The first call with a freelance writer should tell you everything you need to know about whether this person is a good fit.
Some of the clues are obvious: for instance, does the writer know the vocabulary of your sector? Not because you should expect this person to use jargon in their writing—we all know jargon annoys customers—but because a writer who knows your acronyms probably knows your technical concepts.
But a writer who is overly focused on the nitty-gritty of your technology is the person you should hire to write your documentation, not your content. The value in tech content is in its ability to shorten the sales cycle, so benefits are more important than features. After all, no one makes a sale solely because of their technology, so even your technical white papers should subtly communicate strategic messages about your business.
Because of that, your writer needs a good comprehension of business strategy. Almost every writer will know enough to ask about your branding, but a writer who uses the first call to ask about your value proposition, competitive landscape, and win/loss analyses is going to deliver a project of higher value than a writer who doesn’t know enough to ask those questions.
And lastly, the person should demonstrate some people skills in the first call. For one thing, it’s nice to do business with nice people, but more practically, it’s smart to do business with writers who have marketing skills—and marketing skills are based on understanding and motivating people. J.D. Salinger can get away with being a hermit, but a good content writer cannot.
So here are your takeaways for evaluating a writer based on a discovery call. Look for a writer who:
- Knows your vocabulary and tech concepts
- Shows an understanding of business strategy
- Isn’t a jerk
If the conversation has gone well, the last step is to discuss terms and contracts. That’s in the next blog, so come back next week.
Jay Gitomer of Machines & Words helps companies selling complex technologies expose the real business value of their solutions and shorten their sales cycles with white papers, case studies, and slicks written in plain English. Over a decade of marketing experience in the tech industry has given her an understanding of strategy, technology, and B2B markets that translates into content that connects with your customers. Jay teaches digital marketing at the graduate level and is certified in inbound marketing by HubSpot. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and has an MA in English Literature and Creative Writing from NYU. In the cats vs. dogs debate, Jay is firmly on the side of dogs.
