Types of Content Writing Services: What's Best for Your Business?

Investing in content for your business is almost always a good decision. Whether your goal is to harness the power of SEO to attract new audiences to your site or to demonstrate your business’s expertise to a small group of decision-makers, content is one of the best ways to do this. 

While some businesses, particularly large businesses, maintain an in-house content team, that’s a resource that’s out of reach for most organizations. Of course, you could write the content yourself, or lean on your colleagues to help you out. That can work, but for most companies, the juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze. 

Because while writing seems simple enough, the reality is pretty different. Are you up to date on the latest on-page SEO practices? What’s your take on internal linking strategies? How about writing a white paper that powerfully surmises all of your business’s value propositions while holding readers’ attention with interesting content?

Writing is easy. Writing stuff that people want to read is difficult. 

Which is why for most companies, the best solution is to hire a content writing service. There are a few different types of content writing services out there, and today, we’re going to give you a broad strokes run down of each of them. 

The different types of content writing services include:

• AI content writing tools
• Content mills
• Freelance writers
• Content marketing agencies

Each has its own role to play. Some are far better suited to some types of content (and businesses) than others. But how do you know which is the best fit for your business? 

Keep reading as we explore the characteristics of each of these types of content writing services. 

AI Content Writing Tools

If you haven’t heard of AI content writing tools, we’re going to go ahead and assume you’ve spent the last six months living under a rock. Since ChatGPT burst into the mainstream this year, they seem to be all that anyone can talk about. 

But AI content writing services have been around for a while. They work by using Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate content based on your input and a large volume of training data. The first time you use one, it feels like magic. You give it a blog title and a few reference points, then sit back and watch as words dance onto your screen at a frightening pace. 

It’s an impressive technology that has a lot of utility, but as of today, it’s not at the point where it can fully replace a professional writer. AI content writing tools are great for research, finding inspiration, or even writing snappy headlines. But if you want to create truly original content that’s unlike anything out there today, an AI writing service isn’t the path forward. 

Content Mills

Content mills are the slightly pejorative name given to high-volume, low-cost content writing solutions. Content mills, sometimes called content farms, employ scores of freelance writers (and increasingly AI technologies) that pump out cheap content at scale. 

Content mills typically sell hundreds of articles at once, often at rates of around $0.05 a word or less. This is an affordable option, but it’s not a good one. Competent writers simply don’t work for those kinds of rates, and the focus is entirely on volume, not quality. The content is largely plagiarized and unoriginal. Over time, the prevailing thought is that content mills will largely be replaced by AI writing tools. 

An apt comparison for a content mill would be a sweatshop – exploitative, mass-produced, cheaply-made products that have no defining qualities. Doesn’t really sound like something you want front and center of your marketing campaigns, right?

Freelance Writers

Hiring a freelance writer is a popular option for many companies. Freelancers typically pair flexibility and relatively affordable rates with some level of experience writing for companies in your industry.

The success of this approach relies entirely on hiring the right writer, however. Anyone can be a freelance writer – including the kids that failed English in high school. It’s a career with zero barriers to entry. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. So, that being said, if you choose to go this route, be discerning. Read through freelance writing portfolios and don’t be afraid to require (paid) trial articles before committing to hiring someone. 

If you find the right freelancer, this can be a great option. Many freelance writers stay with the same client for years, essentially becoming an unofficial member of the team that knows your business inside and out. 

Content Marketing Agency

A content marketing agency offers the most holistic, and high-quality, of all the types of content writing services listed here. These agencies maintain a working knowledge of every area of marketing but specialize in one thing: content. 

If you’re looking for great writers that can get to know your business and create content that resonates with your customers, a content marketing agency is the right fit for you. The most talented writers tend to either end up at a content marketing agency or start their own content marketing agency, so you know you’ll be working with proven talent. 

Additionally, many content marketing agencies also have team members with a range of complementary skills that will strengthen your business’s content strategy. That could be the SEO skills to lead a redesign of your website or the lead generation chops required to help you leverage your content as a tool to help you build deeper relationships with prospective customers. 

Hire a Writer: A Top Content Marketing Agency

There’s no shortage of options out there when it comes to choosing a content writing service for your business. From handling things in-house to outsourcing your entire content strategy to an agency, the possibilities are endless. 

With so many choices, it’s important you make the right decision. We hope the information in this article has served as an honest, unvarnished overview of the different types of content writing services and helps you decide on the best path forward. 

If you decide to work with a content marketing agency, you’re in the right place. At Hire a Writer^TM, we work with a wide range of brands and agencies on all things content – from creating blog posts to running social, email, and press strategies on behalf of our clients. Ready to learn more? Get in touch today – we’re excited to get to know you.