The real skills you should look for in a content writer

The real skills you should look for in a content writer

Content writing isn't the easiest thing to do, so you'll need to either study how to do it and practice for months, or you'll do what the majority of website owners do and outsource the work to a credible writer.  There's no shame in outsourcing your own content, hundreds of thousands of companies do it every single day, and they all benefit from the great content they're purchasing.  Content writers have been around for while, and have been writing for anyone that is willing to pay their prices, which means there are a lot of people out there that are bad writers and need to be weeded out prior to making your final selection.

To make the best decision and get the perfect content writer for your website, you will need to select them strategically.  Every writer will tell you they're the best for your company, but that's because they're looking for their next paycheck, and you'll need to look between the lines to figure out exactly who is the best for your money.  The following skills are what you should target if you want to hire the best writer for your company, and they are:


They should speak your native language
This is a biggie, and that's why it's the first on the list, because you don't want a language barrier when working with a content writer.  A language barrier isn't good if you're hiring someone to write in your native language, because you already know they won't be able to produce content that is best for your readers.  I'm sure there are plenty of great writers out there that can produce content for their own native language, but if you're trying to hire someone to write content in English and they're from Bangladesh, your content will suffer.

Think about it, if there is a language barrier, your content will take longer to produce and you won't really be able to portray what you want written and how you want it written.  If you're needing English content, you're going to need a writer who's first language is English, mainly because there is so much slang.  Hiring someone from the UK to write US English works most of the time, but there are little triggers that will show since each country has a slightly different way of saying things, but it's usually good enough.


Cheaper isn't always better
I run into this problem all the time as a content writer.  I sell 500 word articles for $15 here on SEOclerks.com and I'm fighting with people from India selling 500 word articles for $3.  Why would people pay 5x as much for my content?  Well that's simple, it's because I'm a professional and I've been doing this for 15+ years with the majority of my clients being happy ones   I have the experience, I've put in my time, and I'm not going to settle for anything less than my normal rates.

Sure, I lose a decent amount of sales from people wanting to pay $3 for a 500 word article, but they usually have to go through the content and edit it for a while, or they have to open up a dispute because the content is garbage.  This is why cheaper isn't always better and people like me get sales on our services that cost a little more


They should be experienced
Experience is a big thing in this industry, if you don't have it, you need to obtain it over time.  The same thing goes for content writers, if they haven't been writing for a while and have a lot of clients under their belts, they likely won't be as good as someone that has been writing for years and getting paid for it.  There are some exceptions, if a writer is just starting out and has an English degree (or similar), they can usually write content with the top authorities out there.  Now, even these guys and girls will have to build up their experience and portfolio before they get the bigger clients, but they will be a little more sought after compared to a newbie writer with no degree in English or journalism.


They should have samples ready for your to look over
This is one thing that every content writer should have on hand, no matter the niche, because it's easy to write up a sample of something if you don't have it.  A content writer should be able to write up a quick article, if they don't have an example for you, to show you what they can do for you.  Sure, some content writers are worried about you taking their content and just publishing it on your website, but they are just going to lose a sale from bigger clients if they withhold examples or are unwilling to do a quick example for them.

I would highly urge you to not work with a writer that refuses to show you some examples of their work, because they're already starting off on an unprofessional foot.  I write plenty of content myself, and I still ask writers for examples before I think of them as good enough for some of my bigger sites that I can't write all the content myself   I've been shut down plenty of times after asking for examples, and my response is usually "Well that's too bad.  I intended to hire you for dozens, or hundreds, or articles for my website (domain name here)" and they usually send me some examples after that.  I won't hire them because they were already showing me their real personality, and that's not something I like, so I move on and hire someone else


They should be able to produce quality content, no matter the niche
A good writer won't turn down a difficult niche, they will tell you they can get the work done after they research your topic and the content will still be top notch.  I can't tell you how many times I've had clients purchase from me and I didn't know what they hell they were having me write, but I did the research and understood what it was all about, then spun an article in my own words and the client loved it

If your writer can't write about your content, it should be a red flag, because it usually means they're only niche focused and won't broaden their horizons.  It could also means they're outsourcing the work to someone that doesn't want to write on different niches than ones they specified.  So only go with the content writers that agree to write up on your niche, no matter what it is.


They should have their own website or service page with reviews
A lot of content writers will have their own personal websites, where they post their own content, and even sell their own services.  Putting up services on websites like SEOclerks.com is great to bring in clients, but a lot of writers started off selling from their own websites, so they will tend to have one up and running.  I understand that it's against the TOS of most platforms to share personal websites, but if you're savvy you can figure out what the writers website is and see what they're doing on there

Professional writers will have their own websites, branding their own names and skills, which will be used to bring in bigger clients from around the world.  Look for the writers personal website and see what kind of content they're posting for themselves, usually it's the best they can do, and that will be a good guage on what you'll be getting in return for your money.



In conclusion
There are a massive amount of writers out there, but there aren't actually that many great writers in the bunch, so you'll need to filter out the scruff and find the best writers for your money.  You don't want to fight through a language barrier, so be sure your content writer can produce articles in the language you're targeting, and you'll be happy you didn't go with someone that didn't know your language.  You'll also want to work with someone that has the experience and plenty of clients under their belt, so you know you're paying for someone that has done plenty of similar work already



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Razzy