5 tips for onboarding freelance writers during the Great Resignation

An onboarding checklist for hiring when you’re short-staffed

Responding to last-minute requests and working within tight deadlines is part of the job for corporate communication and marketing professionals. The Great Resignation, an ongoing trend of workers leaving their jobs, inspired 4.3 million workers to quit in August 2021. This trend, along with employee burnout, has left employees with less capacity for handling unplanned work. 

Whether you’re writing blog posts, developing sensitive crisis communications, or managing strategy for your PR firm, freelance writers and content creators are excellent resources for maintaining healthy workloads when unexpected projects pop up. Taking the time to engage freelancers when you’re at your busiest can feel impossible.

Developing a freelancer onboarding checklist will allow freelancers to jump in quickly when you need their help the most.

Here are five tips for onboarding freelance writers and content creators with ease:

1. Provide your highlight reel

Collect your most successful content pieces that best represent your brand and send them to your freelancer to review. Tell them what you like most about those pieces. You’ll need to pay them for their time, but this step will pay dividends later. If they know your brand so well that they hit the mark on the first or second draft, saving several rounds of revisions, everyone will be happier.

2. Hand over the style guide and brand guidelines

Does your company have a unique way of talking about clients? Is your brand voice more Bill Murray and less Bill Gates? Is the Oxford comma jarring and offensive to your team? Set your freelancers up for success and get them this information in advance. Bonus points if you have an inclusivity section for your style guide.

3. Get them on all the platforms

Get your freelancers in there if your company does all its content creation and approvals via Asana, Slack, or GDrive. Take the time to teach them how to use these programs and what your company’s best practices are. 

Onboarding freelancers regularly? Check to see if your company has training videos, or consider making some of your own, even if it’s with your phone. It will make communication more efficient and result in less handholding from you. 

4. Invite them to meetings

Again, this is an example of something that might initially cost you a bit more money upfront but will save you time and budget over the long term. Getting freelancers up to speed and introduced to all the players allows them to catch the nuances of your projects and ask essential questions. You’ll save time by removing yourself from providing notes and follow-up.

5. Share the final product

When I worked in corporate communications, I was guilty of taking freelance content that was “close enough” and cleaning it up myself because I was under a deadline. That works in the interim. But unfortunately, those freelancers continued to miss the mark over and over again. If you can, even after your deadline passes, take the time to provide freelancers with some feedback. Allow them to see your final product so they can learn what you changed. They want your recurring business and will be happy to hear how they can be a better partner. 

If you onboard a freelancer well, they’ll stay in your ecosystem long term. The longer they stay, the more they’ll learn your business and produce better work. If you introduce them to the right people, get them on your platforms, and share your style guide, they should be able to fit seamlessly into your organization, giving you more space and time to be strategic. 

Need freelance communication support help during your busy season? Download our free guide to onboarding freelancers today.