Picking the perfect writer – not the perfect unicorn

You want to update your website, but you can’t carve out the time.

You plan to update your blog, but you can’t squeeze out a post more than once every few months.

You want to get engagements on social media, but you only have time to log in once a week.

You need a writer.

But how do you pick the right writer? What should you look for when you’re combing through those portfolios?

Here’s the biggest myth that frustrates clients when they’re looking for help – and what you can do to find the writer of your dreams.

Playing the lottery

Obviously, things like good grammar, snappy copy, content structure, and sticking to deadlines matter. I’d never advise against checking those things out.

But if you’re turning otherwise great candidates away for either of these reasons, I urge you to look at your criteria again:

• They aren’t experts in your industry.
• The style they use on their blog doesn’t match the style you want for yours.

Finding the candidate that fulfills these requirements is a little like winning the lottery. It happens, for sure, but you’ll waste a lot of time and resources waiting for it to happen.

Why?

First, you significantly shrink your candidate pool by focusing only on those with 20-plus years of experience in your industry and ignoring those who aren’t as familiar but can pick it up quickly. There’s nothing wrong with seeking out a writer with a niche – someone who has passion, experience, or demand within your circles – but if you’re looking for someone with a PhD in the subject, you’ll be looking for a long time.

And second, an adept writer doesn’t have just one style, nor do they use a personal style for all of their clients. What you’re seeing in their portfolio is a collection of voices that work for a collection of clients for a collection of different purposes. Looking for a stylistic needle in the portfolio haystack ignores all the versatile writers who can easily target their voice for you.

The best writers are specialists who do their research. We assimilate to those brands like a Federation red shirt making contact with the Borg. And we know how to keep readers reading, watchers watching, and listeners listening.

What you should actually look for in a portfolio

Portfolios are proof of work done well. They give you a taste of what that writer can deliver, so it pays to be specific about what you’re looking for.

When I put together a portfolio, I focus on demonstrating two main things: quality and range.

Quality includes everything that makes a piece of writing a good one. To get a sense of a writer’s quality, you’ll want to make sure each individual piece checks these boxes:

• The technicalities are correct. Things like grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and general formatting should be on point and internally consistent. Errors are issues.

• It follows best practices. Headlines are catchy and grab your attention. Subheadings are, too (and they exist in the first place). Links are accessibility-friendly. No matter the industry or the voice, these general rules hold true.

• It’s well researched. Thorough research is the foundation of a killer article, so you should see evidence of it throughout via attribution and links.

• It’s recent. Unless there’s a stand-out example from the past, the pieces you receive should be published within the past two years or so.

• It’s fun to read. There’s a sticky note on my screen that says, “Don’t give them an excuse to stop reading.” Even the driest subjects can sound engaging for the right audiences, with the right approach.

Range describes how versatile the writer is, and how they handle new topics and voices. To get a sense of a writer’s range, you’ll want to look at the differences between the pieces in the portfolio, such as:

• Style. Some clients capitalize what others don’t. Some use the Oxford comma, while others avoid it like the plague. Look for evidence that your writer can switch seamlessly between them depending on who they represent.

• Voice. No two clients sound exactly alike in the tone and language they use. Look for writers who tailor their work and blend in with their clients’ other materials.

• Formats. If you’re strictly looking for a writer to pump out 300-word articles, by all means, focus on the other 300-word articles they’ve written. But if you’re looking for someone who can cover a variety of content, look for those 2,500-word e-books and 240-character Twitter posts, too.

• Topics. Here’s a secret: I have no technical background in artificial intelligence. That’s never stopped me from writing about AI technology, though. The right writer is also an expert researcher who’s adept at finding answers and getting up to speed.  

Obviously, there’s more than just the portfolio to consider when you’re hiring a writer. Experience, attitude, results, references, past clients, price, results… they all matter.

But don’t count a writer out because they don’t already sound like you, or they aren’t already experts on your product or service.

Ultimately, writers are subject matter experts in content and storytelling. We spend our time practicing the art of engagement and persuasion, marketing and branding, and research.

The rest? We can (and will) learn.