How to Select a Content Writer for Your Blog

Any blog is a great idea to generate content for a wide audience. If your style, views, or information presentation is original, people will quickly become your subscribers. Blogs are generally created as a hobby and as springboards for monetization. Imagine that you have the opportunity to earn money but do not have time to write dozens of articles and posts on your own. You probably need someone to help you manage your content plan. But how to choose a writer and not regret it? Are there any special criteria that will help you minimize the risks? Here’s what any blog owner should know before hiring a new employee.

Understand Your Criteria

First of all, you should understand what criteria are most important to you as an employer. At the moment, there are dozens of sites like Upwork where you can easily find new employees. Initially, you should make a list of criteria and expectations. This decision is especially relevant due to your blog’s specifics or a limited budget. Don’t forget that tens of thousands of great writers are on the market, but they all value their skills differently. If you formulate a list of criteria, you can quickly find a potential candidate for a new position.

Look For True Experts

Most often, newcomers to the world of blogging are looking for the so-called “universal soldiers” who can write equally well about cooking, pharmaceuticals, or cluster bombs. But the problem is that this approach is nothing but self-deception. Experience is an important factor when choosing a writer, but understanding the specifics of a particular niche is a priority.

That is why you should indicate all the requirements in terms of experience and knowledge of a certain area. In this case, you do not have to organize interviews with hundreds of potential employees. Such a mission is especially important for students because they probably do not have free time for lengthy dialogues with anyone. Dozens of “feminism essays” and research papers leave no time for such activities. That is why it is so important to foresee such difficulties in advance.

Test Article Is a Must

Let’s assume that you have clearly described the expectations and skills that your new employee should have. Such a strategy has certainly narrowed your scope of searches to a certain diameter. Now you should consider the test article because it’s the perfect way to find someone who can meet your expectations. Such a test is an opportunity to weed out up to 80% of all candidates for a writer’s vacancy. But you should understand that all your requirements should be solid and clear so that people do not waste time on meaningless activities.

A Test Period Is a Good Idea

You may have to face the dilemma of choosing one writer out of five or even ten candidates. Such a scenario is unlikely but possible, so you should be prepared for difficulties. Find 2-5 top writers who go through a test period to get a job. Give them 2-5 articles each to see who best fits your expectations. The thing is, some writers go to great lengths on a test article to get a job but can’t continue to generate content at a high level. In addition, your task is to find someone ready to adapt to your niche, style, and certain writing tricks. As a rule, a week is enough to understand who coped with your requirements in the best way.

Why Are Salary Expectations or Hourly Rates Not the Main Criteria? 

Money is the main criterion for success in the modern world. That is why blog owners try to focus on financial aspects in the hope of finding a professional writer. But the problem is that the salary expectations or hourly rates are never the main criteria. It’s not uncommon for talented writers to have fairly low salary expectations, while newbies can charge $100 per article.

Your task is to draw up a budget and understand in advance what salary you are willing to pay your writer. But do not try to save money and look for the most undemanding employees. When you come across low-quality content, you will realize that saving is just an illusion of profit. Try to pay attention to the average salary expectations because professional writers do not often demand huge sums for written articles.

Final Words

Now you have at least five tips to help you find employees faster. Try not to rush and carefully list the criteria that are important to you. A step-by-step analysis of the skills of all candidates and a test period will allow you to find the right writer to help make your blog popular. But you should be prepared that the process of finding a real professional will take at least a month or even more. Such a period is necessary to find a responsible and reliable employee who will not let you down in case of force majeure.