Why “Good” Isn’t Enough: How We Screen for A-Players in Content Marketing

We help local service businesses—plumbers, HVAC technicians, landscapers, electricians, and more—rank on Google and generate leads and qualified calls in their service area. A key part of this strategy is repurposing video content into high-quality articles using our proven guidelines that follow our Content Factory process.

To help us do this, we need A Players able to follow basic instructions and work like hell to get the job done without constant iteration cycles.

In short – we’re looking for a few strong senior-level content managers to help oversee a growing team of virtual assistants (VAs) who turn podcasts, on-the-job videos, and expert interviews into structured, EEAT-optimized articles. The best way to do that is directly, instead of using VA hiring agencies, since you can test VA skills directly with no middleman.

A few days ago I published a post to LinkedIn looking for more potential VAs. Here’s the full post so you can have more context:

“LinkedIn friends,

We are helping local service businesses rank on Google for common plumbing, HVAC, landscaping, electrical, pool building, and related keywords.

Largely by repurposing video content into articles that meet our article guidelines, following a process called the Content Factory. All of this training is easy to find via Google, as well as how to use associated tools such as ChatGPT, Descript, MarketScale, WordPress, Basecamp, and so forth to manage the articles and work as a team.

We need some senior folks to manage the many VAs that are applying– who take long-form videos (mainly podcasts and on the job video) and turning them into articles that follow our article guidelines.

Most applicants fail the basic criteria for lack of understanding the content itself, not understanding basic principles of writing, being overconfident in their skills, or plain just skipping past the requirements. Same for those who mass blast their resume and canned introduction, hoping that “spray and pray” will work if they submit enough applications.

So a couple strong US-based or native English speakers can help us manage this– which means they must possess the skills themselves. After all, it would be ironic if we have to QA your work, if you’re the one we’re hiring to QA articles according to our standards.

We believe in being strong practitioners ourselves first before being able to manage a team– a principle called LDT (Learn Do Teach). There are 8 other principles, which collectively form the 9 Triangles of business.

You can see I’ve written thousands of articles myself, not including ones written under my name or the names of other business leaders who are clients.

Because we have so many plumbers, landscapers, HVAC companies, and other companies in Google LSA (Local Service Ads) categories that want help across our agencies, we need A Players who can move up into leadership positions. We have a couple dozen amazing young adults (mid-20’s) who have gone through this apprenticeship program to eventually start their own agencies with our help or continue in our company.

This is our long-term vision and some thoughts on whether this is right for you (assuming you can quickly learn content marketing, SEO, local ads, social media, analytics– and other things we need to do to make the phone ring for local service businesses:

To apply, simply demonstrate you can repurpose any raw video you find on YouTube from the last week with me that is over 20 minutes long, turning it into an article that meets our Article Guidelines.

Grade your article from A to F and explain why.

Submit this article and your analysis only when you believe it is worthy of publication and clearly demonstrates you’re an A Player. If your submission needs significant QA or if you need us to provide writing tutor services for you, you’re not a fit.

But if you show a level of understanding and effort (especially active listening) where we know you can manage VAs that are applying, then you and our team will both know if you’ll do a good job on the team.”

It’s important to note that a “VA” implies a low wage, low skilled person, so I’ve called it “Content Specialist”. Even though we’re all VAs to some extent – since we all work remotely.

Calling it a “manager” or something that implies being in charge of people or being in a bureaucracy will draw folks who don’t actually have the skill.

LDT means folks can move up quickly, as opposed to “negotiating” pay back and forth for various reasons, before even proving they can do one article.

In our regular VA postings, while someone might start at $3/hour, if they’re amazing, they’ll immediately move up to whatever level they have actually earned.

For example, you could look at my posts from any week and see I’m immediately at Level 7+ because of content quality, engagement, and the performance of the content.

