{"id":1852,"date":"2015-12-28T17:04:01","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T17:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/?p=1852"},"modified":"2015-12-31T17:05:33","modified_gmt":"2015-12-31T17:05:33","slug":"how-to-hire-the-perfect-blog-content-writer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/how-to-hire-the-perfect-blog-content-writer\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Hire the Perfect Blog Content Writer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"articleHeader\">\n<h1 id=\"articleHeader__title\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/16x9\/822\/20150909202041-ipad-pro-smart-tablet-apple-keyboard.jpeg\" alt=\"How to Hire the Perfect Blog Content Writer\" \/><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<header>\n<div><a class=\"name\" href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/author\/james-parsons\" rel=\"author\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hero lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/1x1\/124\/20151117161418-unnamed.jpeg\" alt=\"James Parsons\" data-original=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/1x1\/124\/20151117161418-unnamed.jpeg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div>JAMES PARSONS<\/div>\n<div class=\"title\">CONTRIBUTOR<\/div>\n<div class=\"bio\">Content Marketer and Author<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>Image credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apple.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Apple<\/a><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<p><time>December 28, 2015<\/time><\/p>\n<div id=\"bd253308\">\n<p>Finding a regular blog content writer can be tough, despite the fact that there are thousands of freelancers out there ready and willing to write content for you.\u00a0Having hired many writers myself, I like to think I\u2019ve perfected the process of locating the talented ones.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>1. Know what you need.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The first thing you need to do is determine exactly what you need a writer for.\u00a0With a blog, you essentially have two options &#8212;\u00a0a regular contributor under their own name, or a ghostwriter selling you content.\u00a0Finding a ghostwriter is a lot easier\u00a0and certainly more reliable.\u00a0Someone who will lend their name to your blog generally needs some name recognition already, which means they likely have their own obligations and might not have the time to work for you as much as you would like.<\/p>\n<p>They also might have a higher price tag than you\u2019re willing or able to pay.\u00a0Some of the top-tier bloggers out there make a heck of a lot of money contributing to a handful of sites\u00a0and have to carefully consider the value of working with you.<\/p>\n<p>Given that a ghostwriter is easier to find, cheaper to hire\u00a0and more beneficial to your own personal branding, I assume most of you out there will want to find one or two of your own before looking for more professional freelance contributors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/242145\" target=\"_blank\">How a Ghostwriter Can Breathe Life Into Your Startup&#8217;s Content Strategy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>2. Locate potential writers.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>So, where do you find freelancers to ghostwrite for you? \u00a0You have a few options.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Put out a casting call on Craigslist, your own website\u00a0or another classifieds hub.<\/li>\n<li>Go to a content mill like Textbroker, Writer Access, Zerys\u00a0or Constant Content.<\/li>\n<li>Go to writer communities or industry forums where potential writers may contribute.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With the first option, you tend to get a lot of low-quality submissions.\u00a0There are no feedback methods, so it costs a writer nothing to shotgun bland or poorly-written content in the hopes they pass and can make some money. However, I have found some diamonds in the rough here, and several of my past employers have also found great writers through Craigslist.<\/p>\n<p>With the second option,\u00a0you will get a wide range of content, but writers do tend to have incentives to perform well, as it affects their standing on the site.\u00a0However, when you find a writer you like, you will have to be circumspect about recruiting them outside of the platform. Some platforms, like Textbroker, will outright censor your communications if you attempt to solicit or give contact information.\u00a0You will also, of course, have to pay for the content you receive.<\/p>\n<p>The third option\u00a0is a lot more like a personal connection\u00a0and will allow you to choose and interview potential writers before taking them on.\u00a0It\u2019s free, unless the community has a membership fee &#8212;\u00a0but you\u2019re not guaranteed to find a writer you can use.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/245953\" target=\"_blank\">The 15 Best Freelance Websites to Find Jobs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>3. Test and hire.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>I recommend using all three methods, with a moderate budget for option two, to get a broad range of submissions.\u00a0Some of this content will be unusable, of course.\u00a0You can discard it, or use it as a base to create something better.\u00a0Some of it will be solid content you could use\u00a0but might not quite fit your voice.\u00a0Keep an eye on these writers, and ask them to alter their voice\u00a0 Once they get it down, they could be a perfect fit.<\/p>\n<p>Essentially, what you\u2019re doing is testing a bunch of writers to see who fits best and who adapts best to your standards.\u00a0Ideally, you will be able to narrow this list down to a perfect candidate\u00a0or to a small handful of them you can keep on retainer. I&#8217;ve personally worked with several dozen writers before I narrowed down my choice to a new full-time hire.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve chosen a writer, you need to establish the terms of a contract.\u00a0There are some standard ghostwriter contracts available to use, generally with the same terms all around.\u00a0The writer must be paid on time for their work, they must submit their work by the deadline, you own the rights to any work purchased and paid for, the writer is an independent contractor and both parties have the right to terminate the contract, etc.\u00a0 A contract is very important, both for peace of mind and for potential dispute resolution.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have a signed contract in hand, you\u2019re good to go.\u00a0Ideally, your relationship with your chosen writer will blossom and grow, and they will become an indispensable part of your business machine.\u00a0If\u00a0for any reason\u00a0the relationship doesn\u2019t work out, you can always contact your second choice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/252827\" target=\"_blank\">How to Stop Writing Yawn-Worthy Content<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JAMES PARSONS CONTRIBUTOR Content Marketer and Author Image credit: Apple December 28, 2015 Finding a regular blog content writer can be tough, despite the fact that there are thousands of freelancers out there ready and willing to write content for you.\u00a0Having hired many writers myself, I like to think I\u2019ve perfected the process of locating &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/how-to-hire-the-perfect-blog-content-writer\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How to Hire the Perfect Blog Content Writer<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marketing","pmpro-has-access"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4MGMb-tS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1852"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1853,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions\/1853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}