It’s true that dental blogging has major benefits. However you probably don’t have time to blog yourself, so what do you do? Hire a dental blogger of course.
The problem is that there are a ton of bloggers out there, so how do you find an outstanding one that fits the needs of your business?
Luckily as a co-owner of a web-based business aimed at helping dental practices improve their content, I’ve had experience in hiring dental bloggers. While some worked out great, it’s fair to say that others didn’t.
The point is that during these processes I’ve learned two things.
- How to find them…and…
- What to look for when hiring them
With this in mind, let’s, first of all, take a closer look at where you can find an outstanding dental blogger for your business.
Freelancing job sites
Some people suggest that it’s impossible to find a rock-star dental blogger on freelancing sites such as Upwork.com and Freelancer.com. However, I know from experience that it is possible, so long as you’re clear on the requirements of the job specification.
First of all, you’ll need to state that you’re looking for a highly-skilled blogger who has previous experience writing within the dental industry.
Why is this important? After all, a good blogger should be able to research and write about any topic right?
Well yes, they probably could, but trust me, you’ll be able to tell the difference.
An experienced dental blogger, for example, will be familiar with dental terminology, will understand the processes of various treatments, and most importantly will feel comfortable when writing in this field. All of this will shine through to produce a better end product.
Secondly, you’ll need to be as specific about the details of your project as you can. For example, if you simply say that you need ‘10 dental blog posts written‘, it doesn’t give the writer much to go on. What’s more, many writers won’t even bid on projects that aren’t specific or detailed, so you’re alienating your bids right away.
Conversely, if you state that you’re ‘Looking to have a series of patient-friendly blogs written on’…. and then list the subject matter… the blogger can see right away whether they’re a good fit for you. More importantly, however, if they do decide to place a bid, they can attach samples of work that are most relevant.
Once the project is posted you’ll (hopefully) see a slew of proposals come in. Your task now is to sift through them. Here are some hints and tips on how to do this:
- Make sure the candidate’s proposal is well-written and in easy-to-read English – This is a good early indication of whether they can actually write.
- Make sure their proposal addresses the specifics of your posting and is not one that’s simply cut and pasted.
- Make sure that any samples attached are both relevant and well-written… and finally
- Make sure that their price is in line with what you want to pay.
A word on the price….
When you post a project for a dental blogger you’re likely to be astounded, shocked, and amazed by the variations in pricing. These will probably range from the ridiculously low to the ludicrously high.
While you might strike lucky and find an outstanding dental blogger willing to work for pennies, in my experience this is very rare, and chances are you won’t.
Conversely, you also have budget restraints and therefore don’t really want to entertain someone who is charging you £200 per blog post either. Therefore you need to be realistic about what you’re willing to pay in return for the work.
If you’re unsure about pricing, here’s a blog I wrote a few weeks back detailing what you should be paying when looking into hiring dental bloggers.
Once you’ve whittled down your list, look to make contact with the remaining candidates by Skype. By speaking to them directly, you get a better feel for how they can help your business. Ask them about their previous experience and again outline what it is you want them to do. By speaking to a prospect directly it often gives you a better gut feeling of how they can really help you.
If you’re still unsure you can always get them to write a trial article/blog (paid of course) to see if they are a good fit.
Once you’ve gone through this process and followed these guidelines, you should have found a quality dental blogger that fits your business requirements.
But what about if you don’t want to go through this (often lengthy) process? Is there anywhere else you can look?
Popular dental blogger sites
There are popular blogs in every niche and the dental industry is no exception. The ones you’re looking for are those aimed at helping dental professionals. Many of these offer guest posting and what’s more, to post on such sites requires strict editorial guidelines which need to be adhered to.
Although much of it will be aimed towards dental practices, it typically means that any dental blogger who has posted on such a site understands how to blog, and therefore should be good enough to write for you.
Some of the main players in the dental field include…
Many of these state that they will only accept guest posts from verified industry professionals (The Dental Geek being one), but I know of bone-fide dental bloggers who have worked in the industry that have posted here. As a result, these are great places to start.
Each post should have a small blurb about the writer at the bottom or top of the post. Here you should be able to find details of their website and most importantly, contact details. If after visiting their site you like the sound of a particular writer, then make contact. Simple!
Okay, so now you know how to find an outstanding dental blogger. What does one look like?
Capability to generate traffic
A dental blogger may be a great content writer, but an outstanding one knows how to gain social shares and generate traffic.
Let’s face it, someone who can write great posts AND generate traffic by blog promotion is going to be a great asset to your dental business.
As a general rule of thumb if you see a blog post has comments or social shares, then the writer knows how to promote posts.
Relaxed writing style
No one wants to be faced with an essay when reading a dental blog. Instead, it should be professional, but also relaxed and friendly; definitely nothing stuffy or too high-brow. An outstanding dental blogger has the ability to take any complex dental subject and make it easy for readers to understand. For this reason, it’s worth checking out the writing tone as well as the content itself.
Backing up facts with data
Readers love cold hard facts and a top-notch dental blogger will often include statistics or data in their posts. For instance which sounds better?…
“Dental practices who blog frequently will see a higher return in patient leads”
OR…
“Dental practices that blog 11 times or more a month will see a 100% increase in customer leads“
I think you get the gist right?
Engaging content
Do you know how much time you have to grab the attention of your readers? 8 seconds. That’s it! Therefore an outstanding dental blogger has the ability to hook the reader from the very first sentence and keep the content flowing naturally until the conclusion.
So that really is it in a nutshell.
Now you know how to find quality dental bloggers and what to look for when hiring them, the task won’t seem quite so daunting.
Follow the steps above and you won’t go far wrong. It really is as simple as that.
