Is a Freelance Writing Contract Necessary?
Do you rely heavily on freelance writing contracts? This is a question that I am asked time after time. Generally speaking, this is a difficult question to answer because there are many different situations that I deal with on a day to day basis. In some cases I will have a contract in place, but other times this is the furthest thing from my mind.
Here are four details that can and will affect whether or not you use a contract for a particular freelance writing job.
1. In many cases, the size of the project has a lot to do with whether or not there is a contract in place. For example, is it necessary to write up and sign a contract for one 500 word keyword article? In my opinion the answer is no. Of course, if I am going to be working on a 1,000 article project I will definitely want to have a contract in place.
2. Do you trust the company or person that you are doing business with? If the answer is yes, you may not need to use a contract. But remember that trust can often times be misleading. You must be 100 percent sure that the other party is genuine and good for the money. If you have any doubt, and the project is of a decent size, make sure that you have a contract.
3. How much money are you getting paid to complete the project? This should not have a lot to do with signing a contract, but it usually does. Larger freelance writing jobs often times requires a contract more so than smaller ones. This goes along with the size of the project; bigger jobs usually pay more.
4. If the client wants you to sign a contract before starting, good for you. This will show you from the get-go that they know what they are doing, and that they are serious about working with you. No matter what, if you are asked to sign a contract, and you agree to the terms, you should comply.
As you can see, a freelance writing contract is not always necessary. Use the four details above to determine if you need to have a contract in place, or if you can do without.Â
