how to ensure quality articles all the time

ketanco

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Hello,

I have an online magazine about a tech related subject. I have 1-2 writers helping me as freelance writers. What I do is, i search the web for good news or products to write about. and then I email them the worthy subjects or products to write about – mostly in the form of another news entry somewhere else to tell them what the subject is.

then I want them to write an original article in their own words, by using any necessary (preferably official site or video or press release etc) source. They are even sometimes required to email and ask for photos and info from the source, by using my company email I gave to them…


It is fine up to that point and the system is working. (you can comment about up to here too by the way)



But after that, I am not always able to get high quality and easily understandable articles. So I came up with a fool proof formula – I hope -. Please tell me if I make sense.. here is what I will do:



I will prepare a question list… a check list that they will need to go through each and every time. What is the subject (or product), a brief description, who did it, where, when, why, how, what are benefits etc… and then I want them to combine the answers to these questions in good writing format. These should be the first 1-2 paragraphs of what they should write. And then add a little more relevant info if they think necessary. And I will limit them to 500 words, to prevent them including unnecessary info, as 95% of the time, the things in my subject can be described within this word limit.


This is what I am planning to do.


Do I make sense? What is your opinion about this? what else would you suggest?
 

Orianna2000

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A good, experienced writer really shouldn't need a checklist like that. This is just my opinion, of course, but to me, it's almost insulting to expect them to use this checklist on a regular basis. If it was just a basic set of guidelines--sure, that's fine. But a strict checklist they have to use every time? That doesn't sit well with me.

Have you tried sitting down and talking to your writers about what you need, what your expectations are? If you've done that and you're still not getting what you want out of them, it's probably time to part ways.

Also consider--you get back what you invest. If you want a high quality articles, you have to be willing to pay for it. How do your fees compare to other websites/magazines for this style and length of article? If you're under-paying your writers, that could be one reason you're not getting the quality you want. If they feel like they're not getting paid enough, they're not going to want to put much effort into the writing.

Just something to think about.
 

Debbie V

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Any non fiction writer should automatically include the "who, what, when, where, why and how" in the piece. I'm concerned that the checklist will force the writers to always include those in the same order as the string together their answers from the list. This might lead to all of your pieces appearing formulaic.

If you aren't getting what you need from your authors, you either have not expressed those needs clearly enough or do not have the right authors. Very clear guidelines including word limits, etc, should be enough. If you see consistent errors, talk them over with the writer to ensure it isn't a misunderstanding. If they continue to make the same mistakes, find others.
 

rhymegirl

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A good, experienced writer really shouldn't need a checklist like that.

That's what I was going to say. A checklist seems to be the kind of thing you'd give students who are just learning how to write articles.
 

Melina

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That's what I was going to say. A checklist seems to be the kind of thing you'd give students who are just learning how to write articles.

Agreed. A pro writer should not need a checklist, nor should they be expected to write from one. It's time for a frank discussion about what you expect, and if it's not delivered, you should find different writers.

However, I echo the sentiment that you get what you pay for. If you expect excellent writing, you must be willing to hire excellent writers who charge professional rates.