Should You Hire a Content Writer?

Write your way to success

Content writing may not feature near the top of every business owner’s priority list, but it deserves a place there. Effective content can be a key driving force behind business growth.

However, publishing a blog here and there isn’t going to cut it. Especially not when one week it’s written by you, and the next it’s written by Susan in marketing. This approach may see you through for a while, but as your business grows, so will its demand for content.

In today’s digital age, consumers expect more from brands. More value, more engagement, and more content. They want to feel a genuine connection with the businesses they buy from. 

One thing you’ll notice about brands with successful content marketing strategies is that they’re consistent. They publish content regularly, maintain high standards, and write in a consistent voice. This can be extremely difficult to achieve without the help of a dedicated and professional content writer.

Still not convinced that your business needs a content writer? Read on to find out more about what content writers do, the skills they possess, and how they can help you to grow your business.

What is a content writer?

A content writer is a person who specialises in writing engaging and informative text content for businesses to publish online.

What services do content writers offer?

• Website content
• Product descriptions
• Blogs
• Email newsletters
• Social media content
• Press releases
• White papers
• eBooks

Some content writers also offer editing and proofreading services.

What skills do content writers possess?

You don’t need a formal qualification to work as a content writer, but you do need to be a skilled writer with an understanding of SEO.

At a minimum, content writers should be able to:

• Perform effective research quickly.
• Digest and understand large amounts of information.
• Explain complex information in clear and simple language.
• Produce high-quality, grammatically correct text content.
• Write proficiently on a broad range of subjects.
• Adapt tone, voice, and style of writing accordingly.

Copywriter or content writer?

Whilst the two terms are often used interchangeably, they aren’t the same. Generally, content writing educates or entertains, whereas copywriting is persuasive. For example, a blog about industry news falls under content writing, whereas a service page on a business website should contain copywriting. Many copywriters are also content writers and vice versa, but it’s always best to check!

What makes great content?

Good content writers know how to craft content that gets results. And it’s not all about being good at spelling and grammar. It’s about knowing your audience and how to engage them.

Good content writers write content that is:

• Clear, concise, and easy to understand.
• Broken up into manageable paragraphs.
• Well-researched and accurate.
• Original.
• Engaging.
• Persuasive.
• Free from errors.
• SEO-friendly.
• Written in the brand’s voice.
• Optimised for conversions.
• Tailored to the target audience.

Whilst it’s true that business owners know their business better than anyone else,not all of them are good at writing content. That’s why so many hire content writers to produce high-quality content on their behalf.

When attempting to write a piece of content, someone who isn’t a professional might sit down, start typing, and put together a block of text containing the information they want to share with the reader.

However, a professional content writer would approach the task very differently; their process may include some or all the following steps:

Create a content plan

During the planning stage, a content writer may map out the article’s structure, consider tone, voice, style, and target audience and set content goals.

Perform research 

Next, comes research mode!Content writers can quickly and efficiently research topics, pick out key information from trusted sources, and jot down notes and points of reference. They may also research keywords that people search for that are relevant to the content they’re writing. These keywords can be inserted into the content to make it easier for people to discover it using search engines.

Write the content 

This is the most time-intensive part of the process by a long shot. Now the content writer does what they do best – turn the research and their own ideas into original and engaging content.

Perform SEO 

Once the content is written, the writer will ensure it is written according to SEO best practices and insert keywords and relevant internal and external links. Finally, they may write some optimised metadata to be used when the content is published online.

Edit and proofread 

Finally, most content writers will review and edit their work multiple times before they’re happy.

Whilst the person writing content needs to have a good grasp of spelling and punctuation, great content writing goes far beyond this. It must be clear, engaging, and tailored to its audience in order to be impactfull. It should also be optimised for SEO and conversions.

Ten benefits of hiring a content writer

Still contemplating whether your business really needs a content writer? The benefits of hiring a content writer could be more far-reaching than you realise. Publishing well-crafted content that adds value for your audience can drive engagement, improve your SEO ranking, foster trust, and even supercharge your sales. 

Want to find out more? Let’s learn about the top 10 benefits of bringing a content writer on board.

1. Create high-quality content
   
   Let’s be honest; truly top-notch content can be hard to come by, especially with AI-generated content on the rise. AI may be an exciting new tool, but it often falls short when it comes to capturing your brand voice. This is where professional content writers step in. They can create original, well-written, and engaging content – the kind of stuff you can’t wait to share and that your audience will love. 
2. Add value
   
   The most successful content isn’t just well-written; it’s original and engaging too. Professionally written content should give your audience something they can’t find anywhere else, turning your content into something that truly adds value and keeps your audience coming back for more. 
3. Save time
   
   Writing good content takes time – a lot of it. Most businesses are so busy juggling the high-value tasks that keep operations running smoothly that content writing often gets put on the back burner. By hiring a professional content writer, you can free up you and your workforce’s time to focus on high-value tasks that help to drive business growth. 
4. Maintain consistency
   
   When different people from your business chip in with content here and there, you risk your brand voice and messaging coming across as weak, undefined, or even confusing. By using the same skilled and professional content writer for every piece of content, you can ensure that your brand voice remains consistent across all content and platforms, helping your business build a strong brand identity. 
5. Boost search engine visibility
   
   High-quality content is excellent for SEO. The more you have on your website, the better. So, hiring a content writer isn’t just about writing first-class content; it also helps to boost your visibility in search results and increase traffic to your website. 
6. Drive engagement
   
   Great content isn’t just content. Great content resonates with your audience,  starts conversations, and creates a buzz around your business. If your content is valuable or engaging, your audience may feel excited or passionate enough to share it with their connections on social media. 
7. Build trust and credibility
   
