Do you ever have problems finding quality writers for your blog? The ones who can write great content without breaking your bank account. When you find that combination, you have found the holy grail of freelance writers. That is why we want to discuss some great strategies for finding quality writers.
5 Strategies to Find Quality Writers for Your Blog
First, remember that you need to convey clear instructions to your writers.
Freelance writers work well only when clients are proactive in helping the freelancers create the best content. It is best to give them sample topics to discuss.
The clearer you are in what you need from a writer, and specifically what you need from your writers, the quicker you will find the right writer.
Second, ask for their portfolio before they start writing for you.
Any good writer worth their respective salt should be able to prove that they can write for you ahead of time. While most experienced writers get offended at the idea of writing a free sample article for you, they will provide you previous work that they have completed.
Just to clarify here: Do not ask an experienced writer to produce one article for you for free to make sure they have what it takes to write articles for you. That sets off warning bells, because they think you want them to work for free. If you need to see a good portfolio, check out these freelance writers portfolios.
However, asking them for work they have done with previous clients is definitely an acceptable practice. Even better if the articles they provide are for previous clients in your industry. Just be aware that can sometimes be a challenge depending upon your specific industry.
Personally, I have a number of links that I provide prospective clients to past articles that I have done for my own business, and for clients.
Final note on this topic: If you want a writer to do ghost writing for you, do not expect them to have a lengthy portfolio. The reason is simple. If they do ghost writing for you, then the obvious assumption is they do ghost writing for other clients and they have non-disclosure agreements with them in place. Therefore, if you want them not to disclose the fact that they wrote for you afterwards, make sure that you do not impose tedious requirements on them.
Third, ask your network for referrals.
One of the easiest ways to find quality writers for your blog is to ask your network. You will be shocked how many people in your network know someone who can help you with your content. They will pop up out of the woodwork like they always existed in your life. Again, always check with your network.
Fourth, use different writing services to help you find quality writers.
While your network is a great place to start your search, you might also consider looking into freelance boards online. Here are a few you might want to consider:
Content Runner – a newer option, this content writing service allows you to hire freelance writers on a per article basis. That way you can sample a number of different writers for your site. You can choose your favorites and go back to them as needed.
Elance – this is one of the oldest freelancing sites out there. Elance works on a per project basis. The site has a wide array of freelance professionals from around the world.
Odesk – this is similar to Elance. Odesk is an interesting site, because they have a great feature where you can actually pay freelancers by the hour. Using their software, you can then track their work.
Fifth, check out social media profiles.
You never know what skills you might discover on there. In addition, social media profiles on sites like LinkedIn and Google+ are more like resumes displaying peoples’ services and experience. This is a public resume database for you to peruse.
Finding the Right Writers for Your Blog
In the end, you will probably have to experiment with a few different options before you find the right writers for your blog.
Think of bloggers looking for writers as if it were dating. Most people do not find their prince charming on the first date. The same holds true with finding the right person for your needs. It takes time.
Use the strategies listed above to help you discover quality writer’s right for you. In the meantime, let me know below how your search for quality writers is going.
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Informative article. Thank you. Shall help in understanding what to be judged while hiring one for blogging.
nice strategy.. i love this article, thank you for sharing this..
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Hi, I am new to blogging and I find these tips much much useful for me. Now first I will make myself a good writer and then I will find good writers for my succesfull blog in a short spam of time. BTW Thanxx for the tips
Hello Carol,
Agreed with your mentioned insights regarding finding the quality writer, It’s really important to find a writer that can produce quality content. We can easily find lot of new or old writers from freelancing sites.
Cheers!
This was an awesome post, content is the king of blogging without it we can go ahead in our blogging adventure traffic is crucial too!
There are so many sites that provide professional writers with affordable prices, some writers are willing to write for your orignal and professional content for no more than 5$
that’s an awesome post thanks for sharing!
Twitter: andynathan
says:
Anis,
Be careful! In my experience $5 writers generally do not produce high quality content.
Andy
Twitter: nithinupendran
says:
Finding quality writers without breaking your bank account. I liked the sentence because i know the difficulty in finding it. I had knocked on different doors for finding quality writers for my blog truth is that i never succeeded in that. I never tried the platforms mentioned above. Thanks for pointing out, sooner or later i gonna try it out. Thanks in advance.
Twitter: andynathan
says:
Nithin,
Quality is huge! You can get cheap writers, you can get high end expensive writers, but finding the one that is just right can be tough. What were your requirements by the way for a writer?
Andy
Twitter: nithinupendran
says:
I wanted cheap writers who could write quality contents regularly, atlast i was lucky enough to find one, he was my classmate he writes good articles.
Twitter: trubodywellness
says:
Hy
Excellent post man!
All the five stages you have mentioned above are true,but most the people find there writer from some Facebook group or pages or through other social website, but if some one didn’t get any writer through this way, then i would suggest them to read your article. Thanks for sharing.
Twitter: authicle
says:
Very well written. It’s hard to hire a writer for your website. Anyone can hurt everything about your website within seconds. Social media referrals may help but still your writers needs to be monetized all the times for your safety. Good article, thank you for sharing.
I used odesk.com for various projects including article writers. Some of them were great article writers and they were very professional.
Twitter: chetu007
says:
I usually prefer third option to asking in our network. because we know him and their quality of writing.
Hi Andy,
Great Post, to be very frank with you, the last time when i visited this blog i was looking for a post which let me know how should i put my words on my blog, now i think i got this to a great extent, if in future may be i’m looking for a good writer, for 100% sure i’m going to try this.
Thanks Andy, your post helps me a lot Best Wishes.
