Look, hiring content marketers is the worst. I don’t mean that in a dramatic way. I mean that the gap between “writes well” and “writes SaaS content that actually generates pipeline” is so wide that most hiring processes completely miss it.
We had a candidate last year who submitted a beautifully written piece about PLG adoption. Thoughtful structure, great flow. Turns out she had copy-pasted it from a Notion template and swapped in a few examples. Another candidate sent us three “published samples” that, after some digging, had been rewritten top to bottom by their editor before publishing. Portfolio samples told us nothing.
The only way I have found to actually evaluate a content marketer is a structured writing test. Not “write about anything you want.” That is useless. A real brief with a keyword, a target persona, voice guidelines, and a word count. The kind of thing they would get on day one of the job.
I have hired dozens of content marketers at Growigami and for our SaaS clients. Below are the exact prompts, rubrics, and evaluation processes we use. Some of this is probably controversial. I am fine with that.
Why Portfolio Samples Are Not Enough
The Portfolio Problem
Every content marketer shows up with a portfolio. Great. Here is what that portfolio isn’t telling you:
- Their editor probably rewrote 40% of the piece
- Someone else did the strategic thinking and handed them a detailed brief
- They had unlimited time and three rounds of revisions
- You are seeing their top 5% of work (the other 95% did not make the cut)
What you actually need to know before hiring someone is different. Can they hit a deadline? Can they match a brand voice they have never seen before? Can they research an unfamiliar topic and sound credible? How do they handle tough feedback?
A portfolio can’t answer any of that. A writing test can. That is why we never skip it.
The AI Problem
This is the elephant in the room for 2026 hiring. Every candidate has access to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, whatever. Some use AI as a research tool and produce genuinely original work. Others paste the prompt into ChatGPT and submit whatever comes out.
You need to tell the difference. Not because using AI is inherently wrong. It isn’t. But submitting raw AI output tells you one of two things: they can’t actually write, or they think you won’t notice. Both are disqualifying.
How to spot AI-generated submissions:
- Vague examples that sound plausible but are not verifiable (AI loves to generalize)
- That characteristic “on the one hand… on the other hand” tone where every paragraph hedges. Real writers have opinions.
- Zero personality. No humor, no strong stances, no rough edges.
- Run it through GPTZero or Originality.ai as a gut check
- In the interview, ask them to walk through their process. “Why did you open with that example?” If they stumble, you have your answer.
The Writing Test Structure
Our Three-Stage Process
We run three stages. Sounds like a lot, but it takes less time than making a bad hire and managing them out three months later.
Stage 1: Take-Home Writing Test (2-4 hours) They get a content brief. They produce a piece. This is where you see their actual writing, research ability, and whether they can follow a brief.
Stage 2: Live Editing Exercise (30 minutes, during the interview) Hand them a mediocre blog post and ask them to improve it. You would be surprised how many “great writers” can’t edit. Completely different skill set, and honestly, equally important.
Stage 3: Strategy Discussion (30 minutes, during the interview) Talk through their submission. Why did they make specific choices? What would they change with more time? This surfaces strategic thinking that the written piece alone might not show.
Stage 1: The Take-Home Writing Test
Instructions we send to candidates:
CONTENT WRITING TEST
You have been given a content brief for a blog post.
Your task is to write the first 800-1,200 words of the post
(introduction through the first 2-3 major sections).
You have 3 hours to complete this test.
You may use any resources (internet, tools, references) but the
writing must be your own. If you use AI writing tools for any
portion, please disclose which portions and which tools.
We evaluate: writing quality, brief adherence, research depth,
SEO awareness, voice match, and original perspective.
Please submit your work as a Google Doc or Markdown file.Why only 800-1,200 words? Writing a full 3,000-word post properly takes 6-8 hours. Asking someone to do that for free isn’t reasonable. 800-1,200 words gives you plenty to evaluate without being exploitative. If you really need a longer sample, pay for it. More on compensation below.
10+ Writing Prompts for Hiring Content Marketers
These are the actual briefs we rotate through. Use them as-is or adapt to your industry.
Prompt 1: The Tactical How-To
This is usually where we start. It tests the fundamentals: can the candidate write something a practitioner would actually bookmark?
