Hiring A Dental Blog Writer- What Should I Pay?

One of the most difficult decisions that many dental businesses have to make when hiring a dental blog writer is knowing what they should be paying. After all, it’s an important step, because let’s face it – you’re trusting the writer with your reputation and everything they write really needs to reflect that.

The trouble is if you’ve ever Googled ‘dental blogger for hire‘ or words to that effect you’ll no doubt be amazed at the huge variations in price. These can range from $5.00 (that’s a little under £3.50) on bidding sites like Upwork,  Freelancer, and Fiverr up to $400 ( £275) per post.

So why the massive differences? Is there really that much variation in the quality of work you’ll receive?

In short…yes and no!

Let me explain…

I guess the best way to describe hiring a dental blog writer is like buying clothes. At the bargain basement end you have pound shops (or dollar bill stores for those in the States). The quality of the clothing isn’t great and if you get a few weeks wear out of them before they fade or stretch, then meh… you haven’t paid much so chances are you probably don’t expect much in return.

At the other end of the scale, of course, you have the designer stores such as Yves St Laurent, Christian Dior, or Alexander McQueen. Great quality clothes but the price you pay is arguably in the name and their reputation.

Finally somewhere in the middle you have your retailers that sell timeless, reliable clothing but without the designer name (eg Marks and Spencer, John Lewis or JC Penney (if you’re reading this stateside).

They produce quality reliable clothing that’s affordable and because it matches on both price and quality, customers tend to come back, time and time again

“Okay” I hear you say. “That’s all well and good, but how does this relate to hiring a dental blog writer”

Let’s take bargain-basement (pound shop) bloggers. Those who charge $5.00 or less per post are usually non-native English speakers. They’re probably new to blogging, and indeed web-writing in general, and most likely will have next-to-no copywriting skills.

Nine times out of ten the quality won’t be great and you’ll usually have to do some serious editing to make them appear suitable for your audience. Alternatively, you may need to spend a lot of time with them while they get their writing up to standard. However, I’m guessing that if you’re already looking into hiring a dental blog writer, this is probably time you don’t actually have.

You may of course be very lucky and find a ‘diamond in the rough’. A writer who does happen to deliver reasonable work for a ridiculously cheap price. However it’s fair to say that unless they’re doing it as a hobby they are few and far between.

So what about at the other end of the scale?

If you’re paying upwards of £200 per blog you’ll be vying for the attention of the high end bloggers/copywriters. These are the Jimmy Choo’s or Christian Louboutin’s of the freelance writing world. They usually have years of blogging and copywriting experience behind them, working with many well-known brands, coupled with the education and training to back it up. As such they’re normally very much in demand and can usually pick and choose who they want to work with, and when.

So what can you expect when hiring a dental blog writer of this calibre?

It goes without saying that you’ll receive a unique blog post written in impeccable easy-to-read English with a thought provoking headline, content that’s both keyword rich and also full of practical value. This type of blog post is usually highly researched, backed up with statistical-based evidence, and is constructed in such a way that it entices people to comment. This is also the type of post that is more likely to go viral. They’ve also usually got quite a solid reputation in the blogging world and anything they write under their own name is likely to be shared.

Sounds great right?

The trouble is that unless you’ve got a bottomless pit of spare cash set aside for marketing your business, it probably isn’t feasible to pay upwards of £200 per blog post when hiring a dental blog writer. So the question is:

Is there some sort of middle ground?

In a word yes, and this is where the many website owners hiring a dental blog writer tends to look, and not without good reason.

I guess you could say that the type of dental blogger charging mid-range prices (that’s £20 – £100 or $30 to $145.00 per post) is just like mid-range clothing. These bloggers charge more than the bargain basement bloggers because the quality is far superior, but unlike the high-end bloggers, you’re not paying for a well-known (designer) name.

So what should you get in return for your money?

For this kind of price you can usually expect native English speakers or, at the very least, someone who is competent in its complexities. They should have written within your industry before and as a result understand some of the nuances of the dental niche. Usually, they’ll be an experienced blogger working with smaller companies rather than well-known brands and making their living writing good quality content, but without the superstar status.

As a result you should receive a well-written, patient friendly blog post that appeals directly to your target audience.

So how do you find them?

A quick Google search for ‘dental writers’ or ‘dental bloggers for hire‘ should garner some results. Check out their websites (which any self respecting writer should have) and take a look at their samples. If you like what you see then contact them. Simple!

Failing that, another way to find a good dental writer/blogger is by word of mouth. Ask around other dental businesses and see who they’re using. Then contact them directly.

A word about prices

Don’t be surprised when visiting freelance writers’ websites at the absence of prices. Instead they’ll say something like “If you’re interested in the services I offer, contact me for a free quote.” While I get why this is done, I and others like me prefer to be transparent about our prices from the outset. This way people can see from the get go whether my business is a good fit for their needs.

What about dental marketing companies?

Many dentists hire dental marketing companies for obvious reasons but it’s worth knowing that many don’t have in-house writing teams, and as such, writing tasks are usually outsourced to other freelance writers for hire.

While this might not be a problem in itself, you have to accept that you have no control over where they’re outsourcing these services to. As a result, the quality can sometimes be a little hit or miss. Here’s an article I wrote on dental marketing companies a while back which explains it in greater detail.

Anyway – Getting back to the original question “Hiring a dental blog writer – What should I expect to pay?” I guess the answer is that you can pay as much or as little as you like. It’s just a case of knowing what you’re likely to receive for the price you pay in return.

A good piece of advice is to always ask for samples or ask them to point you in the direction of a website that houses their best work. This way you can gauge whether they’re a good fit for your business before you enter into further conversation.

If you’re looking to hire a dental writer/blogger for your dental website or would like some sound advice on how you can improve your dental content to better reflect your business, then feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Alternatively, you call me directly on +34 605 45 73 42.