5 Tips to Correctly Outsource Article Writing
Outsourcing article writing isn’t something new. Businesses have been hiring freelance article writers, and blog writers for a very long time. However, the proliferation of freelancing platforms have perhaps made it easier to find and employ affordable writers. When you outsource article writing, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind.
The most important thing to remember when outsourcing articles is that a lot can go wrong. You can end up hiring a copywriter who appears to have some great reviews but still isn’t quite there regarding quality. Not to mention the fact that you can also end up hiring a scammer.
So, if you are searching for a reliable freelance copywriter make sure that you keep the points we discuss below in mind, especially point no. 5!
No. 1: Not Explaining Your Project Clearly
When you outsource article writing, it pays to be sure about what you want. Before you even start searching for a writer, have a short-detailed description of the articles. For instance, if you want a dozen articles about “Car Loans,” make sure that you have the titles and keywords for each ready.
You may also want to add URLs to the type of articles you like. Make sure to mention if you want the articles to be conversational, formal, informative, or blog type write-ups. For most seasoned writers that’s all the information they need to produce great content. However, be prepared to answer questions as if there is ambiguity a diligent writer will make sure to clear things up before he or she starts writing.
Big Mistake: Last year I took on a client who had a tough time explaining what they wanted. They had outsourced article writing before but weren’t happy. As it turns out, the client didn’t know what type of content they needed and just wanted to rank well in Google! Obviously, they needed SEO articles. So, that’s what we did for them, and they were perfectly happy.
No. 2: Hiring Cheap Vs. Quality
When outsourcing article writing make sure to have a realistic budget. In the writing industry, you get what you pay for and for the most part low price equals low quality. That’s regardless of if you hire a writer in India or the Philippines.
Many writers in the US are just as bad as those overseas. That said some writers abroad are just as good if not better than native English-speaking writers. While everyone has a budget, it shouldn’t be at the expense of quality.
The best way to test a writer is to chat with them. Non-verbal chat, i.e. text chat is a great way to figure out if whom you’re chatting with has writing ability. A few minutes should give you a good idea to what can be expected from them.
Good quality article writing starts at around $5 per 100 words. On the contrary, we’ve seen some cheap writers charge $5 for a thousand words if not more. Ideally, you should avoid freelancing platforms as it is rare for seasoned writers to take out the time to bid on projects.
No. 3: Outsource Article Writing Based on Region and not Portfolio
We touched upon this briefly earlier but will get into more detail here. Many businesses outsource article writing with the assumption that a writer in the US, UK or Australia will provide them with the best quality. That does not always happen.
Freelancing platforms tend to display the freelance copywriter’s rating, country of origin and their bid. What you should be looking at is their rating. Compare their score to the amount they are quoting for the project.
Make sure that they have read your project description and bid accordingly. Disregard bids that appear not to have read the project description. Also, disregard proposals with bad grammar.
Before you hire a freelance copywriter ask them to write 200 words on a topic of your choosing. If that looks good and passes Copyscape, hire them right away.
No. 4: Getting a Freelance Copywriter with No SEO Experience
Outsourcing articles to writers who have no idea what SEO is and how it works is a bad idea. All writers you hire should be able to optimize the articles they write for the keywords you want to target.
If you hire a writer who does not know anything about keyword optimizing content, it can be a nightmare for your website. That said if you’re getting a reasonable price and are willing to put in the time to teach them then that’s another matter. However, if you’re looking for a writer who can work without input from you and understands how to perform industry research then make sure to ask them about SEO writing before proceeding.
No. 5: Outsourcing Articles to An Agency That Further Outsources It!
Many agencies offering bargain-basement rates often outsource your content to cheaper writer’s halfway across the world. So, when you’re paying $5 per 100 words, the company is handing down $2 per 100 words. What that means is that you’re getting low-quality content as a result. It also means that you have no control over the consistency of the quality.
Outsourcing articles can become a nightmare if the quality isn’t consistent. We’ve seen this happen a lot. There is no sure way to avoid this other than ensuring that you hire a company like ours that guarantees consistent quality. Also, it puts you in touch with the writer responsible for all your content. That way your voice gets heard, and that translates to quality writing.
Never outsource article writing to an agency that’s not willing to put you in direct contact with the writer. At Copywriting Services Pro, we assign you a writer and this person works with you from start to finish, on every project.