Don’t Write Your Content, Outsource It!

Creating content is hands down the best inbound marketing strategy out there.

Whether it’s a blog post, video, or social media update, content is your ticket to giving your audience useful information, drawing in potential customers, and boosting engagement.

To really make it work, though, you’ve got to be consistent. I used to get up at 4:30 am every day to publish content on JeffBullas.com, and that routine played a huge role in my side hustle’s success.

The good news is, you don’t have to do all the content creation yourself. Outsourcing (to freelancers or AI) can help you keep up the consistency without eating up all your time.

So, this week, we’re going to show you how to effectively outsource your content creation.

This week’s newsletter brings you:

  • Trends. We bring you all the data on content outsourcing, including the types of content most commonly outsourced, costs, and more.
  • Strategies. This week we explain how content creation outsourcing works, where to find freelancers to help create your content, and if you should be using AI for content creation.
  • Tools of the Week. If you need a platform for all your content outsourcing needs, look no further than Speedlancer. We’ll show you what makes this platform a great choice for your outsourcing needs.

Do all side hustlers outsource content? How much does it cost to outsource content writing? What are the most common kinds of content and how long should posts be? We’ve rounded up the data and found all the answers for you below.

Most B2B marketers outsource content

Most B2b Marketers Outsource Content (84%)

Cost of content writing

How Much Bloggers Pay Per Article

If your side hustle is a blog, it’s highly likely that you’ll probably write all your own content and not outsource at all. But what about the rest of us side hustlers who aren’t into writing? How much can we expect to pay for high-quality content?

Interestingly, side hustlers who earn over $50,000 per year from their hustle pay content writers 3.6 times as much as lower-income business owners do: higher-income business owners pay an average of $347 per article, compared to only $96 per article paid by lower-income side hustlers.

So are the higher income earners getting ripped off then? It’s doubtful. With a bigger budget, you can afford to pay for premium content writing services.

In the last year, 84% of B2B marketers said content marketing improved brand awareness, while 76% reported it increased demand or lead generation, according to The Content Marketing Institute.

Research predicts that by the end of this year, the content marketing industry will grow beyond $72 billion.

Typical blog post content

Typical Blog Post Content

Now let’s take a look at the most common blog post content. According to Orbit Media, of all the types they asked about, the most common flavor of blog post is list articles. Who doesn’t love a good listicle?

But after that, most side hustlers tend to favor how-to guides and case studies, while others publish more opinion pieces and product reviews.

Typical blog post word count

Typical Blog Post Word Count

How long should your blog posts be?

Successful side hustlers (earning over $50K per year) said their most popular blog posts were an average of 2,424 words long.

Compared to lower-income side hustlers, business owners earning over $50K per year are seven times as likely to have top blog posts of over 3,000 words.

Strategies

Now that we’ve got the numbers out of the way, it’s time to learn how outsourcing content creation works, and the most effective way to do so.

Outsourcing content 101

Content creation outsourcing is simply having someone else write or create content for you, typically for content marketing and SEO. Content outsourcing can include anything from article writing, eBook authoring, films, podcasts, newsletters, and more.

And you’d be surprised at just how much content is outsourced by people. According to Statista, marketing professionals outsourced 30% of their content creation tasks in 2020.

But why do people outsource their content creation efforts?

Well, in some cases it’s simply because they need a type of content made that they are not proficient at. You might be great at making videos for TikTok, but perhaps writing SEO-optimised blog articles is not your thing.

However, most of the time it’s just a matter of numbers.

If you want to reach a large number of readers, you must provide a large amount of content, and there’s only so much content that you can make. Social media posts, blog articles, email marketing content, website landing pages, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more. 

How can one person possibly create and manage all of that content?

It’s not practical.

There are simply too many job titles, skills, and knowledge required for one person to handle. And that’s where content outsourcing comes in.

However, before you contemplate outsourcing your content marketing, you must first determine your requirements.

The first step is to develop a content marketing strategy, and to determine the abilities you already possess.

If you don’t know what you need and start outsourcing, you’ll either overpay contractors or waste their time because you won’t have any jobs for them.

Choosing what to outsource

Once you’ve developed a content marketing plan, you can determine what to outsource.

