Has anyone ever hired a freelance writer?

Hey everyone!

I've been looking to ramp up my blogging and content marketing efforts and would love to hear from anyone who's ever hired a freelance writer.

• Do you have any tips on finding good writers? Is upwork the best place?
• What's a good rate for a high quality article? (e.g. a 1000-word well researched article).
• Is there anything else you'd recommend I keep in mind when hiring a freelance/content writer?

Thank you so much!