- Piyush Dhiman
Twitter: wpfiesta
says:
I used odesk.com for various projects including article writers. Some of them were great article writers and they were very professional. Some were very poor. It requires so much time to manage all these people via odesk. Anyway, I’ll also try contentrunner for future projects. Thanks for the article.
Twitter: obd2life
says:
Your suggestions are very useful. And I am agree with your post and your points are strong. But I think there are many several ways to find out quality writers and the first step is create a “Write for Us” page on your domain.
Twitter: Jijinmohan
says:
Hello,
Great post! Well to be honest here i haven’t tried any of the platforms mentioned above. Actually I find writer from few groups or seoclerks which is kinda short form to find quality readers and I’m happy with it.
thanks for sharing
oDesk, Elance and other sites these can make it perfect! That can make your blog powerful and do the leveraging.
Hello Nathan, I am agree with your post and your points are strong. But I think there are many several ways to find out quality writers and the first step is create a “Write for Us” page on your domain. Link to it from somewhere Google is sure to crawl because you’ll certainly want that page indexed. This page needn’t be complicated but it should state exactly what you’re looking for. If you want professional sounding writers who can help with news-y articles be sure to specify as much. If you’re looking for more long-form, quality, evergreen articles make sure you’re clear on that too. If you’re like many bloggers you’re just looking for great content that people will want to read, share and possibly link to so try and be as open-minded as you can as great content comes in many forms. If someone wants to create a comic or produce a video on your site don’t rule them out by being too restrictive. I usually offer links to their personal projects and mention any incentives I may be offering for writing on this page. As a web marketer who has probably played this game from the “guest blogger” perspective you’ll be familiar with what what a write for us page looks like. Think about what you would want to see on that page from the potential guest poster’s perspective. If you have any question about this please let me know. Thanks.
Twitter: marketingunlock
says:
Nice post. Leveraging other content providers is key to keeping your blog busy enough that others care about it. It also brings fresh perspectives that help engage additional readers.
When checking prospective writers’ social media profiles, see how active they are. Make sure they know that engaging their social media audience regarding their guest post is a core part of their responsibility. It makes a massive difference to your blog’s overall engagement, if you choose carefully.
Qualified Writer Source – Colleges and universities. Contact department heads in applicable departments to let them know you’re casting a net for qualified writers. Let them know it will help their students earn additional money, and gain exposure.
You’ll often find great writers who are subject matter experts for pennies on the dollar, compared to experienced freelancers wit similar writing chops.
Twitter: andynathan
says:
Steve,
That is a great point with the college writers. You can definitely find quality writers hungry to build a portfolio.
Andy
good post. have heard about elance and odesk, they are also popular sites and the payouts are okay too.also thanks for sharing about writersden too. i agree that it takes time and patience like going out for dates.
Twitter: himanshuarora19
says:
Very nice post Andy,
I was looking for writers for one of my project. With the help of your article, I have got a content writer for my project. My friend gave me the profile url of his friend who is a good content writer. I have already checked his portfolio and he is suitable for my project.
Thanks for writing this post…
Twitter: andynathan
says:
Himanshu,
Glad that I could help with finding a great writer for your upcoming project! Keep us posted on how everything works out.
Andy
Some good advice for myself actually! If I ever have the opportunity to freelance I know where to go. Thanks for the great post!
Twitter: andynathan
says:
Thanks Jonathan!
Twitter: animalcareguide
says:
I actually found my current TextBroker writer by networking with someone who shared similar interests. I happened to own a domain name in an industry that he specialized in and made an offer to transfer the name to him if he would provide me a referral to his content writer. I’ve happily had my writer for over a year now and she always delivers top quality work. Probably one of the best contractors I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with all thanks to some simple networking.
Twitter: andynathan
says:
Adam,
What a creative use of the principles I discuss here. That is awesome!
Andy
Some good strategies here especially as I am new to blogging and will be using so of these tips to ensure that I get good quality writers. I have used services like fiverr and other sites but to be honest the quality was not the best.
Twitter: yehekpakistan
says:
Nice posts and its very good topic and hope to see more about quality wirters. thanks
Asking for a portfolio as well as the sample works will lead you to a good writer that you are looking for. Also giving instructions to a potential candidate will gauge someone’s skills and knowledge about writing a certain topic. The iWriter website also provide good writers.
Twitter: TiceWrites
says:
Hi Andy — thanks for the link to my writer websites post!
Good basics…but I have to disagree with your point #4. Most good writers I know don’t take gigs from Elance or especially oDesk, because these are known as such lowball pricing platforms.
Instead, look for more exclusive job boards and platforms where you can reach more qualified writers. One example is Gorkana for healthcare, media, and business-finance writers — they send out leads for each of those niches.
And if I can promote my own writer community just a hair in the service of providing another resource for finding writers, I run a job board for the 1100 members of my Freelance Writers Den, and it’s free to post a job to our community at http://freelancewritersden.com/hire-a-writer. These are all writers who’re serious about their careers, located all over the world, and have experience in a wide variety of industries. @writer @jobs
Twitter: GrowMap
says:
Hi Carol,
Andy will probably reply, too, but I wanted to thank you for taking the time to share your resources with my readers. I agree that none of the writers I work with use the general freelancing platforms. Most of us refer work between ourselves and recommend each other to clients.
We need to catch up sometime so I can capture links to all your various resources and offers on the Trello board for writers I created. It is where I refer writers to for resources, training, and strategies.
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Twitter: andynathan
says:
Carol,
You are correct! There are other job boards out there, however, for those starting off with outsourcing it is also good to cast a wide net. I have found a lot of quality writers on these sites.
It is simply a matter of finding the right person for the job. The issue is not the job board, but the right fit for your needs.
Appreciate the great resource to the Freelance Writers Den. Now that I am thinking about it, not sure if I put my information on there. Checking right now.
Andy