page on your website or however you want.
How to check the credibility of a freelance writer on ProBlogger?
Freelancers do have a profile on ProBlogger but it features basic information like a description they write and a website if they have one. There’s no website’s own mechanism for judging talent like on Upwork.
You’ll have to get in touch with the freelancers and find the right fit for your work.
Pros:
ProBlogger gives you full freedom to share contact details and deal with the freelancer wherever you want. You’ll be communicating your rates, payment methods and everything however you and your writer want.
So if you’re looking to add someone to the team and get in touch with them directly outside the platform ProBlogger is for you.
3. LinkedIn:
We all know about LinkedIn. It’s neither a freelance marketplace nor a job board but it does incorporate freelancers.
LinkedIn is not so popular for hiring freelancers right now but you can find incredible talent there. Let me show you how.
How to hire a freelance content writer on LinkedIn?
You have 2 ways. Number one, as always is posting a job. Mention that the job is remote and in job type select contract base. It’s better if you mention in the description as well that it’s a freelance project.
For receiving applications you can either use LinkedIn’s easy apply or you can take the freelancers to your website or a google form as well.
The second way is to directly reach out to freelancers. Search for content writers or content writing services and you’ll see people who are providing these services.
If you know someone who can provide you with your required services reach out to them. It’s even better as it saves you the hassle of finding the right person among multiple applicants.
How to check the credibility of a freelance writer on LinkedIn?
Let’s talk about how much you can evaluate from just a freelancer’s LinkedIn profile.
You can see recommendations that people have given them, endorsements on their skills, relevant certifications, achievements and experience. Plus if they’re actively posting, you can judge their skill level based on the information they share.
How to check the credibility of a freelance writer on Fiverr:
From the freelancer’s profile, you can see their ratings and reviews.
Fiverr also has levels for rating its freelancers. It starts from level 1 and goes to level 4. A completely new writer has no level badge.
Pros:
Like ProBlogger, you have complete control of how you want to communicate. You both have the freedom to share contact information and take your project forward however you want.
LinkedIn is best for adding people to your team and working freely with them.
4. Fiverr:
I’m not wrong if I say Fiverr is the second biggest name among freelance marketplaces after Upwork. It also has a built-in chat board, escrow and everything like Upwork.
It features various services besides writing. You can find pro-level freelancers there and those as well who are just starting out. One thing is you can hire people for low rates here as well but you may end up compromising the quality.
How to hire a freelance writer on Fiverr?
Fiverr has a Gig system. Freelancers create a complete package for you which is called Gig. You can search for your required service and Fiverr will show you Gigs related to it. You can directly select the one that suits you. Talk to the freelancer and assign them the work.
Now, what if you want to post a job? Fiverr has a thing called buyer request where you as a buyer describe your requirements and Fiverr will send that to all the freelancers who have a gig in that category. It’s the same concept as a job post just with a different name.
Cons:
Fiverr doesn’t allow you to share any contact information. They want you to stay within the platform so you can’t take the freelancer outside in a team or something.
Secondly, no doubt there are some incredible freelancers on Fiverr but you might get low-quality work if you play on the price.
If quality isn’t your main concern but the price is then you can definitely find someone on Fiverr.
Let’s sum it up:
These were the 4 best websites to hire freelance writers. There are a lot of other marketplaces and job boards that you can try but I’ve mentioned the ones where some professional talented writers hang out.
