Content Writer Job Description

Key skills

Responsibilities

• • Research, outline, and write high-quality long-form articles, guides, and blog posts
• • Optimise all content for target keywords while maintaining natural readability
• • Interview internal subject-matter experts and customers to gather authentic insights
• • Maintain and execute against the monthly content calendar
• • Repurpose long-form content into social snippets, email summaries, and short-form formats
• • Publish and format content in the CMS, including meta descriptions and image alt text
• • Update and refresh older content to maintain rankings and accuracy
• • Collaborate with SEO and design teams to brief supporting assets

Requirements

• • 2+ years of professional content writing experience with a published portfolio
• • Demonstrated ability to write for different audiences — technical, executive, and consumer
• • Working knowledge of SEO writing best practices and keyword intent matching
• • Strong research skills, including ability to learn and write accurately about unfamiliar topics
• • Proficiency with a major CMS platform
• • Reliable delivery against deadlines in a high-volume environment

Nice to have

• • Experience writing in the company's specific industry vertical
• • Familiarity with content optimisation tools (Clearscope, Surfer SEO, Semrush)
• • Basic HTML knowledge for CMS publishing without developer support

What to look for in a great Content Writer

A strong portfolio is table stakes; probe deeper by asking how the candidate decided what to write and whether it worked. Look for someone who can explain the intent behind a piece — was it targeting an informational query, a comparison searcher, or a decision-stage buyer? Great writers also handle feedback gracefully. The editing process surfaces whether a candidate can separate their ego from the work and produce the best version, not their favourite version. Give a short paid test assignment that mirrors your real content types — it is the most reliable filter available.

Where to source Content Writer candidates

Freelance platforms, LinkedIn, and content-specific communities like Peak Freelance or Write the Docs are strong starting points. Many of the best writers are actively freelancing and open to in-house roles if the opportunity is compelling. Look inside your own user base and industry — a writer who is already a product user brings authentic voice and needs far less onboarding on the subject matter. Journalism graduates and science communicators often have exceptional research rigour and can quickly learn SEO writing conventions.

Interview questions to ask a Content Writer

Ask them to walk through a piece of content they are particularly proud of — what was the brief, how did they approach research, and did it hit its goals? Follow with 'How do you structure a long-form piece to keep a reader engaged through 2,000 words?' Then test SEO awareness: 'How do you decide what keyword angle to take for a topic when there are several options?' Finish with 'Tell me about a piece that was heavily edited by a stakeholder — how did you feel about the changes and how did you handle it?'