Are you thinking about hiring a copywriter or a content writer to help out with your blogging? Maybe you’re doing some research and considering a few options. Or maybe you’ve come across my website (or someone has kindly pointed you into my direction), and you’re wondering whether we’d work well together. But how do you know? How can you tell if I’m the right content writer for your business?

Well, let me answer this question ‘by exclusion’ and tell you why you might NOT want to choose me as your content writer.

1. You only want one blog post and nothing else

If you’ve had a look at my website, you may have noticed that I offer blog writing and re-purposing packages for a minimum of 2 blog posts a month for a minimum commitment of 3 months.

I don’t do that because I’m mean. Or greedy.

I promise I’m none of those things. (Honest!).

I do that because I know that one blog post is not going to make a difference to your business. Sure, you could be very lucky and publish something so amazing that it brings you new clients – that’s possible. But it’s unlikely. And if it worked for you once, why wouldn’t you want a chance at a repeat performance?!

In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about here (and you want to find out more), head over to my post: What’s the value of a blog post?

The truth is that content marketing isn’t a one-off activity. You can’t expect huge results from just one blog post – you have to keep at it for a few months, at least.

Plus, it takes me a while to get to know you, your business, and your voice. I’m passionate about creating content that sounds (or reads) like you. And if I don’t know anything about you, I can’t add as much value to your business as I know I can.

So think of the minimum 3-month contract working with me as our trial period. Over that time, I get to know what you need and how you sound, and you get to know how I work.

And if we really don’t work out, we can part ways after that. Or, as most of my lovely clients do, we just carry on working together until neither of us knows whether I wrote a piece of content or you did – because they both sound the same. (True story, that).

2. Your business is about gambling, bitcoin, or tyres

A few months ago, at a networking event, we played a game of two truths and one lie as an ice-breaker. And one of my three statements was:

“I love nothing more than to get enquiries in my inbox about writing 500-word articles on gambling, bitcoin, or tyres”.

Everyone spotted the lie immediately (not entirely sure what gave it away). But the reason why this came up is that I really do get a lot of enquiries along these lines! And sadly, I always have to decline. Not because I have anything against gambling. Or bitcoin. Or tyres, for that matter. It’s just that I don’t know anything about them!

And to be fair, there are a lot of other things I don’t know anything about. But I definitely feel like I can add more value if I’m writing about:

• Health and wellbeing (including elderly care).
• Coaching (life coaching, health coaching, business coaching – you name it).
• Marketing, content, and social media.
• Motherhood, parenting, or other lifestyle-related topics.

I’m blessed that I get to work with amazing clients from around the world who work in a range of different industries and businesses. And the variety of topics I get to write about (as well the amount I learn every single day) not only keeps me on my toes, but it’s one of the most exciting aspects of my job.

But I really don’t know anything about gambling. Or bitcoin. Or tyres. Sorry.

3. You don’t believe in SEO

SEO (or Search Engine Optimisation) is not the end all be all of content marketing. Let’s just put that out there. Content marketing is way more complex than just SEO, and trying to rank on Google for ‘sought-after’ keywords isn’t easy and just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Having said that…

To me, ‘not believing in SEO’ is like not believing in gravity.

Because search engines exist. They are undeniable. And they can you give your content (and therefore your business) a massive leg up over your competitors if you follow some simple, basic rules and choose to optimise your content for search.

For me, in order to give you a return on your investments and ‘work hard for you’, your content needs to:

• Work for your audience.
• Work for SEO.
• And work for you, as a business.

Creating content takes a lot of your most precious resources – either time (if you’re doing it yourself) or money (if you’re outsourcing it to a content writer like me). And if you’re not making sure you pick topics that tick all the right boxes, you might find that your content marketing doesn’t work as well as you’d like it to.

At a very basic level, all you need to do in order to ‘believe in SEO’ is to write content about topics that your ideal customers and clients will search in Google for. And you do that by using words that your customers and clients are likely to use. When you think about that, you can easily see that content that search-engine-friendly is content that works for your audience and for your business too! Easy!

I believe in SEO. And that’s why I always optimise my clients’ content for search.

If you really really don’t believe in SEO, I can try and turn a blind eye. But I’ll also feel sad because I’ll know you might be missing out on opportunities for your content to be found. And I wouldn’t want that for any of my clients. Because I’m the caring type, you see? (But more on that later).

4. You don’t have time to think about your content

I know you’re busy. You have a business to run (not to mention a life!), and the needs of your customers and clients come first. I get that. Because I’m in the exact same boat as you.

But if you agree to work with me and then you don’t tell me what you want me to write about, I just can’t make it up!

See, I work with clients in different ways.

• I re-purpose podcast and video content into blog posts.
• I write blog posts (from scratch) on topics that you’ve come up with.
• Or, if your content is niche and delves deep into specific topics, I write blog posts starting from your rough notes (or ‘brain dumps’, as I call them).

But if you can’t commit to setting aside some time each month to work out what topics you’d like me to write about, I can’t do my job! If I can’t deliver your blog posts, you’re not going to get any results from working with me.

And I’ll be sad again.

And I don’t want to be sad.

Having said that, if this is you, and you’d like more help with your content marketing strategy and coming up with content for your business blog, you can look into my VIP Business Blog Management service.

5. You don’t care about me

I wasn’t joking when I said I’m the caring type. Last year I worked with an amazing Business Coach who also became my client. When talking about working with me, she told me that one of the things that stood out for her is how much I care.

And it’s true. I take what I do seriously. And I care about a lot of things:

• The type and quality of your content – I want your blog posts to work for you and your business and to give you a return on your investments.
• Your deadlines, which I’ll always try and meet, wherever possible.
• Your business and your reputation.
• You! My clients are people I totally respect, admire, and trust. It’s not a coincidence that most of my clients are people I’ve hired as experts! Our relationship is based on mutual trust and respect, and a lot of my clients go on to become close friends. And I love that!

So if you’re just looking for someone to come along, write a one-off blog post for you, and move on without a care in the world, I’m afraid I might not be the right content writer for your business.

Do you think I might be the right content writer for your business?

If you’re still here and decided I might be the right fit for your business after all, well, that’s great news! I’d love to hear from you, so drop me an email at hello@sarabussandri.com or use my handy contact form to get in touch.