You weren’t born yesterday.
You know that content marketing’s conversion rates soar above any other marketing strategy.
But do you know how to find a good content writer to deliver your greatest ROI?
Join the hunt, and I’ll guide you through a five-step process to find, hire, and keep such unicorns.
1) Tracking Footprints: Characteristics of a Good Content Writer
So, you want to know what a good content writer looks like? Let me paint you a picture:
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A professional writer‘s office tie
Dotted with milestones and striped with deadlines.
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An SEO specialist‘s geek goggles
Bubbly with keyword research and sparkly with competitive analysis.
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A savvy copywriter‘s sales coat
Sleek with customer journey map awareness and shiny with conversion rate optimization savvy.
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A subject-matter expert‘s nerd cap
Fitted with a thirst for knowledge and furnished with a knack for teaching.
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A language wizard‘s editing wand
Polished with impeccable grammar and laced with mesmerizing vocabulary.
2) Investigating Habitats: Where to Look For a Good Content Writer
Where to find this fantastic chimera, you ask?
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Job Boards
To learn how to find a good content writer for your business, think about how a good content writer may find you.
All species of writer graze on ProBlogger, BloggingPro, Flexjobs, Freelance Writing, and Contena.
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Recruitment Platforms
LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, Hubstaff Talent, and SimplyHired supply professional writers for hire.
Craft a highly effective job description with clear requirements and application instructions.
…But brace for metric tons of off-the-mark applicants who never bothered to read it.
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Freelance Platforms
Find freelance writers on Freelancer, Upwork, Fiverr, PeoplePerHour, and Guru.
It is cost-effective to hire freelance writers.
…If you can dodge endless waves of scam-writers who think SEO means keyword stuffing.
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Author Bios
Ever read a phenomenal post on Medium and thought ‘I need a writer like that!’?
Two words: contact details.
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Network Referrals
Need to find a good content writer near you?
Ask around!
3) Discovering Species: How to Find a Good Content Writer
Open-source intelligence sieves let you sift good content writers from mediocre ones:
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Writing Samples
Your gauge of skill set, style, and background.
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Client Testimonials
Letters of recommendation from the age of Twitter.
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Case Studies
The information era’s business cards.
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Ranked Posts
Who ranked before may rank once more.
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Analytics Data
The golden standard for evaluating content’s results.
4) Capturing Specimens: How to Hire a Good Content Writer
As you can best assess a date’s compatibility in person, you can best assess a writer’s skills in action. Besides, traps need bait:
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Demo Tasks
Give a reasonable word count and deadline, e.g. 500 words within 48 hours.
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Trial Periods
Paid trials tend to attract high-quality talent.
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Paid Internships
Paying interns with ‘exposure’ will brand your blog as a rip-off.
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Freelance Projects
Scaling one-off gigs to long-term contracts minimizes hiring risks.
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Guest Posts
A good pitch can lead to a good post, which can lead to a good writer.
5) Nurturing Relationships: How to Keep a Good Content Writer
Good communication is paramount to successful collaboration:
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Clear Expectations
If you need daily content, say so from the onset.
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Consistent Guidelines
Yes AP style title case, no AP style title case, or a bewildered writer.
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Effective Strategy
Keywords with ten-minus search volumes or ninety-plus authority competitors? No thanks!
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Realistic Targets
Rank in the top google spot with a 500-word freebie article? Fat chance!
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Responsive Editors
So, what’s my next writing task?
Unicorns Are Real
Believe it or not, content writers of mythical ROI potentials live and breathe amongst us.
Many stand out as accomplished professionals, untouchable to ordinary marketing budgets.
But this guide poises the talent hunter to spot, pluck, and polish diamonds in the rough.