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How to Outsource Writers to Save Money, Drive Traffic, and Win Big

2017 EDITION

Z A C H A RY PA I N T E R & M A R K S L A C K

The Content Strategist’s Playbook

ontent marketing has become a demanding, fast-paced industry that requires a

substantial amount of resources to stay competitive. Small to medium businesses

have felt the strain the most as they struggle to meet their monthly or yearly

content goals, while big players with big budgets effortlessly churn out content at a

dizzying rate. It’s a battle of attrition that the average in-house marketing team can’t win

on their own.

So, what’s the alternative?

To alleviate the strain of maintaining high (or unrealistic) content quotas, many

marketers and SMBs have turned to outsourcing their content. By distributing tasks

to a third party, content outsourcing allows in-house teams to give proper attention

to more important content marketing objectives. This improves the overall quality

of a company’s content output and prevents their in-house marketers from being

overwhelmed.

I’m interested in outsourcing my content. What else do I need to know?

We address the why, who, what, where, and how below. Take a look and see how

outsourcing content creation can benefit your digital marketing strategy.

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Table of Contents

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C H A P T E R 1

C H A P T E R 2

C H A P T E R 3

C H A P T E R 4

C H A P T E R 5

The Why: Advantages vs. Disadvantages4

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The Who: Freelance Writers vs. Agencies

The What: What Content Should You Outsource?

The Where: Where Do I Find The Best Freelance Writers?

The How: Communicating Your Needs

Effectively To Your Freelancer

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Chapter 1

The Why: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Your Content

A D VA N TA G E S

Outsourcing saves you money: According to BKA Content, the average annual cost

of hiring one full-time, in-house writer – excluding overhead and payroll – amounts to

$74,607. The cost of outsourcing is significantly cheaper: depending on content needs,

SMBs only spend an average of $12,600 annually when they outsource content to a third

party provider.

Optimized content: Outsourcing gives you access to specialized writers that will

optimize your content according to SEO best practices so that it boosts your site’s traffic,

brand awareness, and visibility. An in-house writer may have limited or no specializations in

any industry, putting your content at a disadvantage in terms of depth and accuracy.

Outsourcing saves you time: Hiring a third party to take care of your content needs is

When deciding to outsource your content or to keep it in-house, there are some

advantages and disadvantages to consider:

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D I S A D VA N TA G E S

Collaboration with a third party takes time: A third party takes time to sync with

your team goals and expectations, which can be problematic for short-term projects or

pressing content needs.

A third party may have other clients: Your writer/provider could be working on

projects for other clients, which means that your time-sensitive tasks may not always get

the immediate attention you want.

A third party may lack industry expertise: If you use content mill outsourcing

platforms, it may be difficult to find writers with the industry know-how your content

requires. This means your writer needs more time to learn about your industry before they

can produce quality content.

convenient. Not only does it relieve you of the burden to write the content; outsourcing frees

up your time so you can focus on improving the higher-level aspects of your content strategy.

Quality work: There’s a misconception that freelance writers and quality are oxymorons.

This couldn’t be further from the truth: there are, in fact, more quality freelancers available

now than ever before – they just demand a fairer price. Paying a competent freelancer for

quality work is much cheaper than hiring an in-house writer, and the content will be far

superior to that of an inexperienced writer.

Ideation and Content strategy: An experienced writer knows what it takes to create

engaging content, no matter what subject matter or industry. By assessing your business,

audience, and marketing needs, freelance writers can help you brainstorm and come up with

unique ideas and topics.

Flexible work nature: Once your content provider has fulfilled their purpose, you have no

need to keep paying them. This is outsourcing’s biggest perk: as you achieve your marketing

goals, you can simply scale back and save more on costs.

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The Who: Freelance Writers vs. Agencies

Chapter 2

Outsourcing will almost always be worth your business’s time and money, even if it’s not 100% of

your content strategy. According to Curata, “over 60 percent of companies are now outsourcing

content creation.”

