Not long ago, finding writing talent meant pouring over resumes, arranging in-person interviews, and praying that the best candidate lived within driving distance. Sounds quaint now, doesn’t it? But in today’s remote-first world, distance is meaningless, competition is fierce, and writing talent has never been more plentiful.
It’s an amazing situation—if you know how to hire and retain top writing talent. If you don’t, it’s like shouting into a void, hiring quickly, and watching good writing talent quietly slip away after a few months.
Let’s talk about how to do this the right way—human to human.
The New Reality of Remote Writing Talent
It’s not just where writers work that’s changed. It’s how they think about working with whom.
The best writers today are judging you just as much as you’re judging them. They have questions like: Does this company respect my time and creativity? Do they have a strong communication process in place? Will I have opportunities to grow, or will I simply be churning out content forever?
The biggest shift, though, is that writers aren’t loyal to companies anymore. They’re loyal to experiences. Which means that recruitment and retention are no longer two separate strategies, but two sides of the same coin.
Recruiting Writers Who Actually Fit (Not Just Look Good on Paper)
Make job descriptions that sound like they were written by a human
If your job description sounds like it was written by a team of lawyers or cobbled together from templates, you’re already missing out on good candidates.
Good writers are storytellers. They pick up on tone, clarity, and meaning right away. A formal, buzzword-laden description says, “We don’t really value creativity here.”
Talk about the work, the audience, and why it matters. Describe what success looks like. That alone can make a huge difference in the quality of candidates you attract.
Hire for thinking, not just writing
Grammar and form are important. But the key difference between good writers and great ones is how they think.
Instead of looking at portfolios, give candidates a small, realistic task. Not an unpaid opus, but something that shows how they think. Ask how they would organize an article, break down a tough concept, or fix an existing paragraph.
You’re not just testing their abilities—you’re watching how they think. And they’re learning how you think, too, which helps from day one.
Technology Should Support Writers, Not Control Them
One of the biggest mistakes remote teams make is using technology as a surveillance tool instead of a support system.
The most effective teams use tech to remove friction, not create it.
Onboarding sets the emotional tone
A writer's first week answers a silent but powerful question: Did I make the right decision?
If the onboarding process is confusing, hurried, or document-heavy, anxiety sets in quickly. Explanations, visual aids, and short videos can make all the difference, especially for asynchronous teams. Some teams even use technology where you can use an animation video maker to explain things visually instead of bombarding new team members with long text documents.
The goal is not to impress but to make people feel confident and comfortable.
Select tools that protect focus
Writers need uninterrupted time to think. The technology stack should help with that by being clear and transparent.
Project management tools, editorial calendars, and feedback mechanisms eliminate confusion and minimize chaos. This allows writers to spend more time creating quality work, and that has a direct correlation with retention.
Retention Starts with Trust, Not Perks
Flexible hours and remote freedom are no longer unique selling points, they’re table stakes.
What really retains good writers is trust.
Give them ownership, not just tasks to complete
When writers are treated like content-producing robots, they lose interest. When they are treated like content contributors, they will go the extra mile.
Engage them on the thought process behind the content. Ask them for input on subjects, audience pain points, or content types. Even small opportunities for inclusion, like asking them how they would tackle a topic, can create a sense of ownership that can’t be bought with a paycheck.
Feedback should educate, not intimidate
Remote workers often have two options: no feedback at all, or an edit with far too much detail and no context.
Neither is beneficial.
Good feedback is about explaining the reasoning behind suggested changes. Writing is a craft, and good feedback will help it evolve and create a stronger working relationship.
Culture Doesn’t Disappear Remotely—It Becomes Intentional
Culture in a remote team is not about office amenities or watercooler conversations. Culture is created by communication patterns, shared values, and the way people are treated when things don’t go exactly as planned.
Learning from failure is one of the most effective ways to create a culture.
When teams share what worked, what didn’t, and what could be improved, writers feel secure taking risks and learning. Learning from performance insights, rather than pressure tactics, is a way to create a culture where people want to be.
Two easy practices make a huge difference:
- Explain why some content performs well or misses the mark
- Encourage questions and curiosity over silent compliance
Pay, Transparency, and Stability Matter More Than Ever
But let’s face it, no amount of culture and flexibility can compensate for fair compensation.
Remote writers know the market. They talk to other writers. They know when the market rates are out of touch, and so are the expectations.
You don’t have to be the highest-paying company in the industry. You simply have to be transparent, predictable, and respectful. A predictable workload, a transparent compensation structure, and a regular payment schedule will win over writers faster than any motivational speech.
Uncertainty, on the other hand, will quietly usher great writers out the door.
Final Thoughts: Think Like a Writer, Not a Manager
The most effective way of recruiting and retaining top writing talent is simple, but it does take intention.
Think Like a Writer
Writers are people who value clear communication, respect, freedom, and a clear purpose. Writers want to believe that their work makes a difference and that they are helping them grow as individuals, not just as workers. Writers want to feel trusted, not controlled; supported, not rushed.
If you can provide that—along with smart technology, good communication, fair compensation, and realistic expectations—then you won’t just be able to attract top writing talent from anywhere in the world.
You’ll be able to build meaningful relationships with them.
And that’s not just a benefit of a remote-first strategy; that’s a requirement.
Comments