Once you begin contacting some possible new content creators, you want to begin to pay close attention to their responses. Much of your communication is going to be digital, not in person. Digital communication makes building a relationship and getting to know them a bit different than a regular in-person interview. However, the same principles still apply.
How to Hire a Content Writer (The Right Way)
If you’re a content marketer, then you understand the struggle of keeping up with your loyal customer base. Curating content includes more than just writing. It involves editing, graphics creation, branding, marketing and more. And your content must be engaging, educational and entertaining at all times.
It can be daunting to hire outside help, for fear of ruining your business reputation and status. It may take some time and effort, but the right fit is out there. It’s possible to choose freelance content writer successfully; you simply need to know where to look.
These skilled content writers exist, and they can help generate new leads for your business. They can add value and authority to your blog and online content that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. You need them for your overall success.
Look at Content Writer’s Past Experience
Once you have narrowed it down to a few freelancers, you think you may want to contact, go ahead and give each one a little more consideration. Review their portfolios and past work. Take the time to read their writing and see if their style, voice, and perspective are in line with you and your business.
If you run a beauty product company, you may come across a talented, skilled writer whose past work is mostly in engineering and mechanics. Perhaps this individual, although professional, is not a good fit for the type of audience you are trying to connect with.
Look for a person, who has experience or in-depth interest in your field. A writer who specializes in marketing isn’t probably a good fit. Content Marketing Institute writes that many copywriters are eager to accept work from anywhere. But writing about energy-efficient window installations and organic acne treatments will cause them to spread themselves thin. This way one hardly gains knowledge and experience in a field.
Step #2: Define Your Content Needs
You want to hire content writers whose strengths align with your needs. Your writer can be the best landing page copywriter but be mediocre at crafting an interesting story in your articles; the same can be said for many other content types.
For example, I love writing articles and related content like emails and ebooks, but I’m not comfortable writing technical copy because it’s not my specialization. I could do it, but you may not receive the best ROI from my skills.
Look at what the writer has done in the past; in there, you will find not only what they are most experienced with, but you will also see what they can do with each content type. Find the patterns that you find and base your decision on them.
Be clear on what you want before you hire content writers. If you want fun and lighthearted content, look for writers that consistently write with those attributes. Take a look at their portfolio and see how they write there. The same applies to specialties; for example, if you want an email writer, look for writers who explicitly say they are good at writing emails.
Save Yourself Some Time: Hire a Content Agency Instead
Content Agencies Do A LOT
Agencies have editors on staff to make sure your content is fact-checked and ready for publishing, and they’ve already vetted their staff to ensure that they can meet and exceed the needs of each and every client.
Content comes in many different forms, and the only way to know what types of content perform best for your brand is to measure site traffic, click-through rates, and other data. With a thorough analysis of results, you can build upon your existing content strategy and make even better content moving forward.
Digital agencies also make it a point to hire content marketers with different backgrounds and different types of experience. Whether you’re publishing a science blog, running a tech company, or selling fashion accessories, a great agency can provide you with a content writer who has expertise in your specific niche.
Providing your audience with quality content is the best way to build brand awareness and generate sales. If content isn’t already at the top of your to-do list, it’s time to make it a priority and find a content marketing writer who can exceed results and increase traffic to your site.
Sure, you may be able to get away with hiring a single content writer in the beginning. But when you start to see results and need to ramp up content creation, an agency with a full staff will be right there and ready to scale as your business grows.
Sources:
https://www.dreamgrow.com/choosing-content-writer/
https://contentfiesta.com/hire-writers/
https://inter-growth.co/content-marketing/hire-content-marketing-writer/