To maintain a consistent flow of fresh content, many companies and marketers take advantage of

external sources. If you lack the resources to tackle all of your content goals, or you are spending

too much in-house on a failing content strategy, then you should consider outsourcing.

Now that you’ve decided to outsource your content, you need to determine if you want to work

with freelance writers or hire an agency.

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Availability and Flexibility: Freelance writers are accessible, responsive, and quick,

which makes them an efficient means to outsource content. Marketers turn to freelancers

when they need specific pieces delivered in a pinch, but don’t have the manpower to handle

it in-house.

Freelance Writers

When it comes to hiring freelancers, it’s important to realize you will operate as their

manager and editor. It’s your job to inform them about your content needs and to

communicate key details they should be aware of. That being said, there are some definite

advantages – and disadvantages – to working with freelancers:

They Come Highly Specialized: Competent freelancers are often equipped with

specific industry know-how, a strong writing sensibility, and some form of technical

aptitude, be it familiarity with Wordpress, a solid understanding of SEO, or proficiency in

multiple software programs or programming languages. Their well-roundedness makes

them a dependable and valuable resource for marketers in need of content that meets

specific digital marketing requirements.

Affordable and Cost-effective: Freelance writers are often hired out per word, hour,

or project, which makes them the optimum choice for SMBs that lack the resources to hire

in-house. For a fraction of the cost, you can have all of your content needs tailored to your

business’s needs.

A D VA N TA G E S

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Finding the Best Writers is a Learned Skill: Finding the right freelance writer for the

job – at a fair price – can be a difficult task if you don’t know what you’re looking for. It’s a

combination of sourcing the right applicants for the job, and communicating your ideas clearly.

Both of those tasks are learned skills that are honed with practice. Later on in this ebook, we

give practical advice for hiring freelance writers like a pro.

Mixed Bag of Applicants: When you post a job ad on a website like MediaBistro or

Upwork, one thing is certain: a wide spectrum of talent from all corners of the internet will

apply for the position. Unfortunately, most sites have no screening policy for applicants, which

means you will have to sift through plenty of poorly written resumes, writing samples, and

emails before you find the perfect freelance writer.

Job posts are expensive: There are plenty of sites out there willing to post your job ads;

they just cost anywhere between $25-$400 for a 30 day period depending on where you

want to post. Not only that, cheaper sites usually draw low-quality talent. If you want to find

the best writers, there’s a price to pay.

D I S A D VA N TA G E S

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Digital Marketing Agencies

If you decide to hand over your content strategy to an agency, it’s important to note that they

will take care of your content needs with their own in-house writers, so you are putting them at

the helm of your content strategy. The hands-off approach provided by agencies is enticing, but it

also comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Package Deal Services: Typically, agencies offer package deals that aim to bolster a specific

aspect of a company’s digital marketing strategy. For example, an agency may offer market

research and strategic planning, but may not include SEO analysis or content creation.

Ideation and Execution: Agencies will take care of your content ideation. In other words, they will develop content strategies that will help you achieve your marketing

goals; they will also execute those steps for you, meaning they will pool their own resources to

produce the results you desire.

Meet Your Content Deadlines: When you hire on an agency, they will make sure your

content is completed before deadline. This is possibly the biggest perk of an agency: because

they have the means to knock out your content in a reasonable timeframe, you can focus your

efforts on other demanding aspects of your business.

A D VA N TA G E S

Inflexibility: Because agencies juggle multiple clients at the same time, they can only afford

to focus but so much effort on your content needs alone. Agencies are not ideal in the event

that your company wants to overhaul its content strategy, or needs specific, time-sensitive

content sooner than later, and they are not likely to go “above and beyond” what their contract

requires.

D I S A D VA N TA G E S

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Freelance writers are more affordable:

According to Search Engine Journal, digital marketing agencies charge a $2,000+ minimum for a

monthly retainer; a quality freelancer, on the other hand, can be paid per word, hour, or project

at a significantly cheaper rate.

