What to include in a freelance writer contract.
Need to hire a writer to create content for your business? Learn how to make a freelance writer agreement to ensure everyone’s on the same page with the project.
Essential contract information.
The first step to creating a freelance writer agreement is to include all the right information. The more detail you have about the project, the less chance there’ll be any misunderstandings later.
Include at least the following in any freelance writer contract:
- Contact information — Include the names of both parties along with their contact information.
- Deliverables and responsibilities — Describe the project, including information about any extra responsibilities you need the writer to do (posting, images, etc.).
- Payment information — Address the rate and terms of payment.
- Deadlines — When is the project due? You can also break large projects into smaller milestones.
- Ownership of content — Who owns the content once complete? In most cases, it’s whoever paid for it.
- Termination terms — Set a final date for the project and discuss possible reasons for early termination.
If the written content has to do with a topic or project that could potentially get you sued — like legal advice — it’s also a good idea to add an indemnity clause. That puts the writer at fault for inaccuracies or bad information instead of your business.
How to write a freelance contract.
The easiest way to write a freelance contract is in a word processing program. Beginning at the top of the page, list the information and leave a space at the bottom for signatures. Then, save the contract as a PDF. You can even combine multiple files into a single PDF to keep everything together and organized.
Most freelance writers work remotely. PDFs are the best way to send important documents securely and without formatting issues. You can even request signatures and sign the PDF contract electronically to simplify the process.
Find out other ways to work with PDFs online. Discover more about what you can do with Adobe Acrobat to create and send important documents and contracts.
