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Average productivity of professional content writer

         

Macguru

11:26 am on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

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We recently hired a free lance content writer and where very satisfied with the results.

He wrote a total 46 pages on two very different topics in only two days! He had all the research to do and started from very little existing content. The texts are original, very convincing and informative. He even teached a few things to one vendor about the virtues of his own product, making him discover a new market segment.

We are negociating a new agreement. I want to know, do you think this guy is good, very good or excellent?

Leosghost

11:29 am on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

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seal him in box and don't let anyone else get near him
DO IT NOW!

Macguru

11:31 am on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

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Lol!

Thats what I thought. Thanks!

engine

11:46 am on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

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I'll echo that, go for it right away.

Without assessing the output quality it's difficult to say more, but the throughput performance seems good.

EileenC

12:26 pm on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Wow! I'm a content writer, and my clients always tell me how fast I work. But yours is amazing. Perhaps he/she has someone working with/for him ... regardless, sounds like you've found a gem.

Macguru

12:27 pm on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

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>>Without assessing the output quality it's difficult to say more

I would not hand out samples of a work in progress, but it's in French, anyways.
What is more, is he could adapt with different writing styles for both intended audiences.
He sure knows how to write for the web too.

The guy is a retired French teacher native from Congo. He wants to stay a freelance writer, to enjoy life during his retirment.

One of my female colleague jokingly teased him with : "Can you write for a female audience too?" You should have seen his face when he replied :

Bien sur, c'est ma spécialité, Mademoiselle...

We all laughed out loud.

rogerd

2:17 pm on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

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Mac, he rates an "excellent" in my book, at least based on the info you provided. It looks like he has the following characteristics:
- a "quick study", i.e., assimilates new topics easily
- a very fast writer (I doubt if many daily newspaper writers, normally quite fast due to ever-present deadlines, could do nearly as well)
- a quality writer

When someone turns out huge amounts of copy very quickly, I'm always inclined to check for plagiarism. In this case, though, it sounds like you have assured yourself that it's all his own work.

Sign him to a long-term contract, Mac! ;)

Durham_e

8:22 pm on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



OK say your professional writer works 10 hr Day.
10 x 2 = 20hrs or 1200 minutes
1200 / 46(pages) = 26 minutes per page.

Are you sure about this?
Absolutely positive he hasn't got a team out the back
One heck of a professional if not.

Does he stop for lunches have coffee breaks or engage in any other mortal like activity.

Just curious

pleeker

8:30 pm on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

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To follow up on Durham-E ... my first reaction was, Are you sure it's completely original material?

If so ... all the research and all the writing ... in two days? WOW. :o

vkaryl

10:54 pm on May 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

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This man is a multi-tasker extraordinaire! I write (well, fiction is WAY different, but anyway....), and I can quite truthfully say that since Mac is impressed with the quality brought forth, I'M convinced the man's a genius!

Mac - provide him with whatever benefits he needs to keep him happy for the rest of his natural lifetime - and ask him if he's got a son/daughter or two floating around to take over when he's no longer able.... no reason you can't have a content-writing dynasty!

molsmonster

12:53 am on May 7, 2004 (gmt 0)

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There is no way I could ever do it that fast.It would take me the two days to do the research, let alone write it. If it is original, you surely have a keeper.

Krapulator

6:53 am on May 7, 2004 (gmt 0)

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What did you say his email address was?

;)

Macguru

11:42 am on May 7, 2004 (gmt 0)

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>>I'm always inclined to check for plagiarism.

It's the first thing we have done, if he picked it somewere (wich I doubt), It's not on the web.

>>1200 / 46(pages) = 26 minutes per page. (...)
Are you sure about this?

Yes Durham_e, I am positive. He delivered the work only two days after the briefing. He worked from home, so I am not sure about his mortal like activities. But I think he works more than 10 hrs a day.

He left with 2 site maps, existing brochures, redaction plans and a list of keyprases. We use a home brewed FileMaker file for page structure and word density. He learned how to use it in 30 minutes. Average is two hours. He delivered his texts five days before deadline, and they where almost final copy.

>>I'M convinced the man's a genius! (...)
provide him with whatever benefits he needs to keep him happy for the rest of his natural lifetime

I also believe the guy is a genius. This 60 something years old man has something special in his eyes. Let's describe it as his brain is always "multitasking".

He wants to remain a freelance writer and work from home. Thats all he wants. I will offer him more jobs and hope he is available and interested.

Thank you all for the input. He is on my office parties list.

foxtunes

4:55 pm on May 7, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



".....I also believe the guy is a genius. This 60 something years old man has something special in his eyes......"

Great to hear that Stephen Hawking is back in gainful employment.

Leosghost

11:21 am on May 8, 2004 (gmt 0)

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But I think he works more than 10 hrs a day.

Might write French ..but he sure is'nt "metro" french
..35 hr week here ...and we just entered "closed for a month" MAY ..( may as well be ..more public holidays this month than a dogs got fleas ..comatose uncivil ( spelling error deliberate ) service...

...

I think from your general description of the guy you should ditch your current partner and "pax" this guy...

you may have the long awaited planetary answer and counterweight to "Bill".....

Liane

12:28 pm on May 8, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



All I can say is WOW!

Look out Mac, he doesn't need you! ;) This guy could make a living writing his own sites (let's say one really good, complete site every two weeks and live off the income quite handsomely.

Of course he'd have to hire web designers to build the sites for him and sales people to handle all the inquiries ... but it sounds like he could make himself a tidy fortune!

vkaryl

12:25 am on May 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

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*laughing* Liane, that was my thought exactly.... he can hire me to design for him ANY day....

yogis

5:41 am on May 12, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



How do we know what your Freelancer wrote and whether the quality was really impressive or not? 46 articles (how long were these?) in 2 days is quite a stellering job?

Anyhow - there is little that we may comment, except that you are quite fortunate!

Llama

9:05 pm on Jun 13, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



46 pages, not articles.

I'd suggest that if he lives in the same area as you sit down with him and ask him if you can watch him work on an entire article. I just think that two 46 page articles is WAY too much to be handled in that little of a time.

hunderdown

3:58 pm on Jun 17, 2004 (gmt 0)



Llama,

He wrote a total of 46 pages on two different topics, NOT 2 46-page articles. What he did was impressive enough, let's not inflate it to 92 pages!

Labyrinth

4:44 pm on Jun 17, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I'd suggest that if he lives in the same area as you sit down with him and ask him if you can watch him work on an entire article.

Ah, the client from hell. If you ever propose such to a writer, may I be there to listen to his/her response?

I'm sure it would be highly entertaining.

dulwich

9:01 am on Jun 25, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Just come across this rather old post, but as a writer I'm intrigued. As I whip out my calculator and see if it's humanly possible, how many words per page are we talking about here - 300? 350?