If there’s one thing that holds in today’s ever-changing world is that content is king. While social media trends come and go, good content stays forever.
Let’s be honest, though. As a business owner, you probably don’t have much time on your hands, which means there’s only so much that you can be doing at once.
Not to mention, you may know your business better than anyone else, but you might not be able to put that knowledge into the right, SEO-friendly words.
This is why more and more business owners nowadays hire content writers. Hiring a blog writer that understands content and SEO can not only free up your time but also drive better rankings and lead to higher conversion rates.
So, in this article, we will be taking a look at some of the best platforms that you can use to hire a blog writer. Here’s what we’re going to cover:
- Why Hire a Blog Writer?
- 9 Best Websites to Hire a Blog Writer
- How to Hire Blog Writers for Your Website
- How to Effectively Work With Content Writers
And more! Let’s dive right in.
Why Hire a Blog Writer?
Now, you must be wondering – ‘Is good content really that important?’ The short answer to that question is YES!
An Aberdeen report suggests that businesses and sites that invest in informative, quality content and good content strategy reported 7.8 times higher site traffic than those that didn’t.
The main issue with content, though, is that the process of writing a good blog (or any other piece of content) is very time-consuming. It requires a lot of research, a deep understanding of writing styles and keywords, as well as SEO.
Thus, as a business owner or marketer, it is better and more efficient if you hire a blog writer and delegate these tasks to them instead of learning to write yourself. This way, you can save your own time while still getting high-quality content.
So, to sum it up, here are some key reasons for you to hire a blog writer:
- Quality content to get more leads
- Maintain a regular stream of content
- Produce SEO-friendly content
- Reduce your workload
- Provide current and potential customers with more value
Now that we know why you need to hire a blog writer, let’s take a look at some of the best websites you can use to find the very best writers!
9 Best Websites to Hire Blog Writers
#1. MintSEO
MintSEO is an SEO & content marketing agency.
We help our clients rank on the front page of Google by creating SEO-optimized blog articles, landing pages, and other types of content.
Instead of having to deal with the hassle of hiring, training, and managing content writers, we handle the entire process for you! This includes:
- Hiring expert content writers
- Training them to create SEO-friendly content
- Editing their content and making sure it fits your brand guidelines
And more! Get in touch now.
#2. Upwork
It’s hard to talk about hiring freelancers or writers without talking about UpWork. It is one of the biggest freelance marketplaces today with over 12 million members.
The biggest advantage of using UpWork for your hiring is that it is completely free. As a business owner, you don’t have to spend any money to post an offer on Upwork. This is because the platform makes most of its money by taking a commission from the writers.
The one key downside of using Upwork is the same as its biggest selling point. The sheer volume of writers that are on the platform can make the process of finding the right writer very time-consuming for you.
#3. ProBlogger
Next up we have ProBlogger which, at its heart, is a blog about blogging. It provides writers with a lot of valuable information and educates them on how to make a living as a freelancer. On top of that, it also doubles as a job board which you can hire blog writers from.
ProBlogger charges business owners and employers a fee to post jobs on their job boards.
This fee can be anywhere from $80 for a basic job post that will feature for 15 days to $320+ for membership packages. This may seem like a lot of money for a small business owner, but if you’re a SaaS or affiliate marketing website hiring 2-5+ writers, then the job posting price is well worth the results you’ll get from it!
#4. Indeed
If you are looking to hire a blog writer to be a full-time employee then Indeed would be a better platform for you. Indeed is primarily focused on full-time job postings, but you can also find freelance content writers on their websites.
Being one of the most popular job posting sites, Indeed receives millions of visitors each month, allowing you to reach a very broad pool of talent.
Indeed, unlike ProBlogger, is free to use, which means you can post a job opening for free. However, if you are aiming to reach more applicants, you’ll have to pay for a sponsored job ad.
AlternativelyOptionally, instead of posting a job ad, you can browse through the thousands of job-seeker profiles on Indeed and reach out to them directly.
#5. Freelancer
Freelancer is another major website where you can hire freelancers. It works similarly to Upwork. You can get started by creating a job proposal and inviting people to pitch to you. The platform uses an internal algorithm that pairs you with the best writers and creators based on your needs.
As with UpWork, you can post the project completely free of charge. The platform takes a small percentage of the amount you will pay to the writer, in case you end up hiring someone.
#6. Scripted
If you are looking for quality content without having to spend a lot of time on the hiring process, then Scripted is the right website for you. They have a pool of skilled writers that go through an extensive selection process.
Scripted works on a membership basis, with fees starting at $200 per month. As a business owner, you can choose between a monthly or a yearly membership plan based on what suits your business needs best.
The best part about Scripted? They also offer support for editing, content strategy, content publishing, and more.
#7. Textbroker
Textbroker has pre-vetted writers who are rated from two stars to five stars based on their skill sets. You can choose a writer that meets your requirements easily, starting from 2.3 cents per word.
This lets you flexibly choose writers based on your budget and requirements. Even the higher-rated writers are very budget-friendly, while the Textbroker site is super easy to navigate.
#8. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour is a freelancer marketplace that works just like UpWork and Freelancer. They have a database of over 10,000 freelancers.
Their pricing is pretty straightforward. They charge a 10% commission if you hire someone from their platform and a tiny (£ 0.60 convenience fee).
#9. The Writer Finder
The Writer Finder is a platform that can help you find experienced freelance writers for your business. Basically, they have a team that sources and vets out writers, effectively taking care of shortlisting and other details that save you a lot of time.
