It’s a scary thing to outsource your writing projects. You’ve come up with a great concept for your website. You’ve worked hard getting to know your market and just what needs to be done in order to get to the next level. Now you find that you don’t have enough time to write the content you need because you have so many other things to do. When you have hit that roadblock, you should understand that it’s time to outsource your writing projects.
When it comes to that decision, it’s not one to be made lightly. There are thousands of “writers” advertising their skills online, vying to become your dedicated content writer. While everyone wants to believe they have what it takes, not all writers are equal and not all writers can produce quality content. Instead of getting duped into terribly written content, follow these steps to successfully outsource your writing projects.
Tip 1: Take Your Time
Like with anything worth having, it takes time to find a dedicated, quality writer. Yes, their work often seems magical and wonderful to read. It seems like the right words flow easily from their fingers and for some, it just might. But it takes time to find the best writer for your content.
Instead of allowing your impatience to rush you into a contract with a writer that can’t write their way into a consistent paycheck, know what you want and look for it. If you don’t find anyone the first time you look, it’s okay. Keep looking because when you find the writer of your content dreams, it will be worth the time.
Tip 2: Don’t Proceed without Samples
One of the worst things you can do when trying to outsource your writing projects is hire someone without seeing samples of their writing. Asking for samples or a portfolio is the same as a traditional job asking for a resume when applying for a job. How will you know if they are the best for the job if you don’t see what they can produce?
As you are looking at the different samples given and reviewing portfolios, please don’t hesitate to check for plagiarism. This is a process that will save you valuable time and upset.
Tip 3: Pay Fairly, Writers are People Too
It’s hard to imagine that writers are people with families and bills to pay. Not everyone wants to live the starving artist life and it’s not fair for anyone to attempt to force anyone into that lifestyle. When its time to outsource your writing projects, expect to pay a fair price for your content.
That’s not telling you to pay $500 for a 300-word blog piece whenever you need one. It is telling you to respect the prices that are charged for the work that is given. Writing any kind of content takes time and effort and the prices set by writers reflect what they think their effort is worth. You can negotiate but don’t be insulting.
Tip 4: Do Explain Your Expectations and Needs
Writers are writers, not mind readers. If there is something you need to be written specifically, please provide direction. If you need a 1500-word sales blogvertisement, tell your writer that’s what you need. Don’t withhold that information then request 10 rewrites to get what you need. That only leads to frustration for the both of you. You want something and the writer is getting paid to produce that.
The best way to convey your expectations and needs is through contracts. You can make your contracts as informal or formal as you want but those contracts will tell your writer exactly what they are expected to produce, for how much money and in what amount of time. It will also remind you what you’ve requested, agreed to pay and when to forward those payments. Without clear and direct communication, you will not have a successful relationship with your writer.
Tip 5: Check Your Content
Before you process a payment to your writer, before you put the content on your website or marketing materials, please check for plagiarized work. After screening for a great writer and finding someone you can afford, it’s easy to assume they won’t submit another writer’s work. Don’t do that. Always check for 100% unique articles. You don’t want to get into a spat with another company for using work they’ve paid for and you certainly don’t want your business and brand to be known for using stolen work.
Give yourself time to check any submitted work for plagiarism. If you find that the writer you’ve hired is submitting work that is not theirs, end the contract and start again. Do not continue forward with someone that can steal from another hardworking entrepreneur and businessperson.
Tip 6: Demand Exclusive Rights to All Works Produced for You
Demand is such a strong word but it’s one that can’t be overlooked with certain things. If you have taken the time to find a writer to outsource all your writing projects to, you need to own those finished projects exclusively. This would normally be covered in your negotiations with your writer when setting up your projects but a lot of business owners forget this detail and it can result in an embarrassing situation.
When you don’t own the exclusive rights to content created for you, the writer can take those same works and sell them to someone else. It may be morally wrong but it’s legal because they did not release those works to you exclusively. In situations like this, it’s best to work with explicit demands instead of implied ones.
There are many other tips that can be given on how to outsource your writing projects. Some are more important than others. The 6 tips given will help you successfully find a quality writer to produce the content you need in order to get to the next level of your business. With these 6 tips, allowing yourself to outsource your writing projects isn’t hard at all.