Hiring the right blog writer for your business requires a lot more than reviewing their portfolio and making sure their hourly rate fits your budget. By knowing which factors to consider, you can hire the ideal blog writer who supports the business’s goals and is a great fit for your team.
Essential information for hiring a blog writer
Blog writers do more than write. So before you hire a writer, you may want to familiarize yourself with several aspects of the job, such as what they do in a typical day and how much their skill is in demand. Knowing the essentials will increase your chances of attracting and choosing the right talent.
The role of a blog writer
A blog writer is a specific type of content writer. Their primary role is to write content for your blog that engages, educates, and entertains. This requires that the writer understand the subject matter, your different audience segments, and your business so well that they sound like experts.
However, in order to create blog content, a blog writer often engages in several tasks outside of writing.
Demand for professional blog writers
After numerous experiments, businesses that want to create quality content are realizing that artificial intelligence (AI) can’t take the place of a good blog writer.
AI is great for generating ideas, speeding up research, and perhaps generating a first draft. However, content still needs to be polished by a skilled human for readability and accuracy.
AI aside, trends suggest that demand for blog writers remains strong. In an Upwork report of in-demand skills, many of the top 10 skills by category could increase demand for blog writers.
One of the top 10 in the admin support category is market research, for example. Having more market research could boost demand for blog writers who could:
- Summarize the research into an internal presentation
- Write a blog post from the report data
- Turn the data into a report used for attracting new customers
- Create social media posts promoting the report
Cost of hiring a blog writer
The cost of hiring a blog writer varies depending on several factors including the writer's experience, their location, and the project’s length and complexity.
For example, if you want an article that covers a new propulsion technology, you may want to hire a blog writer with a background in aircraft engineering. Such a professional—with their writing experience, technical background, and industry knowledge—may cost more than a generalist.
Due to multiple variables, a blog writer’s rates can range from a few to more than $100 an hour. On Upwork, the average cost of a blog writer ranges from $15 to $35 per hour.
PRO TIP: Determine costs by looking at more than the hourly rate. Compared to someone less experienced, an experienced blog writer who charges a higher rate may be more cost-effective as they may work faster and deliver higher-quality work.
Choosing the right blog writer
Choosing the right blog writer for your team depends as much on your business’s goals as it does the talent’s hard and soft skills.
Here are a few essential qualities to consider when choosing a blog writer who produces high-quality, engaging, and effective content that meets the business’s needs and resonates with its target audience:
- Meeting deadlines. How does the blog writer ensure they deliver projects on time? What do previous clients say about their reliability?
- Adaptability. How well can the blog writer adjust their writing style and tone to match the brand's voice and target audience? How flexible are they in writing different types of content?
- Communication skills. How well does the blog writer craft compelling narratives? How responsive and collaborative are they? How open are they to receiving feedback?
- Continuous learning. How does the blog writer keep their skills updated? How are they improving productivity by using technology like AI?