Which article writer will you prefer?

40 replies
Let's see: Assuming that the a) cost article writing is the same and b) the English is good, which type of article writer will you prefer?

A) A professional ghost writer who can research and write the articles
B) Someone who has practical experience in your subject/niche and is writing as a part-timer

For me, if my selected niche is more technical, or if I want to build an authority site, I'll rather hire (B).

What you do think? Is there a difference between the 2?
#article #prefer #writer
  • Profile picture of the author garben2011
    Originally Posted by Joseph Then View Post

    Let's see: Assuming that the a) cost article writing is the same and b) the English is good, which type of article writer will you prefer?

    A) A professional ghost writer who can research and write the articles
    B) Someone who has practical experience in your subject/niche and is writing as a part-timer

    For me, if my selected niche is more technical, or if I want to build an authority site, I'll rather hire (B).

    What you do think? Is there a difference between the 2?
    I would always choose B or as close to it as possible. For example, when I outsource article writing work I present a list of niches and ask the writer to choose the one they have the most experience in. If they are lacking in real-world experience in all of the niches I ask them to choose the one they have the greatest interest in learning more about. This makes the writing much easier for the writer and I get a higher quality article.
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  • Profile picture of the author Takuya Hikichi
    Hi Joseph!

    There is a difference and here's why.

    Article writer A can be great at explaining concepts and theory - much like that of text book articles.

    Article writer B can write processes - how-to guide, explaining methods to go from Point A to B.

    They both write with different goals in mind.
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  • Profile picture of the author Garish Wasil
    Choose option B as a part timer always works better to improve his position whereas Some proffesionals sometimes trick you.
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  • Profile picture of the author mjarel
    I will go for A option because he know how to write the content sometimes people can explain the things verbally but can't write it in a proper way.whereas, a content writer can easily rephrase the things.
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  • Profile picture of the author goldpeng
    Content is the king. Deep knowledge about the niche is the key to write quality content. I would definitely choose B.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ruth P
    I would choose B too - but there could be one problem. If it's in a technical field, you want them to be able to write in a way that appeals to your website visitors i.e. usually not so technical. They have to have the ability to explain it in easy-to-read language. If not, you could alienate your visitors. Some people may be experts in their field but could have a hard time writing in that way that appeals to everyone.
    ~Ruth
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  • Profile picture of the author O0o0O
    I would go with writer B because more than likely I will be building a niche site. Therefore, having a niche writer would be to my benefit.
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  • For a long term project, where a lot of content is required, I'd go for B. Particularly for ebooks, as opposed to articles - where it's good to say something different and original.

    If it's just for continual backlink and traffic generaton tactics for a number of smaller sites, then hiring A is probably more cost-effective and efficient.

    Thom
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  • Profile picture of the author P.Sharma
    If i want a huge site then I would choose 1 since not many people have practical experinece in every field and in that case well researched articles will defintely help
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Joseph Then View Post

    which type of article writer will you prefer?

    A) A professional ghost writer who can research and write the articles
    B) Someone who has practical experience in your subject/niche and is writing as a part-timer
    I'll always choose (B) because I need to give my readers valuable information they can't find on any of my competitors' sites, otherwise I won't be the one through whom they buy.

    For this reason, I'll choose (B) even if I have to re-write his work myself.

    Easy decision.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
      Now Alexa why would you assume its a he.... Oh is it because you would have to rewrite it, I get it
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      ) even if I have to re-write his work myself.

      Easy decision.
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      • Profile picture of the author P.Sharma
        Originally Posted by Cathy Shelver View Post

        Now alexa why would you assume its a he.... Oh is it because you would have to rewrite it, I get it
        I study business at college and we are taught not to use gender bias I mean never to use he or she instead use he/she. I still make that mistake sometimes
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by P.Sharma View Post

          we are taught not to use gender bias I mean never to use he or she instead use he/she.
          There's no perfect solution to this, is there? I suppose "he/she" isn't a bad one. Some people use "s/he". Others try to get round it by using the grammatically incorrect "they" as a singular instead. I quite like gender bias, myself. I'd rather run that risk than be "politically correct", anyway.
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    • Profile picture of the author Audrey Harvey
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      I'll always choose (B) because I need to give my readers valuable information they can't find on any of my competitors' sites,
      Agreed. I'm one of those (B) writers and I know that I can supply information on my niche that is above and beyond what you can find by scraping the web. A (B) writer will make your site unique and more informative than any other, and that's what will make you stand out.
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
    Joseph,

    I know quite a few tradesmen that have great skill in what they do. However, if asked to explain their techniques in a legible and easy to follow manner, let's just say they may go cross-eyed. If they didn't, well I can assure you that their readers would.

