blog

 

Most people start a blog because they care so much about the subject they are writing on that they want to share their knowledge and passion with others in that realm. At first, it is a hobby; that little something you keep yourself busy with. But what happens when it grows into something more than that. What happens when the demands on your keep growing? New content. Comment management. Hosting maintenance. Responding to readers.

 

Oh, yeah, your blog is no longer a hobby now, it is a fully-fledged business now and that means you need to start treating it like that. And with a blog, that tends to mean bringing on new writers. So, what are the things to consider?

 

Consider A Trial Period

 

When it comes to bringing on a new blogger, the best thing you can do is allow yourself a trial period by not jumping in the deep end by employing anyone. You need to think of your blog as a startup and you need to act like a startup owner. So startup owners: is it time to outsource? Out of all of the options available to you, the answer is most likely going to be yes. This is because it gives you more control over who you employ, how often you need them, how much your pay them and, most importantly, it limits your risk.

 

Consider Your Readers

 

The reason your blog has grown from a hobby to a small business is that you have created a bond with your readers and a certain trust they value; a certain trust that you need value too. Your readers have grown to like you and the way you write and what you write about and, for those that subscribe to your blog, they likely can’t wait to read your next post. This is where things could get tricky as it is you your readers want and not someone else. You have a personal brand to upkeep and you risk losing readers. As such, your best bet on this front is to remain a constant voice on your blog, no matter what, and then slowly introduce another blogger’s work onto your blog, so long as their writing is awesome and in keeping with your blog; your readers should be happy.

 

Consider The Type Of Blogger

 

The worst thing you can do is just hire someone based on their Resume and the fact they are quite good with words. You can’t even choose someone that is great with words. What you need to do is choose someone that fits with your blog because your blog is your brand. The things to consider on this front are the style you use in your posts, your mission and the level of knowledge you usually write with. Then there are things like personality, experience and whether they can help you achieve your long and short term goals. Remember your blog is now a business and that means you will want someone who is more than just a writer. The bottom line on this is, go with your gut instinct because you will need to absolutely trust this person with your reputation. You built this blog, you don’t want to hire someone that could pull it down.

 

Consider A Ghostwriter

 

Way too many people think that a ghostwriter is a bad word, which it absolutely isn’t. All it means is someone else writes on your behalf and you present the work as your own which, let’s be honest, is no different to the way the President delivers his speeches. What’s more, nowhere in the blogging handbook does it say that a blog must slave and sweat over each blog post they write from the day they start until the rest of time? You did all that slaving away at the start of your blogging journey, and when you had other plates spinning too; so it could be time to reap those rewards now and bring on an extra pair of hands to help you with your posts without putting your reputation at risk. There is nothing wrong with going down this route and you’ll be surprised at how many of your favorite blogs do in fact do this.

 

Consider Things Not Going To Plan

 

This has to be a legitimate thought to keep in the back of your mind because there is nothing that says everything has to go swimmingly. You’re making a change to your business and that means you are inherently placing more risk on it. It could be that you decide to go down the route of hiring a guest blogger, or even a ghostwriter, but you aren’t getting the financial results you had hoped for and so you can’t legitimately keep paying for their services. The important thing to remember is: don’t panic. These things happen. All you need to do is adjust. Perhaps it was a bit early to bring on another writer, in which case you could consider going back to writing everything yourself. Perhaps the writing wasn’t the issue and you should look at outsourcing a social media manager instead. Maybe it just wasn’t the right blogger, in which case hop back on the horse and get someone else with a different style. Whatever, just make sure you adjust yourself accordingly.