Outsource Your Copywriting Efforts or Not

Outsourcing your work is usually a good idea because it frees you
up to do other things. However, sometimes it causes far more
problems then it solves. This is because the person you hire to do
the work for you is unreliable or - worse yet - dishonest.

This is sometimes the case with freelance writers. If you're
wondering how you can find a good freelance writer, keep on reading.

Looking for Help in all the Wrong Places?

There are two major places to look for freelance writers. One is on
freelance sites like Elance.com and Guru.com. The other is on
forums for either Internet Marketers or for writers.

You can have luck in either of these places but you'll probably
find the best people on forums. On a freelance site the writer is
always able to put his/her best foot forward. But on the forums,
you can (and should) scour the threads and read every post by the
people your considering hiring. That will give you a feel for them
and what they really are.

Always Ask for Samples

You wouldn't buy a car without taking it for a test drive first.
You wouldn't buy a pair of pants without trying them on or at least
seeing what they look like. So never hire a writer without first
seeing samples.

However, understand that these samples may not be a good example of
the writer's work. In fact, they may not belong to the writer at
all.

That leads us to the next tip you should always follow.

Start Small

No matter the size of the project, always start small. If you need
fifty articles written, begin with just five articles. If you need
a 100 page eBook, maybe begin with a few articles on the topic
first. You can use the articles to draw traffic to the book when
everything is finished.

And that brings us to our final tip.

Set-up a Fair Payment Schedule with Benchmarks

Don't ever pay the entire sum for the project up front. Any writer
who wants all the money before the project is finished should be
avoided unless you know for a fact they're worth it. The most you
should pay is 50% before the project. In fact, 50% before and 50%
after usually works out well for smaller projects.

For larger projects, you should set-up benchmarks and pay as you
go. For example, for a large eBook, the benchmarks could look
something like: 10% to begin, 10% when an outline is accepted, 40%
when half the book is finished, and the remainder of the payment
when the project is completed.

Also, the writer should be willing to show you the book anytime you
ask. It doesn't have to be clean and perfect but they should be
able to show you what they've done within a day or so of you asking
to see it. Of course, this isn't quite as necessary if you set-up
benchmarks.

A Good Freelance Writer is Priceless,

Always remember that your ultimate goal is to have a great working
relationship with a writer. You want a relationship that will be
beneficial to both of you. So always be fair and treat the writer
well. But don't let yourself be cheated.

One final tip is to ask other people which writers they've had a
good experience with. If others are willing to give unsolicited
testimonials about a writer then the writer is probably good.

Other advice you should follow is to look for a writer in the right
places, always review samples before hiring a writer, start small,
and always set-up a fair payment schedule with benchmarks (if
necessary).

If you do all these things then you should be able to find a good
freelance writer without getting burned by a bad one.

Maybe you want to earn a little extra cash doing some freelance
writing of your own?

Is so, you can set up a Twitter account and have your followers go to your website or blog for samples of your work. However, if you don't care to write because of time contraints, perhaps you can get an ebook or instructional video from one of 100 top internet marketing experts, to see how they do it. Its always best to learn from the best.