5 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Female Content Writer
7 minute read.
Here’s something totally unsurprising: female content writers have to deal with sexism in our careers. Whether it’s stereotyping the kind of writing we do or being generally dismissive and demeaning credibility, there’s a slew of obstacles to contend with as a woman who puts her voice in writing.
That being said, there’s a lot of reasons to hire a female content writer other than simply trying to offset the long human history of discrimination against women. For the sake of your business, there are several reasons to seek out a skilled female writer. Allow me to explain…
1. There are a Lot of Talented Female Writers Out Here
Ever since print became a thing, there have been incredible female writers. The Bronte sisters, J.K. Rowling, Harper Lee, Louisa May Alcott, Maya Angelou, Arianna Huffington —just to name a few.
However, many of these writers had to write under male pseudonyms or modify their names just to be able to sell their writing without people dismissing them for being women. Even J.K. Rowling wrote under the pseudonym “Robert Galbraith” for a while and when she published Harry Potter, she decided to go by J.K. (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling just so her name would sound more gender ambiguous.
But nevertheless, these women managed to be successful because they were skilled writers. (And badasses).
And why were they successful? Well, women, in general, tend to have more descriptive writing and more development in a greater variety of characters than men. According to this Grammarly study, that makes women generally regarded as superior writers.
That’s not to say that women are better writers than men, but their work is certainly overlooked far more often when considering our relative skill level.
Part of being a good marketing writer is being able to write in multiple voices. Like an actor or actress has multiple characters, writers have multiple voices. Content writers use those multiple voices to connect with different audiences. And it’s generally easier to develop multiple voices in a practical sense when you have a more varied perspective.
Women’s experiences are fundamentally different than those of men. We’ve been through shit. We see the world through different eyes.
It’s a sexist world and we stand to overcome far more obstacles in our lives than men do. As writers that give us the potential to be more adaptable— more versatile.
2. Good Female Writers Can Write for Both Women AND Men
One of the all-time biggest stereotypes of female writers is that they can’t write for men— that women’s writing is for women only.
That’s bullshit.
I’ve faced hesitancies from clients before because they think their writing project is too “masculine” for me to write about. My job does sometimes require me to write in a way that men can connect with but that doesn’t mean I have to be a man to write well for men.
That is where my skill comes in. I can write for both men and women because I know how to use language to engage either gender.
We live in a masculine-centric world so female writers hear, speak, and understand the language that men connect with on a daily basis. We also understand the feminine language derived from our own experiences, so we get a heavy dose of both linguistic worlds. But that’s often not the way male clients (and sometimes female clients) see it.
I’ll give you an example of how this has played out for me in the real world. I got a gig writing for a Christian men’s devotional.
Let me just repeat that for you: A Christian Men’s Devotional.
I am an agnostic Humanist Feminist. I’m about the furthest thing from a Christian man that you could find. Without even knowing my non-religious background, the client was hesitant that I’d be able to write well for men because I’m a woman.
Yet the writing I did for them over the several months I worked for them nearly tripled their following. That didn’t happen because I’m a Christian man, it happened because I’m good at what I do.
And unless a man is particularly effeminate and faces discrimination for his effeminate traits or behaviors, it’s difficult for him as a writer to have that same dual perspective that myself and other women have as female writers.
The same goes for race too. As a white writer, I simply don’t have some of the perspectives that writers of color do.
Perspective is important in writing and hiring a writer who has good perspective has the potential to breathe life into your content, into your brand, and into your sales.
3. Feminine Writers Focus on Understanding
Whereas the masculine approach to persuasion is more aggressive and pushy, the more feminine approach is more about connecting with the person you’re trying to persuade. It’s about trying to meet that person where they are and speak to their specific situation.
Female writers tend to be more conscious of the audience they’re writing for. Some might attribute this to women’s emotional intelligence. Whatever the case may be, you can pretty much count on the feminine persuasion approach to be more customized.
And what kind of content writer would you prefer to have: one that writes one-track-minded, salesy content, or someone who is genuinely trying to connect with your audience?
If your answer is “more salesy” then I have some bad news for you about your content.
4. Feminine Writing Fits with the Modern Day Sales Process
The days of the ABC (Always Be Closing) sales method are over. If you’re familiar with the famous play and/or movie Glengarry Glen Ross, you know what the ABC sales method is. If you’re not familiar, it’s a story about extremely competitive salesmen who will go to unethical lengths just to make a sale.
It’s a sleazy and pushy way of selling, and salespeople have been revering the method for decades. Why real-life salespeople thought it was a good idea to base their sales strategy off of a piece of fiction about unethical selling, I shall never understand. But the good news is that shit doesn’t work anymore. We have access to information and no longer need to rely on salespeople to educate us.
Today’s buyers can educate themselves. They want to consume information at their leisure (pull marketing) and not have it shoved in their faces —or be told what they want (push marketing). The pushy salesman will only become less and less tolerated.
Sales and dating have a lot in common. Every prospect is going to move through the sales process differently. To be successful with sales you need to be able to respect that.
And just like with dating, it’s a big mistake to assume that every potential buyer you meet will…
Be the right fit, and,
Move the exact same way through the sales process
As any person who’s dating to build a relationship, a salesperson should be flexible enough to allow the buyer some room to let the sales process play out.
When it comes to relationship building, the feminine tends to have the upper hand over the masculine. I guess it’s just that female sensitivity, huh? *Shrugs*
5. You’re Helping Close the Pay Gap
You and I both know that the year is 2018 and that people who outwardly believe that women do not deserve to earn as much as men are, fortunately, not as abundant as they used to be.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that working women only earn 77% of what their male counterparts do*. And in media (you know, the content writing industry), newspaper newsrooms are still 63% male and men still get way more bylines than women do.
At the end of the day, if you support a woman’s business, you’re helping to close that pay gap.
*I was going to cite the statistics provided by the White House but they’ve been removed from the site. Thanks, Trump administration.
Conclusion
I’m not saying female writers are better than male writers. But I am saying you should support women-owned businesses whenever possible, and you should definitely support female writers whenever possible.
There are a lot of great female writers out there who get passed up—great writers who could help your business or brand succeed. Find a female content writer who can really take hold of your brand voice and engage your audience then hire the crap out of her.
Need some content written? Website? Blogs? Editorial management? Landing page? Ad copy? Social media management? Let’s talk.