Face it. Maintaining a fresh and current blog that attracts readers is a lot of work. Considering the chores related to managing the website and responding to comments and administrative needs, you must provide a continuous flow of new and engaging blog posts. The bigger question may be, why shouldn’t you pay someone to write blog posts?
Outsourcing at least some of your blog posts may have advantages. The occasional fresh blog post from different perspectives can provide the variety your blog needs. Outsourcing at least some of your blogging frees up time for the administrative jobs of managing your site. Relieving some of the pressure to produce new content can help your writing overall
Finding professional writers who can provide the quality writing you want on your blog can be a challenge. Making the wrong decision about hiring someone to write for you can be disastrous. Before you rush off willy-nilly and hire the first person who wants to be a writer, there are some things we want you to consider.
How Will Your Readers React?
You may lose a few readers if you add guest bloggers or staff bloggers to your content delivery. Bringing in new talent is a change, and some people just don’t react well to change. On the other hand, you may have already lost readers that you didn’t realize because the variety of blog posts was not wide enough to keep their attention.
Fresh ideas and new talent may attract a host of new readers as well as re-invigorate your current readership. The trick is to find writers whose style is compatible with the tone of your blog. Finding writers compatible with your audience and your blog space can be a challenge. You may need help finding and hiring quality writers that match your needs.
How Do I Find Qualified Writers that I Can Trust?
Hiring talent starts with finding a talent pool from which to choose. There are many agencies and services on the internet that exist to match writers with blog space owners. Even with an identified pool of talented writers at your disposal, it can be difficult to judge which ones fit best with your needs.
Here is where a talented editor comes into play. If you hire a service to connect you with potential writers, the editors who work for the service usually have a good idea of the talents and capabilities of the writers in their groups. A good editor can make recommendations about writers they know to provide content that will work well with your blog, style, and needs.
Remember, you are handing your business reputation and good name over to someone else. You should ask some questions about the writers that may be offered to you by a content service. These questions should always be part of the selection of a new writer for your blog.
- What experience and knowledge does this writer have about the focus of my blog?
- Does the writer’s style fit with my writing style and personality?
- Does the tone and feel of this writer’s work contribute to your brand?
- Does this writer have a proven track record, and can you find examples of their work?
- How does the writer’s reputation hold up to scrutiny?
These are important attributes that any potential writer brings to the table. Matching these attributes to your needs and your readers’ wants is key to adding outsourced content to your blog.
Where Do I Look for Qualified Writers?
Finding qualified writers is often like a treasure hunt. The best are busy and not actively looking for more jobs. The up-and-coming stars are hard to discern from the so-so writers who just want to earn a little extra cash. Various sources can provide you a reliable place to find the gem of a writer for your blog space.
- Establish a relationship with a service used by freelance writers. Websites such as Text Goods and Upwork are great places to search for a freelance author that fits your needs. These sites often have online resources that can help you find your perfect match.
- Many freelancers work from groups on social media outlets like Facebook. Some pages specialize in special interests, pages, or groups for writers with special talents, and outlets that focus on matching blog spaces with writers of similar interest.
- Some blog spaces focus on narrow fields of interest that require certain levels of expertise in those fields. Potential blog writers for this type of blog can often be found within the industry and professional associations.
You may have potential blog writers among your current readership. Looking at your most active blog readers and their comments may often point you to a potential blog author.
What is the Cost of Hiring a Blog Writer for my Website?
Compensation is the landmine of hiring a writer for your blog page. If you work through a service such as Text Goods or Upwork, you can get a good idea of what other sites pay for content. As with anything else, the adage, you get what you pay for, holds true here as well.
When deciding on a compensation scale, it is good to remember a few things.
- Consider offering more than just money. Many freelance writers are operating blog pages themselves. Reciprocal links are one of the most popular barter items for guest posts.
- If money is involved, be clear about what you are offering and what you expect in return. If you hire a content provider, they will have a published fee structure based on cost per word. This gives you a known cost and usually includes some editing and proofreading.
- The more you require from a freelance writer, the more you can expect to pay. If you want formatted copy or graphics, expect to pay a premium.
The range of costs for freelance writing is broad. The subject matter, the experience of the writer, and the length of the article all contribute to the cost. Setting a budget before you start will provide a gauge when you start interviewing potential blog writers for your site.
Thinking about hiring a ghost writer? Read our post first!
Leveraging your Time for the Best Results
In the end, making the most efficient use of your time is the key. Having talented and reliable writers providing content for your blog allows you to create a more diverse and engaging blog page. In addition, the extra time you have often allows you to create better blogs. Using a talent source like Text Goods can ease concerns and potential problems when hiring writers for your blog page.
