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What Do You Freelancers Require From Your Clients - Per Article Request?

by Oneal Degrassi
13 replies
I am thinking about outsourcing some articles. But I am looking for awesome quality stuff and i am willing to pay for it.

My question is - once you step above the $5 per article realm, what do the freelancers ask for? What would be the minimum information you'd need for a killer article and what would be too much?

Thanks!
Oneal
#article #clients #freelancers #request #require
  • Profile picture of the author EricMN
    $1,000 minimum
    $3,000 minimum for a bigger name
    $5,000 minimum for a big name
    $15,000 minimum for a legend

    But we don't write articles. We write copy.

    Please refer to the sticky in this forum regarding the difference between an article writer and a copywriter.

    Disclaimer: Figures subject to change and are per piece.
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    • Profile picture of the author Oneal Degrassi
      Yea - you're right. I'm looking for good quality content for my different websites. I thought if I posted this in the main forum it would get deleted or be hijacked by a bunch of $2 per page desperados.

      It's not the case, but say I was looking for "copy" - what would you require from the client?

      I wasn't asking for dollars, I was asking for information...what information do you ask for from the client? i.e. similar examples, resources, outlines, etc...

      Best,
      Oneal
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      • Profile picture of the author Karson
        You want to know whatever you are writing copy for as well as you possibly can. You really want to know it inside and out. How are you suppose to know what you are writing for is ethical or what you are promising in the copy is ethical if you don't know much or anything about it.

        Thats one of the biggest things I learned when starting to find people to write copy for free for. Just so I could learn and improve. They never wanted to share the products insides so I could write effective truthful copy. That or what they were doing was unethical and I didn't want to write copy for them despite the fact they would probably find someone else to do it.

        Karson
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      • Profile picture of the author EricMN
        Originally Posted by Oneal Degrassi View Post

        Yea - you're right. I'm looking for good quality content for my different websites. I thought if I posted this in the main forum it would get deleted or be hijacked by a bunch of $2 per page desperados.

        It's not the case, but say I was looking for "copy" - what would you require from the client?

        I wasn't asking for dollars, I was asking for information...what information do you ask for from the client? i.e. similar examples, resources, outlines, etc...

        Best,
        Oneal
        Sorry if I came off as snide, there are a lot of people who don't read the fine print before posting.

        From my client I usually start off my asking their budget as it will dictate the amount of work I am able to complete for them. This goes hand in hand with the timeframe needed to complete the project. I also need to know the specifics of the project including what the copy is for and who it is for.

        Once this is taken care of and my services are acquired, I provide the client with a briefing. This can be in the form of an email, a sit down, a phone call -- it's up to the client. It answers some of the questions I need regarding details of the project, who their competition is, product specifics, related business information etc. . .

        In general you want to know the ins and outs of what you are writing for. It's a very good idea to look at what campaigns/marketing material has worked for them in thep ast and what hasn't to gauge the sort of things theirs audience is looking for.

        Every copywriter usually constructs their own process but a lot of them contain components of those mentioned above.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheRealFade
    you charge 15k per article? i might understand that for a sales letter but for an article? jebus. I'll stick with my 50 cent filipinos
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    • Profile picture of the author JakeDaly
      Originally Posted by TheRealFade View Post

      you charge 15k per article? i might understand that for a sales letter but for an article? jebus. I'll stick with my 50 cent filipinos
      AND 50¢ FILIPINO QUALITY YOU SHALL GET!
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
    Banned
    Tips If You're Looking For a Copywriter / the Difference Between a Copywriter and an Article Writer
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  • Profile picture of the author Oneal Degrassi
    Thanks everyone - some great points above! I'm working with some pretty prominent (and ethical) websites, so the better I can work with the writers, the better things will be on everyone. You guys are great.

    Something I hadn't thought of was the one-on-one communication - instead of just handling everything through email. That kind of takes out the guesswork as well.

    I'm definitely not looking for $5000 copy - I was thinking something like $50 per page, but I will be asking for literally hundreds of pages.

    Well, I'm off to create some kind of request template and start looking around for some writers. I looked at the list in the sticky, but nobody is into the niche's I'm looking for. Do you think I'll have good luck with an Elance job posting if I stress the required quality?
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    It's good to let your writer know:

    Tone - Friendly or formal.

    Length - This can be word length or the amount of subject matter you want covered.

    Purpose - What are you going to do with the article? Post it on your blog? Directories? Put it in your newsletter?

    Audience - Who is your target reader? Age, interests, etc.

    Keywords - What specific keywords do you want used and do have requirements for where they are placed.

    Industry information - Are there any specific industry sites you want stats pulled from?

    Other questions will arise based on the topic.

    Rose
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  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    You shouldn't have to give a good writer any more than the basics (after all, that's why you're paying them... to handle the work! ). Obviously, you'll need to tell your writer how long you need your article to be and what your target keywords are.

    A good writer will also want your URL so that they can see what your style is (Is your website very formal and traditional? Is it more informal? Is it witty?) That way, you'll wind up with articles that match your style. After all, it would probably be strange to read an article with a very casual tone and then visit a website that's very formal.

    Also, you'll probably be asked if you have any special instructions. If you don't, that's OK. But good writers will ask for special instructions up front, in order to give you a finished product that meets/exceeds your expectations - without having to do any tweaking or editing later. After all, time is money! The longer you wait for your articles to be finished, the longer you have to wait to see the results from them
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    Sick of blending in with the crowd? Ready to stand ahead of the pack? The right content writing services can get you there...
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  • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
    Originally Posted by Oneal Degrassi View Post

    I am thinking about outsourcing some articles. But I am looking for awesome quality stuff and i am willing to pay for it.

    My question is - once you step above the $5 per article realm, what do the freelancers ask for? What would be the minimum information you'd need for a killer article and what would be too much?

    Thanks!
    Oneal
    For articles I can write with just a keyword, but I would prefer more information.

    At the very least I would want a general idea of the audience, an idea of what the article will be used for, and what kind of tone the article should be in.

    The more specific you are the better because it makes it easier for me to be sure you are going to get what you want. For instance, if you have a working title or certain points you want covered, let your writer know!
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    I agree, Amanda and Nicole. I often write only from keywords and required length of article.

    But the OP asked what would be helpful to give to the writer so I listed everything I thought of (off the top of my head).

    None of it is required. Only helpful.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I am a writer, not a copywriter and I don't charge thousands of dollars per job.
    I need to know what you're paying, the topic, any keywords, roughly how long you want the article(s) to be and the time frame you need them by.
    Feel free to pm me if you want more information.
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    Cheers, Laurence.
    Writer/Editor/Proofreader.

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