To run a successful business in the digital age, you have to produce high-quality content. Whether you're drafting up email newsletters, improving your blog, or designing your landing page, you need great writing to catch your customer's attention.
Not all business owners have the time and skill it takes to create inspiring web content. That's where content writers come in. They create informative articles, blog posts, and marketing content to drive traffic to your site and boost your sales.
It's not just about article writing. Technical writers can create instruction manuals, while grant writers can draft up whitepapers. A real estate writer can help increase your home sales while financial writers can create documents and statements for private clients. Hiring an expert writer can help you meet your content needs whether you're building a blog or expanding an NGO.
But finding a great content writer for content creation isn't always easy. With thousands of writers on job sites, quality isn't always guaranteed. Fortunately, we've got you covered with these tips and guidelines to help you land a team of outstanding writers.
How A Professional Writer Can Improve Your Business
It's no secret that writing is hard. Think about the days of research projects and essays and it's easy to remember why professional writers are always in demand. A copywriter can create everything from press releases, product descriptions, and blogging content to white papers for small businesses and large corporations. You can hire a team of writers or just one writer to create content writing and copywriting pieces.
You Can Focus On Other Things
As a business owner, you likely juggle hundreds of tasks per day and being able to delegate to professionals allows you to focus on the important things. Having a professional writer means you can worry less about creating website content and focus on promotion, increasing conversions, or building your team.
Improved Visibility
People want to read things they find entertaining or interesting. A professional writer can capture your company's essence and translate it into great articles that attract potential customers. They can create everything from brochures and catalogs to ads and technical documentation. This helps to improve your visibility online and can help your website rank better.
Better Reach
Aside from writing, a professional content creator can help you meet content marketing goals. Writers can create content that targets specific keywords and improve search engine optimization (SEO) to improve your reach. Professional writers spend time researching what customers in your industry are looking for and create content that suits their needs. Writers strategize, build links, and focus on SEO to increase traffic and promote your site to new customers.
How to Hire Writers
The first thing you should ask yourself when you're looking for a writer is whether you want to hire an in-house writer or outsource to a freelance writer.
In-House Writers
In-house writers have the benefit of face-to-face communications with your marketing team, which makes it easier to strategize and build a content calendar. They get a better feel for your company voice and can adjust at a moment's notice.
The downside of in-house writers is that your selection is likely limited to your local community. Top talent may already be secured by larger companies or your region may just have a scarcity of great writers. Hiring in-house also means you'll be paying your writer a set fee, regardless of how many hours they work and how much content they produce.
Freelance Writers
Freelance writers offer flexibility and typically lower costs than in-house writers. They often don't receive benefits and perks, making them a great choice for smaller companies. It's also easier and faster to onboard a freelancer than a full-time hire. They provide the same quality writing as in-house writers for a fraction of the cost and time. You can also create a long-term relationship with freelancers who can meet sporadic writing needs as your business evolves.
On the other hand, it can be more difficult to communicate with freelance writers. They often work in different time zones or have multiple clients and schedules to juggle. If an issue arises, it's harder to track them down than say an in-house writer whose desk is just down the hall.
You don't have to choose one or the other and stick with that decision. You can start off with a freelance writer and transition them to a full-time job in-house if that suits your needs. You can also work with multiple freelancers and in-house writers if that's in the best interests of your company. Finding the best fit will depend largely on how much content you need and what your financials are.
Where to Hire Writers
The Writer Finder
The Writer Finder is a writing services that matches you with three skilled writers in your specific niche within 72 hours or less. These expert level writers have worked with NBC, The New York Times, Forbes, and other major outlets to produce high quality SEO-driven content.
These high quality writers can create social media posts or improve your ranking in search engines. You can also get help planning content to complement your marketing plan and drive engagement. While this service can save you time, it does require a larger financial investment than other alternatives.
Upwork
Upwork is a great site and the go-to for many people who are looking to hire writers for small projects. The website has a database of more than 12 million freelancers to help you find an expert writer or blogger. Star ratings make it easy to see how well writers have performed for other clients.
You can find freelancing writers for a small project such as an email newsletter or hire someone who can create articles for your blog long-term. The flexible platform ensures you find the perfect fit for any project, regardless of pricing preferences.
The downside to large freelance sites such as Upwork is that quality can vary dramatically, making vetting applicants a difficlt affair. With this site, it takes more time and effort to find experienced writers with the skill level you need.
Freelancer
Freelancer is a great company with a huge writer database similar to Upwork. Fees are a bit higher, but with over 23 million users, there are endless opportunities to find a quality writer.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of terrible writers in the world. Make sure to interview potential writers and ask for samples so you can get an idea of their expertise.
Other sites you can use to hire writers with years of experience creating all types of content include Textbroker and Problogger.
How to Hire the Best Writers
Ask For Writing Samples
The best way to judge if a writer is a good fit for your company is to check out their writing samples. Ask for work they've done relevant to your industry. Check to see if they make grammar mistakes and make sure their writing style fits your company's voice and brand personality.
Test Potential Writers
Commission a paid piece to test the potential writer's chops. This may take time and money, but it's a great way to ensure the writer has what it takes to fit in with your brand and produce the content you need. These paid pieces also enable you to test communication with a freelancer to get a feel for how responsive they are.
You can also ask potential article writers to take a spelling or grammar test. This is particularly important if you choose to hire writers that are based outside of the U.S. that may not be native English speakers. Requiring tests such as these ensures your writer has the skillset you're looking for.
Decide If You'll Pay Hourly or Per Piece
If you're hiring an in-house writer, you'll likely pay hourly for their services. Freelance writers are typically paid per piece to make things simpler. You can choose to pay a flat fee for every article or content piece or opt to pay per word.
Most advanced or expert writers will charge anywhere from $0.10 to $1 per word depending on the project. If you pay per word, give your writer an estimated word count so they know how long you expect a piece to be.
Do Your Research
Aside from asking for writing samples, find out if the potential writer has written for other sites in your field. Hire writers that have established expertise or experience in your subject matter. Writers that understand your industry can produce content more quickly and efficiently.
Be Clear With Expectations
It's important to set clear guidelines and expectations, especially when working with freelance writers. Set firm deadlines and keep lines of communication open to ensure a good working relationship. Make it clear if you expect writers to edit their own work or if they will join a content team with an in-house or freelance editor.
Set up a standard system of how articles should be submitted and establish a clear project description when working with a new writer. Let the writer know if they will also be responsible for publishing. Make it clear if you want the writer to submit a word article or if you prefer another platform such as Google Docs. Setting out the parameters of the project and how you'd like a freelance writer to submit work streamlines the process, reducing the possibility of things falling through the cracks.
Establish how you will pay the writer and decide whether you want to use an online platform like PayPal or another alternative such as bank transfer. With freelance writers, it's particularly important to arrange a payment schedule so the writer knows when to send the invoice and when they can expect to receive their compensation. Be sure to establish the pay rate before the writer gets started to avoid any confusion.
Go Further With Quality Writers
You don't just want good writers; you want great writers to produce phenomenal content that your customers will enjoy. Whether you choose to go with in-house or freelance writing, creating content is essential to your company's success in today's digital world.
Find writers by combing job boards or opt for a hiring agency such as The Writer Finder that can do the legwork for you. Keep these tips in mind and you're sure to find the perfect fit for your writing jobs.