There are many benefits to using a contractor to write your content. It’s a huge time saver. Instead of spending your time writing you can focus on other income-generating activities. Additionally, it may be one of those tasks thats better left to an expert. If you don’t like writing or aren’t confident with your writing skills taking advantage of a contractor makes great sense.
In order to gain the most benefit from your outsourcing experience consider embracing these five tips for using a contractor to write your content.
#1 – Have a plan for your content.
Before you hire someone to write your content, make sure you have a content plan. This includes a plan that identifies your:
- Keywords
- Content goal – what do you want your content to achieve?
- Voice – how do you want the content to sound or feel? For example, warm and friendly or authoritative?
#2 – Start Small
Assign your new writer a small project first. For example, start with five blog posts or a short report. Jumping in and asking a new contractor to write 100 articles may be asking for trouble. You want to make sure your writer understands your topic and market first. You also want to make sure their writing style matches your needs. And that they’re reliable.
#3 – You Get What You Pay For
You can find a writer that charges a dollar an article and you can find a writer that charges $50 an article. In most cases, you get what you pay for. If you want to be able to instantly publish the content on your blog or website make sure you’re hiring a qualified writer. That doesn’t mean you have to go with the most expensive writer. It does mean that price may not be your most important criteria for hiring a writer.
#4 – Provide Feedback
It’s almost guaranteed that the first project isn’t going to be 100% exactly what you were looking for. It does happen and when you find that writer, keep them! However, in most cases, it is extremely helpful to provide feedback. Use the sandwich approach if you want to keep your writer. Tell them what you like about the content so they know for next time. And tell them what needs fixing. A professional writer will respond positively to your feedback.
#5 – Keep them Busy
Once you find a good writing contractor, keep them busy. Writing schedules fill up and you may find that when you have a need, they’re too busy to fill it. If you provide your writer with a steady stream of work, they’ll make room for your content emergencies because they value you as an ongoing client.
Working with a writer can be one of the best business decisions you make. Its a great way to supplement your writing efforts or to completely replace them. You can also use writers to repurpose and rewrite the existing content and maximize your content efforts.
