7 Signs It's Time to Hire a Blog Writer on Retainer for Your Business

Once you start blogging for your business, you never look back. 

The organic traffic builds. Customers find answers to their questions. Your expertise becomes visible. You can see the results.

But when you've been DIYing your own blog writing for a while, there becomes a moment where you get the sense that maybe it shouldn't be this hard.

You're not imagining it. There is an easier way to keep your blog running without it taking over your calendar or living in the back of your mind.

A blog writing retainer might be what shifts everything. But how do you know if it’s really the right time for your business? Well, let's talk through what that tipping point tends to look like.

What is a blog writing retainer?

A blog writing retainer is a monthly agreement with a professional blog writer.

You pay a set fee each month, and in return, you get a set number of blog posts written, edited, and delivered on schedule.

Some retainers include strategy, content planning, or uploading. Others focus purely on the writing. The scope depends on what you need and what the writer offers.

Now let's look at common signs outsourcing your blog might be the best bet.

1. Blog writing takes up too much time (and you’re starting to resent it)

When you first started blogging, you probably felt quite optimistic about it. You'd carve out time on Sunday afternoons or early mornings, write something helpful for your customers, and feel productive.

Now? You look at "write blog post" on your to-do list and feel your shoulders tense.

It’s taking hours you don’t have. You’re sacrificing evenings or weekends you'd rather be spending with your family. And worse, you’re starting to resent the whole thing - which means the quality suffers, because resentment doesn’t produce good writing.

This resentment is the key indicator. When blogging stops being "something I should do" and becomes "something I dread doing," you've crossed a threshold.

A retainer removes this entirely. Someone else handles the research, writing, and formatting whilst you focus on what you're brilliant at: running your business. The mental load disappears, and so does the resentment.

2. You’re repeating information, rather than adding a new perspective

You've Googled your own blog topics and found fifty near-identical posts from other businesses.

Your posts don't say anything particularly unique. They're fine, they're accurate, but they're not adding anything new to the conversation. You're essentially rewriting what everyone else has already said.

This happens when you're stretched too thin to think strategically. You see a keyword, you write something that covers it, and you move on. But without time to dig deeper into what makes YOUR blog post different, the content ends up generic.

A skilled blog writer who knows your business can find the angles you're missing. They'll spot the unique customer questions you answer, the behind-the-scenes expertise you take for granted, and the stories that set you apart.

Differentiated content does more than tell people what your competitors know. It helps you stand out from the crowd and positions your business as the one worth paying attention to.

3. You’re struggling to maintain consistency

You know consistency matters. You’ve read the advice about posting weekly or fortnightly, and you’ve promised yourself you’ll stick to it.

Then a supplier issue comes up. Or a product launch. Or a dozen smaller fires that need putting out.

The blog always loses. And before you know it, three months have passed since your last post.

This inconsistency hurts more than you might think because:

• Search engines reward regular publishing and active blogs.

• Customers notice when your “latest” post is six months old.

• Every gap makes it harder to rebuild momentum.

A retainer fixes this because consistency becomes automatic. Your writer delivers posts on schedule, whether your month is chaotic or calm. You’re not relying on spare time. You’re working with someone whose job is to keep your content moving forward, and, again, that mental load gets taken away.

4. Every post feels like starting from scratch

Perhaps you've hired three different freelance blog writers over the past year. Each time, you spend hours explaining your brand voice, your products, your customer base, and what you're trying to achieve.

Then they deliver the post, you make edits, and that's it. Next time, you're briefing someone new all over again.

Or perhaps you're writing the posts yourself, staring at your laptop every single time wondering what angle to take, which products to mention, and how to make this one different from the last.

Either way, there's no momentum. No building on what came before. Every post is an isolated effort that drains your energy.

A retainer writer becomes part of your team. They learn your business once, then build on that knowledge each month. They remember what you've already covered, spot opportunities to link content together, and develop a feel for your brand that gets stronger over time.

The difference between briefing someone new every month and working with someone who already knows you? That's the difference between constant friction and smooth sailing.

5. You tend to take a “publish and forget” approach to your blog posts

You write the post. You hit publish. And then you're done.