TARGET KEYWORD: saas onboarding best practices
SEARCH VOLUME: 350/mo
AUDIENCE: SaaS product managers and CS leaders
INTENT: Informational
BRIEF:
Write about SaaS onboarding best practices. The reader is a
product manager at a B2B SaaS company (50-200 employees) who
needs to improve their onboarding flow. Current onboarding
completion rate is around 40% and they want to get to 70%+.
Requirements:
- Include specific, actionable steps (not generic advice)
- Include at least one comparison table
- Include at least 2 data points from credible sources
- Write in a practitioner voice (you have done this, not
just researched it)
- Do NOT write a product pitch
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words).The tell here is specificity. Weak candidates write “create a welcome email sequence” and leave it at that. Strong candidates write “send the first email within 2 hours of signup, keep it under 80 words, and link to one action, not five.” That level of practical detail is hard to fake.
Prompt 2: The Contrarian Take
I debated whether to include this one because it scares off some candidates. But honestly, that is the point. If someone can’t take a position, they shouldn’t be writing thought leadership.
TARGET KEYWORD: marketing qualified leads
SEARCH VOLUME: 1,200/mo
AUDIENCE: SaaS marketing leaders and CEOs
INTENT: Informational
BRIEF:
Write a piece arguing that the MQL model is broken for most
SaaS companies. Your thesis: MQLs create misaligned incentives
between marketing and sales, and SaaS companies should replace
MQLs with a different qualification framework.
Requirements:
- Take a strong position and defend it
- Acknowledge counterarguments fairly before refuting them
- Include specific examples of how the MQL model fails
- Propose an alternative (be specific, not vague)
- Write in a confident, opinionated voice
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words).You are testing courage as much as writing ability. The best submissions we have received on this prompt genuinely changed how we thought about MQLs internally. The worst ones hedged on everything and ended with “ultimately, it depends on your organization.” Delete.
Prompt 3: The Comparison Post
TARGET KEYWORD: hubspot vs salesforce crm
SEARCH VOLUME: 4,000/mo
AUDIENCE: SMB and mid-market business leaders evaluating CRM
INTENT: Commercial investigation
BRIEF:
Write a fair comparison of HubSpot CRM vs. Salesforce CRM for
B2B companies with 20-200 employees. The reader is evaluating
both options and needs help deciding.
Requirements:
- Include a quick comparison table near the top
- Be genuinely objective (not biased toward either product)
- Cover: features, pricing, ease of use, integrations, support
- Include a "who should choose what" recommendation section
- Cite specific pricing tiers and feature differences
- Write for someone who needs to make a decision, not just learn
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words).This one reveals whether someone can research two products quickly and present the findings objectively. A lot of candidates struggle with commercial intent. They write an informational overview when the reader needs help making a purchase decision. Big difference.
Prompt 4: The Industry Explainer
TARGET KEYWORD: revenue operations
SEARCH VOLUME: 2,500/mo
AUDIENCE: SaaS CEOs and VPs of Sales/Marketing
INTENT: Informational
BRIEF:
Write an explainer on revenue operations (RevOps) for SaaS
companies. The reader is a CEO or VP who has heard the term
but doesn't understand what RevOps actually entails,
whether they need it, and how to implement it.
Requirements:
- Explain the concept clearly to a non-expert
- Include a comparison to how companies operate without RevOps
- Include specific examples of RevOps in action
- Include a section on when a company is ready for RevOps
(and when they are not)
- Avoid jargon or define it immediately when used
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words).The skill here is translation. Taking a concept the candidate may not even know well and making a VP feel like they understand it after reading 1,000 words. Candidates who default to jargon are telling you they don’t actually understand the material themselves.
Prompt 5: The Listicle
People underestimate this format. A great listicle is actually harder than a how-to because you have to deliver real value in very few words per item. No padding allowed.
TARGET KEYWORD: saas marketing tools
SEARCH VOLUME: 800/mo
AUDIENCE: SaaS marketing managers
INTENT: Commercial investigation
BRIEF:
Write a list of the best SaaS marketing tools, categorized by
function (analytics, email, content, social, ads, etc.). For
each tool, include: what it does, who it is best for, pricing
starting point, and one honest limitation.
Requirements:
- At least 8 tools across multiple categories
- Genuine pros and cons (not a vendor brochure)
- Current pricing (verified)
- One-sentence recommendation for each: "Best for [type of team]"
- Organized by category, not ranked numerically
Write 800-1,200 words covering at least 3 categories.What separates good from great here: honest limitations. Most candidates praise every tool because they are afraid to be critical. The ones who write “Ahrefs is the best SEO tool for teams with budget, but the learning curve is steep and the UI feels stuck in 2019” are the ones you want.
