There comes a time in every marketing executive's career when they're going to need some writing help.

There comes a time in every marketing executive's career when they're going to need some writing help. Whether you're a startup founder looking to build a presence or a Marketing Director at an established company with some extra budget this quarter, getting the right talent in the door is critical to your success.

With so much at stake, here are 5 signs you're about to hire the wrong writer:

1. No relevant experience.

Many writers will tell you that being an expert in writing is more important than being an expert a particular field. True. But it's still helpful to have a cursory understanding of an industry or vertical, which can only come with experience (even if it's tangential).

If you're a cryptocurrency startup, is your best choice really a writer who'd cut his teeth writing about holistic puppy health and the latest miracle fat loss drug? Or might you be better served using a writer who at least can communicate a fundamental understanding of crypto and related concepts?

Make sure to ask for samples and a few questions about specific experience in your line of work.

2. Price is (way) too low

Everyone knows the old adage you get what you pay for. Be wary of ultra low pricing that seems too good to be true.

Think about it, if someone offered to sell you a brand new Ferrari Portofino (MSRP $214, 533) for $35k, wouldn't the very first thing that came to your mind be "what's wrong with it?"

Content is the same way. While it's tempting to try and get the absolutely lowest price possible, you may very well end up asking "what's wrong with it?" To offer a price that low (think 50%+ lower than other writers), there must be some funny business going on somewhere.

Ask pointed questions about how the writer can offer rates so much lower than comparable professionals (many will inevitably tell you they're new to the industry and just looking to build up their portfolio).

3. Price is (way) too high

At the other end of the pricing spectrum, you'll find "wait! it costs how much?!"

We're not talking about experienced writers who charge at or slightly above the high end of your expected range. Pricing can be really tricky and writers want to make sure they get paid what they're worth, so if a quote comes in a bit higher than expected, it's not a big deal.

What we're talking about is the writers charging double or triple industry rates. Most of them will try and justify their exorbitant rates with often-fluffed up performance metrics. Unless their metrics are exceedingly impressive — like double or triple anything you or your marketing colleagues have ever accomplished — be extremely wary.

Even then, if they do manage to outperform everyone else by such a wide margin, why are they looking for project work instead of hosting workshops on how to be a better marketer? I digress.

While I generally loathe test or pilot projects, cases of outsized pricing are some of the very few instances in which I'd advise requiring one. If you're going to spend that much more than you really need to, make damn sure the work quality lives up to the cost.

4. No established processes

Price is usually a hiring manager's primary concern. But knowing there's a structured, repeatable process for ensuring things get done is a close second. In fact, I've personally served clients who'd happily pay a little more for the peace of mind that there's a step-by-step process for getting great work on or ahead of their deadline and that they barely have to lift a finger to get it.

Whether it's a kickoff meeting and content brief for an ebook campaign or an outline for writing a blog, any writer worth his or her salt will have a prescribed or preferred approach to getting work done on time and to expectations.

If your writer hems and haws about how he or she will manage the production process and deliver great work in the timeframe you're expecting, run — don't walk — away as fast as humanly possible.

5. Not a marketer

The last red flag is also the least obvious, but hiring a writer without a marketing background (or at least a marketing mindset) is generally a recipe for failure.

Sure, there are some companies looking for a copywriter to just crank out rote banner ads, templated email series, and fill-in-the-blank web copy. But most are already-overworked marketing teams trying to reach some lofty quarterly objectives to justify their value to the company and need a writer (or team of them) to take on the overflow work without a lot of hand holding.

Writers need to be able to see the bigger picture. That everything they write — every blog, every email, ebook, or web page — must support the overall brand message and the purpose of individual campaigns. Those with marketing backgrounds or who've come to understand how all the individual pieces fit together will require a lot less instruction and deliver superior work than their heads-down, bang-out-templated-copy counterparts.

The right help at the right time

Using freelance writers to support your already overworked or understaffed team’s content production activities is a common practice that’s saved marketing executives across industries and markets countless hours of work that otherwise might have gone undone.

But like any purchase or investment, it’s important that the buyer beware and be aware of what they’re getting themselves into. Fight the urge to just accept any help you can find without first thoroughly vetting the freelancers, lest you end up back at square one with the same amount of work to do, but fewer dollars and less time with which to do it. .