You’ll want to examine your content marketing strategy, content requirements, and the skills you already have to determine what content you can create yourself, and what you should outsource.

And outsourcing goes beyond just content creation, some examples of other things you can outsource include:

  • Social media administration
  • Content development and management
  • Ideation
  • Video editing
  • Image editing
  • Customer care
  • Invoicing
  • And more!

Outsourcing to a freelance writer might significantly speed up your content creation process, but you should first verify that you are choosing the right tasks.

Does outsourcing make sense for you?

Outsourcing costs money, so you’ll want to be sure that the return on investment will make sense for your side hustle plans.

Assessing ROI can help you determine which components of your content marketing plan are wasting time, money, and causing emotional stress for you, as these are the tasks that you’ll want to outsource first.

The cost of outsourcing your content will vary a lot depending on the type of content you need. Some freelance writers charge by word, but others charge by complete project.

To give you a general idea, here’s an example of the costs of content outsourcing based on the type of project:

  • Email campaign with no graphics: $300 to $3000
  • Ghost-writing E-book: $1000 to $20,000
  • 500 word blog: $5 to $50
  • Newsletter: $200 to $1,000
  • Press release: $200 to $500

And per hour:

  • Advertising: $45 to $100 per hour
  • Copyediting: $30 to $70 per hour
  • Proofreading: $25 to $60 per hour
  • Technical writing: $40 to $100 per hour
  • White papers: $100 to $200 per hour

When calculating your ROI on each piece of content, consider the tasks that you haven’t had time to complete. Will those tasks have a high return on investment?

If not, it’s probably time to let them go.

To guarantee that you are getting the most out of your investment, your content marketing strategy should include high ROI tasks.

When calculating ROI, you should also consider how much internal knowledge you must share with an outside writer.

Every time you share sensitive, internal information with an outsider, you increase the project’s risk. Jobs that require more sensitive information should probably stay in-house.

Should you consider AI?

Yes, AI can seriously amp up your content game. AI tools can whip up high-quality content in no time, whether it’s blog posts, social media updates, or email newsletters. They can even handle the nitty-gritty stuff like keyword research, topic brainstorming, and SEO optimization.

But AI is not for everyone. Side hustlers should choose freelancers for content creation when they need highly customized, creative, and nuanced content that reflects their brand’s unique voice and requires a deep understanding of their niche. Freelancers are ideal for complex projects, in-depth articles, and content that needs a personal touch or specialized expertise.

On the other hand, AI is a great option for producing large volumes of content quickly, such as social media updates, basic blog posts, and SEO-driven articles. AI tools are perfect for tasks that require speed and consistency but can be supplemented with human oversight to ensure quality. Ultimately, the choice between freelancers and AI depends on the specific content needs, budget, and the level of personalization required.

If you do decide to go ahead with AI, check out platforms like Jasper (formerly Jarvis), Copy.aiSurfer SEO, Lumen5.

Resources:

11 Benefits of Outsourcing Your Content Creation by Marketing Inside Group
AI Vs. Outsourced Content: Which Type Of Service Should You Use?
How to Outsource Your Content Writing by Verblio
How Much Do Content Writing Services Cost in 2022 by The Content Panel

Finding the right freelancer

To make sure you get the most out of your content outsourcing, you’ll need to find the right freelancer. 

Thanks to content production services and job sites, finding a professional writer is easier than ever. These platforms connect side hustlers with skilled writers who can develop the material that any hustle requires to be successful. 

Some platforms connect you with writers directly, while others hand over your requests to a writer on their team. In some cases, you can also find writing agencies to work with.

Here’s a few examples of popular content outsourcing platforms:

Upwork

In terms of freelance job boards, Upwork is by far the most well-known. A large database of experienced writers can be found on Upwork, which was created through the merger of Odesk and Elance. 

In this freelancer marketplace, you can find both novice and experienced authors for topics ranging from e-commerce and digital marketing to email marketing templates and tech support. Filters can also be used to narrow down prospects and find those that match your specialization and business requirements.

