How To Get Started With Guest Writers for Email Newsletters

Are you concerned about the content of your newsletter?

We all have different strengths, and while you may have lots of subscribers and a great newsletter design, you may need to hire a professional when it comes to the copy.

The written word is an art, and accomplishing this can be tricky if you’re inexperienced. That’s where guest writers come in.

Guest writers are individuals that have experience writing for different publications/industries, and can use language to help bring your email newsletter to life.

Stay tuned for the low-down on guest writers, who they are, what they do, and how you can find yourself a good’un.

Where can I find guest writers?

There are several places you can find guest writers for your next newsletter. Most writers tend to use freelancing websites such as Upwork and Fivver to source writing work, and this is a good place to start when looking for a new guest writer for your email newsletter.

You’d simply need to sign up to one of these platforms and post an ad for an email newsletter writer. You can also reach out to writers directly via these platforms if you see someone who would be a good fit for your team.

Another site where guest writers advertise their services is LinkedIn, which is useful in determining a writer’s experience. It’s important to decide whether you’re looking for a freelancer or an in-house writer, as the recruitment process will be slightly different - we recommend going down the freelancer route at least initially to get a variety of content.

This will also enable you to carry out a trial with the writer before making any longer-term commitments.

How do you attract guest writers?

There are a few key points to bear in mind when attracting guest writers. A freelancer may have a few different companies gunning for their work, so it’s important to stand out and give them a reason to want to write for you over someone else.

Good Pay

Good pay may seem obvious, but a sustainable wage is key when employing a guest writer for your email newsletter. A writer will generally charge on a cost-per-word basis - this usually falls between $0.07-$0.20 per word depending on the experience of the writer.

This is important, not only to attract the correct writers to your writing opportunity but also to ensure that they’re kept engaged with your project and feel their work is valued. This will improve the relationship with the guest writer and ensure that their work is consistently of good quality.

Variety of Content

A variety of content is another important factor when attracting guest writers. If a writer believes that they’ll be writing reams of content about the same topic, it may put them off of applying to work with you.

In terms of retaining a guest writer, variety is also key, as too much of the same type of article may lead the writer to ‘burn out’ and seek a different company to work with. Keep the writer engaged by offering them different subjects to work on and you’ll find their writing is fresher and more engaging.

If you’re stuck for new email newsletter content ideas, take a look at the beehiiv blog!

Good Communication

Communication is vital in most relationships, and the relationship between a brand and a guest writer is no different. Good communication in this sense refers to communicating well when first discussing your newsletter with them and making sure this continues when work commences. This could involve regularly touching base regarding a project, with both parties reviewing work quickly to ensure there aren’t long waits between revisions.

If you communicate well with a guest writer they’ll likely act in the same way, making the process much smoother for everyone involved.

Volume

When assigning work to a guest writer you’ll want to bear volume in mind, and there’s a fine balance between too much and too little.

It’s key to lay out transparent guidelines before commencing any sort of work so you both know what to expect and ensure the guest writer has a steady stream of work to ensure the relationship is sustainable. Equally, you don’t want to overwhelm a guest writer - eg. sending them ten newsletters you need content for may be overwhelming and would not be the best way of starting a new relationship with a guest writer.

How much do you pay someone to write a newsletter?

Pay for guest writers tends to vary based on experience, but you should expect to pay a freelance writer anywhere between $0.07-$0.20 per word.

It’s important to bear in mind that some freelance writers may charge much less than this; however, you may find the content is rushed or duplicated from other sources, which we’d suggest avoiding. It could also have been produced algorithmically, rather than written by an actual person. We’d recommend against hiring algorithmic writers, as this content may not read well and is likely to be copied from other sources online.

However, you don’t want to overpay for content either - finding a balance somewhere in the middle that works for both you and the guest writer is the best thing to do.

Wrap Up

We hope that this has given you confidence when it comes to hiring a guest writer, and you’re excited to get started with recruiting a freelancer for your next email newsletter!

If you’d like to improve your newsletter design or are keen to delve a little deeper into the world of email marketing, why not check out the benefits that beehiiv has to offer? Our free plan enables you to store up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sending, which is a great place to start.

Our premium plans include other benefits, such as A/B testing, advanced audience segmentation, and our popular referral program to help you grow your audience - all fantastic features to help supercharge your email marketing.

Sign up for free today, and get started with your next newsletter!