Having a well-maintained blog is key to a successful website. It’s a great way to attract visitors, build authority, and generate leads. However, keeping up with consistent, high-quality content can be overwhelming, especially when you’re managing other parts of your business. So, you’ll need to hire a blogger to keep content flowing, boost your brand awareness, and ensure your content strategy stays on track.
At tiny lever, we provide expert blogging services tailored to your needs. We start with in-depth keyword analysis, and our vetted writers create well-planned content around those keywords. Every piece follows our strict publishing guidelines, and we continuously track performance to fine-tune our approach.
With our expertise in content writing, we will walk you through the key steps to finding, vetting, and onboarding the ideal blogger for your website. We’ll cover how to define your content goals and the essential qualities to look for in a candidate. After reading, you’ll have a clear roadmap on how to hire a blogger who can elevate your website’s content.
How to Define Your Needs Before You Hire a Blogger?
A professional blogger is an expert at crafting engaging, SEO-focused articles tailored to your audience. They understand content strategy and can help improve a brand’s visibility while driving traffic, making them a valuable investment. However, you need to define your specific needs before deciding to hire a blogger.
Establishing Your Blog’s Purpose and Goals
First, you need to consider why you want to start a blog. Are you looking to establish thought leadership in your industry, drive more traffic, or generate leads for your business? Your blog’s purpose will guide your content marketing strategy and help you set measurable goals. Let’s dive here in more detail:
- SEO Improvement: If your primary goal is to boost your website’s search engine rankings, focus on creating high-quality content and optimizing it for keywords that address your target audience’s search queries.
- Brand Awareness: Businesses who want to increase their visibility and establish a strong online presence should focus on creating engaging, shareable content that resonates with their target audience.
- Lead Generation: If your main objective is to generate leads, create blog content that engages potential customers and naturally guides them toward becoming leads.
Identifying Your Content Needs
To create a well-rounded and effective content strategy for your website, you should consider adding a few types of content with different purposes at various stages of the buyer’s journey. Here are some key types of content your website likely needs:
- Product Descriptions: Best services e-commerce sites. They should clearly explain features like the waterproof jacket’s durability using persuasive language, such as “stay dry and stylish,” to motivate purchases. These include specifications, addressing FAQs, and using engaging images to showcase how a product can enhance the buyer’s life.
- Thought Leadership Articles: Position your brand as an industry authority. Discussing emerging tech trends offers unique insights. Also, include well-researched content that educates, inspires, and avoids self-promotion while delivering genuine value to your audience.
- SEO-Focused Blogs: These blogs are essential for driving organic traffic. For instance, targeting specific keywords helps your content rank higher. Answering common industry questions and providing in-depth coverage adds value as well. Also, include internal and use bullet points to improve readability.
- Landing Pages: Convert visitors into leads or customers. They play a role in your marketing strategy by featuring a clear, compelling value proposition that grabs attention. Don’t forget to include a single offer or call-to-action to encourage visitors to take the next step.
Understanding Your Audience
Knowing your audience is critical for creating content that resonates and drives engagement. For example, if you’re running a fitness blog, your content style and tone would be different if you’re targeting busy professionals rather than fitness enthusiasts.
Your audience’s preferences should also guide your content format. Younger audiences might prefer snappy, short videos, while older readers may enjoy longer, more detailed articles. Remember, it’s not just about what you say but how you deliver it. A financial advice blog for millennials could use a casual, relatable tone with pop culture references, whereas a similar blog for corporate executives should maintain a more formal, authoritative voice.
Qualities to Look for in a Blogger
When hiring a blogger, certain qualities can make a difference in creating engaging and impactful content. From essential writing skills to technical know-how and personal attributes, here’s what to look for in a top-notch content writer:
Importance of Strong Writing Skills
Strong writing skills are essential for personal, academic, and professional success. Communicating effectively through written words can open doors to opportunities and enhance a website’s overall impact.
1. Clarity
Clarity in writing is important because it ensures the intended message is conveyed accurately and efficiently to the reader. Clear writing eliminates ambiguity and confusion, which makes ideas easily understandable and absorbable.
Use straightforward language, organize thoughts logically, and avoid unnecessary jargon or complex terminology. For example, instead of writing, “The implementation of the aforementioned strategy resulted in a significant amelioration of the company’s financial situation,” the writer could simply state, “The new strategy greatly improved the company’s finances.”
2. Creativity
Creative writing skills breathe life into words, captivate readers, and make the content more memorable. This skill is not limited to fiction but can enhance all forms of written communication, from business reports to academic papers.
Creative writing techniques include using metaphors, similes, and varying sentence structures. Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more complex ones to create rhythm and maintain reader interest.
3. Grammar Proficiency
Excellent grammar can elevate good writing to great writing. It lends credibility to the writer and ensures the message is preserved due to distracting errors. Proper grammar demonstrates attention to detail and respect for the reader’s time and intelligence. Key aspects of grammar proficiency include correct punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and proper use of homophones.
