Blogging can be a powerful tool for any brand trying to increase brand visibility and audience engagement. It is a centerpiece of both search engine optimization and content marketing. However, learning how to write a good blog post isn’t easy. For many brands, hiring blog writing companies to manage content creation is the right choice.

If you are exploring some of your SEO blog writing options, you may notice that there can be highly varied pricing, contract structures and quality. This is partially because there are many different types of blog writers. Understanding more about these types will help you to make a more informed decision about who to hire for your brand.

Why the Type of Blog Writing Company You Work With Matters

You may wonder why you even need to know each type. That may seem like minutia if you already know the pricing and have seen samples for a few potential vendors. However, understanding the type of company you are dealing with can help you to predict the results more accurately.

For example, some companies are simply marketplaces for brands and freelancers to find each other. So, you may see samples that are completely unrelated to the writer you end up working with. Additionally, some company types have account managers while others don’t.

If you want a long-term, reliable relationship with a blog writing team, you need to know the right type of company to look for. Ultimately, understanding the different options will help you get the return on investment you are seeking.

6 Types of Blog Writing Companies

In this article, we will examine six types of blog writing companies: databases, freelance marketplaces, subscription writers, individuals, brokers and managed writing services. Like most things in life, blog writers can be categorized in many different ways. However, the following six types will give you a framework to better analyze your options. We’ll start with the ones we think stand out.

1) Blog Subscription Services

This first type is sort of a new phenomenon among blog writing services. You pay a certain amount per month and get a preset number of blog posts each month. Some providers offer different billing cycles, but the principle is the same either way.

This can be a really reliable and cost-effective option for small businesses that have a need for consistent blog content but don’t have the time or know-how to do it themselves. Finding a blog subscription service that will do the keyword research, topic ideation and content writing for you means you have one less marketing task to worry about.

What To Expect From Blog Subscription Packages

Typically, these services offer professional writing backed by a support team of account managers and other client services professionals. Therefore, the process tends to be better defined and more reliable than the above types of companies.

The pricing for blog subscription services tends to be relatively favorable compared to ordering individual pieces. It will likely be more costly than the most cut-rate marketplaces and brokers. However, the quality of writing will be significantly higher than that of brokers and many freelancers.

BKA Content provides subscription plans that can help you to get the most from your blogging efforts. This includes content strategy, topic creation, proofreading, and most importantly, professional writers who know how to write a good blog. The following are the highlights of blog writing subscriptions:

• Consistent flow of blog posts at a predictable price.
• Long-term work with a reliable team including people to help you with topic planning and content strategy.
• Relatively inflexible arrangement that won’t fit a team with inconsistent order size.

2) Managed Content Writing Services

Additionally, there are managed services from blog writing companies. These are sometimes available as an alternative option from the same companies that provide subscription services. For example, BKA Content offers not only a subscription option, but also managed services and a self-service ordering system. This gives you the flexibility you need to find the writing arrangement that works for your business.

What To Expect From Managed Services

With managed services, you get the benefit of having individualized project management. These blog writing companies can help you with an in-depth and comprehensive approach to maintaining your blog. This is a strong fit for brands that are spending at least $1,000 per month on blog writing and content. If you have a smaller need, you will likely be better served by a self-service option or a lower-volume subscription.

Blog writing can deliver impressive results for your business and can be a significant driver of digital marketing growth. However, to achieve those results, you need a strategy and execution that can cut through the noise. If you’re needing high volumes of content on a consistent basis, you likely have a team creating your content strategy and goals, but you may not have the writers to create your content. This is where a managed service is most beneficial. With a large number of trained writers, managed service content writing companies can scale your content writing needs in a short amount of time at a fraction of the cost it would take you to hire enough writers yourself.

Larger brands and those that are very dedicated to blog content marketing should strongly consider managed services. The following are some of the key characteristics of this option:

• Individualized project management.
• Strong, consistent results from professional writers and experienced content marketers.
• Typically requires larger volumes to be cost-effective.

These services can be of great benefit to you. At BKA Content, not only do we offer managed services for all business sizes, but we also offer a blog subscription plan to make outsourcing easy.

3) Blog Databases

Some blog writing providers are primarily a database of pre-written blog posts created by professional writers. There are often thousands of articles available at any given time. They are organized by topic and keywords. All you need to do is find some blog posts you like, select them and purchase the rights. In many cases, you are assured that you have the sole rights to the content. So, you won’t find that your competitors have also purchased and published the same item.

What To Expect From Blog Databases

This is a very affordable option and much faster than having content custom written. As long as there is a blog post that works for you, all you need to do is buy it. You could potentially be done in minutes.