   You can win your audience’s trust by consistently delivering high-quality, accurate, and original content. A professional content writer helps your business to build a trustworthy and credible reputation online. 
8. Boost customer loyalty
   
   When you consistently deliver high-quality content that resonates with your target audience, it helps to foster emotional connections and build brand loyalty. 
9. Establish thought leadership
   
   Some of the most successful brands have gotten where they are today by being thought leaders within their industry. Thought leadership is more than being an expert in your field; it’s about innovating, having fresh ideas, and sparking debate. A professional content writer can create content demonstrating thought leadership for your business to share. 
10. Drive sales
    
    So, you’ve used content to demonstrate your business’s thought leader status, won your audience’s trust, and improved your website’s visibility in search results. The result? More sales. Bringing a professional content writer on board may not immediately uplift sales, but it can improve business performance and boost your bottom line in the long term.

What are the risks of not hiring a content writer?

If you’re considering taking your chances, cutting costs, and writing your content in-house (or worse, by using AI) we’ve got a word of warning for you – it can be a risky business!

Some of the risks of publishing content that was not written by a professional content writer include the following:

Errors – Mistakes happen to the best of us – but they’re more likely to occur when it’s an inexperienced eye that’s being cast over your content. Publishing web content full of spelling mistakes and grammatical no-nos can create an unprofessional image and even harm your brand’s reputation.

Inconsistent voice – When your content is being written by different people, especially if they are not trained content writers – it can result in content that is a mish-mash of different styles and voices. This can weaken your brand’s identity.

Unengaging – Good content engages the reader and delivers its message. One of the biggest risks of not using a professional content writer is wasting time and resources creating and publishing content your audience doesn’t want to read. Non-content writers often write content that is too wordy, unstructured, full of jargon, or just plain (sorry to be blunt) boring. As a result, your audience quickly loses interest and never returns. 

Poorly researched or inaccurate – If your brand publishes inaccurate information, it can leave your cheeks burning at best and harm your brand’s credibility and reputation at worst.

Not optimised for search – Google loves original, high-quality content. If your business is publishing content but not optimising it for search engines, you’re missing out on a big opportunity to boost your search engine ranking and win more website traffic.

No content – Finally, without hiring a content writer, you also risk not having any content on your website. Even businesses with the best intentions often find that without a dedicated content writer, content writing is a job that keeps getting put off, resulting in an inconsistent and ineffective content strategy.

Debunking misconceptions about hiring a content writer

There are three main concerns that we hear businesses express time and time again about bringing a content writer on board. Let’s face them head-on.

It’s expensive to hire a content writer 

Many businesses worry that hiring a content writer is an unnecessary expense. This is usually because they don’t yet understand the expansive benefits of content writing. High-quality content can help to increase website traffic, boost credibility, and even drive sales – when you think of it like this, content writing services can offer a considerable return on investment. Most content writers also offer various packages, allowing you to choose a content writing package that suits your business’s requirements and budget.

They won’t understand my brand and audience

Ok, here’s the thing – content writers are the chameleons of the writing world. They’re experienced at adapting the voice, tone, and style they write in to resonate with different target audiences and reflect different brand identities. They will, of course, need you to share the relevant information with them to help them to do so, including your brand voice guidelines, but with this information they will really get to know your brand and its audience.

They won’t understand my industry

Don’t forget, most professional content writers spend all day every day researching different topics and digesting large amounts of information quickly. They’re the kind of people you want on your team at a pub quiz! Many content writers specialise in specific topics. Selecting a writer with extensive experience writing for your industry can further enhance the quality and relevance of the content they write. 

Whilst these concerns are understandable, they often stem from misconceptions. A professional content writer can be a valuable addition to your team, providing plenty of benefits and enhancing your business’s online presence.

What to consider when hiring a content writer

Ready to bring a content writer on board? You’ll need to consider a few key factors before you begin making enquiries.

• Content strategy and goals – We’ve explained how content can benefit a business, but how do you want to apply this to your business? What are your content goals? Think about what you want to achieve with content and the type of content you require. And before hiring a content writer, make sure you create a content strategy, if you don’t already have one. This will help to ensure that the content created aligns with your overall goals.
• Budget – Next, you need to sit down and determine a realistic budget for your content requirements.
• Content volume – You also need to know how much content you need. Do you require a blog or two each month or an extensive website content revamp? 
• Deadlines – Being clear about what you need and when you need it makes it easier to find a content writer that can meet your requirements, so have a think about what you need urgently and what can be scheduled later.
• Industry experience – When choosing a content writer, finding out if they have any experience of writing for your field can be useful. You may even consider looking for a content writer who specialises in writing for your industry.
• Portfolio – Before hiring a content writer, ask to see their portfolio of work to get a feel for their style, experience, and versatility in writing content across various topics and formats.

Working with a content writer

When working with a content writer, remember that the more information and insight you can provide them with, the easier it is for them to tailor the content to your precise needs. 

Some of the information that can be useful to provide your content writer with include:

• Content brief
• Content strategy
• Brand guidelines
• Target audience details
• Reference materials

Remember that open communication is key to any successful relationship. Regular check-ins, constructive feedback, and a willingness to collaborate will enhance the success of the content creation process.

Choose Create8 for content writing services

Are you ready to elevate your brand with compelling, high-quality content? 

At Create8, we offer content writing services that will capture your brand’s essence, engage with your audience, and improve your online visibility.

Contact us today to discuss your content goals in more detail, and we can help you to start publishing content that gets results!