The biggest threat to content marketing is content marketing. If you do the math, 9 out of 10 B2B content marketers are producing more content than they did last year. The 10th, probably doesn’t care about organic growth.
This creates some real problems.
Every B2B marketing agency is shouting “content” into everything they do. Copywriting agencies have rebranded themselves as “content agencies”. Video production companies call themselves “top-notch content creators”.
The result: Everyone wants content folks and is struggling to find good talent.
This article is our attempt to clarify our approach to finding writers and how we are evaluating them internally in the hope of finding a good match.
I’ve divided this post into two parts:
- What do we look for in our writers
- Our interview process
What do we look for when hiring writers?
Our criteria is based on the skills we value most in ourselves and in others. Numerous skills make writers stand out but here are the ones that if done right, always outshines.
#1. Clear thinking
Clear thinking is the quickest way to distinguish average and top of the game writers.
But what do we mean by clear thinking?
- Cohesiveness in the copy – connecting the dots
- The cadence of each section making sense
- Every line adding value to the preceding and succeeding points
Especially when it comes to writing thought leadership and narrative-driven posts, clear thinking is evident when you read the piece.
In theory – research-intensive pieces start with a narrative, followed by the pain points, and the solution to help the reader.
Now, with listicles it is straightforward. But when it comes to longer pieces that require an intensive thinking process, clear thinking sets the piece apart.
The best writers start by understanding the topic and setting up a narrative/POV before jumping into elaborating the outline.
This is the first and foremost quality we assess in every writer we interview.
#2. A discerning taste
The next thing we look for in writers is a good taste. When clients come to us, they know they are getting the accumulated knowledge of every book we’ve ever read, every blog we’ve ever published and every move that we’ve ever seen.
We believe these unrelated unique experiences are the centerpiece to new ideas.
Writers with a rich taste think from multiple angles and are quick at identifying what could be interesting or appropriate for a brand and easily stir a different angle to the content.
#3. Strong research skills
Research skills are closely linked to inherent curiosity for the product.
Clients often don’t know where to start. Curious writers understand this and start with finding what does the product do that only a few others are competent at? How would an outsider look at this product? How can the positioning of the piece be different?
We appreciate writers who do not shy away from asking thought-provoking questions and diving deep into the client’s industry.
The art of research is what sets apart a great piece of content from an okayish piece. We like writers who go through multiple resources (client’s documentation, positioning, competitor analysis, product details, and Google search) to understand the gaps, redundancies, and opportunities in every piece of content.
#4. Technical knowledge
Technical knowledge over grammatical expertise – The ChatGPT solulu allows anyone to write a grammatically correct piece within minutes.
But even a few seconds on the intro + skimming the post are good enough to show the depth of the writer’s knowledge.
We believe technical knowledge is where an expert writer does justice. We have editors to fix the grammar mistakes/issues + our dear old Grammarly.
What can’t be fixed by AI/tools is the technical know-how.
So while your audience will forgive you for a few passive sentences, they won’t forgive you for publishing a shallow piece that either skims through the surface or is AI-written.
#5. An eye for detail
You know what’s common between a writer and an artist? Their eye for detail.
Once the draft is complete – the next step is to ensure you’ve followed the client’s guidelines.
This could be adherence to SEO tools (Surfer and Clearscope), picking out the typos, the em (–) dash and capitalization details, and anything else in the client’s checklist.
While the writer may not nail this in the first draft – we look for writers who cross-check them when they edit the piece and get a hang of it after a few pieces.
#6. Ability to take feedback and have a two-way conversation with editors
At iScribblers, we strongly encourage our writers to have a two-way conversation with the editors.
Everyone’s learning and no one’s learning are set in stone.
While the editor sharpens the copy, the writer has done the primary research and created the post. Each one’s opinion matters.
Another critical quality we look for is the writer’s ability to take and work upon feedback.
Remember, the editor wants you to succeed and help you write a oohhlalala piece. We look for writers who are open to feedback, implement it, and are willing to become better writers.