Additionally, you can look for authors based on their experience and rates, including fixed and hourly rates, as well as writers who speak a specific native language or have experience in a specific country. In addition to posting full-time work, freelancing gigs for short-term assignments like editing revisions and mini-writing assignments are also available.

Guru

Guru is another online job platform that features writing projects and tasks. With over 1.5 million active users around the world, Guru now has a global reach.

In contrast to Upwork, Guru has a built-in project management tool, and onboarding documentation can be created directly on the website. By allowing you to share documents and create projects for your freelance writers, Guru can even help you manage your content marketing strategy.

ProBlogger

On ProBlogger, businesses can hire extraordinary writers to write for them for a fee. These freelancers are excellent writers, with many years of experience developing material and doing internet writing jobs. 

Despite having a smaller reach than Upwork, the employment portal has a higher quality of authors. Copyeditors, marketing managers, and content marketers can also be found on this job board.

The Writer Finder

Using The Writer Finder, side hustlers can connect with freelance writers with experience. They match your company goals and content topics with vetted and professional writers from a massive database of Writer Finder writers. 

They compile a list of the most qualified writers for you based on a team of SEO specialists. In addition to web pages, SEO content optimizations, and white papers, the authors can produce other types of content for your target audience.

But before you choose one writer, or agency, from another, you should go through your own vetting process.

Here a list of questions you should ask yourself before choosing to work with a freelance writer:

  1. Is their content writing service authentic and trustworthy?
  2. What is the makeup of their clientele?
  3. What is their level of experience and expertise?
  4. How is their previous work? Can they supply samples?
  5. What else do they have to offer besides content creation?
  6. Do they provide a free trial or a discount on your first order?
  7. How long does it take for them to respond? Do they meet deadlines?
  8. How do they handle changes and rework?
  9. What do customers think of their service and support?
  10. How do they compare in terms of cost to other writers or agencies?

If they meet all the necessary criteria, then you can go ahead and get started working with them.

Resources:

17 Things to Look for When Hiring Freelancers by Business.com

21 Best Websites to Find and Hire Freelance Writers by LinkedIn

How to work with a freelancer

So, you decided to outsource your content and you found a freelancer that fits your needs.

Congratulations!

But working with a freelancer takes more than just giving them the topic and setting them loose. In order for your cooperation to be effective, you’ll need to give them a solid task brief.

Creating an effective brief

Consider an article to be a meal on a menu at your favorite restaurant, and the content brief is the description of the elements that go into making that meal great. 

A content brief is a precise set of instructions from you, the client, to your writer outlining your expectations and goals for a piece of content you’ve assigned them to create.

A great content brief will give your authors all of the information they need to generate an effective article for your audience, such as word count, messaging, topic, and target audience.

You should as specific as possible in your content brief, including the article’s due date, as well as the content type and criteria. Sharing a precise content brief with your authors ensures that the content is written exactly how you want it and saves you and your freelancer time that would otherwise be spent revising.

If the goal for the content they create for you to rank high in SERPs, you’ll want to provide as many details as possible in a SEO content brief, such as the topic’s angle, target keywords, key points to include, tone, call to action, and other information. That way you are assisting your writer in creating the most effective piece of content for you, your brand, and your site.

You should also be very specific about keywords and keyword phrases the post should contain, internal and external links to be placed throughout the material, and any other SEO optimization duties you’d like your writer to do. This could include adding a meta title and description to included photos, as well as recommending H1 subheads throughout the material with relevant keyword words or tags.

It also helps to develop a content style guide for your business, this way you’ll have a consistent standard to work with.

Your style guide should include information on the structure, syntax, and tone you intend to employ for all content development, as well as any other information that your outside partners will need.

Resources:

How to Write a Good Brief by Degordian

How to Outsource Your Content Marketing While Still Maintaining Quality by Neil Patel

Tool of the Week

Speedlancer provides a variety of popular tasks for fixed prices, ranging from website design, content creation, podcast managing, and even Instagram posts. They also provide social media, graphic design, site research, lead generating, and logo design services.

Their flat fee method simplifies the process of hiring a freelancer for your job, and they also offer content re-writing, which is an excellent way to diversify your material without spending a fortune.

If you require writing or content, they have a solution for you and your budget.