Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
Content is what makes the Internet work. And from a business standpoint, it can also mean the difference in making sales. But before you invest in a new on-site employee, perhaps you can consider remote writers for hire.
There’s nothing wrong with hiring locally. In fact, depending on your situation, that may be more ideal.
However, there are a few benefits for a business to find writers for hire online. And most have to deal with how much money you fork over every year.
Did you know I have a book on Amazon about freelance writing? It’s the story of how I got started using content mills like Textbroker and became the success that I am today.
Get Your Copy of A Freelancer’s Tale Today!
Why Use Writers for Hire for Business Content?
Content writing is more than just slapping words together and publishing them on your website. If you want to rank in Google, engage an audience, and boost your online reputation, it takes talent.
Although you might be able to handle this on your own, it’s not always the best. That’s because as a business owner, you should spend more time on your “business” practices and less on writing content.
This is when outsourcing writers for hire can greatly benefit your operation.
1. You Pay Less in Wages
Most freelance writers are paid per word or per job. This means there is no hourly wage involved. This is important as you’d be amazed by how much time is consumed with non-productive nuances.
For instance, a full-time employee receives an hourly wage whether they are hanging out in the break room, going out for a cigarette, or even getting up to go to the bathroom.
Do you have one that comes in late but still gets the full paycheck? Perhaps you have that one employee who stays after to rake in the overtime.
As most freelance writers are paid per task, it doesn’t matter what they do during the job.
Even a retainer contract can offer less than a full-time wage but more per job overall. This is when you pay writers for hire a set amount regardless of the number of words or projects.
I’ll go over retainer contracts in another post. But for me, these are my favorite types of contracts.
2. Lower Overhead Costs
An employee’s paycheck is only one part of what you’ll save in expenses. In reality, outsourcing can drastically affect how much you spend every year to operate your business.
For instance, hiring remote writers will affect:
- Taxes
- Insurance
- Space in the Business (Square Footage)
- Utility Usage
- No Sick or Vacation Days and Benefits
And since you’ll wind up paying less overall, you can afford to increase how much you pay writers to ensure the author has a livable and fair wage.
Just because you’re saving a bundle doesn’t mean the writers don’t have their own bills to cover. You can be generous with the payout and still save an incredible amount of money over time.
3. Larger Pool of Talent
One of the hardest parts about hiring locally is finding the right talent. This is especially true if you’re running a business in a remote or rural area.
Finding writers for hire on the Internet gives you access to a vast pool of talent.
Whether you’re looking in content mills or using job boards, there are plenty of authors out there who will do wonders for your business website.
4. Less to Track for HR
Tracking the financial aspects of employees is a human resources job. But what about the other things HR has to handle as well?
Things like performing background checks are often unnecessary. Since you’re paying for remote content, you really don’t need to worry about what a person’s criminal history entails.
Or even a credit report, if you’re into doing those.
Simply don’t give people you don’t know or trust access to your website. A writer can just as easily send you a doc in Google or through email.
You’re also less likely to worry about sexual harassment cases. Well, unless it’s through email or chat systems. But out of the many years I’ve been a freelance writer, this is incredibly rare.
And with the tools you can use for plagiarism checking, you really have less to worry about with outsourcing content.
5. Easy to Replace Writers for Hire Online
And lastly, it is exceptionally easy to replace writers for one reason or another. The Internet is full of professionals who want the work and have an incredible handle of SEO content.
This goes along the lines of having a massive pool of authors for your business.
Though, be careful. Like the adage goes, “you get what you pay for.” There are plenty of writers who need some brushing up when it comes to putting sentences together.
5 Easy Ways to Find Writers for Hire
In the end, it all comes down to saving an incredible amount of money. Putting remote writers to work is usually far cheaper than maintaining in-house staff.
Though, as a freelance writer myself, I do miss the human interaction of actually working at a place of business.
So, where can you find great talent for your business content?
