How to hire a freelance writer via Slack
Did you know that right now, you can reach out and work with expert writers — without leaving your Slack workspace?
We’ve all been in the position of needing some new blog posts or marketing emails, but limited time or writer’s block sometimes prohibit that fresh content from coming out as it should.
Hiring writers on-demand is made possible with Gratify: the only freelancing platform created specifically for Slack users. Tasks you create are broadcasted to our network of vetted freelancers working in Slack.
Writing tasks are really popular amongst our users. Often, the parameters of a task needed by the freelancer are easily defined by the client up front: topic, length and due date are relatively easy to scope.
First, we’ll start with how you hire a freelancer, before moving on to some good practices to working that person in your Slack team.
1.) Add Gratify to your Slack workspace
Gratify enables you to broadcast your task to a network of experienced, vetted freelancer writers. It gives your the tools to locate the right person and work with them without ever having to leave your own workspace.
Add Gratify to Slack to create your account. You can immediately draft a new task to send out. Say help to Gratify to get started.
2.) Describe your writing task
This is the most important step! The more time you spend describing your task in this step, the easier time you’ll have getting the content you want. Take time to explain your needs and you’ll be rewarded when it comes time for the writer to deliver.
Below are some points you should hit in your description:
Topic & Audience
What do you need written? Who is this content for? These may seem like basic questions, but often people tend to gloss over the things that are obvious to them where outsiders need all the context. Be sure to add any relevant links here too, such as your company website or example content.
Style & Tone
Tell the writer how you’d like the content to be received. Is this a sales pitch, or should it read like a customer testimonial? The more information you can provide on the style you’d like to see, the better chances you have of getting that from your writer. This is another great place to provide examples of content you like, or that you’d like the writer to emulate.
Length
Writers often price jobs based on the length of the content. If you can be specific with the amount of work you want, you’re more likely to get an accurate bid and faster turnaround from a freelancer.
Due Date
Be sure to note this in your description — it’s likely one of the first things the writer will ask you. Quicker turnaround times may result in higher writing fees. Make sure you give enough time for an editing round before your own deadline is reached.
3.) Broadcast it
This part is easy! Submit the new task to our network with the click of button.
Available writers will be able to ask questions and bid on your task from their own Slack teams before joining yours.
Negotiating / Cost
Writing tasks are usually pretty straightforward when it comes to cost, but everything is negotiable. For a typical blog post ~500 words in length, you can expect to pay around $100 depending on the content and experience needed. Some topics require more research and may cost extra.
If you’re looking to bring the cost down, try to negotiate for multiple projects. Freelancers are often looking to build relationships that create repeat work.
4.) Work it out
Now that you’re in a channel with the writer, it’s time to get to work!
Editing Rounds
Your freelancer will expect some edits from you, but try to provide enough information so that the writer can finish the job after the first round. You both have a shared goal to wrap up this project and move on to the next — so be sure to respect the freelancer’s time here (and your own!).
Deliverable Type
Be sure to specify how you want to receive the finished work. We recommend Google Docs for its ease of use and fantastic Slack integration. Other deliverable types can mess with the formatting of your document and lead to more time-wasting back and forth.
Invoicing
Paying the writer is the final step! Invoicing has always been a painful part of freelancing due to the nature of email. The immediacy and convenience of invoicing through Gratify makes payment a breeze for anyone working in Slack. Paying a freelancer is as easy as clicking a button!
That’s how you do it!
Working with freelance writers can be a breeze using Slack and Gratify. Once you’ve felt the power of outsourcing work in real-time, you can try using Gratify for all kinds other tasks. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/GratifyAI or send us an email at info@gratify.ai to get in touch.
