This article was first published on the Flow SEO blog.
Writing an article that both ranks well and converts takes a lot of time. It’s one of the first things you’ll want to outsource as you try to attract more customers.
But where can you find a writer for your company blog? And how do you make sure you hire the best candidate? We cover the latter in our post on how to hire freelance writers and have compiled a list of places where you can find writers below.
Where to find a writer
1. Online job boards
The most obvious way to find freelance writers online is by placing a job ad on a job board. However, there are so many online job boards that it might be hard to know which ones to use and which ones to avoid. That’s why you can find our favorite ones below.
Cult of Copy Job Board
The Cult of Copy Job Board is actually a Facebook group dedicated solely to writing jobs. Writers can offer their services there, and companies can post job ads. While the description of the group only mentions copywriting jobs, it’s allowed to post content writing jobs as well, and you’ll often see this happen.
It might seem daunting that the group has 37,000 members but not all of those are active all of the time and while you likely will need to weed through some bad applications, a lot of quality writers look for work here as well.
The group is free to post in, making it a great place to start looking for freelance writers.
Jobrack
Jobrack is the place to look for remote workers from Eastern Europe. The site offers three different hiring (and pricing options):
- Do It Yourself ($249)
- Done With You (from $1,650)
- Done For you ($5,500)
Jobrack verifies the identity of all job seekers that use their platform and offers guidance throughout the hiring process. They can help you find content writers that are the right fit for your project.
DNX Job Board
Digital Nomad organization DNX – known best from its annual conference in Lisbon, Portugal – has its own job board where you can post a job ad to find blog writers or browse their database of location-independent workers.
Job posting usually costs €500 but at the time of writing, DNX has a special offer for €300 (+VAT). Note that the job board website is in German but can easily be translated through your browser.
Dynamite Jobs
Dynamite Jobs was founded by the people behind The Tropical MBA podcast and the global entrepreneur community Dynamite Circle. This job board focuses on finding the right candidates for remote-first companies worldwide and the jobs listed here include anything from freelance gigs to full-time positions. Because of its focus on remote work, Dynamite Jobs is great to find writers online.
You can browse candidates listed on the platform, search for specific types of freelancers, post a remote job for $249, or get a monthly subscription at $99/month to post as many jobs as you like. It’s also possible to hire the Dynamite Jobs recruiting team to find the best writers for you.
Remoters.net
Remoters is a site dedicated to the how and what of working remotely. It has its own job board and it’s free to post a job on it. Writing jobs can be project-based, part-time, or full-time, and they can be remote as well as location-specific.
Fiverr and Upwork: a word of warning
Fiverr and Upwork are often both mentioned as websites where you can find cheap writers. Both platforms allow you to browse the profiles of freelancers offering specific kinds of writing services, or post your own job listing.
While you can certainly find quality writers on these platforms (more so on Upwork than on Fiverr), the truth is that it will be much harder, and you will need to weed through a lot more bad applications, than if you were to use any of the other job boards mentioned above. Professional writers who are great at what they do don’t tend to hang out on Fiverr or Upwork.
An added downside to Upwork specifically is the fee they charge each time you pay someone through their platform. It may not seem much at first, but it adds up quickly.
2. Writer hangouts
Articles on marketing often recommend to “go where your customers are”. It’s no different when trying to find a writer. Whatever your niche is, there is probably a Facebook group, subreddit, or other type of forum for it, and chances are at least some of the people on there are writers looking for new clients.
The Saas Growth Hacks group on Facebook, for example, is a good place to both network with other SaaS owners and find SaaS writers.
The Superpath community was founded by Jimmy Daly, former VP of Growth at Animalz, an agency we greatly admire here at Flow SEO. The platform aims to be “the ultimate resource for content marketers”. That includes a content marketing-focused job board that reaches more than 4,000 writers and marketers. The job board has four different pricing plans to choose from for those who want to post a job listing, and it’s possible to get the support of a hiring manager
You may already have a list of those places from doing market research, and if you don’t, it’s worth it putting one together, as niche groups and forums are where you’ll find both specialized writers and potential new customers.
3. Within your own community
Your own team probably knows your brand the best, but they’re likely to be closely followed by your customers and followers.
Your fans know your product, your tone of voice, and what you stand for. And there might be a great writer among them! That’s why it’s a good idea to also share your job ad in your newsletter and on your social media channels.
4. Word-of-mouth
The best place to find freelance writers may just be your own network. Especially other business owners and marketers will understand what you’re looking for, and they might know of a great writer who’s looking for more work.
A benefit to looking for someone this way is that you can always ask your connections what a potential writer is like to work with. Are they communicative? Did they always make their deadlines? Someone who’s worked with them will likely give you a more nuanced view of this than a writer’s cover letter will.
Great Writer + Great Strategy = Great Results
Now that you know where to find freelance writers, it’s time to start hiring! Unless you’re not sure about what they should be writing, of course. There is no point in outsourcing articles without a solid content strategy that ensures these articles
- can rank.
- can attract the right types of leads.
- can build your brand’s authority.
If a strategy is what you’re missing, or yours hasn’t been delivering the results you’d hoped for, get in touch. I’d be happy to help you rank better.