3 min read

4 Ways to Hire a Professional Writer

4 Ways to Hire a Professional Writer

Professional writers are invaluable partners. By partnering with a pro, your business can rise up the Google rankings, establish thought leadership in your domain, and infuse creativity throughout your marketing campaigns. 

‍While there’s no shortage of professional writers out there, you’ll quickly find that there is a shortage of really great ones. Writing is a craft; a skill that’s honed over millions of words. The best writers are masters, and the worst are frauds. Like any other professional you hire for your business, writers command market rates. You get what you pay for.  

‍You can hire writers for just a few dollars, but you shouldn’t. The writing might be plagiarized, written in broken English, or just not make any sense. When you’re producing content for your business, the whole point is to impress your audience. You want to convince your readers they can trust you because you’re the expert in whatever your business does. Sharing bad content is not the way to do that: if anything, it has the opposite effect. 

‍Great writers are in demand. They have a roster of clients they enjoy working with and are probably already at capacity. But they’re always open to new opportunities. If you do want to hire truly skilled writing professionals, be prepared to pay up. Now, it’s not going to be eye-watering, $1000/hr consulting firm rates, but you’re not going to find a talented partner if your budget is just a few hundred dollars a month. 

‍So, let’s say you’ve decided on hiring a skilled professional writer for your business. You’re not looking for a Pulitzer winner but you know you need better than some content farm. Where do you start looking? 

1. Hire a Full-Time Employee

One option to consider is hiring a full-time employee to come and work for your company. If you choose to go this route, you hire writers the same way you’d hire any other employee. Advertise on job boards, hire a recruiting firm, or cast a net out through your own professional network to see if anyone you know would be interested. 

‍A full-time professional writer will slot right into your existing marketing team, but you shouldn’t expect them to be your marketing team. To be successful, they need a lot of support. You’ll usually only find professional writers at large companies: early-stage startups and SMBs usually don’t have the resources or marketing sophistication to justify hiring a full-time writer. If you have a well-established content pipeline and all the resources that go along with it, it might be a good fit. 

‍Hiring a writer as a full-time employee is one of the more expensive options when it comes to working with a professional writer. Alongside their salary, you’ll have all the other costs of employing someone on a full-time basis. You know, things like health insurance, retirement contributions, and keeping them equipped with nice company laptops and cell phones. 

‍You should also note that not every writer wants a full-time job. Some write part-time. Others have established consulting practices. And others are just the sort of creatives who can’t stand the idea of a 9-5. 

2. Freelance Job Boards

Another option is to hire a freelance writer. If you can’t think of any off the top of your head, the best place to start is probably a freelance job board. Platforms like Upwork have become hugely popular in recent years, connecting businesses with freelancers all over the world.

‍The quality on these platforms varies pretty dramatically. You can hire inexperienced freelancers for paltry amounts, but you shouldn’t expect the quality of work to be up to your standards. A lot of freelancers dip in and out of professional writing. Anyone can write a lifestyle blog article here and there to make a little extra on the side. But if you’re serious about building a winning content strategy for your business, you need a real professional, not a pretender.

‍I don’t mean to tar everyone with the same brush here. Of course there are great writers on these platforms. After all, they’re huge, global marketplaces and represent a huge opportunity for writers. I still maintain an Upwork profile and have met many clients that way. 

‍To help you sort the good from the bad, look at portfolios and reviews. You can also interview potential candidates before hiring them. If you’re going this route, start with a low-commitment trial project to test out candidates. You’ll quickly be able to tell if a writer is going to work out once you read what they’ve written for you. 

3. Referrals 

Getting a referral from a trusted source is a surefire way to find a high-quality professional writer. Ask around your professional contacts to see if anyone knows someone that they’d recommend. You might be surprised at how many people are already working with a professional writer.

‍Think about companies whose content you find particularly insightful and valuable. I’d say it’s likely that it’s written by a professional writer. If you know someone at the company, reach out and ask for an introduction. You can also get connected with professional writers through platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn.

4. Right Here on Hire a Writer!

We saved the best option till last. In case you blindly clicked on this article on Google or saw it posted on social media, you’re on Hire a Writer’s website. Welcome! As our name suggests, we are writers, and you can hire us. If you’re looking to hire a professional writer you’re in exactly the right place. 

At Hire a Writer, we work with all kinds of businesses: from top-tier accounting firms to exciting growth-stage startups. We’ve got a seasoned team of writers that specialize in all kinds of niches. Together, we love nothing more than delivering high-quality work that moves the needle for your business. 

Interested in hiring us? Let’s hop on a call – reach out today. 

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