Why Most Applicants Fail (And How You Can Stand Out)

The majority of applicants fail the first stage for one simple reason: they say they can do the work but can’t actually deliver. Many overrate their skills, believing that because they’ve written a few blog posts or dabbled in SEO, they’re qualified. But the moment we test their ability to repurpose video content into a structured, SEO-optimized article, the gaps become obvious.

Their writing lacks clarity, their structure is weak, and they misunderstand how content fits into a broader marketing strategy.

Another common failure? Not following instructions. If an applicant can’t follow our detailed guidelines—many of which are public and easy to find—they won’t be able to train others or enforce quality standards. 

We see VAs who fail at this also fail at practicing active listening. We also see candidates who skim through directions, rush their work, and submit sloppy, unfocused content. Worse, some take the “spray and pray” approach, mass-submitting applications in hopes that sheer volume will land them a role. That mindset doesn’t work here. If you’re not intentional, if you don’t care about quality, you’re not an A-Player.

We are not looking for people who need hand-holding. Our best content managers don’t just write well—they understand why content matters for SEO, local rankings, and business growth. They know how to take raw, unstructured video content and turn it into high-value articles that drive real results. More importantly, they can lead and manage a team of VAs who handle content repurposing at scale. That means setting clear expectations, maintaining high standards, and ensuring that nothing requires excessive QA from leadership.

Here’s a video that further describes the qualities we look for in the people we hire:

How Practicing The 9 Triangles Helps Move You Up

We believe in the Learn-Do-Teach (LDT) model (this is Triangle 7, titled “Career Path” in the above image of the 9 triangles. Learn-Do-Teach means that you must first master a skill before you can manage others. Leadership isn’t about delegation; it’s about practicing, perfecting, and passing on knowledge.

Therefore, the 9 Triangles of Business guide everything we do, ensuring we create valuable content that drives real business results.

Another example is the “Personal Efficiency Triangle” – which shows how to properly do the work (initially) and then manage a team.

In this context:

Do – First, an applicant must demonstrate they can execute at a high level. That means repurposing video content into articles that meet our standards without excessive QA. If they can’t do the work well, they don’t move forward.

For example, one of our longest running VAs Muzamil started at $3/hour and is now making above $3,000 USD/Month. She did this by doing the work herself and proving her ability to follow directions and limit iteration cycles.

Delegate – Once they prove they can do the work, they must be capable of managing and training others. That means leading VAs who handle content repurposing. If they can’t uphold standards or correct mistakes, they aren’t fit to lead.

For example, if we have a VA who’s already proven their able to complete assignments on time and are competent, we’ll then give them the chance to find or manage other to help them get to that point.

Delete – If someone can’t perform at an A-Player level, they are removed quickly to avoid dragging the team down. Holding onto “good but not great” employees steals time from the top performers, which directly hurts productivity and results.

For example, we have 3 mistakes which immediately let us disqualify potential VAs who would be a net negative on business operations.

This is why we don’t keep “good” hires who require hand-holding, since “good” people kill startups. We only retain A-Players—people who can do the work, manage others, and uphold our standards independently.

We’ve built a network of ambitious young professionals who have grown with us—some have started their own agencies, while others continue scaling within BlitzMetrics.

If you’re a proven expert in content marketing, SEO, and local ads, you could be next.

How to Apply (Prove You’re an A Player)

We don’t want generic resumes or templated cover letters. If you want to apply, demonstrate your skill by doing the following:

1️⃣ Find a video of us on YouTube from last week that’s over 20 minutes long.
2️⃣ Repurpose it into a high-quality article that follows our Article Guidelines.
3️⃣ Grade your own article (A to F) and explain why.
4️⃣ Submit it to hiring@blitzmetrics.com only when you believe it meets A-level standards—as if it’s ready for publication.

We don’t have time to train people who need remedial writing help. But if you’re skilled, motivated, and understand what we’re looking for, we will know instantly—and you’ll have the opportunity to grow into a leadership role.

Are you ready to take on this challenge?

If so, visit our “Welcome VA” page to see if this is the right fit for you.