New to Verblio and wondering how to become our writers’ new favorite client? We’ve got three customer behaviors our writers love to see. Follow these steps to get more submissions, faster, and build relationships with our top writers that will get you content you love for years to come.
1. Decide on submissions quickly.
Our writers’ single biggest frustration is submitting content that sits in your queue for weeks—or even months. Whether you choose to purchase, decline, or request edits on a piece, taking that action quickly will encourage more writers to fulfill your requests with quality content.
We’re people with bills to pay, and we really want to make you happy. Be nice, and please purchase in a timely manner.
– Verblio writer
Many of our writers are full-time freelancers, and creating predictable income is their top priority. If they submit a dozen pieces that sit for weeks, they don’t know when—or if!—they can expect to receive that income. Like any business, they’ll choose to work with the customers that pay them promptly, and avoid the ones who make them wait.
Even if you’re not going to purchase a piece, declining it quickly is better for both you and the writer:
- It lets other writers know you’re looking for something else to fulfill that request. Another writer will be far more likely to start a draft if you don’t already have a submission waiting in your queue.
- It gives the writer a more certain idea of how much they can expect to invoice that week, which helps with their budgeting and planning.
- It lets the writer know they can recycle that declined submission to use elsewhere.
If you’re not going to purchase my content, at least deny it so it’s not just sitting there waiting for a response for forever.
– Verblio writer
Can’t decide whether to purchase, request edits, or decline? Check out this helpful guide, or use our handy-dandy flowchart:
2. Give helpful feedback.
Whether you purchase or decline a submission, be sure to let the writer know what you liked and what you didn’t. This feedback is key to getting content that better meets your expectations over time. Even if you don’t want that particular writer to submit again, your feedback will help other writers better understand what you’re looking for, and what you’re not.
Clear and detailed feedback allows us to improve and provide better content.
– Verblio writer
Writers can see your recent comments on other submissions right next to your content brief:
If you’re providing specific and constructive feedback, writers will see that you’re invested in making this relationship work, and they’ll be able to use that feedback to improve their submissions for you. If, on the other hand, nothing seems to please you and your feedback doesn’t explain why, writing for you will feel riskier—and writers may move on to another client they can be more confident in satisfying.
Better feedback breeds better results for everyone.
– Verblio writer
Useful comments include feedback about why you did or didn’t like and how writers can improve. We know it takes extra time to leave feedback, but, on Verblio, it’s the most effective way to get content that better meets your expectations in the future.
Unhelpful comments:
- “Just didn’t like it”
- “Thank you”
- “Went with something else”
Helpful comments:
- “Thank you for taking our previous feedback into account. In the future, please avoid referencing sources that are more than 2 years old.”
- “Please follow the outline we provided. This article didn’t seem easy to read and was technical, not conversational.”
- “We loved the intro, but the sections didn’t seem to flow and there was no conclusion.”
Not only do helpful comments encourage more writers to tackle your requests, but they also directly impact the quality of your submissions. Putting in that bit of extra effort on your early pieces will save you time on future submissions and edits down the road.
3. Provide a great brief.
The information you provide in your content request (AKA your brief) is the single biggest determiner of the quality of submission you will receive.
How to write a good brief is a topic deserving of its own blog post (and we recommend checking that one out), but we’ll give you the most important takeaways:
1. State your business’s goal for the piece. Why are you creating this piece of content? What do you want it to achieve? This could be simply to drive organic traffic, or it could be to answer a common sales question or explain a new product you’re releasing.
As a writer, I really *want* to give you a piece that meets your needs. The clearer your brief is about not only what content you want to see but how you plan to use it and what existing context it needs to fit within, the better I can do that work.
– Verblio writer
2. Identify the reader’s goal. Why are they reading this? What value are they expecting to gain? Considering the reader’s perspective will help the writer know what questions they should be answering and what information should be covered.
3. Request the right word count. When choosing a request to fulfill, writers look at your brief to make sure the information, topics, sections, and other requirements are appropriate and achievable within the word count you’ve requested. If they can tell you’re asking for more information than they can adequately cover in the word count you’ve requested, savvy writers will move on.
4. Have a good title. This title doesn’t have to be set in stone, but it should make it immediately obvious to writers what you’re looking for. This will attract writers with the expertise you need to check out your request.
Ready to start working with our writers? Submit a great brief, take fast action on submissions, and leave helpful feedback. In no time, you’ll be getting content you love from writers who are excited to work with you.
Thank you for trusting us and the Verbilo team to provide the content you need.
– Verblio writer
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