Raising a child takes a whole village. Writing quality content also depends on the same type of team effort.
Good teamwork makes it easier to deliver content to clients that is both on schedule and fits their vision. It is indispensable when it comes to managing a team of freelance writers on a major project. Everyone needs to be on the same page to get past the first.
Your content marketing agency can prevent the wheels from falling off during content production by using these strategies to guide your writing team:
Harness Strengths
When you hire technical writer, they are going to bring specific skills and experience to the table. Make an effort to identify their strengths as a writer early and put them in a position to harness those strengths. A writer who enjoys aviation and holds a pilot’s license, for example, might be the best fit to create a technical manual for an airplane or helicopter. Playing to a writer’s strengths reduces time spent editing and rewriting content.
Define Roles
All good cooks know that nothing spoils a recipe faster than too many hands stirring the pot. The same is true with writing. You get the best production from your writing team when everyone has a clearly defined role. Divide tasks among the group and assign out specific responsibilities to each person. Some can handle researching topics or proofreading. Others can be tasked with writing in a specific niche such as legal or medical. Defining roles keeps everyone involved and productive.
Invite Idea Collaboration
Once a writer has a defined role, that does not mean they should be on an island. Encourage your writing team to bounce ideas off the group. The writing team can be a collective sounding board. This is particularly helpful if writer’s block strikes during content production and threatens to derail the entire production schedule. Writers often find inspiration on how to structure content and flesh out ideas when they are given the green light to articulate their thoughts with others.
Streamline Writing Schedules
Managing a writing team requires eliminating the feast or famine principle. It isn’t smart to have everyone writing at the same time or editing at the same time. Examine deadlines for each client and set up a schedule for niche that maps out the entire content creation process through topic research, writing, editing and proofreading. This will help your team stay on task and keep clients happy with the final product.
Be an Active Voice
Writers need enough freedom to do their work without looking over their shoulder. Still, it isn’t wise to simply sit in the shadows and not get involved. Offer guidelines to your writing team so they clearly understand your expectations on the project at hand. Don’t be afraid to offer suggestions and opinions for each piece of content. You might be able to interject an idea that helps shape and refine content so it achieves its intended purpose.
John C is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
