Writing is not easy. And finding good people is not easy either. I am happy to compensate the right person properly because I value people's time. On my site I am looking for professional musical gear (instruments, recording etc.) reviewers/journalists. People who know what they are talking about and can freelance on my site from time to time. How can find these people (which sources)? I've been looking at blogs etc. but it's very hard to get in touch with people.... Your advice appreciated! BTW if you happen to be a music writer, please drop me a line!
I hired one music writer for one of my sites recently, and I was fortunate in that he actually found me and pitched his services before I had gone out looking for someone. In the past though, I've had luck with CraigsList for that niche, since a lot of musicians are familiar with the site. You could also search for band classifieds sites more specifically - lots of musicians there I'm sure, and they'd be a group familiar with a lot of equipment and gear. And they're often looking to earn extra money.
Good suggestions! I'll add that you might browse through blogs by musicians or about similar topics. It might be that those musicians can write more fluently than others and you will also be able to see their material upfront. Content sites such as About or Suite101 might have music sections as well that can give you ideas for writers. Good luck!
I think the best thing would be to use the methods as suggested above, or alternatively if you use services such as 'Twitter' you can get on there, search for some keywords and see if any suitable people come up (though this might prove to be a bit long-winded, it may be useful if you aren't having much luck contacting people via blogs). Whilst musicians themselves may not be used to selling their services as writers, they should have a knowledge and a passion that will show through. You can hire a writer on here and they can look up certain products online, but you might feel the quality of your article suffering if they really know nothing about that field. It just depends what you are looking for. Slightly off-topic - I am a musician myself and I write. I can write about playing instruments but I have absolutely no knowledge of technical equipment and brands. More of a classical musician for my own enjoyment. But I agree with the above that band classifieds etc. would be a great place to look.
Perhaps a long shot but maybe check out some of the band sites on MySpace? I would imagine many talk about getting new equipment and whether or not they think it rocks or flops. You might find some who will write cheaply or for free exposure on your site. Ideally they would chatter about being featured on your site, bring you more visitors and hopefully more reviewers as well.
Thanks for your advice and help. This suite101 site does feature some good writers. I will try to contact them. Trying to look for bands on myspace or facebook is like looking for a needle in a hay stack, I don't have much time for that...I just know the music business is just terrible, as well professional writing, so I am sure some good under-employed people could benefit from writing for my site. On a side note- any musicians who also want to make some money on the side are free to review their own equipment for $5 per review. No need to be professional. See link below for details: http://en.audiofanzine.com/products/user_reviews/paid_reviews/
I can see why you want better copywriting. I know music stuff. I honestly think the copy you have on your site is misguided, places features over benefits, and way too much in the passive voice.
Hey there You can try GAF or SL but GAF offers a much better range of freelance writers. Expect to pay around $4-$6 for around 400 words of quality unique content. Check the feedbacks first and take on those only you can trust and show there writing skills