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Progress savvy business owners are probably aware that the success of their business, in addition to a good service/product, heavily relies on marketing and knowing how to hire someone to create a content creation plan. It is good to consider outsourcing this assignment and hiring a content writer to help you come up with a strategically developed copy plan you will use for different segments of promotion and interaction with your target audience(s) and customers.
Choosing a good content writer for hire may be challenging as this person (or team) need to understand the entire revenue process of your specific niche/service. From understanding the buyer persona, search intent, and an overall content strategy, to the fine differences in approaching copy for different social media platforms.
In today’s article, Aleph’s website will provide you with the overall guidelines on what qualities you need to look for when hiring a content writer, what services to expect, and how to successfully hire someone to create a content creation plan with you
What are a content writer’s duties?
Every business owner should have an understanding that better content will generate more traffic to a website. The majority of organizations (90% of them) market their products, services, and brand with content and spend, on average, over a quarter of their budget on content marketing.
An increase in traffic raises the chance of reaching more clients, and ultimately achieving sales. Content is extremely important when it comes to marketing and selling services and products. A good content writer can generate an impactful message that will positively reflect on your brand and help you deliver the message to your audience.
WHAT ARE THE types of content a content writer may be needed for:
- Niche topics that require a certain subject matter expert to write about (thought-leadership type of content is common in B2B marketing)
- Technical writing
- Proof writing
- language translation
- E-books, white-papers, tech briefs, and case studies with infographics, charts, and other visuals
- Editorials for reviewing brand voice and general messaging
- User-generated content (UGC) often as part of a product review
- High-quality and demographics-oriented type of content (e.g. multicultural marketing)
- Content curation by influencers and microinfluencers
Without content, there is no marketing strategy
To be able to fully comprehend what are the duties of a content writer, you must understand the scope of any content marketing strategy. A good content marketing strategy doesn’t always have to be complex and extremely expensive, but rather a well-tailored story that will provide a structural narrative of your brand to the world, and a good writer will help you by preparing that story accordingly to provide insight and an impactful message to your audience.
A website and a blog or a resources page are the base of every content strategy. It is the most efficient way to unite all of your marketing aspects and provide a separate platform for audiences that are interested in learning more about your company. The end goal of a good content strategy depends on the plans you have for your business:
- increase website traffic from target audiences
- increase conversions and revenue
- build brand awareness
- improving marketing ROI
- build content that will be repurposed for social media marketing
Many business owners consider implementing this type of content variety in their marketing strategy, especially if it will increase the chance of gaining new customers. However, knowing about content writing, strategy, blogging, etc. may seem a bit distant which is why some companies delay the decision on recruiting a content writer and starting work on a content creation plan.
When should I hire a content writer?
Small and medium-sized company business owners are hesitant when it comes to finalizing the decision to hire a content writer. But try and look at things from a different perspective- would you delay finding an accountant for your company even if you are, for example, a car mechanic? Probably not because, in addition to not knowing anything about accounting, finances, and tax, you will lose valuable time by trying to do something you can hire a professional to do the work for you.
Any type of job you need to get done, and know nothing about, should be trusted by someone who has experience in the matter. Same as content writing. Not everyone can call themselves a professional, especially after they wrote one personal blog post as part of their writer’s course assignment.
An additional value of finding a professional writer is that they will know how to set the tone and language for the target audience the content is written for. Before that, they will need to develop clearly defined goals that a certain copy for social media or even a series of blogs needs to achieve.
Even though you may feel that anyone can be a good fit for the target audience of their business, a content writer will provide you with clear guidelines for creating a truly representative profile of your ideal customer.
Questions that can help you decide
For those still hesitant about hiring someone to help them plan and develop a content strategy, here is a list of seven yes/no questions. Answer all of them before making the final decision.
1. Does it take you or someone in the company more than a few hours to write one page of a Word document properly?
2. Do you have a clear purpose for your current content online (increasing sales, audience, SEO optimization, etc.), and do you have a precisely defined target audience?
3. Does it take you more time to come up with topics for interesting and engaging content for your website and social media platforms?
4. Would it save time if someone else would do the technical and written portion of the work based on your idea and vision?
5. Do you want to make sure that all of the content you publish comes out engaging and without grammar mistakes and typos?
6. Are the progress numbers not living up to your expectations (and are you sure those expectations are realistic)?
7. Do you want to take the lead in the competitive market and get your brand noticed?
If you answered yes to the majority of these questions then it is time to start searching for a good content writer!
How do I hire a freelance content writer?
Finding a good fit for your business may seem a bit challenging, especially if you start your search through Google. Consider the scope of work you need to get done, your budget, and the time frame you want things done before diving deeper.
When you type in ‘content writer for hire’ or ‘content writer services’ on your search engine you will find numerous pages on websites with affordable freelance services like fiverr.com or People Per Hour, as well as highly ranked and sponsored digital marketing agencies that have professional content writing services on their menu. The spectrum between these two points includes hundreds and thousands of different writers all over the world, many of which will pitch you and sell you services but will provide no guarantee on the result.
There are many writers online, and they are open for work. But finding a good fit can be a bit tricky, especially if you are new in the market. Be open to options and insist on communicating with all of your applicants to be able to get to know them better. It would also be wise to consider being prepared for questions they are expecting/ will ask you about the specific type of service you require.
