How to Find a Freelance Writer for Your Tech Business

If you run a tech company, the last thing you have time to do is write—but you need content to keep your company visible and viable. From blog posts to white papers, writing should play an important role in your business’ marketing strategy. Since you don’t have the time, or maybe the desire, to produce the content yourself, hiring a freelance writer can be the key to making this part of your business strategy work for you. Finding the right freelance writer for the job, however, is critical. When your company works with highly technical topics, you need a writer who is comfortable with producing that kind of content and presenting it with authority. The good news is that they are out there. Here are a few tips to help you find the right freelance writer for your business’ needs.

Understand the Different Kinds of Freelance Writers

Freelance writers usually fall into two broad categories: generalists and niche writers. Generalists write about nearly any topic. They take on a wide range of assignments and do the necessary research to complete each project. Niche writers focus on writing about a specific subject, such as technology.

Both kinds of freelance writers can work for your tech business. A generalist writer may have experience in writing tech pieces and can be especially good at creating content for non-tech people to understand. For example, if you have a blog that is geared towards consumers rather than businesses, a generalist’s voice as a person outside the tech industry may resonate with those readers. This doesn’t mean that the content won’t be credible and knowledgeable—it will just be more readable to laypeople.

Niche freelance writers have obvious advantages—most notably, if you find a writer who is experienced in tech writing, you can feel confident in the base level of knowledge he or she will bring to the project. These kinds of writers can be especially beneficial when you want to create B2B content or need assistance with research writing, white papers, or other pieces created for readers who are knowledgeable in tech.

Use a Robust Hiring Process

Since you need writers who can work on potentially complex topics, your screening process should be thorough. Start by inviting resume and writing sample submissions from interested candidates. These will help you narrow down the candidate pool to those whose writing styles you like and who have backgrounds that could make them a good fit for the kind of work you need done. Be specific when you post your job listing. By offering detailed information about the kinds of candidates you need and the work that will you need them to complete, you will have an easier time attracting the right kind of writers for the job.

After you have a shortlist of candidates, schedule interviews with them. Having a phone interview can be extremely helpful to both you and to potential writers. This gives you an opportunity to discuss the kind of work you need done and to get a feel for what the writer knows about the topic. It also lets you discuss a general gameplan for working together that will help you find a writer who is the right fit. For example, if you want to be closely involved in the writing project, then you don’t want to work with a writer who likes to take an assignment and work independently until he or she has a draft. This is also a good time to discuss anything that is unique about the project, such as the need to conduct interviews, provide photography, or do social media marketing.

Another great way to search for writers is to use the Writers Marketplace on Writers Work. Within the Marketplace, you can browse profiles of freelance writers to find potential candidates who meet your needs. By using the Marketplace, you can skip the steps of soliciting and sorting through masses of resumes and writing samples, and instead directly approach writers with whom you are interested in working. You can see samples from them in their online portfolios, so you can move straight towards a phone interview.

Hire Different Writers for Different Types of Work

If you have an ongoing need for one particular type of writing, then developing an ongoing relationship with a writer can be helpful to you both. Some tech companies who hire freelance writers even keep them under contract for this purpose, which means you won’t have to restart the process every time you need a writer.

However, if you only have a need for freelance writing sporadically and the kind of pieces you need are dramatically different from each other, hiring different writers could be the best strategy. This lets you hire the best writer for the job each and every time.

Hiring different types of freelance writers is easier when you use Writers Work. Access to our community of skilled freelance writers is always free for employers, so you can use our tool anytime you need a freelance writer for your tech business. Our Job Finder puts your job opening in front of the right people, while our Writers Marketplace makes it easier than ever to find a writer who brings the right skills to the table.

We support our writers with advanced writing and editing tools that help them produce the best possible quality of work for you. Our tools even score readability, so you can be sure the work your writer submits matches the needs of your audience. Visit our site today to learn more about our tools for employers and to find a tech writer for your business.