However, the main drawback is obvious: the content wasn’t made for your brand. You will likely find a few blogs that are very relevant for your business, some that are more loosely related and many that are simply not helpful. If you want to use your blog to its fullest potential, you should skip this option. It just cannot offer enough reliably high-quality and relevant content. Additionally, it is not uncommon that you will need to make some modifications to the content to make it work for your brand.

Overall, these databases can be a starting point for some brands, especially those that need something quick and inexpensive. These are the highlights you need to know:

• The content is pre-written and generic for the given topic.
• There are a lot of options, but they won’t be specific for your brand.
• Some content needs to be adapted to make it usable on your blog.

4) Freelance Writing Marketplaces

Another option that attracts a lot of new brands is freelance writing marketplaces. These are blog writing companies that facilitate brands and freelance writers finding each other. The companies themselves do not provide any writing service and, depending on the service, may not validate the writers’ abilities.

What To Expect From Freelance Writing Marketplaces

This is a relatively fast option because there are often many writers available. Additionally, the rates are often low because the freelancers may be bidding against each other. The process typically involves posting a job on the marketplace. The freelancers then submit their proposals to your job. Finally, you can pick the freelancer you want to work with.

The main drawback of this type of website is that the quality can be highly variable. Plus, many of the low bids are coming from writers competing more on price than quality. In some cases, you may even get bids from writers who are not fluent in the main language for your audience. There are some excellent writers working through these platforms. Nonetheless, many brands struggle to find the consistency and quality they are looking for.

Another issue is that there is a higher risk of plagiarism and double selling of content. The lack of moderation may mean that you are buying something that isn’t completely unique and original. These are some highlights to know:

• Easy access to a broad pool of freelancers at relatively low rates.
• You submit a job, receive proposals from writers and select the writer(s) you want to work with.
• Quality is often inconsistent and not managed by the platform. Typically, there are no editors or account managers to help you get the results you want.

5) Generalist Marketing/SEO Companies

There are many marketing agencies, especially those that specialize in SEO, that provide blog writing and other content marketing services. These are typically reliable outfits with strong knowledge of how to identify and engage with your audience. They will often have dedicated account managers to help you with your marketing needs. Additionally, they will often work with a consistent set of writers.

However, these agencies are not specialists in content marketing or blog writing. So, the results may not be optimal for this type of marketing. Additionally, in many cases, the writers may be performing other marketing tasks.

What To Expect From Marketing Agencies

There are marketing agencies that have either well-established internal blog writing teams or that outsource to specialist agencies. These are people that know how to write a good blog. So, there are certainly cases in which you can get top-tier blog writing from a generalist marketing agency. However, there are also cases in which you will get unsatisfactory results.

The best thing you can do when getting blog writing through your general marketing agency is to ask about who will be doing the writing. These are some of the key facts you need to know about generalist marketers:

• Marketing companies tend to have a strong understanding of the fundamentals of marketing including how to identify and engage with audiences.
• Many agencies do not have dedicated writers or blogging specialists.
• Your results may vary significantly depending on who produces the blog posts for the marketing agency.

6) Individual Writers

Of course, you can always hire an individual to write your blog posts for you. Although this is working with a freelancer, it is quite different than going through a marketplace. First, you will be working with the same writer or small group of writers on a regular basis. Second, you will interact directly with them. This can lead to better communication and improved results.

What To Expect From Individual Writers

In many cases, hiring an individual writer can be a lot like having a professional writer on your staff. You have consistent communication and can build an understanding of each other and your process over time. You will generally get good results and high-quality writing.

The main drawback of hiring an individual writer or group of writers is that you are reliant on that person or group. If working with one person, you have no immediate backup in the event that they are sick or unavailable. If you have a sudden increase in workflow, you don’t have much scalability. Furthermore, the person will likely be a writing expert but may not be skilled at helping you strategize your blog, depending on the individual’s experience.

For brands that want to work with the same person continuously, this can be a good option. Here are the most important characteristics:

• A single person or group that your brand continues to work with for an extended time.
• Easier communication thanks to the long-term relationship.
• No fallback options if the person is unavailable or not an expert in a particular area.

Get Help With Your Blogging Today

Finding the right writer can make an enormous difference to your content marketing results. By understanding the different types of blog writing companies, you can more easily select the option that aligns with your business. If you are just getting started, a freelancer or self-service company may be great. Larger brands can benefit from subscriptions and managed services.

Whatever your content needs, BKA Content likely has a good solution for you. All our blog posts, web pages and other content are written by professional writers who know how to write a good blog post. Plus, our account managers will guide you to find the right structure and strategy for your brand’s unique needs.