Content Mills, Like Textbroker
Content mills are what helped me get started as a freelance writer. Websites like Textbroker, WriterAccess, and many others are full of talented authors who specialize in quick, well-written content.
What makes content mills so attractive is how much less you’ll pay as opposed to hiring directly. Instead of $1.00 per word, you wind up spending a fraction of that.
But there’s the rub.
Many people don’t like content mills because of the low pay. However, writers like myself wind up getting their start from these systems.
From a business standpoint, especially if you don’t have a huge budget for content, these sites serve a purpose.
Just try not to take advantage of these authors by expecting massive requirements without compensating pay. I’ve come across many businesses that wanted way too much for the amount they offer.
Content Mills Are Not Always the Best Option
One massive benefit of not using content mills is the ability to integrate a writer into your business. Content mills are anonymous…which means you don’t know the writer and cannot access him or her outside of the system.
From a managerial point of view, I’d rather have writers I can access through chat systems like Slack. I can work with them directly, in real-time, to address issues and make changes. It’s just far more efficient this way.
If it wasn’t for LinkedIn, I wouldn’t have the job I have today. In fact, LinkedIn is probably one of the best places to look for hiring writers.
That’s because most professionals will clearly state as writers for hire. Plus, these profiles often read like an online version of a resume. You can get a feel for someone before offering the job.
If you want to find some incredibly talented writers for your business content, I suggest spending a bit of time searching LinkedIn.
Freelance Communities in Social Media
I belong to a few different freelancing communities on sites like Facebook and Twitter. And one thing I see all the time is people announcing how they are looking for work.
Many of them will also put how they are looking for jobs directly in their profiles. In reality, I could spend less than 20 minutes on Twitter and find a handful of writers to test for any given business industry.
Perhaps I should put myself out there as a head hunter?
My point is that it doesn’t take long to quickly accumulate a list of potential writers for hire from social media.
Job Offering On Website
If you already have a website ready, you can’t go wrong with posting your job offering on a page. Fans of the brand, or even searchers using Google, can find your position and apply.
You’d be amazed by what a “Careers” link in your site’s navigation menu can yield when looking for blog authors. There’s a reason why A LOT of businesses do this nowadays.
Depending on how you word the position, other platforms like job aggregators can also help reach a wider audience.
Job Boards and Aggregators
What is a job aggregator? A job aggregator is a program that scans the Internet looking for positions open at any company for any job. The aggregator then puts the information into a massive database making it easier for professionals like myself to find work.
An example of a job aggregator is Jooble. By entering search terms, freelance writers can come across jobs spanning the entire globe.
Job boards and most job aggregators also have the capacity to list your position manually. This is probably the better option if you’re looking for a wider and more immediate scope of candidates.
Just don’t forget to take down the job once you find a viable freelance writer.
Test Your Writers Before Offering a Contract
Just because someone says they’re a writer, doesn’t mean they practice good spelling or grammar. Before you offer any kind of contract, it’s best to put them to the test.
One of my clients pays for test articles to see if a writer fits in the business dynamic. This is usually around the same pay a good writer gets on sites like Textbroker.
If the writer piques the owner’s interest, a contract offer is made. This is usually far more than what a content mill pays, but still cheaper than having an in-house employee.
You want to test for knowledge, readability, and efficiency. This is on top of proper grammar and spelling, which is a given in any writing gig.
How well does the candidate know your industry? Is the content legible and ready with search engine optimization? How fast are the articles emailed back to you?
These are all elements that should weigh heavily in your decision.
The Internet is Full of Writers for Hire
Don’t get me wrong, I wish there were more writing jobs available for full-time, on-site, employees. But the fact remains, it’s simply more cost-effective to seek writers for hire on the Internet.
This is especially true for small businesses that may not have the resources to dump into content marketing or hiring another full-time employee.
And although I would love to work in an actual office setting, remote work has kept me employed during pandemics and recessions in the past.
Weigh your options when considering writers for hire. Much of the world is driven by content, and you need to invest if you want to compete.
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