Content Outsourcing

Outsourcing: How the Best Writers Help You Succeed

Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank

For a blog to really take off, you’re going to need lots and lots of content. You can either write these posts yourself or hire someone to help you out. In some instances, outsourcing posts may be a more viable option. So, when should you start paying for assistance?

Well, that really depends on the site and what your finances look like.

Today, I’ll go over some of the things you’ll want to consider before outsourcing posts to beef up the blog.

How Outsourcing Posts Help

Outsourcing content is when you pay a third-party to help you write articles, create videos, or other types of content you need. You can outsource blog posts, graphic design, music, or virtually any other kind of materials to use on your website.

The idea of outsourcing is to reduce your burden so you have more time to accomplish other tasks.

For example, if you have five blogs you want to manage, it’s incredibly difficult to write all of the content yourself for any given week. Especially if you want the sites to be successful.

Quickly Adds Searchable Content

The more topics you cover on your blog, the more likely you’ll drive traffic. And when you hire writers to assist, you can cover those topics in a much quicker fashion.

Essentially, you can boost the number of visitors to your site in a shorter amount of time. Instead of taking a year to generate a certain number of visitors, you can cut that time in half with just one extra writer.

Theoretically.

Keeps the Blog’s Momentum Going

It’s been my experience that Google prioritizes sites that are in constant motion. Not to mention the fact that some of your subscribers look forward to the next blog post.

Having more writers under your employ can keep the site going forward, fresh, and active.

Reduces Overall Stress

If you’re trying to set up a successful blog, it can be incredibly stressful. The last thing you want to worry about is having the time to write something new.

Hiring a freelance writer to help can make the world of difference on your stress levels.

When Should You Outsource Your Content?

When to Hire Writers

I’ve seen a lot of blog owners fail over the years. A lot of them were paying clients. And over the past decade, I’ve examined why each of them have shut down and what drives me to consider outsourcing content myself.

Yes, you need to invest money into your blog if you want it to succeed. However, there are certain things you need to think about before paying a third-party.

So, when should you consider outsourcing some of your blog content?

Do You Have a Good Publishing Schedule?

When you get your website publishing content at regular intervals, it helps build momentum. Not only is it good for engaging a regular audience, but Google also prefers sites that are active.

Once you create a publishing schedule, then you know what kind of assistance you need. Perhaps you want to increase the frequency of publishing, or you just need someone to keep up with the layout.

In either case, a good publishing schedule can take your website extremely far in terms of visitor traffic and visibility in search engines.

Are There Viable Methods for Making Money on the Site?

A successful blog is one that can pay for itself. This means the blog pulls in enough money to pay for hosting, payroll, marketing campaigns, and other operating expenses.

Outsourcing content is going to become one of those expenses. And if you don’t have viable methods on the site to generate revenue, paying for a writer will come out of your pocket.

Now, there is an argument to be had about brand new sites. Obviously, one that starts today isn’t going to pull in enough to pay for itself. However, there are things you can do to ensure that it can make money over the long term.

Things like ad revenue and affiliate marketing are simple and can be effective if used properly within the blog.

The point is that you need to make sure the site has enough versatility to pay its own expenses down the road.

Can You Sustain a Writer’s Salary?

I mentioned paying a writer’s salary as part of the expenses a second ago. But if the blog is relatively new or has very little traffic to generate that revenue, you’ll have to make sure you can sustain the salary.

How long this will take depends on the blog itself. Some websites can generate income a lot faster than others. You might only have to pay your writer out-of-pocket for just a couple of months or as much as a year.

While you’re paying for outsourcing, keep track of all income generated by the blog. If there isn’t growth over a six-month period, you may want to reconsider monetization strategies or let your writer go.

Otherwise, there is no return on your investment and it simply becomes an expensive hobby.

Are You Serious About Building a Successful Blog?

A lot of people will start a blog as a way to make money. But when they don’t see those promised riches come flowing in, they get discouraged and quit altogether.

If you want to bring in millions of visits per year, you need to approach the blog with a sense of seriousness. And yes, a lot of times, it means treating the blog as a regular business.

After all, you’re considering hiring a freelance writer to help you create content. This is a lot more of a commitment than you might realize. What if you’re that writer’s first and only client?

You have an obligation to the writer, your audience, and to yourself to see the website through to its end game. This means putting more than just one hour of effort into the site every week.

What Will You Do with Your Free Time?

Are you hiring a freelance writer to help you build an amazing website, or are you looking to play more golf? What I mean by this is outsourcing may help free up some of your time…for the right things.

If you truly want to create an amazing brand or want to generate enough income to retire, you can’t waste the precious time a freelancer is going to help you gain.

What am I doing with my free time when my writer starts soon? Focus on marketing the blog, working on other sites, creating more YouTube videos, and properly monetizing all of my brands.

Effort dictates success. And if you put in a half-assed effort, expect a half-assed result. Don’t waste the free time a writer is going to give you.

Where Can You Find Good Writers?

Looking for Bloggers

Ok, you’ve decided that hiring a freelance writer is going to be in your best interest. You can afford the salary and are ready to hire.

So, where do you find someone to produce quality work while also being affordable?

