5 Freelance Writers Who Could Screw Up Your Online Marketing

Hiring a freelance writer to create online marketing content for your business can be a savvy move. You can benefit from both a professional’s experience and skillsets to finely craft your message.

Plus, you have other things to do, like run a business.

Finding a writer is the easy part: Simply put out the word on your social media platform of choice that you’re looking for a freelancer. You should then immediately take cover while you await the tsunami of replies.

If you want more of a controlled frenzy, you can search online yourself or visit a freelance site like Fivrr or UpWork.

The hard part, though, is finding the best writer for your needs—and not get stuck with a dud. If you’re not careful, you could wind up with a lot of frustration and little to no value.

One way to improve your odds of a great writer is to check with some of your potential candidates’ past clients. Those with good experiences are usually more than happy to sing their writer’s praises.

But you may also find erstwhile clients who are reluctant to recommend a writer even if they acknowledge their creative talent. The writer’s poor (or nonexistent) professionalism has left clients with lasting disappointment, and possibly indigestion.

You should also know that their isn’t one kind of unprofessional writer to avoid. They can be as different as daylight and dark, but with one common trait: bringing you more problems and grief than you need.

Here then are 5 kinds of unprofessional writers that should set off your spider senses.

“The Slob.“ Let’s assume one of your candidates handles the basics of writing reasonably well. But past clients say their work lacks attention to detail.

In fact, it’s downright sloppy.

True, even good copy often needs fine-tuning. But if you’re hearing complaints about a writer submitting drafts riddled with misspellings, typos, or other careless errors, that kind of unprofessionalism only adds to your workload—and your stress.

“The Tidsoptimist.” Yep, it’s a real word: a combination of Old Norse “tíð” (meaning “time”) and “optimist.” It describes people we’ve all no doubt encountered who think they have more time than they actually do to finish a task.

Ergo, they’re always late.

Such a writer is allergic to deadlines. This in turn makes them a traffic jam waiting to happen on projects that: a) must roll out by a certain date; and b) involve other team members who can’t start or finish their work until someone else finishes theirs.

And, who would that be? Uh, huh, the writer—snarling up everyone else’s deadline because they can’t keep theirs.

So, avoid those writers with reputations for cramming two days of work into two weeks. No matter their talent, they’re not worth derailing your project’s finely-timed rollout.

“L’artiste.“ If this bit of my French stirs of mental images of someone who is a legend in their own mind, then you have this kind of writer pegged well. They believe Steinbeck, Faulkner, and Hemingway all reincarnated into one body—theirs.

They’re oblivious to one key fact, though: A freelance contract writer has but one job—enable a client to say what they need to say clearly and effectively to their customers. A writer for hire doesn’t even own the copy once it’s approved and paid for—the client does.

So, it seems odd when a contracted writer throws a hissy fit over requests to change their copy. Please: As good as your writing is, the infernal regions will freeze over before you get a Pulitzer nomination.

Now, that doesn’t mean a writer should be a “yes” person (you probably already have that quota filled). It’s to your benefit when a writer respectfully tells you, in their professional opinion, that your content idea is rubbish. In this case, they’re actually looking out for you. Telling you straight is a service, not an ego trip.

It’s those writers who are too much in love with their own words that set you up for heartburn. Simply put, they’re reality show drama waiting to happen.

“The Rock.“ No, not Dwayne Johnson, et al. It’s a nickname a friend of mine gives individuals who—bless their hearts—are dense as stones.

As in, “That dude’s a rock.”

Similarly, a writer could be a “rock”—not because they’re necessarily unintelligent, but because they lack the capacity for curiosity. They approach an assignment focused exclusively on its narrow, basic elements, remaining deaf and blind to any inquisitiveness beyond that.

In my experience, curiosity is the “magical pixie dust” of true creativity. A writer too dense (or lazy) to wonder “Why?” or “What if we did it this way?” will short-change you on the possibilities for what a piece of content could be. A “rock” will give you lackluster, “phone-it-in” work that diminishes an otherwise outstanding project.

“The Lone Ranger.“ Because we writers work mostly in seclusion, it’s not too many steps to becoming the stereotypical loner. As such, writers can fall into the temptation of viewing their work as a solo performance.

But although the actual writing may be solitary, content writers should still be team players on projects. They should understand and, more importantly, buy into the project’s overall aims. They may even thrive in the creative and productive mix with other team members.

Better to avoid someone who stresses the “I” in “Independent Contractor,” or you risk having your project turn into a discordant, hard slog. You want someone with an individual voice, but who can also harmonize with other voices.

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You’re looking, then, for a writer who is the mirror opposite to all these potential disasters:

• Someone who prides themselves on conscientious, on-time work;
• Someone who works eagerly for your best interests;
• Someone who delights in the creative mix-and-mingle that comes with producing standout marketing projects.

Find that writer, and not only will your production process go more smoothly, it stands a better chance of success.