Prompt 6: The Data-Driven Post
TARGET KEYWORD: saas churn rate benchmarks
SEARCH VOLUME: 600/mo
AUDIENCE: SaaS founders and VPs of Customer Success
INTENT: Informational
BRIEF:
Write about SaaS churn rate benchmarks. The reader wants to
know: what is a good churn rate? What is average? What do top
performers achieve? How does churn vary by company stage,
ACV, and industry?
Requirements:
- Include specific benchmark numbers with sources
- Include a benchmark table segmented by at least two dimensions
- Explain what the numbers mean, not just what they are
- Include a section on why churn benchmarks can be misleading
- Write analytically, not generically
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words).This prompt is a trap for lazy researchers. Candidates who grab the first Google result and write “the average SaaS churn rate is 5-7% annually” without segmenting by ACV, company stage, or contract type are showing you exactly how they will perform on the job. The good candidates dig for primary sources: Recurly, ProfitWell, ChartMogul benchmarks. They break the data apart and explain what it actually means for different business models.
Prompt 7: The Voice Adaptation Test
This is non-negotiable for agency hires. Every client sounds different. If a writer can only write in one voice, they are a blogger, not a content marketer.
TARGET KEYWORD: b2b email marketing
AUDIENCE: SaaS marketing managers
INTENT: Informational
BRAND VOICE:
Write in the following voice:
- Casual but authoritative (think smart friend, not professor)
- Use "you" and "we" freely
- Short sentences. Punchy paragraphs.
- Include humor where natural (but never forced)
- Specific and opinionated: take positions, don't hedge
- No corporate speak: "leverage," "synergize," "paradigm"
BRIEF:
Write about B2B email marketing for SaaS companies. Cover what
works in 2026 and what has stopped working. Focus on cold
outbound email and nurture sequences.
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words)
in the specified brand voice.You can tell within the first paragraph whether someone nailed the voice or not. Candidates who write “In today’s competitive landscape, email marketing remains a critical channel” after being told to write casually and punchily just showed you they can’t adapt.
Prompt 8: The Problem-Solution Post
TARGET KEYWORD: sales and marketing alignment
SEARCH VOLUME: 500/mo
AUDIENCE: SaaS CEOs and VPs of Sales
INTENT: Informational
BRIEF:
Write about sales and marketing alignment for SaaS companies.
The reader is frustrated - their marketing team generates leads
that sales says are garbage, and their sales team ignores leads
that marketing says are qualified. They need practical solutions.
Requirements:
- Start by demonstrating you understand the problem (empathy)
- Include specific symptoms of misalignment
- Provide a practical framework for fixing alignment
- Include at least one real-world example
- End with actionable next steps the reader can implement today
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words).Empathy is what you are watching for. Does the intro make the reader feel understood, or does it lecture them? The best submission we ever got on this prompt opened with “Your marketing team just celebrated hitting their MQL target. Your sales team just complained, again, that the leads are garbage. Both are right.” That is empathy in two sentences.
Prompt 9: The Technical Topic for Non-Technical Readers
TARGET KEYWORD: api integration guide
SEARCH VOLUME: 200/mo
AUDIENCE: Non-technical SaaS buyers (marketing/ops leaders)
INTENT: Informational
BRIEF:
Write a guide explaining API integrations for non-technical
SaaS buyers. The reader is evaluating software and sees "API
integrations" listed as a feature. They need to understand
what APIs are, why they matter, and what questions to ask
vendors about their API capabilities.
Requirements:
- No assumed technical knowledge
- Use analogies to explain technical concepts
- Include a checklist of questions to ask SaaS vendors about APIs
- Explain the difference between native integrations and APIs
- Write accessibly without being condescending
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words).There is a fine line between accessible and condescending. “Think of an API like a waiter in a restaurant” is overused but inoffensive. “An API is like when you talk to your friend” is condescending. You are testing whether the candidate can find that line.
Prompt 10: The Unglamorous Topic
Every content program has boring topics. The writer who makes SaaS data migration genuinely readable? That person is more valuable than the one who only writes well about trendy topics.
