Did you know that 73% of consumers prefer to get their information in the form of articles?

Creating blog articles for your site, whether you’re a lawyer, baker, or online business, is the easiest and most effective way to get more traffic and sales on your website.

But writing consistently is hard. It takes a lot of time.

Besides, not every business owner is a great writer. Nor should they be! You have a business to run, why worry about writing when you can find writers to write for you?

There are tons of skilled, affordable, and reliable content writers out there. You can have high-quality articles in a matter of hours.

In this post, I’ll show you exactly where to find the best writers to make your blog shine.

Let’s get started!

Find Writers on Job Boards

Job boards like ProBlogger are filled with professional writers with expert knowledge of their industry. For $70 you can expect to see the best writers available for hire.

Note: You may get over a hundred applications, so be prepared to dig through resumes and emails! (See below for how to screen applicants and find the unicorn in a field of donkeys.)

Although Problogger is one of the top job boards available for companies looking for writers, there are a few more worth mentioning:

BloggingPro Job Board

Similar to Problogger, BloggingPro is another home for professional writers. Pay $30 and have your job posted for 30 days.

Freelance Writer’s Den

With many perks and incentives, Freelance Writer’s Den is a job board built to benefit writers. Because of this, writers seem to be much higher quality. Plus, posting a job is free!

Textbroker

An affordable option for those who are sticking to a budget, Textbroker allows blog owners to connect with thousands of authors in a variety of categories.

With any freelancing job board, it’s important to have guidelines in place so you don’t waste time or money. Here are a few key points:

• Specify what you are looking for in a writer. This will cut down the submissions you receive, but increase quality applicants.
• Request samples and reviews from other clients to ensure quality work.
• Detail how you want the potential writer to respond to your ad. This will help you determine which candidates are following your instructions correctly.
• Ask for something silly, like having “rubber ducky” in the subject line. This proves they thoroughly read the job posting and won’t be wasting your time.

When using Job boards, don’t be afraid to ask detailed questions of those responding to your ads. This is your business and you want to make sure you’re receiving high-quality content.

Check Online Communities and Forums

Niche-specific online communities and forums are a great place to find quality blog writers.

Online communities and forums are filled with passionate and knowledgeable members willing to share their story with your audience.

These same members often have blogs of their own, where you can take a peek at their writing style.

A simple Google search can lead you to thousands of forums and online communities in your industry.

You can use a tool like AllTop to find forums in your niche.

Scour Your Blog’s Comment Section

There may be great writers right under your nose.

The comment section of your blog can harbor potential writers. The commenters that take the time to leave in-depth, well-written comments may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Commenters will usually leave a link to their blog right under their comment. Take some time to browse their content to see if their writing style will fit with your blog.

Don’t be intimidated by cost. The author might be more interested in an article swap partnership or a link back to their site than money.

Search for Guest Bloggers in Your Industry

Guest blogging can be mutually beneficial for both the writer and the site owner.

As the site owner, you can expect to receive well-researched and written content that will engage your readers. The guest blogger can benefit from increasing their notoriety, website SEO, and traffic.

Enlist the help of your social media profiles and email list to find guest bloggers that are willing to work with you. If you have a decent size social following on sites like Twitter or LinkedIn, you’ll be able to find a few guest bloggers who would be eager to partner up with you.

Create a “Write for Us” Page

Instead of spending time trying to find writers, let them find you. You can create a page on your site that allows interested writers to contact you.

To weed out low-quality writers, set up a list of requirements like the following:

• Ask for at least 3 article examples of previous work. This will give you a better feel of their writing style.
• Allow for bylines. Many writers want to know if there will be a link back to their site.
• List the categories you are looking for writers to write on.
• Share some of your examples so that the potential writers know what you expect.

To make good use of your ‘Write For Me’ page, share a link on your social media profiles and send the same link to friends who may know someone who is in need of work. You may be pleasantly surprised to see where the next best author for your site is hiding.

For an example, check out The Write Life’s contributor guidelines.

Social media

The search engines on social media sites make it easy for you to search for writers. Often, writers have links to their portfolios on their profile so you can review them before reaching out to them.

If you use Twitter to search for writers, a tool such as Followerwonk works great to help you find writers based on their bio information.

How to Screen Applicants

So you have a hundred and one dalmatians to search through. Which one should you choose?

The best way to decide on a great applicant is to answer three things:

1. How is their spelling and grammar in their application? If it’s bad, it’s a sign they aren’t going to be a good fit.
2. Does their portfolio match the tone you want to convey? You should like their writing (obviously). If you don’t, keep looking.
3. Is their personality a good fit? Most writers show their personality on their website. Some are analytical, some satirical, other fun-loving and weird. Go with a personality you feel fits your brand’s style and are comfortable with.

If you have a few people you like, go with the one who is easiest to work with.

Conclusion

There are plenty of places to find writers online, but it is important to know what you’re looking for in a writer before you begin your search.

Do you need an expert, or are you OK with an up and coming writer with little experience?

While more expensive, a writer with SEO and marketing knowledge is better for your blog. They can help you show up in Google search results and promote your blog posts.

Take some time to jot down what your ideal writer would embody and use it as a template during your search.

Do your research and don’t be afraid to ask questions when hiring writers. When it comes to your blog’s reputation, quality over quantity is the way to go.

And congratulations, because you’re now ready to hire a blog writer to help you increase your traffic, sales, and brand recognition!