In my experience, the best writers have 3 outstanding qualities:
- Free of ego – They take feedback constructively
- Accountable – They do what needs to be done
- Collaborative – They enjoy working with others (in our case with clients and editors)
#7.Respecting timelines
When creating content at scale, there are multiple people involved in the process. Writers, editors, designers, ops, content managers, and everyone is responsible for the delivery.
In case of missed deadlines, we make it a point to understand the writer’s challenges. Our goal is to help the writers work better and faster. And not be JERKS who demand things.
Based on this, we ask the following questions while reviewing your profile:
- Clear thinking: How do you approach a new topic/industry/client?
- A discerning taste: Do you read widely? Does your opinion makes me eager to pair you with clients?
- Strong researching skills: Are you curious about technology products? How do you go about researching a topic? What additional resources do you expect from the client?
- Technical knowledge: What are your areas of expertise? How do you gain technical insights when you’re not a subject expert?
- An eye for detail: How do you proof-read the final piece?
- Ability to take feedback constructively: What’s your long-term vision, how do you improve/upskill yourself?
The hiring process
No-one wants to spend time on an interview to find they’re not the right fit for the job.
In our review process we focus heavily on the samples you share to assess the quality, depth, and insights you can share.
As a small company that helps fast-scaling B2B and SaaS companies create content at scale, we need writers with experience.
If we like your samples, we schedule an introductory call to learn more about you, your writing style, and what sets you apart.
Here are some critical questions we ask to get to know you better and if you’d be a good fit for iScribblers.
Application form
- What are your areas of expertise?
- What is your SaaS relevant experience
- Show us 3 relevant example(s) of your work
- Did your content help the client get any significant wins?
- Give us feedback on one of our posts (we’re curious to know how you think)
What we look for in your sample:
- Is it well-structured and concise?
- Is it easy to understand?
- Is it concise?
- Does the piece have a narrative to compel the reader to keep reading till the end?
- Does it answer the user’s intent?
- Does it inspire the reader to take the next step?
Things to do:
- Show us your uniqueness
- Share how you helped the client with your content
Things not to do:
- Share generic portfolio
- Share too many links. We assess the first 2-3 samples only
In-depth interview
Two way process: We want to know you well and want to present our honest self for you to make a conscious choice of working with us.
Questions:
- What would you rather do if money was not a constraint?
- What do you hope to learn at iScribblers?
- What aspects of writing do you enjoy most?
- How do you approach research on a given topic? How do you assess the credibility of a resource?
- Tell us about a product you worked on? How did your pieces stand differently from the ones on Google Page 1?
- What is your proof-reading process?
- What strategies do you use to stay on top of multiple competing projects?
- What are the top 3 qualities/terms that define you?
- Tell us about a time you really messed up with a client. How did you handle it?
Things to do:
- Ask us more about our writing and editing processes
- Find when we won’t be a right fit for each other
Things not to do:
- Be vague
Post hiring
The best part of working with iScribblers is you get to work with a team of writers, editors, and designers who believe in improving this workplace and helping each other improve.
Our tight-knit women-first team empowers writers to be creative, productive, and shields them from unrealistic timelines and demands.
Women-first: We’re a small team of women leaders who believe in giving more seats at the leadership table to our female colleagues. We’re committed to accelerating opportunities for women at all levels across the organization.
All remote: A remote culture helps us go global with our talent search and take advantage of skill sets we otherwise would not have access to. We promote flexible work schedules, ensuring a clear career path forward, irrespective of their circumstances.
We use Google and Slack to touch base.
At any given time a writer works with 2-3 clients: SaaS content has a learning curve, and we don’t want you to stretch thin with too many clients. Pick a few industries you want to cover and we’ll assign them to you on a recurring basis.
Get onboard the iScribblers rocketship
If you’re excited about working with us, please apply using this form. We’re constantly searching for good writers to join our team of rockstars.