1. Project-based services
This type of approach to a business arrangement can focus on a single project (article, social media post, market report, etc.) and is the most common form business owners and freelance content writers engage in. Sometimes people need a single service, or have a series of pages of copy to be prepared during a certain period (e.g. 30 articles in 3 months) and are looking for one or more people to do the work with them.
2. Full-time positions
These types of openings are rare on the market, especially in industries that are not related to digital marketing or other media formats that provide services in this niche. However, sometimes it can be a good solution to hire someone full-time. They can devote their attention to your online presence and brand awareness, even if you have a small car service workshop and the means to increase business and expand.
Sometimes the best course of action is to go gradually. You can consider hiring a few different individuals and plan a rough outline of the steps that further need to be taken, or consult with one or more digital marketing agencies to determine what work you need to get done. During this process, you will learn more about how to engage and communicate efficiently with a writer or an entire team, and learn about the price ranges for the content services you need.
How much does a content writer charge?
It can be hard to determine the exact value of writing services in general as they depend on many factors like quality, originality, credibility, research, preparation, etc. On average writers charge in different forms, but the most common are:
- Payment per word that starts anywhere from $.05 up to more than $1 for an experienced professional).
- Hourly, according to a survey copy.ai did on Upwork, the hourly base freelance blog post tasks are $25-$37 per hour.
- Per article/page as this allows writers to offer some topics they may have already covered and can simply charge the client for something they already did, or simply want to write simple, generic based content that has an expected outline.
- Per project, this often includes some or all of the segments above since every copy requires preparation, and depending on the scope of the assignments, activities, and research required, the total cost can be lower or higher.
An experienced writer will probably have some expectations ready in advance based on the project information the client provides. Most of them will have a scope of topics they can cover, an idea of the tone necessary, as well as a fixed price for 1800 characters or 1000 words. In addition to general copy, there are other forms your business may need like social media posts, video scripts, email campaigns, etc.
For research and informative purposes, we will share a breakdown on what are the average prices for articles from 500-2000 words.
| Level of Expertise | 500 words | 1000 words | 2000 words |
| Entry level | $10- $50 | $25 – $200 | $65 – $300 |
| Intermediate | $50- $100 | $125 – $600 | $225 |
| Expert | $100 – $250 | $250 and up | $450 and up |
You probably noticed that there are many irregularities with this simplified table we provided for a better price overview based on the experience level of a content writer. Many factors impact the prices (current economy, the scope of work, etc.).
How much does a 500-word article cost?
The most common form of charging fees is flat rates or frames where a freelance writer can provide you the best estimate on how much they would charge for say a 500-word article. However, it is important to keep in mind that beginners will probably cost way less than intermediate or expert leveled writers.
Newbies will probably charge you anywhere between $10-$ 100 words (but this is rarely the case). Entry-level content writers will form their prices based on their previous experience, English language command, and other elements. Keep in mind that many non-native English speakers are looking for opportunities to grow their portfolio and can mold their knowledge with the help of your expertise.
How much does a 1000-word article cost?
Articles that require around 1000 words or more will cost more. For example, a writer can charge $25 per 500-word article because it will contain a good introduction and conclusion, and it will take them less time to do the research for the body text. On the other hand, a 1000-word article can cost $65 as the content is longer and they will require more time to research and deliver the expected information within a specific format.
Basic and intermediate writers can have a starting price of $25-$125 per article. The experts in a specific industry can charge even more, as you are paying for their name and credibility as they are known in the industry for their services.
How much does a 2000-word article cost?
Following the price line, you can probably predict a price range based on the previous two sections, however, keep in mind that writing longer content, most commonly articles, blog posts, and maybe reports does require the writer to be familiar with the niche. For those looking for quality instead of quantity, it may take time to land a perfect content writer that can voice your message just right. Depending on the topic and how accessible the information is, you should expect either a more generic approach that follows trends, or original and well-developed content that comes from the expertise of the content writer you hired.
Websites like Upwork have useful information on what you as the person hiring need to provide to the platform and the writers as general information. In addition, oDesk and Freelancer are the most common platforms you can find newbies and intermediate writers come looking for work.
Experts in the industry probably have their promotional ads on social platforms, LinkedIn, or are on the top performance pages of freelancing platforms.
How to hire someone to create a content creation plan?
A content creation plan is sometimes slightly different than finding a freelance writer to do a few articles every month you will be posting, but it does contain common ground. Planning out a workflow of website creation can be done with research and a few brainstorming sessions with your content writer. They can help you communicate your ideas to the designer team and provide insight into what words, message/s, and tone of voice are the most appropriate for your target audience.
Generating content should require planning phases of work and fragmenting them in a way that the pieces of content are purposefully integrated into the overall work and performance flow. A good content calendar is essential to help your business expand based on factual research where you can make safer predictions on the outcome of every promotional action you take.
Hiring a good and experienced freelance content writer is the best solution for making a content creation plan. They are familiar with the process of how good content is made, and what steps they need to take, and can probably develop a good system of communication so you can easily track the progress of the content being made.
Depending on the project scope and the amount of information you plan to generate, you may need more than one professional. You need to learn how to openly communicate and ask for feedback from all applicants so you can provide better information now, and with any future business endeavors, you will encounter.