TARGET KEYWORD: saas data migration
SEARCH VOLUME: 150/mo
AUDIENCE: SaaS ops managers and IT leads
INTENT: Informational
BRIEF:
Write about data migration when switching SaaS tools. This is a
notoriously dry topic that most content writers make even drier.
Your challenge: make it genuinely engaging and useful.
Requirements:
- Open with a hook that makes the reader want to continue
- Include a practical step-by-step migration process
- Include common mistakes and horror stories
- Make a dry topic readable and even somewhat enjoyable
- Include a migration timeline template
Write the introduction and first 2-3 sections (800-1,200 words).We once had a candidate open their data migration piece with a story about a company that lost 18 months of customer data during a CRM switch because nobody thought to map custom fields before migrating. Immediately compelling. Another candidate opened with “Data migration is the process of moving data from one system to another.” Immediately boring. Same topic, completely different execution.
Bonus Prompt 11: The Editing Test
Instead of a writing prompt, give the candidate a 500-word piece of mediocre content and ask them to:
- Edit it for clarity, readability, and voice
- Add one section they think is missing
- Write a brief note explaining what they changed and why
Honestly, this might be the most revealing test of all. Some people write beautifully but can’t improve someone else’s work. In a real content team, editing is half the job.
The Scoring Rubric
You need a rubric. “I know good writing when I see it” isn’t a hiring process. It is vibes.
Score each dimension 1-5. Two reviewers minimum, scoring independently.
| Dimension | Weight | 1 (Poor) | 3 (Acceptable) | 5 (Excellent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing quality | 25% | Awkward sentences, passive voice, vague language | Clear and readable but unremarkable | Crisp, engaging, and a pleasure to read |
| Strategic thinking | 20% | Ignored the brief’s audience and intent | Addressed the brief but without strategic depth | Perfectly matched intent, audience, and goal |
| Research depth | 15% | No data or examples | Some data and generic examples | Specific data with sources, real-world examples |
| SEO awareness | 10% | No keyword integration | Keywords included but awkward | Keywords integrated naturally throughout |
| Voice match | 15% | Ignored the voice guidelines | Partially matched the voice | Voice was indistinguishable from the brief |
| Originality | 15% | Rehashed generic advice | Some unique insights mixed with generic | Strong original perspective with fresh examples |
Scoring Interpretation
| Total Score | Interpretation | Hiring Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 4.5-5.0 | Exceptional writer | Hire immediately |
| 3.5-4.4 | Strong writer with development potential | Hire with clear expectations |
| 2.5-3.4 | Adequate writer | Hire only if budget-constrained |
| Below 2.5 | Below standard | Do not hire |
What to Do with Borderline Candidates
The 3.0-3.5 range is tricky. Before you pass:
Give them feedback on the test and ask for a revision. I have seen candidates jump from a 3.2 to a 4.0 after one round of notes. That tells you they are coachable, which is arguably the most important trait for a content marketer who is going to grow with you.
Also ask about their process during the strategy discussion. Sometimes a mediocre submission is a misunderstanding of the brief, not a reflection of their ceiling. We almost passed on someone who scored a 3.1 once because she interpreted “practitioner voice” completely differently than we intended. Brought her in for the strategy discussion, realized she was sharp, gave her a second prompt. She scored a 4.3.
And consider the role itself. A junior writer producing Tier 3 content under close editorial supervision doesn’t need a 4.5. A senior content marketer shipping Tier 1 pieces independently does.
What Doesn’t Work: Hiring Mistakes
Mistake 1: Skipping the Writing Test
“Their portfolio looked great and they crushed the interview.” Cool. Portfolios are curated and interviews test verbal communication, not writing. You wouldn’t hire a developer without a coding test. Same principle.
Mistake 2: Giving Vague Prompts
“Write a blog post about something in our industry.” What does this tell you? Whether they can write? Maybe. Whether they can write for your audience, hit search intent, and match your brand voice? Absolutely not. The prompt should mirror your real production process.
Mistake 3: Over-Weighting Grammar
This is my unpopular opinion: grammar is the least important thing on the rubric. It is teachable. You can fix comma splices in a 10-minute Loom. You can’t teach someone to think strategically about content or develop an original perspective. Hire for thinking. Coach the grammar later.