    The ability to accurately and clearly present a given method or technique is not inherent, it is learned.

    The tradition job of the ghostwriter was to transmit another person's concepts in a way that is understandable. The job of an expert is to physically hold the knowledge, not to write about it legibly.

    So if you really want to do the job properly, hire both the ghostwriter and the expert.

    Cheers,
    Colin Palfrey
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    • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
      I get what you are saying,

      But i think what Joseph and others are reffering to are experts who can write. Basically all other things being equal (Ceteris Paribus) who would you chose.

      Edit I added the latin because I have always wanted to use it ever since I learned the term in economics.

      Originally Posted by Colin Palfrey View Post

      Joseph,

      I know quite a few tradesmen that have great skill in what they do. However, if asked to explain their techniques in a legible and easy to follow manner, let's just say they may go cross-eyed. If they didn't, well I can assure you that their readers would.

      The ability to accurately and clearly present a given method or technique is not inherent, it is learned.

      The tradition job of the ghostwriter was to transmit another person's concepts in a way that is understandable. The job of an expert is to physically hold the knowledge, not to write about it legibly.

      So if you really want to do the job properly, hire both the ghostwriter and the expert.

      Cheers,
      Colin Palfrey
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  • Profile picture of the author 60MinuteAffiliate
    Hi there Joseph, I'd definitely choose option 2.

    regards

    Colleen
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  • Profile picture of the author Zabrina
    If, and only if, I know writer B will be able to transmit information in a clear, succinct way, I'd hire them.

    I've also been writers A and B all rolled into one; for example, a client hired me for an article on help desks, when that used to be my full-time job, but at that point I was a full-time ghostwriter... your question is a little too either-or. Most writers have experience in at least one field of work that they can apply to their writing. :p
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
    Cathy,

    If the question was one of choosing a writer that knows what he is talking about or one that needs to do research, surely that is a stupid question to ask. Why would anyone choose the writer with no experience over the writer with industry specific experience?

    Cheers,
    Colin Palfrey
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  • Profile picture of the author cclou
    For me, it would depend on who my intended audience is. If I had a website to help real estate agents sell homes, I would want a successful realtor to write some of the content. I would be more comfortable because I would know it is useful to my readers. But if I wanted someone to explain a complicated subject to the masses, I would want someone like Jennifer Ouellette. She's a popular physics blogger/author but her degree is in English, not science.
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  • Profile picture of the author JustinDupre
    I would go with B) Someone who has practical experience in your subject/niche and is writing as a part-timer.

    Experience writer in the subject is much better in explaining in and out of the niche than most professional writer..
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Then
    Hey, thanks for all the response.

    The reason why I'm asking this is because I have recently hired some writers who are experts in their own field, pretty much related to the niches that I wanted.

    Just this week, I already hire 3 different writers from 3 different fields and their quality of work is definitely different from those who are just ghostwriters.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sarah S
      Originally Posted by Joseph Then View Post

      Just this week, I already hire 3 different writers from 3 different fields and their quality of work is definitely different from those who are just ghostwriters.
      Just out of curiosity, when you say that their quality of work is definitely "different," is this in a good or bad way?
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  • Profile picture of the author Nail Yener
    Joseph, both article writers might do a good job indeed. For some cases,
    I would prefer someone who has knowledge and experience in my niche.
    Though, a ghost writer who knows how to research and craft quality articles
    might be a good choice as well.

    If you have a real case, I mean if you have two such writer candidates now,
    the best way to figure it out will be to give them some sample work to
    evaluate their writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author BenoitT
    I am going to choice C because it's not in your form . Everyone saying A for bla bla bla B for bla bla bla.

    Having a great writer is something very hard to find and if you do, you're better sticking with it than trying to find someone else. Don't find a writer every week. Stick with a good one and get a good relationship with him.