The post is live, which is brilliant. And yes, it'll hopefully start ranking in Google over time. But it also deserves a bit of love in the meantime. You've put the work in to create it, so why not squeeze more value out of it by repurposing it for social media, your email list, or anywhere else your customers hang out?

Promotion helps you:

• Make the most of the content you've already created by using it in multiple places

• Drive more traffic to the post whilst it's building up its SEO momentum

• Put up signposts so people who'd find it helpful can discover it sooner rather than later

The trouble is, when you're juggling everything else, adding "promote the blog post" to your list feels impossible.

Many blog writers who work on retainer will help with this part too. They'll write some social media posts to go with each blog, help you update your Google Business Profile, or come back later to refresh older content that's still working well.

As I mentioned earlier, they become part of your team, so they care about the blog doing well, not just about getting the draft to you. They want to see it get the traction it deserves, and they're usually happy to help you make that happen.

Quick note: this is how I work with my retainer clients. Not every writer includes this kind of support, so it's worth asking what's included before you commit!

6. You struggle to mention your products without it feeling forced

You sit there, staring at your blog post, trying to work out where to mention what you sell.

Do you put it at the end? That feels tacked on. Middle of the post? That's breaking the flow. Beginning? Too pushy.

So you type something. Read it back. Hate it. Delete it. Try a different approach. Still hate it.

The whole thing feels like you're waving a big sign saying "I'M TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING NOW." Which isn't what you want at all. You want it to feel natural, like you're just being helpful. But instead it reads like you've stopped a useful conversation to remind everyone you have products for sale.

Sometimes you give up and don't mention them at all. Other times you leave something in that makes you wince every time someone reads the post.

An experienced blog writer has spent years practicing this exact skill, so they can:

• Spot the natural moment in your post where a product solves the problem you're discussing

• Weave it into the conversation so it feels helpful rather than salesy

• Know when to mention something and when to leave it out

The result is blog posts that guide people towards what you offer without that uncomfortable billboard feeling. You get content that's genuinely useful and does the gentle selling bit too, without you having to agonise over every product link.

And when they're working with you on retainer? They'll learn your product range inside out. They'll know what's seasonal, when new launches are happening, which products are your bestsellers, and which ones could do with a bit more attention. So they can be thoughtful about what gets mentioned and when.

7. Your competitors are, put simply, doing it better than you

Does it sting a little bit when you look at your competitor's website?

They're posting twice a week. Their content is interesting, comprehensive, and clearly written by someone who knows what they're doing. They're ranking for keywords you wish you owned. Their blog feels like a well-thought-out resource, whilst yours feels a bit patchy.

You can see the gap. And you know that gap matters because customers notice it too. When someone's comparing businesses and one blog is full of helpful, regularly updated content whilst the other has three posts from last year, it shapes their impression.

You want to close that gap, but you're already stretched. Your competitors probably have someone dedicated to their content, whether that's in-house or outsourced. Either way, they've got consistent support keeping their blog moving forward.

That's what a retainer gives you too. Someone in your corner, working on your blog every month, helping you keep up with the competition - or better yet, race ahead of them. You're no longer trying to fit blog writing around everything else whilst watching other businesses pull further ahead.

Instead, you've got:

• Regular publishing that matches or beats what your competitors are doing

• Content that's just as informative and professional as theirs

• Someone actively working to help you rank for the keywords that matter

It levels the playing field. Your blog becomes the well-maintained resource you've been wanting it to be, rather than the thing that's always lagging behind everyone else's.

Quick Summary: How a blog writing retainer can help

Is a blog writing retainer right for you?

A retainer means your blog keeps moving forward, consistently and professionally, without living on your to-do list. It means working with someone who gets to know your business, your products, and your voice, and uses that knowledge to create content that does what it's supposed to do.

If you found yourself nodding along to a few of these signs, you're probably at the right stage for this kind of support. And I'd love to be the one to help! I offer monthly blog writing retainers for product and service-based businesses, with options for 1, 2, or 4 posts per month delivered like clockwork.

Drop me a message today, and let's make sure your blog becomes the well-run, effective marketing asset it was always meant to be.