10 Tips on How to Hire the Best Content Writer

Table of Contents

• Why is Content Writing Important for a Business?
• Why Should Anyone Hire a Content Writer?
• 10 Important Tips You Must Follow
  • Skill level
  • Experience level
  • Knowledge of your business and the industry
  • Energy level
  • Costs involved
  • Turnaround time
  • Rework policy
  • Portfolio
  • References
  • Knowledge of SEO
• Conclusion
• FAQ

As a business owner, you need to advertise and market your venture to attract new customers, keep your existing customers engaged and boost growth. To achieve these, you will require innovative marketing techniques that are practical and simple to execute. One of the best methods to achieve these business goals is to create a content marketing strategy, which can give you a high return on your investment.

Compelling content is the foundation for any marketing effort. A study by Demand Metrics reveals that 80% of individuals like to find out about an organization through various forms of content on the internet. Content writing could involve anything, such as online blogs, website pages, landing pages, social media posts, newsletters, and email marketing. For this, it is important for businesses to understand the importance of having a content writer onboard and how to hire a content writer or a service.

Why is Content Writing Important for a Business?

An elegantly composed content piece will attract more web traffic; these leads will share this piece of content on social media, which will eventually help bring in more customers for you. Also, great copywriting on a business landing page and other kinds of incredible web content will be the deciding factor for a person to select your products or services.

Through such content, you can ensure that all your previous clients keep coming back to you for your products and services.

Why Should Anyone Hire a Content Writer?

Simply put, content writing is a complex process, and not everyone can write good content. As a business person, hiring a content writer can reduce your stress of doing everything by yourself.

Excellent content writers prompt better leads for your business and improve the online visibility of your products or services.

Source

In fact, a content writer plays a vital role in generating leads and keeping them engaged. If you hire a writer who does not create good content, you won’t get a good return on your investment. Therefore, you need to know how to hire the best content writer for the job.

10 Important Tips on How to Hire a Content Writer

Hiring a good content writer is key to a successful content marketing plan. Here are a few qualities of a good content writer that any content marketer should keep in mind before hiring: 

1. Skill level

One of the most important factors to consider is a content writer’s skill level. It is very easy to find out the skill level by requesting writing samples. In any case, don’t simply ask them for just any sample; give them a topic related to your business. A good content writer will deliver the right content that fits perfectly in your marketing strategy.

There are plenty of online tools to judge content in terms of spelling, grammar, and readability. One of the best tools is the Hemingway App that will help you judge the samples sent. Assessing the skill level of who you are going to hire is a vital step in how to hire a content writer. 

2. Experience level

Another factor that accompanies skill level is the experience level of a writer. An author may have loads of experience when it comes to writing blogs, but he or she may have little or no experience with regard to a sales pitch or a landing page. Similarly, an excellent writer may not be familiar with your domain at all.

Taking samples related to what you would expect from the writer helps you identify the best writer for the job. Also, make sure to put all requirements in the job description so that the right applicants apply for the job. This is an important trick about how to find good content writers that fit your bill.

3. Knowledge of your business and the industry

When hiring an individual for a content writer’s post, it is important to make sure that they know everything about the industry that your business operates in. There is no point in hiring an individual who does not know the various terms and jargon used in the industry.

In some sectors, such as insurance or finance, putting out wrong information can be counterproductive to your business and lead to lawsuits. Therefore, a writer needs to have prior knowledge about your company’s products and services. 

There are various types of content writers that exist in the market today. Some of them include:

• Social media writer
• Technical writer
• Blog writer
• Copywriter

4. Energy level

How to hire a writer? Always have somebody in your team who is sufficiently amped up for your venture! They should like your services or products and want to take your business further. Your content writer will be an essential component of your group, so enthusiasm counts.

You are bound to get incredible content from somebody passionate about writing and the services or products you offer. The best way to measure their energy level is to set up a call or an in-person meeting, and you will learn a lot through their body language and how they respond to your questions.

5. Costs involved

If cost is a factor for your business, remember that you should pay more for truly qualified and experienced content writers. It is really simple; you get what you pay for. If your content requires more technical skills, then a writer may charge you more, whereas if the content you are looking for is on general topics, you can bargain.

On various websites for freelancers, you can get a rough estimate of how much a writer could ask for a blog post. Based on that estimate, you can pitch to a writer. Ensure that you do not overpay, as you will see the return on your investment after a few months or years. Having your cost estimate set right is an important part of how to hire a writer. 

Source

6. Turnaround time

One of the best qualities of a good content writer is the turnaround time. Any writer who can deliver good quality articles within a few days should always be preferred over writers who take a week to give one piece of content.

When you define a set of responsibilities for your content writer, make sure to incorporate turnaround time. The best way is to make an editorial calendar with all details regarding the timeline of an article. Make sure that the content writer understands the time frame that is required of them.

7. Rework policy

If you choose to work with a specific writer, always make sure that you enquire about his or her rework policy. The most experienced writers will charge for changes, except when they make some mistakes or do not follow the guidelines. Ensure that you agree on such terms before you begin assigning work.

8. Portfolio

A content writer’s portfolio will give you a better representation of the writer’s writing style. It will also help you judge the experience level of a writer. A portfolio will help you understand the writing tone and style that you need to suit your brand.

If there is a good match, then the writer will be perfect for your brand.

9. References

Before finalizing the candidate, make sure that you read a few reviews left on a website or portfolio. You can also contact their past clients and get some information on their work ethics. If they are even fairly experienced, they will have references. You can generally ask the content writer for some references and check the writer’s work on websites.

When you contact the references, the first question you need to ask them is whether they would hire the writer once more. If they say yes, that is a good sign. This is an important tip on how to hire a writer. 

10. Knowledge of SEO

You don’t generally require a content writer with a thorough grasp of SEO’s complexities, except when you’re hiring a content writer for writing blog posts. In such a case, it is essential to hire a content writer who knows the essentials of utilizing various keywords in articles. 

Writers should know how to create eye-catching content for the web with shorter sentences and proper formatting.

Their content should also be of high quality and SEO-compatible to get a high rank on search engines – it should always be within the first five links. This is one of the necessary qualities of a good content writer.

Conclusion

Now that you have read the article, you may feel confident about how to hire a content writer for your business needs. Follow the tips provided in this article on how to hire a writer that fits the bill. Hiring a good content writer is as much hard work as writing good content, so be careful and follow all the tips mentioned here. 

Key Takeaways

• Creating a content marketing plan is a must for all businesses today and thus, the demand for content writers is increasing with each passing day. 
• Content writers come with a myriad of qualities and experiences. They include technical writers, social media writers, blog writers, etc. It is important to assess one’s business needs and match that with the qualities of a good content writer.
• How to find a good content writer? Some tips include having a look at their past work and experiences, reading reviews and contacting references, and getting relevant samples, and assessing them amongst others. 
• Cost is an important factor to consider when planning to hire a content writer. Extremely cheap rates usually mean compromising on quality. 
• Knowledge of SEO is today an important skill to consider when hiring a content writer since it forms an important part of most content strategies. 

FAQs