You’ve got a blog. You’ve written six posts, but now the inevitable time crunch is happening.

You know your blog is a great way to attract interested prospects and build a list of valuable followers.

But, a week goes by, and then another…and

no blog post.

Two more weeks and despite your best intentions…still no blog post.

We see it all the time: abandoned blogs. They still command a place on your menu bar, but nobody’s home.

Over time, you’ll start to see the consequences of an abandoned blog.

Your readers need to be well-fed! They’re not going to keep coming back if there’s nothing new to come back for…

Not to mention, a regularly updated blog is great for SEO. But more on that another time…

For now, let’s focus on what you can do about your abandoned blog.

One solution? Hire a blog writer.

Sounds simple, right?

You hire someone to write your posts. You sit back, the posts come in, you get more engagement and more business.

But, whoa there Silver!

There are a few things to consider before going down the freelancer highway and starting to read resumes. First, there’s one big question to ask:

Should you hire a blog writer?

As tempting as it might seem to hire a blog writer, you should first consider how important it is to use your own voice in your blog posts.

If you have a content blog sharing great advice, maybe it doesn’t matter so much who wrote it, as long as the content is unique and the writing is high quality.¹Two good examples of this are inkbotdesign.com or contentmarketinginstitute.com.

On the other hand, if you are the brand, then maybe having someone else write your blog isn’t the best idea. A freelance writer is unlikely to accurately mimic your style of writing or humour and certainly can’t match your knowledge.

It IS possible to find a great match with freelancers. After all, ghostwriters have written many of the best-selling autobiographies. At BlogWorks we take the time to develop a complete profile, including your ideal customer, competitors, and business objectives.

But it could also mean higher costs and a longer search process.

A common strategy we use at BlogWorks is to write content pieces, not personality pieces.

A good example of this is Jon Morrow, who writes brilliant posts about his take on blogging, life after his accident, and “living in paradise.”²Jon Morrow talks about how to quit your job and get paid to change the world in this post: www.problogger.com/how-to-quit-your-job-move-to-paradise-and-get-paid-to-change-the-world You’ll also find many freelancers contributing great how-to content to Morrow’s SmartBlogger blog.³Morrow’s Smart Blogger blog is packed with tips to help freelance writers succeed

What to look for in a blog writer

Before you start posting your job or searching forums for writers, it’s important to know what you’re looking for.

Just like shopping for groceries, if you don’t start with a list it could be an expensive trip to the store.

Your list of requirements will be unique, based on the content expertise you are looking for, but here’s a good list to start with:

• Writing skills: As basic as it sounds, there’s nothing more frustrating than bad grammar from a “professional writer.” If you really want to test if applicants are detail-oriented, in your next job posting insert this instruction: “Please mention ‘Blue Moon’ in your application.” If you don’t see “Blue Moon” mentioned in their application it could mean they won’t pay attention to details in your work.
• Basic knowledge: As a minimum, your freelancer should have proven experience writing similar posts and basic knowledge of your industry.
• Confident writing voice: It’s great to be accurate, but a big challenge for any blog is to stop readers from clicking away. Look for a unique writing style and the ability to improve your writing with examples, analogies, and metaphors.
• Commitment to quality: In your interview process, give some feedback. How your freelancer receives your advice is one of the best measures of how well they will work out.

The BlogWorks Amazing Headline Analyzer will quickly give you a rating and feedback on your headline. Try it right now!

How to get started

We published a detailed post about job posting boards, forums, and even searching for Twitter to find freelancers. If you’re ready to find that perfect writer, that’s a good place to start.

Adding to that post, there is, of course, the Mack truck of freelancing, Upwork⁴UpWork is our go-to source for hiring market researchers, graphic designers, and hiring for other long-term and one-off jobs.. At BlogWorks, we use Upwork every month to hire freelancers for market research, graphic design, and other one-off jobs.

Want to learn more about finding writers on other job boards? Check this out.

The tip we most often share about using Upwork is to use the applicant filters. There, you can individually invite the freelancers you are most interested in working with (as opposed to letting Upwork send you applicants.)

Invite the right applicants to write

For example, if hiring a blog writer, I would follow this simple routine:

1. Post the job. You can start with this being a one-off job and set the price level as “intermediate.
2. When you move to “Invite freelancers”, immediately open “Filters” and start selecting the criteria you are looking for. You can even select your country of choice.
3. Once you have selected your filter criteria, Upwork will start displaying the freelancers that fit your criteria. This is where you invite the best applicants to apply.

Check out the video below for a step by step guide on using Upwork.

The most remarkable aspect of Upwork is the speed at which you can go from job posting to communicating with qualified applicants. And because you’ve posted a one time job (as opposed to an ongoing contract), your risk is pretty minimal.

Another option? Hire BlogWorks to write high-traffic blog posts that attract more readers and convert more business. We take the time to understand your unique blogging goals and to customize our approach to every article. We also track your blog article performance and conversion on articles. Our goal is to give you a turn-key solution that drives more traffic to your revenue pages.

Oh, and of course we can promote your blogs too. Our team of local writers uses the best of your blog content to write and post daily announcements on social media. Click here if you’re dying to know more.

Want to write articles yourself? Download our Ultimate Writing Template.

Whether you hire a blog writer or commit to writing all of your posts, either way, committing to a consistent schedule of publishing is important. The worst option is to have an orphan blog on your site collecting dust.

Your readers want to learn from you and be inspired. Now, get publishing.

Did you like learning about what to look for in a blog writer? You won’t want to miss these posts either:

7 Ways to Make Your Blog Stand Out from the Crowd by Being Different
11 Blogging Statistics That Might Surprise You
9 Big Blogging Mistakes You Need to Avoid in 2020

This article was originally published on February 6, 2018, but we spruced it up in May 2020 just for you.