Professional Writers for Hire: Everything You Need to Know

Committing to a regular content publishing calendar has a long list of benefits.

But producing premium content every day can be an arduous task. That’s why a lot of businesses turn to professional writers for hire.

Whether you’re looking to boost your search engine ranking with SEO-friendly content or want to refresh your landing page copy for optimum conversion, a professional writer for hire can bring your vision to fruition.

Fortunately, hiring professional writers is now a cakewalk, thanks to job portals and online content marketplaces for writers.

If you are a business owner, this guide covers everything you need to know about hiring a professional writer for your business. Let’s go.

Professional Writer for Hire: The Basics

You should know a few things before hiring a professional writer. First, what does a professional writer for hire mean?

What Does a Professional Writer for Hire Mean?

A professional writer for hire is someone skilled in crafting high-quality content that is engaging, educative and informative. Their portfolio showcases their expertise in various formats, including blog content, articles, whitepapers, marketing copy, and more.

A professional writer for hire is more than just a good writer.

But someone capable of communicating your brand message to its target audience effectively.  They must also be able to write in a style that aligns with the brand’s voice, tone, and values.

These writers are proactive in their approach to writing by asking relevant questions to gain a clear understanding of the client’s requirements, researching the target audience and tailoring their writing to appeal to them.

They also stay up-to-date with industry trends and are open to feedback and revisions.

What to Consider When Hiring a Professional Writer?

That someone offers to write for your business doesn’t make them a professional writer. Anyone can offer writing services for a fee.

Below are a few essential factors to consider when going after a professional writer for hire.

1. Define Your Needs: Before seeking a writer, be clear with your content need and goals. Are you looking to drive traffic to your website, establish yourself as an authority in your industry, or convert leads into customers? Knowing your needs and goals will help you narrow your search for a writer who can deliver the results.
2. Check for Experience: When evaluating potential writers, look for those with experience in your industry or niche. Working with writers with a solid understanding of your target audience and industry jargon guarantees better results. Ask for their writing portfolio or samples to see if they have produced content similar to what you need.
3. Assess Writing Skills: You want a writer who can produce error-free content. Look for writers with a firm grasp of grammar, spelling, and punctuation and the ability to write in a style that fits your brand voice.
4. Consider Availability: If you have a tight deadline or need ongoing content, ensure the writer you hire is available to meet your needs. Writers can get booked or have limited availability, so it’s essential to communicate your timeline upfront.
5. Discuss Rates and Payment Terms: Some writers charge by the hour, while others may charge per word or project. Make sure you agree on a fair and reasonable rate for the quality of work you expect, and clarify payment terms and deadlines.

Who Employs Professional Writers for Hire?

Business Owners

Business owners who want to focus on their core business deliverables hire professional writers.

Since they don’t have the time and lack the expertise to put together business-moving content, hence, they go for skilled wordsmiths.

Bloggers

When starting a blog, It’s easy for bloggers to write content. But as the blog grows, the content chores grow beyond a one-person job. Most successful blogs on the internet today enlist the service of professional freelance and in-house writers to stay competitive.

Marketing and Advertising Agencies

These agencies often have hundreds of clients to service. To keep up with client’s demands without sacrificing quality, they hire writers to create content from advertising campaigns, including website copy, blog posts, and email newsletters.

Publications

Online publications, magazines and media houses hire professional writers to create news articles, feature stories, and opinion pieces.

What Kind of Writing Can Professional Writers Do?

Professional writers often specialise in a specific area of content creation. They hone their skills, knowledge, and expertise to deliver quality content. Whatever your business niche and needs, you’ll find an expert.

 Below are a few areas of specialisation of professional writers:

• Technical Writing: Writing instructional manuals, product documentation, knowledge base materials, user guides, and technical documents for products, software, and other complex systems.
• Business Writing: Business writers create content such as emails, memos, reports, and proposals for businesses and organisations.
• Marketing Writing: Creating blog posts, social media content, and other types of content to attract and engage customers.
• Ghostwriting: Creating any form of written content, such as books, articles, and speeches, on behalf of another person credited as the author.
• Creative Writing: Creative writing involves the production of original content such as fiction, poetry, and screenplays, often for entertainment or artistic purposes.
• Script Writing: Producing scripts for film, television, and other forms of media, including dialogue, plot, and character development.
• Academic Writing: Writing research papers, thesis, academic articles, and other scholarly documents for educational institutions and researchers.
• Journalism: Researching and reporting on current events, news stories, and other topics of interest for media outlets.
• PR: Public relations writers create content such as press releases, media kits, and speeches to promote and maintain the public image of a business or organisation
• Grant Writing: Creating compelling grant proposals for non-profit organisations and other entities seeking funding.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Professional Writer?

The cost of hiring a professional writer varies due to several factors. The most important of all is the writer’s experience and skill level.

Moreso, some writing niches are more expensive than others. Below are a few points to guide you.

Average Professional Writer Rates

Some professional writers charge an hourly rate from $30 to $200. Others charge a per-word rate, which can range from 10 cents to $1 or more depending on the type of content.

Highly placed writers charge a flat fee for a specific project. Hiring a bottom-of-the-chain writer might be more cost-saving upfront. But you may end up with subpar content that yields no results.

Conversely, a highly skilled writer might charge a higher rate, but their work will compensate for it in higher returns in the long run.

What is a Good Hourly Rate for a Writer?

