When you hire a blogger, she needs to know what you want doing. Some clients gave very vague instructions, which leads to problems in creating the order.
The best thing to do is to share great writing instructions. Be clear, to the point and as exact as possible.
Need some help to do that? Here are some tips based on the type of writing instructions that I like to see.
What’s Your Project For?
Are your blog posts to go on your own blog? Maybe you have another site in mind and need to meet those quality standards. You could even have the idea of posting on article directory sites, revenue share sites and even social media.
It’s best for a blogger for hire to know your plans. This will help in creating the layout and will make sure certain rules are applied for keyword use. Otherwise, a writer will likely work with the assumption that it is for your own blog.
If you’re writing an eBook, it is very important that you share your project needs. eBook layouts differ considerably compared to blog posts and articles.
What’s the Outcome?
What do you want to gain from the posts? Are they for informational use only or do you want a sales slant at the end? Maybe you have email marketing campaigns that you want to build from them.
Knowing the outcome in your writing instructions is really useful. It will help with the direction of the post if all you give is a keyword phrase.
Your Preferred Keywords
You don’t always need them, but if you have preferred ones then please share them. Otherwise, writers will look for the most likely keyword phrases for a given topic or title. You may not even have any phrases added because the blogger for hire doesn’t realise that you want them.
As well as including the words and phrases, consider adding the density preferred in your writing instructions. Some people want a minimal 1% density, while others want to include the keyword as many times as possible.
Keep in mind that your blogger for hire may advice against a high density. This is due to Google’s preference for keyword use now.
Is There a Specific Angle?
While you may not know which angle you want to take, you may know the angle that you don’t want to take. Either is useful, but knowing the angle you want is often much easier to work with.
If you leave it completely up to the blogger for hire, you run the risk of a simple piece that has been done time and time again. You may even end up with duplicate angles, especially if you hire multiple writers at one time.
The more information you offer in your writing instructions, the easier it is for your blogger for hire. It means you’re more likely to get something that really works for your blog.
Do You Have Images You Want to Use?
You may already have them and want the content to be based around them. On the other hand, you may need your writer to find some (this can often cost more). The same applies to videos.
Make this clear for your blogger for hire. This will help with coming up with content ideas and angles and makes sure you get what you really want.
Your Deadline
Do you have a deadline that you already need to meet? This is important for a blogger for hire to know. It will help her determine whether she can take on your project and helps to determine the price. If you have a 24 hour deadline, expect to pay more for it as it means she needs to change other plans.
She may not be able to meet your deadline. In that case, bloggers tend to share an alternative option or will just state that they can’t meet it. Then it is up to you whether you move on or change your deadline.
Do You Have a Budget?
It’s worth sharing your budget range in the writing instructions/query. This will help a blogger determine whether she can work with you. If you range is too low, she is likely to gracefully turn you down right away, rather than sharing her rate and wasting some of your time.
If you don’t have a budget, that’s no problem. It’s fine to contact writers and share your content needs. The writers may ask you for a budget afterwards before giving you a price, though.
Your writing instructions are extremely important. Make sure they are as clear as possible, detailing the need and outcome that you want to see. This takes away the risk of not getting what you really expect.
Copyright Alexandria Ingham, 2014. All rights reserved.