Unlike the other platforms on our list, The Writer Finder charges you a $250 fee upfront. Once you purchase the plan, their team will source three to five experienced, pre-vetted writers, and provide you with their samples. The general turnaround time is three days.
How to Hire Blog Writers for your Website
Now that you know where you can hire blog writers, let us talk about the actual process of hiring them.
Once you have posted the job offer, you will be flooded with hundreds of applicants, and going through all of them is bound to be a very time-consuming process. It can take days, if not weeks, to go through all of their portfolios and samples.
This is why having a proper plan and process in place can be useful.
Below, we’ll walk you through the process of hiring blog writers effectively, step-by-step:
Step #1: Know What You Want
This is the easiest step and most overlooked step. Before you can start looking for blog writers, it is important to understand who you are looking for.
Different organizations and niches have different needs. Similarly, every writer brings something unique to the table. As such, to make the process of hiring a blog writer easier, you should know what skills you are looking for. You can do this by answering some simple questions to get things rolling, like:
- How many words or articles do you need every week?
- Do you need a niche writer or a general writer?
- How many writers do you actually need?
- Are you open to working with beginners/freshers?
- Do you want them on a monthly retainer or on a per-project basis?
Once you start answering these questions, you will have a better idea of the type of person you are looking for. This will save you time further in the process, making it easier to find the right fit for your business.
Step #2: Fluff-Free JD
After the first step, you should have a better idea of who you are looking for. Now, it’s time to let the candidates know too. No matter what website you chose to hire from, you will need to provide them with a proper job description.
It is important to make sure that the JD is crisp and to the point. Be upfront about what you are expecting. A big mistake many employers make here is that they don’t mention the salary range. If you are looking to hire a blog writer with a budget of 5c per word, for example, you don’t want to spend the time vetting out someone who charges 50c/word.
Here’s a list of some key factors to mention in the job brief:
- No. of writers you are looking for
- Expected word count/number of articles per week
- The niche
- Level of experience
- Pay Scale
- Location (if applicable)
Another important and helpful thing you can add to your job brief is a Google Form. This can make it easier for you to organize all the applicants and get all the relevant data.
You can also ask for links to their portfolio and published works on the form. Google forms take care of sorting the data for you so that it is easier to find the most relevant applicants.
Step #3: Samples & Tests
There’s no real way of knowing how good a writer is just by looking at their resume. As such, it is ESSENTIAL to ask for writing samples from any writer who applies for the position.
In a nutshell, writing samples can give you a better understanding of the writer’s language skills, writing style, and content quality. In case you are open to hiring freshers, you can ask them for academic samples instead.
The entire goal of going through this process is to save time.
But there’s one caveat to this, too. There is practically no way of knowing whether the samples were actually written by the writer or outsourced. Likewise, you can’t really tell if they went through an editor who fixed up mistakes first.
This is why, in addition to their samples, you should ask the applicants for a paid trial test. This, however, comes a bit later in the process (once you have vetted a handful of writers you think have potential).
Step #4: Shortlisting & Hiring
So, a few weeks have passed since you posted the job ad. At this point, depending on the website, you probably have anything from 50 to 300+ applicants to go through.
It goes without saying that going through all of their profiles and samples can take a lot of time and energy.
Well, this is where a virtual assistant can really come in handy.
You can provide the VA with an SOP or a brief that details what you are looking for. This can include things like language level, writing style, niche knowledge, and more. The VA can then go through all the candidates and provide you with a shortlist of potential writers, based on your needs.
After the VA has shortlisted the best candidates for the job, you can go ahead and give them the trial task.
A trial task can help you understand how well the writers can provide you with what you need. A trial task of 1000 words should be more than enough to give you a good understanding of how a particular writer works and whether you and your organization can work with them or not.
Specifically, you can ask them to work on a Google Doc, which allows you to keep an eye on the whole process. With the help of the trial task, you can check:
- Who wrote the sample (i.e. if it was written by them or outsourced)?
- How long did it take the writer to write the article (not including research time)?
Once – and if – they complete the trial task successfully, you can talk with the writers and iron out the details of your agreement.
Generally speaking, if you get about 100 applicants, only 10 or 15 among them are likely to meet your requirements. In the end, even fewer will make it all the way to the final round, and from there you can hire 1 or 2 writers that have really made an impression.
How to Effectively Work With Blog Writers
So, you have found yourself the perfect writer – someone who meets all your requirements and lives up to your organization’s standards.
Great! Now it’s time to get to work.
To effectively work with the blog writer you end up hiring, it is important to keep one thing in mind: most content writers aren’t content strategists. They may be able to write the blog post well, but they won’t know what, exactly, should this blog post include in order for it to rank on Google.
So, to make sure that the blog writer is creating effective content, provide them with content briefs that include the following information:
- List of primary & LSI keywords.
- Number of times they should mention the keyword
- Information about the target audience
- List of primary & secondary headlines
- Points to be included
- Points to be excluded
- Reference articles (optional)
Conclusion
The truth is, content marketing can lead to almost six times higher conversion rates. This means that just by hiring a good blog writer, you can take your business to the next level. The process may be time-consuming, but the benefits make it all worth it.
In the long run, it will save you a lot of time, effort, and money.
That’s all for now!
Thanks for reading our article – we hope these tips make it easier for you to hire blog writers.
