Content writers are becoming more and more sought after in today’s world. With so much information being stored and accessible online, businesses need to ensure they are able to produce quality content that can compete with the rest of the market. This can be easier said than done. Not everyone is a gifted writer, and more often than not, companies will find themselves needing to seek the assistance of an expert to produce excellent written content on their behalf.
What Is a Content Writer?
A content writer is a professional writer who creates specific pieces of work to engage readers and achieve high search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is a very unique skill in the writing world, one that makes search engines more likely to point people toward a particular site. The better SEO a website has, the higher it will appear in web searches. This means more users are directed to the site.
Content writers differ from standard writers as they adhere to a very specific style of writing, one that is designed to generate as much traffic toward your website as possible. They are also experts at how to create quality content pieces that are highly readable, informative, and likely to have people coming back for more. A good content writer will help more people get to your site. A great content writer will not only get your audience there, it will keep them coming back for more.
How Much Should I Pay a Writer for Content?
This is a complicated question, as it depends on a number of factors. When it comes to content writing, you want to hire someone who knows what they are doing, will meet your deadlines, and produce high quality content. The amount a content writer is paid is usually either per word, or hourly.
This is something you should negotiate with them when hiring, to ensure you come up with a pay structure that you are both comfortable with. In terms of the actual amount to pay them, it is dependent on four main factors; experience, language, time, and exposure.
Experience
It should be obvious that the more experienced a content writer is, the more they are likely to charge. As with any industry, experience is highly regarded. When it comes to content writing, experience not only means higher quality, it also likely means efficiency. Those who are well-practiced in producing content writing are usually able to do so much faster than those who are just learning. This means they will be able to turn the work around far quicker than less experienced writers.
Experience means speed and quality, which are the two most crucial factors in producing online content for your business. You should be prepared to pay a higher rate for a more experienced content writer.
Language
Writers come from all over the world, so you need to be aware that some do not write in English as their native language. Generally, English native speakers and writers command higher rates of pay for content produced for Western countries. This is because even though someone may speak and write English very well, if it is not their native tongue, they will always be working at a disadvantage.
English has many nuances and subtleties that some non-native speakers might miss, and it is precisely these kinds of minor details that can separate an average content writer from an excellent content writer. So, you should expect to pay a little more for a native English speaking content writer.
Time
Time is money, especially in the business world. So, if you expect your content writer to produce content fast, you should expect to pay more for them to do so. As noted above, only the very experienced content writers will be able to produce quality content quickly. And if creating content fast is a requirement, then writers will expect sufficient financial rewards for the additional pressure.
Make no mistake, your content writer will expect you to set deadlines and the good ones will stick to them. But if you are going to need a piece, or even regular pieces with a very short turnaround time, you will likely need to pay more for that content to also be of high quality.
Exposure
This is often not something one thinks of when hiring content writers, but it is such an important consideration. Content writers often ghost write their work, which means their name is not attached to it. This means they are reliant on you, as their employer, to continue to give them work. Unlike other writers that have the privilege of being able to “sign” their work, they do not gain exposure from most of what they do.
For any writer, exposure is often more valuable than money. So, you need to consider whether you need your content ghost written, or whether you are willing to allow the writer to publicly put their name to it. For ghost written content, you should be expected to pay more, as the writer is not gaining any exposure for their work.
