Hire A Blog Writer Who Gets You Results (7 key traits)
If you want to save time and get real results from your content creation efforts, then you may want to hire a blog writer.
Blogging is much more than just scripting words online or fluffing up an AI’s generic response.
It’s storytelling that boosts engagement, follows SEO and UX best practices and is customized for each brand, their goals and the reader.
It takes technical knowledge (SEO, meta data, interlinking, etc.), copywriting skills, audience insights and a deep understanding of what Google actually wants to see.
So this is my guide on how to outsource your blogging and find content writers who can deliver the goods.
Let’s get to it!
Table of Contents Show
What Is A Blog Writer?
A blog writer turns topics into articles that are optimized for search engines and other content goals.
Often, blog writers are given a content brief to follow, which includes focus keywords, an outline and key instructions. This helps maintain clear communication and reduces the need for revisions.
But either way, effective blog writers are also usually quite good at:
Keyword research and analysis
Title copywriting
Article outlining
SEO and blog UX
Niche research and competitor analysis
Capturing brand voice and tone
Storytelling
Getting and holding reader’s attention
Summarizing complex ideas into simpler terms
Writing concisely
Perspective taking and audience empathy
Why Should I Outsource Blog Posts? (the benefits)
As you already know, you can’t do everything. And great time management means knowing when to outsource things.
This is the main advantage of hiring a blog writer. You’re buying back your time and attention.
But why else should you hire a blog writer (especially in a world of free AI)?
Here’s are the top benefits of working with content writers:
Human writing and genuine experience are key ranking factors
Quality writing boosts your trust and authority with readers
Improve your blog’s consistency
Ensure high-quality content (which boost your authority, SEO performance and more)
Become more productive
Get fresh, outside perspectives
Scale your content strategy more easily
Borrow knowledge and experience from qualified writers
How to Hire A Blog Writer (3 best ways)
Let’s look at the most common ways to hire a blog writer.
Search Freelance Sites
Freelance sites like Upwork or Fiverr are one of the most popular ways to find blog writers.
It’s also one of the cheaper options you’ll find available, with some writers offering services for as low as $10.
So I would say just be sure to pay attention to reviews and use an AI-checker if you find a deal that seems too good to be true.
Work With A Content Agency
Content agencies are a more formal approach to hiring blog writers.
Some will even assign client success managers to work directly with your brand to ensure quality and consistency.
Naturally, these tend to be the most expensive option.
You can learn more about the best content writing agencies here.
Hire Direct
If you know or find a writer you like, you can connect with them directly.
This is a great way to establish a close working relationship and get better deals than working with an agency (without sacrificing on quality).
For example, I offer blog writing services as a way for people to work with me directly.
But it’s important that you find a blogger whose writing style and expertise align with your goals, brand and project scope.
Hire A Solid Blog Writer (7 traits to look for)
Ready to hire a content writer? Epic.
These are some key traits to look for in a quality blog writer.
1. Understands SEO + Blog UX
Great blog writers know how to write for SEO (search engine optimization) and UX (user experience).
This is a super important part of modern content creation (even social media is becoming more search based with social SEO).
Optimized articles perform better and bring you more traffic. And SEO is more than just putting a focus keyword in the title and a few H2s.
It means:
Knowing how to write with a tone of experience
Using your target keyword (and relevant ones) in the right places
Understanding interlinking and content clustering
Formatting posts for a positive user experience
So if you want better content, definitely prioritize writers who understand SEO and stay in the loop with ranking best practices.
2. Has Experience In Your Niche or Solid Research Skills
If experience matters (and it does for Google and your audience), then that's an important trait to look for.
And if direct experience is lacking (which often can’t be helped with blog outsourcing), then having excellent research skills is a must.
So here are some quick tips for vetting writers with great research skills or direct experience:
Ask for previously published articles in a related niche
Have a writing assessment to test research skills on an unfamiliar topic
Ask for relevant past work experience as an application requirement
Look for writers who aren’t new to writing online
3. Has Experience Writing Online
Experience writing online is helpful. Because blogging is different from other types of writing (such as academic writing).
