How to Find a Content Writer for Your Business

You’ve probably heard the term “content is king” a million times since you started your business, especially if you’re completely web-based, rely on social media and SEO for your marketing, or work in public relations. Finding the right person or people to help you with content development and marketing is essential to make sure your business stands out and ranks high in search engines where your audience will be looking for you. Here are some tips on where and how to find the right content writer for your business model.

Pay competitively.

First and foremost, you must have the right budget for your content writer. Content is a key part of your business, whether you immediately see its effects or not in your ROI. That means you’ll want someone who has great experience and fluency in your industry to write your content. Google and other search engines also penalize sites with inaccurate, misleading or poorly written content, so you’ll want to get the best writer you can afford.

Would you hire an engineer to build your house for free or for pennies of profit? Would you expect a chemist at a pharmaceutical firm to develop a business-changing drug for free? If the answer is no, don’t expect to get your content for free either. Set a fair budget (hint: for professional writers, $40-$50 per hour, or $1 per word, is the industry standard) and offer your writer a competitive wage. If you don’t, chances are you’ll be stuck with sub-par content.

Not every writer is the right writer. Ask for samples.

It’s important that if one of your competitors comes to your website or happens upon some of your content, they view it as respectable and knowledgeable. That means you’ll need to find a writer with fluency in your industry or the ability to learn quickly after just a few conversations about your needs. Some writers are more adept at blogging or storytelling. Others are more technical. Make sure the writer’s voice matches the tone of your site and your business model. A technical writer will probably be less effective writing for a PR firm as they would be in the healthcare industry.

One way to avoid hiring a writer whose voice isn’t compatible with your business is to ask for as many writing samples as possible related to your field. If they can produce samples, continue with the hiring process. If they don’t have anything related to your field, send them a test to complete before continuing with the process.

Consider a recruiter or third-party agency to help find your ideal writer.

You could search for an independent writing professional on LinkedIn or network through friends, or even reach out to other sites to see who they use, but the most effective and efficient way to find a qualified writer is through a third-party agency like Contently or SolutionInn. At SolutionInn, freelance professionals create a profile and wait for employers to find them through the SolutionInn database. You can outline the scope of your project, detail individual work scopes and post your budget for your project all in one place.