It’s easier to find expert writers in your industry:

In recent years, the amount of freelancers in the U.S. has grown to approximately 53 million – or

1 in every 3 working Americans; this means that it’s easier now than ever to find niche writers

in your industry. Specialized writers that possess industry know-how understand what kind of

content appeals to your readership, so they require less time to brief on content expectations.

We suggest using Freelance Writers. Here’s why:

Lack of Personalization: An agency is not truly invested in your company’s product or

ethos, which means your content may lack that personal touch you get with freelance writers

or an in-house team. That’s not to say that agencies will not make an effort to understand your

company so that they can cater to you audience; just expect an agency to be more aloof than

other writers.

Finding the Perfect Fit Comes At a High Price: Agencies that take care of all your

content needs will be extremely expensive. There are plenty of large companies – Fortune 500s

included – that spend a considerable amount of their marketing budget on outsourcing.

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Pricing Propositions to Consider When Hiring a Quality Freelancer

One-of-a-kind freelancers may charge more than the rates above, but their high price should be

an indicator of their quality, if they are being honest. Let’s look at some variables all freelancers

use to determine their rates:

Here’s a list of price points to give you an idea of what’s reasonable:

Average Freelancer Rates by Type of Content

JOB TYPE PAY PER WORD PAY PER HOUR PAY PER PROJECT

Press Release

Website Page

Blog / Article

White Paper

Product Description

Email Newsletter

Technical Writing

Copywriting

.30-.95

.20-.50

.10-.15

.15-.25

.10-.15

.10-.15

.20-.50

.20-.50

$50-$60

$50-$80

$15-$25

$50-$75

$15-$25

$20-$50

$50-$100

$45-$95

$500-$2500

$285-$1000

$75-$150

$500-$1500

$50-$80

$200-$1000

$300-$1000

$100-$500

Experience: Novice writers are seeking opportunities to build their portfolio, so they are

more likely to meet you at your asking price. Experienced writers may want to negotiate a

higher price, since they’ve established a client base and know what their services are worth.

To determine a writer’s skill level, ask your applicants to provide writing samples and a

portfolio so you can assess their work.

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Once you’ve found writers that you’re comfortable working with, you can quickly knock out

pieces that need special attention. This will save you time, money, and headache.

Specialization: Writers that possess extensive experience in a given industry know that

their services are harder to come by, and frequently take more time to research and execute.

If a project requires their expertise, you can expect them to charge a higher sum than a

generalist freelancer.

Project Value: Certain projects are more important than others. If a company depends on

strong sales copy for a landing page to rake in millions a year, then the freelancer they hire

has more leverage when it comes to negotiating a price.

Company Size: Freelancers take a company’s size and cachet into account when

determining prices. If you’re a small business, you can expect a lower rate; if you’re a

corporation, however, then your freelancer will ask for more.

Workload: If the workload seems high maintenance or demanding, a freelancer will be

inclined to charge more. Pieces that require extensive research or necessitate high word

counts are examples of tasks that come at a higher cost.

Project Duration: Short-term work will most likely come cheaper, whereas long-term

projects generally need some kind of incentive to retain writers. Contracts or even the

prospect of future work upon good performance are ways to incentivize long-term work.

TIP

Remember: If you want to be successful in your content marketing endeav-ors, the goal is never to churn out as much content as possible; rather, you should focus on producing engaging, authoritative content that users trust. Put simply, quality over quantity is the strategy you want, regardless of your industry and competitors.

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The What: What Content Should You Outsource?

Chapter 3

Website Pages

Website copy is the first step in defining your brand’s tone and voice. When users visit your

website, everything from the headlines to the body copy define how your brand is perceived.

Because each web page should be geared towards enhancing the user experience, website copy

needs to be clean, simple, and catchy. The best website copywriters know how to blend brevity

and persuasion in a way that maximizes usability and conversions.

