Five Reasons You Won’t Hire a Freelance Writer – And Why You’re Wrong

Believe it or not, I have heard the following reasons not to hire (not just me, but anyone) freelancers from potential clients on Elance (before it closed) and Upwork. Potential clients sometimes sign up for sites or contact a freelancer, completely unconvinced it is the right thing to do. It is not really my job to convince them, but naturally I do extol the benefits of my services.

Here, then, are five reasons I have heard for not hiring a freelance content writer and five simple responses.

Freelancer’s Don’t Know My Business or Industry. I’d Rather Hire Somebody Who Did

They don’t really need to know all the ins and outs of your business or your industry. Ask yourself whether all of your in-house employees know the industry from top to bottom – do the cleaners understand your market share, strengths and weaknesses? Do your call centre staff know how the business is driving forward technologically? Does your board of directors know the SEO tactics that drive customers to your website? Does your distribution manager understand how your customer app is constructed? The short answer to each of these questions is probably “no”. The fact is, we don’t need in-depth knowledge of every aspect of your business. What we do need to know is what you do, who your audience is, and what you want us to do. I wish you luck finding a freelance writer who does know your business or industry, but you are severely limiting yourself and you will probably be disappointed.

Freelancers Have No Stake in the Success of My Business

Yes, we do, but not in the way that you think. You perhaps think we should be passionate about the brand or your mission statement. You might want us to become evangelists about your company, and hopefully a customer, but that is not what we mean by a stake in your success as a business. Our stake is that we achieve the results that you want from our work. We want you see us as a reliable and valued member of the team and keep coming back for more. I don’t need to be passionate about your products or services, but I need to understand your passion in order to convey that in my writing. You are running a business and so am I. That is where we have the shared interest.

You Have a Background in Academic and Fiction Writing, What Do You Know About Business Blogging? (Yes, I’ve heard this one more than once!)

I do write fiction; I also blog. I’ve written landing pages, sales emails, white papers, social media posts, bite size introductions to academic summaries, general interest articles and technical summaries of published reports. Just because I have a master’s degree in an academic research subject, and just because I write short stories, novels and novellas about zombies, it does not mean I am incapable of creating a landing page from the rough notes in your email. These varying writing niches do not exist in bubbles.

You Can’t Be Loyal When You Have Other Clients. If I’m Not Top of the Pile, I’m Not Getting Your Full Attention

It’s true that I have a range of clients. In a typical week, I am producing work for 9 or 10 separate clients. Having fingers in many pies is how I protect my business. I can’t survive on having one client at a time and neither can anybody else. However, during those hours that I am working on your project, you, and it, have my full and undivided attention. Freelancing is not like a normal job. It’s like having 12 jobs at once where you spend 1-3 hours per week at each except without the logistical nightmare of having to travel between them. When I am working for you, no matter how long that job takes, you are my top priority – just not the rest of the time.

What About Confidentiality? I Can’t Stop You Talking About Me On Your Blog

The only clients I talk about at Sweat, Tears and Digital Ink are those who give me written credit for the work that appears on their site(s). When I write here about personal experiences as a freelancer, I never release client confidential information. Hell, I never even name and shame scammers and frauds from Upwork when so many others have no qualms about naming them. I never claim credit over a piece of work where the client wishes that my name does not appear on the work, even though I am the de facto copyright owner. I write so often about environmentalscience.org because I am on very good terms with the site owner and he has asked me to write about the site and spread the word. Plus, I am passionate about the sciences and environmental science in particular. I do so freely and because it is one of only two jobs (at present) that credits me with work.

If you wish to hire MG Mason Creative Services for your freelance content writing needs, please contact me via the About Page here (click). You will also see my terms and conditions, and charges.