Mistake 4: Not Paying Candidates
If your test takes more than two hours, pay for it. $100-$300. The experienced writers who are worth hiring? They won’t complete a 6-hour unpaid test. The only people who will are desperate or between jobs. That is a biased sample.
Mistake 5: Reusing the Same Prompt
Candidates talk to each other. They post on Reddit, Glassdoor, Slack communities. If you use the same prompt for 18 months, eventually someone shows up with a pre-written answer. Keep a library of 5-10 prompts and rotate.
Mistake 6: Evaluating Without a Rubric
We tried this early on. Two of us would read the same submission and come to completely different conclusions. One person loved the voice, the other thought it was too casual. Without defined criteria and a scale, you are making gut decisions and calling them “hiring.”
Our Full Hiring Process
Here is the timeline we run at Growigami, start to finish. Takes about 2-3 weeks.
Week 1: Screening
- Resume and portfolio review (30 minutes per candidate, honestly sometimes less)
- 15-minute phone screen. Basic qualification, comp expectations, timeline.
- Send writing test to anyone who passes with a 5-day deadline
Week 2: Evaluation
- Two reviewers score every test independently using the rubric
- 60-minute interview with top scorers. First half is the strategy discussion about their writing test. Second half is a live editing exercise.
- Reference checks. We usually do 2-3.
Week 3: Decision
- Calibration meeting between reviewers
- Offer to the top candidate
- Send feedback to everyone else. Include their rubric scores and specific suggestions. This takes 15 minutes per candidate and the goodwill it builds is worth it. People remember.
Compensation benchmarks for SaaS content marketers (2026):
| Level | Experience | Base Salary (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Content Writer | 0-2 years | $50K-$70K |
| Content Marketer | 2-5 years | $70K-$100K |
| Senior Content Marketer | 5-8 years | $100K-$140K |
| Content Lead / Manager | 8+ years | $130K-$175K |
| Head of Content | 10+ years | $150K-$200K |
Freelance rates vary a lot. $0.15-$0.50 per word for SaaS-experienced writers, or $300-$1,500 per article depending on length and depth. The writers at the top of that range are usually worth it.
The Bottom Line
Hiring a content marketer without a writing test is like hiring a chef without tasting their food. The portfolio is the menu. The writing test is the actual meal.
Use structured prompts that look like real assignments. Score with a rubric so you aren’t just going on vibes. Pay candidates for their time. And prioritize strategic thinking and original perspective over perfect grammar.
The content marketer who can pick up an unfamiliar topic, match a voice they’ve never written in, write for search intent, and add something the reader hasn’t read ten times before? That person builds pipeline. Everyone else is just adding to the pile of content nobody reads.
Need help building your SaaS content team or outsourcing content production? Growigami provides full-service content marketing for B2B SaaS companies, including blog writing that ranks and converts.
Further Reading
- SaaS Marketing Team Structure - How to build the team around your content hires.
- SaaS Marketing Audit - Evaluate your current marketing before hiring.
- B2B SaaS Content Strategy - The strategy your content marketer will execute.
- Best B2B SaaS Marketing Agencies - If you decide to outsource instead of hire.
- Performance Marketing vs Brand Marketing - Understanding what kind of marketer you actually need.
Frequently asked
Should you require writing samples in content marketing interviews?
Always. Portfolios show what someone has done, but a controlled writing test shows what they can actually do right now. We have seen too many candidates with polished portfolios who received heavy editing on every piece.
How long should a writing test be for a content marketing job?
Two to four hours. Less than that and you won't see enough depth. More than that and you should be paying them. We typically do 60-90 minutes of brief comprehension followed by 90-120 minutes of writing.
Should you pay candidates for writing tests?
If it takes more than two hours, yes. $100-$300 is standard. You will attract better candidates and lose fewer of them mid-process.
How do you evaluate writing samples objectively?
Use a scoring rubric with a 1-5 scale across six dimensions: writing quality, strategic thinking, research depth, SEO awareness, voice match, and originality. Have two reviewers score independently.
What red flags should you look for in content marketing writing samples?
Generic advice with no specifics, ignoring the brief entirely, AI-generated content passed off as original, poor structure, and no point of view. That last one is the most common.
What is the best writing prompt format for hiring SaaS content marketers?
A realistic content brief that mirrors your actual production process. Target keyword, persona, search intent, competing content, word count, and voice guidelines. If the prompt doesn't look like a real assignment, the results won't tell you much.
