How to Hire Online Writers with Confidence: 5 Tips to Help You Make the Best Decision
Sarah Edwards
Content is the backbone of any online marketing strategy. Whether it’s your social media posts, blog posts, email newsletters, or pay-per-click ad copy, you need to hire online writers who create content that raises brand awareness, builds trust with your audience, and educates readers.
However, just having content isn’t enough; you need quality content. Quality is so crucial that Google demands it as part of its published requirements for high rankings. However, not all writers are capable of or willing to put in the work required to create high-quality content.
That’s why knowing how to evaluate potential writers is key. Implementing these suggestions will help you make the best hiring decision for your business.
1. Assess Résumés and Writing Samples
Before hiring an online writer, ensure you get a chance to see how they perform. The best way to do this is through writing samples.
Experienced writers should have samples readily available in their online portfolios or will happily provide links to published works with their byline. You can also ask the writer to create a custom sample based on a current need to see if they can meet your standards. Either way, you’ll want to know what they can do before you hire them to do it for you.
2. Gauge Professionalism
As a brand owner, you do your best to operate professionally, treating your customers well and ensuring you deliver a quality product or service. Everyone associated with your brand must offer the same.
However, a respectful and enthusiastic demeanor is the least of what a writer should offer. The writer you hire should follow instructions and respond favorably to feedback, as you’ll be working together to ensure the content properly reflects your brand.
Your writer should also stay informed of the latest trends in search engine optimization techniques and quality standards and be able to apply them effectively.
3. Establish Timelines
The writer or content marketing agency you hire to represent your brand via online content should be excellent at project management. Take the time to discuss the scope of your project. The writer should then be able to break down the project into smaller components, identifying which tasks are most urgent and making note of all contingencies.
Additionally, your writer should establish deadlines for all deliverables, allowing time for feedback and revisions. You should walk away from this discussion with confidence that your writer can meet all deadlines and that project execution will flow as smoothly as possible.
4. Ensure Industry Familiarity
Writing compelling content on topics you don’t know much about is challenging. Even Google understands the power of expertise and experience, making the traits part of its quality standards for high search engine results rankings.
Receiving the quality content you paid for starts with ensuring you hire online writers who are familiar with your industry. A writer should provide authoritative content and position you as a confident thought leader.
The writer should also understand industry-related language and norms. This knowledge is especially important for legal services, health care, and other industries where licensed professionals must comply with specific regulations and standards.
5. Ask About Specifics
Effective content marketing requires more than just articles. You will likely need social media posts, landing pages, guest posts, pillar pages, email newsletters, product descriptions, and more.
Ensure the writer you choose has experience providing a range of content types to fit your strategy. It’s also helpful if they can expertly optimize content for each context, such as by using popular hashtags for social media posts and strategic image placement in email newsletters.
Write Collective: Your Go-To Resource to Hire Online Writers
Content is too important for business owners and marketing managers to hire just anyone for the job. You need writers who are skilled, prompt, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about your business and industry. These are the attributes of a great writer who takes their craft — and your business — seriously.
Whether you’re working on content for a specific campaign or need writers on an ongoing basis to support your growing business, Write Collective can help. We offer the benefit of a team of high-quality writers and editors in one place and a dedicated account manager to bring your project together and ensure it meets your standards. Explore our content marketing packages today and discover how Write Collective can help you with your quality content needs.
About Sarah Edwards
Sarah Edwards, the founder of Write Collective, is an SEO and content marketing expert with a strong track record in helping businesses, agencies, and individuals in every sector establish credibility online with strong links, optimized webpages, and superior copy.