Below are typical website pages that companies outsource to freelancers:

Landing Page

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Imagine if the CTA was instead written as such: “Click For More Templates”, or “More Templates

Available Here”. Those choices wouldn’t convert as well. “Click for More Templates” sounds

spammy, and “More Templates Available Here” isn’t even a CTA – it’s just a bland statement.

Rather than use “Click”, the example uses “Check Out”. That makes the copy sound colloquial

and friendly instead of spammy. The keyword “New” adds a persuasive and curiosity-arousing

element to the CTA, increasing the likelihood that the user will convert, or click the button.

All of these small but important choices demonstrate why outsourcing landing page copy to an

experienced copywriter is so crucial – you’ll get engaging, effective copy that will pay for itself

over time.

“The most powerful contest platform for Instagram and Facebook”

“Turn your followers into customers with social contests, giveaways and landing pages”

“CHECK OUT OUR NEW TEMPLATES”

Landing page copy should be concise and enticing. In this example, the user’s attention is

immediately drawn to the headline and the subtext underneath it:

The copy claims this product is the best platform out there for social media. It’s simple,

compelling, and it sends a clear message to the reader.

Equally important is the Call to Action (CTA) button below the image. Notice how

straightforward the copy is:

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Home page

Homepages have two primary functions: they greet the user and act as a hub for your

other important website pages.

“Create & Destroy”

The Brigade’s homepage, pictured above, is a perfect example. Let’s focus on the copy first:

“The Brigade is a design and technology studio, founded by people with a shared passion for user-centered design, great art and formidable technology. We create moments for

consumers that forge indelible bonds with our clients.”

The imperative nature of the header ‘create and destroy’ is striking, and the subtext below

is equally gripping and informative. We get a clear sense of who the company is and what it

does in just two sentences.

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About Us

What’s more impressive is how the company communicates its ethos with such little copy. They

“create moments” that “forge indelible bonds” with their clients. There’s a prevailing sense of

sincerity and creativity at work in the prose, and the syntax itself flows well.

Something should also be said of the page structure and design: The white, bold typeface cast

against a black background grabs the user’s attention. In the upper right-hand corner, the user

is provided with clear directives to other pages on the site, and the arrow on the bottom implies

that there is more to see below the fold.

Again, copy of this caliber is best left to an experienced writer. A homepage is your first

impression on any user, so why underwhelm them with mediocre website copy?

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Your About Us page should communicate your company’s identity and mission to your

audience. In this example, Chipotle wants to convince consumers that its food is superior

to the other chains out there. Their copy is well-written, informative, and it distinguishes

their brand as the pioneers of making fast food “with integrity”:

The copy highlights key characteristics of Chipotle that separate them from the

competition. Not only does it read well, it rings with confidence.

“Using high-quality raw ingredients, classic cooking techniques, and distinctive interior design, we brought features from the realm of fine dining to the world of

quick-service restaurants.”

Blog Posts / Articles

Many Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) marketers run blogs on

their websites because it’s an excellent inbound marketing tactic: According to TechClient, B2B

marketers that incorporate blogging into their strategy generate 67 percent more leads than

companies that don’t.

But lead generation is just one goal that can be achieved with a blog. In truth, blogs are intended

to increase traffic and to retain a readership as well. That’s why most companies seeking blog

content focus on one of these areas: .

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In this example, Runner’s World has dominated the keyword ‘running’. Their site’s blog

posts rank for #1, #2, and #3 on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), as well as one of

Google’s Top stories in the fabled “position 0”.

SEO keyword focus

Ranking for a specific, high volume keyword like ‘running’ (this keyword receives 74k organic

searches a month) doesn’t happen overnight; so how does a single website own such a

competitive keyword?

The easy answer is that they target specific keywords in blog posts by applying solid onpage

SEO tactics, but it’s more complicated than that. Factors like off-page SEO, image optimization,

and other minutiae play a role in the effectiveness of your SEO strategy as well.

It should be noted that Runner’s World is also a subsidiary site of Rodale, a “global health and

fitness content company.” Rodale owns a slew of other sites similar to Runner’s World, so they

have the means to produce engaging, optimized content on a daily basis.

