Should You Include an Author on a Company Blog Post?
As both a writer and editor, I have different answers to “Should you include an author on a company blog post?”
My answer as a writer
Being a writer who wants to establish authority in a niche, I absolutely want my name and face attributed to every blog post I write.
Imagine producing something you’re so proud of that you want to share with everybody but it doesn’t have your name on it.
There is maybe one exception when I had a dreadful experience working with a client and asked for my name not to be associated. If the process and treatment of internal team members or freelancers are bad, it’s a bullet dodged when it comes to being the face of the blog post. Imagine the customer holding you to account months later.
My answer as an editor
For different clients, I hold different positions. I edit a lot of work. I update a lot of work to keep it fresh and performing.
In this role, there’s a small nagging sensation in the back of my mind that the original author should no longer be credited. Especially, if it’s a total rewrite.
I’ve also been on the receiving end of this and thought it fair game — my blog post was out of date and the editor kept the title and URL but completely rewrote the copy. I’ve also thought it not fair game and petitioned to get my name on it. I’ve been successful every time I’ve asked.
As both writer and editor, I realised I wanted the best of both worlds. My answers weren’t all that helpful either.
So, I reached out to fellow content marketers to see how they felt about the topic. I teed up the question “Should you include an author on a company blog post?” and fully expected everybody to say yes.
There was a small caveat that I would only write the answers up as a blog post if a few people said no and with good reasons. So, sit tight. Here’s a real mixed bag.
Yes you should include an author on a company blog post
“Yep. It creates a 1:1 relationship. Otherwise, it looks like some soulless entity wrote it. Folks want PEOPLE to write articles and the author bio section enables that.”
Debdut Mukherjee, Head of Marketing @ DelightChat
“Absolutely you should! It lends credibility both to the writing (as it shows the writer is an expert in their field (usually)), and it gives the author bylined content which helps position them as an expert offsite.”
Andie Coupland, freelance marketing consultant & copywriter @ Couzo
“Yes, definitely. It shows the person behind the article, they can be contacted, adds to the author authority etc.”
Steven van Vessum, VP of Community @ ContentKing
“Yep totally. We even mention our freelance writers’ names when their articles go live. Giving credibility to the person enhances productivity, builds a 1:1 relationship, and also shows empathy as a brand… where a brand grows along with their employees. Its about mutual growth, and this is one great way to facilitate it.”
Pritha Bose, Senior Content Marketer @ automate.io
“YES 💯”
Allyssa Eclarin, SaaS Product Marketing at allyssa.co
“Absolutely! Giving your writers bylines helps to boost their reach and credibility. Happy writers keep writing for you. Working with a well-known writer in your space builds your authority and improves your reach because you have access to the writer’s network. Bylines help readers connect to the writer behind the post-building engagement.
People want to be connected human to human — that’s hard to do without a face and a ‘story’ behind each post.”
Kirsten Lamb, Freelance Content Marketer @ Electric Ink Creative
No you shouldn’t include an author on a company blog post
The only no I’ve received so far comes from Jordy Fujiwara, digital marketer @ Clear Crossing Academy
“😈 Devil’s advocate: people come primarily for the content, not the byline. If there’s high turnover in the co of you’re outsourcing and someone’s name gets attached to something really off-brand, the teeny bits of goodwill built could be cancelled out by the (teeny) bits of risk. Also, if the brand itself has a strong personality, it might be worth having the post come from it (e.g. something written by Old Spice itself would feel natural, vs [Regular Name]).”
I also got a yes and a no from Josh Palmer, Content Marketing Manager @ Zylo.
“Yes and no. From my startup POV, yes for ghostwritten posts for co-founders who represent the brand, have strong alignment to your ICP, and the content goes deeper than 101-level understanding. IMO, no, or not necessarily, if it’s entry-level SEO-focused content that may diminish their personal brands (listicles, what is ____? content, 7 steps to XYZ).”
Should you include an author on a company blog post?
The jury is out on this one.
Writers: you should petition to be listed as the author for everything you write. You always want to grow your audience and potential client base. That will only happen if people know what you have written.
Editors: you have a choice to make. For evergreen content that is likely to be updated, it might not be relevant to list a single author. Make sure you make this clear to your writer upfront so they know what to expect.