    If the writer doesn't know much about the topic, he will learn and he will be good fast. If the savy guy doesn't know how to write, he will also learn. What you need is a writer you have a good relationship with him and work the good way.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cliff_OBA
    My 2 cents:

    I would almost always go with B given the choice, assuming I had reason to think they could actually deliver quality writing. Think of the + and- of each: B is more likely to deliver solid information, but may deliver poorer quality of writing. A is more like to have good writing, but less likely to have solid content. At the end of the day, I can salvage good content in poor writing, either myself, or hire A to do it, cheaper then if they had to do the research. Its much harder to salvage a well-written article with no content.
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  • You are comparing apples and oranges.

    I'd hire whomever was the better writer. If the 2nd writer was very experienced, but couldn't write worth crap, it make no sense to hire him to write. Likewise, if the first writer wrote well, but the reseach skills were poor, it would make no sense either.
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  • Profile picture of the author omk
    I'd go with choice B
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      I'd also go with choice B. It is not important to me whether or not he/she can write.
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      • Profile picture of the author jglopez
        As a professional writer I just want to share my perspective on the topic.

        I personally like to write about my own niches that I've had experience with in real life. In cases like these, I find that I can not only write faster but also impart a personal touch to the article which readers will be able to relate to.

        It's trickier to reach out to readers while writing about something that I know little about and had to research on. The most I can do so far with these, is to check on other people's experiences on forums, etc so that I can partially impart what they went through and vicariously relay the experience to readers.

        Plus - writing about what I'm passionate about in real life is great fun! I'm just lucky that a few of those things turn out to be hot niches! Just haven't been able to capitalize on it though...
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  • Profile picture of the author John Alves
    It would depend on what I would need the article for. B might not know how to write good articles for internet marketing purposes. A might do a better job of that. If I wanted an article that was very specific, then I would choose B.
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  • Profile picture of the author steveali
    Originally Posted by Joseph Then View Post

    Let's see: Assuming that the a) cost article writing is the same and b) the English is good, which type of article writer will you prefer?

    A) A professional ghost writer who can research and write the articles
    B) Someone who has practical experience in your subject/niche and is writing as a part-timer

    For me, if my selected niche is more technical, or if I want to build an authority site, I'll rather hire (B).

    What you do think? Is there a difference between the 2?
    I would always choose A because a professional ghostwriter will never plagiarize preexisting material. Not only is this an unethical practice, but it is illegal. A professional writer learns facts through cited sources and then writes them in a unique manner, rendering 100% original material.

    Lastly, a professional ghostwriter appreciates the importance of a deadline. A writer will always write content according to schedule. The writer understands the time commitment of the client and works hard to deliver the content as agreed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Van3ssa
    (a) is always the better choice, as these people are experienced in their field and know how to write compelling, interesting articles.

    As for (b), I've seen many boring, tedious articles over the years written by people who knew a lot about the topic, but had no idea how to share this information in a pleasant, clear manner. Sadly, many people think they can write well, when they're actually awful.
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    I would definitely go with B.

    I have been the ghost writer behind the A several times, and sometimes I found myself deeply over my head, making my job much, much harder.

    The two niches that consistently kicked my ass was medical and real estate, because most real estate is local.
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    • Profile picture of the author leclaims
      Definitely B. If you want quality useful content you have to go with a writer who is knowledgeable in the subject matter and perhaps even has personal experience with it.

      If you go with A, you might get someone who can write an article that has perfect grammar and good punctuation but has no relevance to the topic. In which case you will have wasted your money.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brianne
    I agree with Steve W.
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    • Profile picture of the author netlexis
      It depends on who your audience is. If it's a peer-to-peer topic, then you want to go with the expert because your audience is expecting it and will want the depth. But if it's a general audience who's looking for an overview or need-to-know info, the expert might be the wrong choice. Sometimes a writer not so close to the knowledge can digest the information and give it back in a palatable form. By day I work in IT. I want a server admin to write the manual to keep the servers running, but I don't want him writing the how to use Word instructions for our users because there's usually some piece of information he "assumes" our users know (they don't). It all comes down to what you need to accomplish.
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  • Profile picture of the author haymanpl
    I have never hired anybody to write content and only write using my own authentic personal experience using a product or service related to wordpress.

    I suggest you find an interest which you are passionate about and write your own content. I believe you should fully disclose if the content is written by a writer other than yourself or it is misleading the reader.

    If buying content works for you and makes you money, then good luck to you but its just not something i have any interest in doing. I mean, who's name do you put in the author box?
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