The Necessity of SEO Knowledge
A proficient blogger should clearly understand search engine optimization best practices and principles. Search engines continue to evolve, so staying updated with these practices is required. Here are key SEO skills you should look for in a writer:
- Keyword Research: Identifying relevant keywords and phrases that target audiences are searching for is important. For example, a food blogger should research keywords like “easy weeknight dinners” or “healthy dessert recipes” to align content with user search intent.
- On-Page Optimization: Skilled bloggers can optimize various on-page SEO elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, header tags (H1, H2), and image alt text.
- Content Structuring: They should know how to structure content for readability and SEO. This includes using short paragraphs, incorporating bulleted or numbered lists, and adding relevant internal and external links.
- SEO-Friendly Writing: Content writers should use keywords naturally in content without sacrificing quality or readability. For example, a tech blogger writing about smartphones should seamlessly include phrases like “best camera phones” or “5G capabilities” throughout the article.
Essential Qualities Beyond Writing
The ideal blogger should be dependable and consistently deliver high-quality content on time to keep readers engaged and search engines satisfied. For example, a fashion blogger should publish trend updates and product reviews on time, even during busy seasons. This builds trust and strengthens their online presence.
Flexibility is also essential. The digital landscape is always changing, so bloggers need to adapt to new trends and audience preferences. For instance, a tech blogger should be able to transition from writing long reviews to producing concise, informative blog posts or creating engaging how-to guides. This helps them connect better with their audience and stay relevant.
Finally, meeting deadlines is crucial. Timely content helps maintain publishing schedule consistency and allows marketing campaign coordination. For example, a food blogger should publish seasonal recipes in advance, while a news blogger should quickly cover current events. This shows professionalism and keeps the blog competitive.
Where to Find Qualified Bloggers
Finding experienced bloggers can be a game-changer for your content strategy. Knowing where to search for talented writers is essential to enhancing your brand's online presence or producing high-quality articles. Here are some blog websites and communities you can choose from to connect with top talent:
- Upwork: A leading freelance marketplace where you can find bloggers with various experience levels and specialties. It offers a large talent pool, allowing you to view writer profiles, portfolios, and client reviews. You can also choose from options for short-term and long-term contracts.
- Fiverr: Freelancers create specific listings or “gigs” with set service prices on this platform. You can easily browse bloggers by categories, price ranges, and delivery times, making it a great resource for finding a budget-friendly blog writing service for smaller projects.
- SEO Content Agencies: These can be a great option if you need consistent, high-quality blog content. These agencies typically vet their writers and can match you with bloggers with expertise in your industry.
- Professional Networks: LinkedIn is a platform for finding professional bloggers and content writers. You can post blogging opportunities on the jobs board, search for freelance writers while reviewing their experience and portfolio, and join writing and marketing groups to connect with bloggers.
The Value of Portfolios and Testimonials in Assessing Experience and Quality
A blogger’s portfolio showcases their writing style, subject matter expertise, and ability to engage readers across different blog topics. Through their published articles, you can evaluate their research skills, clarity of communication, and overall writing proficiency.
Additionally, portfolios can help you gauge a blogger’s versatility. You’ll see how they can adjust their voice to fit different audiences and platforms. Plus, testimonials show a blogger’s professionalism and reliability.
When past clients leave positive feedback, the candidate can deliver high-quality content on time. For instance, a testimonial might say how they helped boost website traffic or enhance search engine rankings with well-crafted posts.
Request Writing Samples or Trial Projects Before Committing
Ask for writing samples before hiring a blog writer or set up a trial period. This way, you can check the writer's work ethic and skills and how well they fit with your company and brand.
When you request writing samples, you get a clear view of their ability to create content that meets your needs. These samples can show off their writing style, tone, and how effectively they can research and present valuable information. For example, if you’re looking for a technical writer, you should ask for samples demonstrating their knack for simplifying complex concepts.
Doing small trial projects can take it a step further. It lets you see how well they follow instructions, meet deadlines, and take feedback on board. Plus, a trial project gives insight into their communication style and responsiveness. For instance, assign a short blog post on a specific topic and see how well they capture your brand voice and stick to your content guidelines.
Key Takeaway
Hiring a talented blogger on board is similar to investing in a content powerhouse that drives traffic and boosts your online visibility. They can effectively connect with your target audience with fresh perspectives and consistent updates. Plus, outsourcing your blog content lets you focus on other business areas while keeping your website relevant and updated.
However, there are potential pitfalls when finding the right content creator. For starters, not all bloggers have the same experience, and it takes dedication and long-term commitment to understand your brand voice and target audience deeply. Also, there’s the risk of inconsistent quality or missed deadlines, which can harm your website’s reputation and SEO strategy.
Looking to hire a blogger who can meet your standards? tiny lever is an SEO marketing agency that can help you rank on Google. We can grow your organic reach with strategic keyword analysis, tailored content, and powerful backlinks. Our proprietary methods aim to optimize each piece to improve your chances of ranking for relevant searches. Ready to scale? Contact us via david@tinylevermarketing.com or fill out this form to get started.