Most writers will have a portfolio of work to showcase. Other bloggers may have a personal blog to share (through their own website or another platform like Medium).
In my opinion, both are acceptable. It’s more about the quality of work and writing style.
While working with other brands and websites improves experience and writer trust, I wouldn’t totally write off (pun intended) personal bloggers completely.
4. Has A Strong Attention for Detail
As well as a blogger, I’m also a music producer. And both of these things require a strong attention to detail.
For example, choosing instruments that don’t overlap in frequencies, adding ear candies or echoes for more dynamics and panning instruments for a wider sound are things that, individually, listeners may not notice.
But together, these nuances compound and elevate the whole song.
It’s the same deal in content writing.
From good research skills to knowing when to use a comma, small details paint the bigger picture.
It’s the difference between average vs great blogging.
5. Can Customize to Your Brand
Your brand voice should stay consistent across all content and platforms.
So a great blog writer should be able to adapt their writing to suit your tone.
Your tone of voice is what your audience expects and solidifies trust and authority in your niche.
Here are some examples of different types of writing tones and styles:
Technical writing
Casual writing
Formal writing
Sophisticated writing
Fun and light writing
Social media copy
Sales copy
6. They Ask the Right Questions
A great blog is well researched and intentional. So a great blog writer won’t just wing it.
They’ll ask the right questions about your content and brand (although, this should ideally be provided to the writer already).
For example, here are some things I always ask for before writing a post:
Brand information
What is your brand voice and tone?
Do you prefer more casual writing or more formal?
Target audience information
Who is your target reader?
What do they value and what are their pain points?
Content goals
What do you hope to achieve with this post?
Do you want to increase traffic and SEO rankings?
Do you want to boost awareness or make conversions?
Or maybe you’re just looking to increase your site authority and trust with a more well-rounded content library?
Blog examples
Do you have previous posts that represent what you’re looking for?
Are there any competitor blogs that match the style and tone you’re looking for?
7. Doesn’t Work for Cheap
When it comes to content, you get what you pay for. And a great writer knows their worth.
Price reflects a blogger’s experience, abilities and confidence.
So while a writer charging just .02 per word sounds tempting, it may end up costing you more in the long run (with rewrites, edits or if the content is AI generated fluff).
Of course, that’s not to say all writers who charge lower amounts are “bad”. There are plenty of caveats.
But it is mutually beneficial to pay (and charge) a reasonable fee. Fair rates will produce better quality content, since there’s more perceived value attached to the exchange.
Motivation increases and the pressure to deliver great work is felt.
So set aside a decent budget for your content. It’s an important part of your marketing and you don’t want to skimp on quality.
Some FAQs
How do you pay a blog writer?
If you hire a writer through a platform like Fiverr, payments are usually processed directly through that platform. Some other ways include PayPal, bank transfers or accepting online payments through a service like Stripe.
Personally, I just use PayPal.
Why should I hire a blog writer? Can’t AI just do the work for me?
AI is great as an assistant. It can help you brainstorm ideas, clean up cluttered writing and flesh out ideas. But it’s not at the point where it can fully replace human writing.
The biggest reason to avoid completely AI-generated blogs is Google’s E-E-A-T ranking guidelines. That first “E” stands for experience, which means articles that use firsthand, human experience will be prioritized.
How much should I pay someone to write a blog for me?
How much you pay for a blog writer depends on various factors, such as their experience or the type of work you need done.
But here are some quick numbers.
On the low end, around 0.06 cents per word is common. Although, 0.10 cents is probably a better average. But higher-end, more experienced bloggers may charge a lot more.
What’s the process of hiring and working with a blog writer look like?
This varies a lot. If you’re working with a content agency, you may not work with blog writers at all. Instead, your main point of contact could be a client success manager.
But if you’re using Upwork (for example), your communication and contract handling can be done inside the platform directly.
For me though, clients usually start by filling out a quick form on my Work With Me page. From there, we then communicate through email.
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