Key takeaways:
So you’ve decided to pull the trigger and outsource writing to the professionals – boom, you’re about to gain back so much time!
You’re not alone in making that decision. More and more businesses are choosing to leave writing up to professionals. In 2020, writing was the most-outsourced content creation task!
If you think about it, it makes sense complete sense to outsource content writing. When you take it off your own plate, you stand to gain:
But if you’ve never hired a content partner, you might not know where to start.
Whatever you do, don’t hire writing help based on a gut decision, and definitely don’t rush the process. Successful outsourcing depends on having a process in place to guide your decision-making. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a 5-step process for outsourcing content writing.
Here’s what you need to do to set your outsourcing up for success.
It’s hard to know if you’re outsourcing successfully without established benchmarks. Before you start the search, figure out your goals and what you need to help you achieve them.
Your goals can be as simple as boosting content views or ad click-throughs or as broad as improving conversion. Whatever you want to achieve, the next step is asking what content services will get you there.
Maybe you need a whole content strategy and everything that comes with it, or maybe you have a targeted vision that you can achieve by focusing on specific kinds of content assets. Perhaps you’re just looking to get your time back. Either way, knowing what you need helps narrow down the options.
Finally, know how much you can spend – your budget is crucial for guiding the outsourcing search. This allows you to be transparent with candidates about what services are within reach.
Now’s the time to start looking for writers or agencies to help you achieve your goals and meet your needs within your budget.
Whether you’re searching for one writer or a whole agency, you can start by jotting down keywords or phrases that describe what you need, then using that list to guide your search. Think phrases like “content marketing strategy,” “SEO content writing,” and “digital marketing content creation.”
If you’re looking to hire an individual writer, your best bet is to try out freelancing platforms such as Upwork or Guru. Websites like these act as intermediaries, matching freelancers with projects that suit their expertise. The benefit of using a platform is that you can find social proof on the writers you’re considering, including reviews and an overall rating.
If you’re looking to work with a content writing service or agency, you want to make sure the one you choose fits your needs. You’ll want to find out the following:
Picking carefully will ensure you always get exactly what you want without sacrificing any extras along the way.
A CV, portfolio, writing samples, and case studies can tell you a lot about a writer or agency, but it isn’t a perfect predictor of how a partnership will work.
Writing quality doesn’t always translate to research skills or an ability to emulate your company’s voice and identity. You can weed out the chaff by reaching out to your favorite candidates with a test project.
With a test project, you can ascertain whether a writer can:
Once you’ve clicked with your perfect content partner, it’s time to develop a professional relationship that fosters strategic and honest content.
Now’s when you should discuss your goals in detail and lay out how you’re going to achieve those goals together. Depending on who you’ve hired, you can talk strategy together and decide the best way to achieve those goals.
Without a strong working relationship, your content writer is basically going in blind and creating content that’s aimless. Standalone content can be of great quality, but if it doesn’t support the big picture, the partnership probably isn’t going to work. Be open with your partner about what you want to achieve and what content will get you there.
The perfect candidate will be able to emulate your brand’s voice flawlessly. The only catch is that you have to know that voice yourself if you expect a writer to nail it.
Before you launch your content partnership, get to know your brand’s voice and identity inside and out (or you might know it already). Your goal is to be able to explain and recognize your brand’s voice so you can relay that information to your new content partner.
Writers love having a reference, so they know they’re embodying your brand right down to the details. Consider building out a style guide or a similar reference document for your new content creators.
When you develop a magical working relationship with your chosen agency or writer, you’ll wish you’d pulled the trigger on outsourcing months ago.
That said, it takes chemistry to develop the kind of relationship where you know your writer or team can read your mind and create content that sounds just like your brand. That means picking the perfect partner and not settling.
Enter ContentBacon. Our team of expert writers, editors, and strategists get to know your brand intimately so we can create the most compelling content that tells the story you want it to.
This relationship can’t wait, so book a call now to get the best content subscription for you.