How to Know if Your B2B SaaS Content Writer is Worth the Money

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Thinking of hiring a B2B SaaS content writer? Here’s how to know if they’re fit for the role. 

While most writers understand the nitty-gritty of content creation, not all can create content that powers leads, traffic, and sales. So, how do you know if your investment is really paying off? 

In this blog, I’ll share a few ways you can use to judge whether a B2B SaaS content writer is worth your money or not. 

How to Evaluate a B2B SaaS Content Writer 

To find quality writers, start with the obvious: their resume, work experience, and portfolio. 

When scanning the necessary, look out for:

1) Grammatical errors

Even though grammatical mistakes can happen to anyone, they must not happen to content writers. This is because a big part of their job is to proofread before forwarding drafts to the next in line. But if they can’t spot a typo in their own resume, they’re not detailed and meticulous. 

2) Educational background

Since content writing as a profession doesn’t have a barrier to entry, it’s open to people from across the educational spectrum. And each comes with its own advantages. That is not to say that people with a degree in humanities can’t become excellent SaaS content writers. 

But if you’re selling a highly technical product, someone with a technical background will be able to understand it a lot faster. So, if you’re short on time, you know where to bet.

3) Writing style

Anyone can string together information they find on the Internet. But a talented writer will know how to take that information and craft a compelling story. Do you find this quality in their work? Then you’ve found a good lead. 

These three factors will help you eliminate and sift candidates from the available pool for quality.

And then, you can start the second step of the evaluation process: the writing test. 

Step 1: Share details about error company and your product, along with your content strategy and style guide. 

Step 2: Once they are in the know, give them a content brief complete with audience information, word count, keywords, brand plugin (if any), etc. But do not offer a specific topic. Let them exercise their creativity and come up with a suitable topic as well as a narrative. This way, you can assess them on how well they process and make use of the information.

Step 3: Finally, review their test draft. If you find logical errors or a lack of clarity in the work, ask the writer to rework it. This will help you gauge how they respond and react to feedback as well as their turnaround time for reworks. 

If the candidate ticks off all the requisites, go ahead and hire. But the search for a quality B2B SaaS content writer shouldn’t end with the offer letter. 

You should follow a proper onboarding process and observe how well the writer fares. 

Once they begin working for you, look for signs of progress. 

Signs of an Excellent B2B SaaS Content Writer

#1 They Understand Your Industry 

The first thing you must check is whether they have vertical specialisation or not. This means they should be able to understand your brand beyond what your website displays or from the customer’s POV.

An excellent SaaS writer will understand your industry and how your brand is positioned in the market. This will include three angles:

  1. Understanding of the industry
  • Why is there a need for the market?
  • What is the size of the market?
  • What are the latest trends and developments in the market?
  • How is your brand positioned in the market?
  1. Understanding of your company
  • How long have you been in the market?
  • What is your current marketing stage?
  • What are the marketing strategies you use?
  • What are the marketing strategies of your competitors?
  1. Understanding of your product
  • What problem does your product solve?
  • What is the USP of your product?
  • How does your product work?
  • What reservations might your customers have when finding a solution?

This will ensure that the writer understands your goals and speaks your language, bringing maximum value to your brand. 

Partnering with a writer who specialises in your niche also helps you maximise the ROI. You can tap into their experience to learn new tricks and tactics that worked well for others in your niche.

If you onboard someone with no prior experience working in the same niche as yours, even if they’re cheap, you’ll lose more than your money’s worth.

#2 They Understand Your Brand Personality and Voice

In an interview with Search Engine Journal, world-renowned digital content expert and author, Rebecca Lieb, said that brands should look for writers that can write in the style and voice of the brand. They don’t necessarily need to be subject matter experts but should have some knowledge and experience in the field.

Every brand has its unique personality and voice. And if your B2B SaaS content writer doesn’t understand these fundamentals, your brand message and content will be inconsistent.

That’s why before you onboard a new writer, you should share your brand and voice guidelines and ask for a work sample. If you see potential there, you can always work together and perfect their output later. 

Not sure how to define yours? Pick one from below. 

Knowing your brand personality type helps your B2B SaaS content writer create the right content.
Source: Best Web Design

At Ukti as well, we ask brands for the traits that best describe them, their core values, and their mission and vision during onboarding. This helps us understand how the brand wants to position itself in front of its audience and the message it wants to deliver to its audiences. 

If your SaaS content writer ticks these boxes, they’re well worth your money.

# 3 They Connect with Your Audience

Your content marketing efforts are only fruitful when your SaaS content writers can connect with your audience. But how do you measure that?

Look out for these signs:

  • They ask questions about buyer personas before starting a piece
  • They use situations that your customers relate to
  • They experiment with new angles to find the best way to engage the audience

To determine if their content is resonating with your audience, you can also look at metrics like:

  • Page Views
  • Number of shares
  • Dwell time
  • Click throughs to email form

Over to You

Avinash Kaushik, the Digital Marketing Evangelist at Google, calls finding the right writer for your brand a ‘faith-based initiative’.

But whether you’re hiring a freelancer or a B2B SaaS content writing agency, these tips will help you identify if the writer you’re hiring can bring the desired ROI.