Why hire a writer?

Whether hiring for full time or on a freelance basis, hiring a writer can affect your existing staff and your bottom line. However, know that a writer can help your overall business by:

• Creating and refining the voice of your company or brand by developing messaging for your marketing department
• Developing detailed and intelligent written resources, manuals and instructions for your customer base
• Maintaining technical proficiency in your brand messaging

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance writer

When you have consistent, ongoing writing needs in your marketing department or other departments, hiring a full-time writer is an option. A staff writer can start a new writing project immediately, and that person understands your company’s branding and goals to make the writing effective. You also get a consistent voice since it’s the same person creating all the writing.

If you only occasionally need writing projects completed, a freelance writer gives you more flexibility. You can assign specific projects on an as-needed basis without the expense of hiring a full-time writer. Freelance writers can also help your in-house writing team during a big project when you temporarily need extra assistance. You can also hire a freelance writer with experience in a particular type of writing if you only need that expertise for a short-term project.

What are the types of writers?

Businesses use different types of writing depending on the purpose of the content. Writers often specialize in those different types of writing. Here are some types of writers to consider:

• Technical writer: A technical writer produces manuals and instructional content that takes complex or technical information and makes it easy for the average person to understand. 
• Copywriter: Copywriters create written material that helps market the company. This might include sales pages, case studies, buyer guides, email sequences and other promotional materials.
• Content writer: This type of writer produces content for use online, such as your website or blog posts. This content helps engage potential customers and get more traffic to your website. 
• Social media writer: Other writers create content specifically for social media channels. This requires specific knowledge of each platform, since each is slightly different in the type of content and what performs well.
• Journalist: This traditional writing type focuses on fact-based writing to cover events or topics. Journalists write for newspapers, journals and magazines, for both print and online versions.

Where to find writers

To find the right writer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Hire from within. Your current employees understand your company’s branding, making it easier to create content that fits your message. Look for current employees with strong writing skills.
• Start with a freelance writer. Freelancing is common in the writing field. Using a freelance writer is a good way to test the writer’s skills. If you have a freelance writer who does good work, offer that person a full-time position.
• Post on social media. Writers often spend a lot of time on social media, so share about your writing needs on your accounts. 
• Hire from related fields. Hiring someone with experience in marketing, social media or similar fields, even if they’re not a writer, can be an effective way to find a writer. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your writer job on Indeed to find and attract quality writer candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Writer

An ideal writer candidate will have the following skills, attributes, and work experience that reflect:

Hard skills:
• Mastery of your company’s primary language and tone through written mediums
• A proficient comprehension of word processing and communication tools
• Skilled researcher to develop proficiency on any topic

Soft skills
• Ability to absorb and craft your company’s voice and style
• Can multi-task between numerous writing projects
• Able to collaborate with every department to meet all writing needs

Writing a writer job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified writer candidates. A writer job description includes a compelling summary of their role within the company, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities expected of them and the required and preferred skill set to be successful in the position. It’s essential in your description to be clear about whether you’re looking for a short-term writer to handle a few projects or a long-term writer who will join your team full time.

To ensure the writer has the style you’re looking for, ask to see previous writing samples and have candidates take a quick assessment to check for grammar comprehension. Having candidates compose a short article about a topic relevant to your company for a sample blog post can go a long way in discovering your ideal writer.

When writing your writer job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on writer jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Writer
• Writing
• Communications
• Creative writer
• Technical writer
• Remote writer
• Content writer
• Remote work from home
• Scriptwriter
• Copywriter

Interviewing writer candidates

You’re likely to find the ideal writer for your company through the writing samples and portfolio pieces they submit. Interview questions should target the person’s ability to work within your company’s current structure to ensure they’re a team player.

Strong candidates for writer positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Ability to adapt your company’s existing workflow or suggest ideas for establishing one
• How well they can field new ideas, integrate constructive feedback and produce consistent content

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of writer interview questions for examples (with sample answers).