How to Hire a Content Marketer
Great content marketers are rare: they need to be strong writers, strategic SEO thinkers, and data-literate. Testing writing quality directly in the process is non-negotiable — a portfolio alone is not enough.
Hiring Process
Portfolio review
Read 3-5 pieces critically. Look for: clear structure, keyword naturalness, ability to explain complex topics simply, and evidence of SEO awareness without keyword-stuffing.
Keyword research exercise
Give them a topic and ask them to build a keyword brief in 30 minutes using free tools. This tests whether their SEO knowledge is real or just talked about.
Writing sample on your topic
Ask for a 500-word draft on a topic relevant to your product (1-2 hours). Evaluate: clarity, structure, voice, and SEO-friendliness — not just grammar.
Content strategy interview
Ask: 'How would you build our content engine from scratch in the first 90 days?' Look for prioritisation thinking, channel strategy, and how they'd measure success.
Analytics walk-through
Share a GA4 screenshot of a blog post and ask them to interpret it. Can they identify what to optimise? Do they understand the metrics?
Where to Find Content Marketers
Good for B2B content marketers with SaaS experience. Search by ATS tool proficiency or industry.
Communities for growth and content marketers who are focused on business impact.
Strong writers often have active presences on X — search for B2B content creators.
Writers who run newsletters demonstrate self-motivation and audience development skills.
Strong freelancers often want to go in-house — they bring an entrepreneurial content mindset.
Common Hiring Mistakes
- Hiring on writing quality alone without testing SEO and strategy skills
- Not giving a writing exercise — portfolio pieces have often been heavily edited by others
- Expecting one person to do content + social + email + design — recipe for burnout and mediocre work
- Not defining what 'good content ROI' means before hiring — leads to misaligned expectations
Top Skills to Assess
Compensation Guide
$65,000 – $95,000
Senior content strategists and content leads can reach £60-80k in the UK
Ready to start?
Set up a custom Content Marketer hiring pipeline in KiteHR. Track every candidate from application to offer — completely free.
Create free accountSet up your Content Marketer hiring pipeline in 2 minutes
KiteHR gives you a custom pipeline, unlimited candidates, AI-assisted tools, and collaborative scoring — all for free. No credit card. No contracts.
Start hiring for free