Outsourcing Content? Here’s What to Look For in a Great Content Writer

Let's face it: writing content can be a major chore.

It's a problem for a lot of entrepreneurs out there, especially affiliate marketers with content-centric niche sites.

Who wants to wake up every day and write 2,000 words about blenders or food processors?

Sometimes, the most profitable and worthwhile niches aren't exactly the fun, sexy, interesting ones.

So eventually, when you reach a certain point in scale and cash flow, you may find yourself thinking about outsourcing some, if not all, of your content.

To do that, you need to find a freelance writer.

And not just any writer.

You need someone genuinely good, someone who's the right fit for your site.

You need someone who can perform in-depth research, structure a piece of content in a cohesive and readable way, and on top of that, have enough of a way with words to bring some personality to your posts.

You might run into a couple of duds before you find someone good.

In a recent blog post, the Content Marketing Institute explains what you should look for when you're looking for a content writer.

Writers

This is obvious: You can’t do content marketing without writers.

But what makes a good writer for the purposes of content marketing?

That’s not an easy question to answer, but these areas of knowledge are close to a universal necessity for your writers:

Research:

The most-skilled writers in the industry know how to research above anything else. They know how to do it quickly and accurately.

They do it without accidentally sourcing “fake news” or untrustworthy outlets, and they do it without sourcing the same information everybody else is.

They look in less obvious places; they combine ideas from different disciplines and industries; and they do so in a cohesive way.

Structure: 

A talented content marketing writer knows how to pull readers in with the first sentence, hook them, make promises about what’s to come, and presents the information in an easily digestible way.

Your audience rarely wants flowery language.

They look for clarity.

Creativity: 

Writers in this industry know how to propose ideas that will catch attention, and that means they can synthesize knowledge in ways that result in novel concepts.

Not every blog post needs to have an original idea that revolutionizes the world, but the ideas have to be novel enough to be worth clicking on.

Intent:

Writers must understand the reason for the content.

I’m not saying they need to come pre-wired with an understanding of the content marketing industry, although that’s a massive bonus.

I am saying they need to understand the psychology of the reader and be able to quickly adapt to types of content that serve different purposes.

You can read more about how to find great freelance talent over at the Content Marketing Institute.