As mentioned above, the hourly rate for a writer will depend mainly on the type of writing service they offer. While a blog content writer may charge as low as $30 per hour, a SaaS copywriter can charge up to $150 per hour.

According to Upwork, “the rates for top content writers can range from as low as $15 an hour to as high as $80, though most fall in the $30-50 range. Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.” (Upwork).

To get an insight into a reasonable hourly rate for various writing types, Upwork has historical data that represents typical hourly rate ranges for in-demand writing skills.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Writer for an Essay?

You should expect to pay between $25-$50 per page when you hire a writer for an essay.

Nonetheless, the cost still depends on many factors that may vary from one assignment to another. The type of paper, deadline and academic level influence the cost.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Scriptwriter?

Hiring a professional script writer comes with a higher price tag among all writing types.

Scriptwriters charge by the project or per-page basis, typically from $50 to $200 per page. This could amount to a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars for a feature-length film.

If you hire a professional writer for a movie that you expect to last an hour, that’s virtually a 90-page long script. So if you do the math, with an average cost of $125 per page, that’s roughly $11,000 for your script.

Pros and Cons of Hiring a Professional Writer

Pros of Hiring a Professional Writer

Lets You Focus Time and Effort Elsewhere

Content writing can be time-consuming. And if you’re not a professional writer, it may take you longer to complete a project than it would a professional.

Hiring a professional writer can save you time, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business or personal life.

They Produce High-Quality Content

When you hire a professional writer, you can expect the best quality. They have experience and will invest it in your project to produce content that drives business growth.

A professional writer ensures consistency in your brand voice and messaging, strengthening your brand identity and building customer trust.

They Can Drive Traffic

Professional writers are often skilled in SEO (search engine optimisation), which means they can write optimised content for search engines and generate quality organic traffic to your business.

Niche Expertise

Professional writers are adept in their niche. They understand trends, writing conventions, and best practices to produce impactful content.

This can be especially important for businesses looking to establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry and niche.

Cons of Hiring a Professional Writer

They Can Be Expensive

Hiring a professional content writer is an investment which might be costly for small businesses.

Professional writers typically charge a higher rate than non-professional writers, which can be a barrier for individuals or businesses with limited budgets.

While the return is guaranteed in the long run, small businesses and startups might struggle to pull up with it.

It Can Be Hard to Find the Right Fit

Finding the right match is the biggest constraint of hiring a professional writer. Even if you hire the best writer in town, they may not fit your business.

This could stem from various reasons, such as their fees, writing style, or lack of expertise in your industry. Additionally, they may work with a broad client base, whereas you require a more personalised content strategy.

Where to Hire Professional Writers

1. Upwork

Upwork is one of the world’s most-used freelance platforms where business owners connect with a vast pool of professional writers for hire.

Upwork boasts a vast base of writers, beginners and experts who specialise in various niches such as e-commerce, digital marketing, email marketing, and tech topics.

To hire on Upwork, you need to create an Upwork account. Afterwards, you can post a job listing detailing your specific requirements and select whether you are hiring for a full-time or freelancing gig. Interested writers can then apply to your job post by sending bids.

2. Fiverr

Fiverr is another popular freelance marketplace where businesses and individuals can find and hire freelancers for various digital services, including content writing, graphic design, video editing, and more.

Freelancers on Fiverr are called “sellers,” while their services are called “gigs.” Meanwhile, business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals who require content writing services are called “buyers.”

Instead of sending out bids, Fiverr works on a gig-based system where sellers can create and list their services (gigs) for buyers to browse and purchase. Sellers can set their prices and delivery times and offer additional services for an additional fee.

Buyers can search for services by browsing through categories or using keywords to find specific services they need.

3. Freelancer

Freelancer is another great platform to get one of the most reliable content-writing services.

On Freelancer, you can post projects, receive bids from freelancers, and choose the best candidate. Before settling for any writer, you can review their profiles and ratings to be confident you are hiring right.

You can easily search for writers based on their experience and rates, including fixed and hourly rates. Due to its extensive user base, finding the best writers on Freelancer can take time and effort. You’ll sift through thousands of freelancers to find the perfect writing buddy.

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media platform for professionals that also serves as a hiring platform. You can find and hire professional writers on LinkedIn by searching for freelance writers, posting a job, and inviting writers to apply.

LinkedIn has a feature called ProFinder that connects businesses with freelance professionals, including writers, based on their project requirements and budget.

This feature allows you to receive proposals from qualified writers and select the best fit for your project.

When hiring through LinkedIn, reviewing the writer’s profile, work experience, and portfolio is essential to ensure they have the skills and experience required for your project.

You can also check their recommendations and endorsements from previous clients to get a sense of their work ethics.

5. Online Job Boards

Online job boards, such as Indeed, Problogger, and Glassdoor, are also great places for hiring professional writers. Just post your job descriptions and requirements and wait for the applications to be in.

These job boards often have advanced to research and compare different job postings and salaries in your industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrapping Up

Publishing high-quality content consistently is a powerful strategy to win over competitors and bring all important eyeballs to your brands in the online business space.

Not only does value-adding content amplify your online footprint, but it also builds trust and triggers people to engage with your brand.

But you don’t necessarily have to do it yourself. You can hire a professional writer to handle your content while focusing on other vital aspects of your business.

We’ve answered most of the questions you’ll have in the guide. If you need more information, feel free to ask us in the comment section below.