Using Content Mills

I’m still a big fan of content mills. Especially when it comes to a new writer looking to get his or her feet wet. This is probably one of the least expensive methods to find some quality work.

There are a lot of writers on systems like Textbroker who can develop some amazing content. I used to be heavily active on these platforms and put in 100% of everything I had to please clients.

Just be careful of the platform and make sure authors are not handing over plagiarized work. Personally, I use Copyscape.

Find Writers on LinkedIn

GreenGeeks found me on LinkedIn. And I’ve been the Content Marketing Team Lead since May of 2019. My point is that a lot of quality freelance writers are available on the social media platform.

Since LinkedIn also acts as a sort of online resume, you can get a feel for the individual before sending them a query about rates.

Outside of content mills and posting positions on the blog, LinkedIn is probably among my favorite platforms for finding freelance writers.

Job Postings on Your Blog

The best thing about posting outsourcing on your own blog is that it costs you nothing. You can either set up a job posting plugin in WordPress or just add a contact form.

Regardless, it only takes a few minutes to announce that you’re hiring. The hardest part is making sure people are seeing the listing. This means taking to social media, sharing the link as often as possible, or even using free and premium job boards.

Luckily, some job aggregators will automatically include your listing should you set up the page to make it easy for bots to find and crawl. It’s kind of like writing for Google’s algorithm, only you’re more focused on the aggregator’s algorithm.

Using Job Boards

There are quite a few free job boards out there you can use to find quality freelance writers. Some will charge for premium features, but it might be worth the expense if you’re serious about finding a good writer.

You can use sites like ZipRecruiter to post your job for free. Unfortunately, they’re not very forthcoming about any fees you might accrue later on. But, it’s a free trial, so you may find a good writer immediately and then just close the account.

In any case, job boards can greatly open the talent pool for outsourcing content.

4 Top Things I Look For in the Best Content Creators

Best Content Creators

When it comes to finding a quality writer, there are several things I look for specifically. And no, it’s not whether they have a Bachelor’s degree.

I don’t believe a piece of paper can tell me who is qualified to write. I don’t have one, and I’m also a high school dropout. I did receive my GED in 1993 and have some college experience.

But I really don’t care what kind of a degree you have, as long as you’re able to adhere to the following:

1. SEO Content Writing Skills

Content writing and SEO content writing are two very different things. For a blog, you want someone who knows how to appease search algorithms while connecting with the audience.

This means knowing how search intent works and be able to write amazing content people want to read.

2. Ability to Follow Your Direction without Argument

I’ve seen too many young authors talk themselves out of amazing contracts because they were too arrogant. You don’t want a writer that is argumentative.

Now, bringing up suggestions is good. In fact, I prefer one of my writer’s speak up. Sometimes their ideas are vastly worth considering.

However, understand that your word is law. And the moment someone can’t follow directions, replace them with someone who can.

3. Turnaround Time

When it comes to anything online, timing is crucial. Your writer needs to be able to churn out work like the Amish pushing out butter.

To put things into perspective, I have an average of 1,100 words per hour including research and proofreading time. If I have to add images, it takes a bit longer. My writers need to come close to that number.

In other words, it shouldn’t take maybe two hours or so to create a great piece of content for the blog. Of course, this also depends on the project.

I’ve spent several days polishing up 3,500 to 5,000 word eBooks for various companies. Some projects are simply too vital to breeze through.

But your writer should be able to meet a quick turnaround time.

4. Communication Skills

Communication is key in just about anything. When outsourcing content, your writers need to keep you informed of various aspects and also be easily reached if you have concerns.

One of my clients uses Slack for this purpose. I have a Discord server for the same. Whichever platform you choose, your freelancer needs to be communicative.

I’d rather a writer ask me a question now than spend time fixing a mistake later.

Using Guest Bloggers Can Save You Time and Money

What if you don’t have the finances to justify hiring a writer? Perhaps you don’t want to worry about payroll or giving someone access to your blog.

That’s when guest blogging can come into play.

Instead of outsourcing, you can invite people to write content to post on your blog. Usually, this is in exchange for backlinks to their own websites.

Personally, I like using guest blogging plugins as they help simplify the process in WordPress. But, you can simply announce you’re open to guest posts and have a contact form available.

At any rate, you can quickly fill your blog with articles from guest bloggers, especially if your site is active and popular.

And that’s the rub…most guest bloggers want recognition from a site that gets more than 10,000 page views per month. That’s because it demonstrates domain authority and looks better to the Google algorithm.

This type of outsourcing is often free, but there’s nothing wrong with tipping someone for a good post. In fact, I know of several blogs that “tip” writers for good work.

In the end, guest blogging is still a viable option if you need free content to fill up your site. It’ll save you a lot of money in the short term. Just make sure the guests are blogging about something relevant and informative for your website.

Outsourcing Can Help, If You Can Afford It

There’s no doubt that outsourcing your content workload can vastly make a difference in your week’s activities. You just need to make sure you’re able to afford to hire someone.

Not everyone will have the same rates. And most of the time, you get what you pay for. Just make sure you’re paying for something that is beneficial to your blog.

Michael Brockbank
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