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While this example strengthens the case for outsourcing, it doesn’t mean you have to be

at the same level as Rodale to compete for high volume keywords.

You just need to find specialized freelancers with proven SEO experience; they know

how to write keyword specific content that pleases both search bots and users alike.

Social Media Friendly / News Focus

Sites like Buzzfeed capitalize on viral content with their blogs to retain their audience.

Controversial current events, celebrity gossip, and fluff articles, like the “22 Jokes You’ll Only

Laugh At If You’ve Read Harry Potter” featured above, are perfect examples of easily shareable

content, hence their proliferation on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

To write viral content, you need a keen eye for buzzworthy topics that will resonate with

your niche. Freelancers with a journalistic background are ideal, as they can easily sniff out

newsworthy stories and craft headlines that will pique interest in your blog content.

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Moz is a perfect example of a blog that relies on brand loyalty to retain a niche audience.

Industry influencer and Moz founder Rand Fishkin runs an extremely popular weekly web series

on his blog called Whiteboard Friday, which shares useful SEO insights with webmasters and

marketers all over the world.

Moz is a perfect example of a blog that relies on brand loyalty to retain a niche audience.

Industry influencer and Moz founder Rand Fishkin runs an extremely popular weekly web series

on his blog called Whiteboard Friday, which shares useful SEO insights with webmasters and

marketers all over the world.

Brand Loyalty / Interest

“Without a solid base of links, your site won’t be competitive in the SERPs — even if you do everything else right… Never fear — Rand is here to share three relatively quick, easy, and tool-free (read: actually free) methods to build that solid base and

earn yourself links.”

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Whiteboard Fridays are successful due in part to the fact that Rand is an SEO celebrity, but

also because he understands how to engage his target audience with conversational copy. The

painless readability of his copy makes the article enjoyable to read. If you look in the comments

section, there are always a slew of positive comments and questions from inspired SEOs around

the world.

For your blog to have the same impact, you not only need to dominate your niche, you need

to write copy like Rand. Conversational copy is a learned skill, but it’s always better to let a

professional writer handle it so that you maximize your outreach and effectiveness.

A white paper is a comprehensive guide that addresses a problem within an industry and offers

a solution. While this seems simple from the outset, writing a white paper requires in-depth

knowledge of an industry and a company’s product, which means finding freelancers capable of

writing such intricate pieces can be difficult.

To give you an idea of how comprehensive white papers can be, let’s take a look at Google’s

Cloud Storage white papers.

White Papers

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Google’s Cloud Storage white papers focus on areas of interest for potential clients, specifically

the technology underlying their “products and services” and “topics such as security,

architecture, and total cost of ownership.”

The contents of these white papers offer big picture perspectives of the industry, and are not

intended to come across as overtly ‘salesy’ or self-promotional; rather, the aim is to give clients

a holistic understanding of the industry landscape, and where Google’s Cloud Storage fits into

it. By addressing common industry pain points, Google demonstrates how its product offers the

best solution.

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Because Cloud Storage is a multifaceted and complex product, only specialists or experts in the

field are truly suitable to author a white paper that will fulfill its goal, which is not necessarily to

close sales, but to introduce its audience to the top of the sales funnel.

Companies send out press releases to inform their audiences of important changes or

announcements concerning their pricing, policies, partnerships, financial status, or other

buzzworthy information. Because these pieces are disseminated through media outlets, press

releases tend to be concise, ranging anywhere between 500 and 1000 words, and written with

an authoritative, editorial tone.

The key to a good press release is that it must be newsworthy. A freelance writer can help you

to find newsworthy angles and write your press release in a standard newspaper format.

Press Releases

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Here is a list of typical press release subjects:

Announce a new service

Announce a new product

Winning an industry award

Exhibit at a tradeshow or convention

Announce a new white paper or eBook

Announce new personnel (ex. Apple just hired two “well-regarded TV execs”)

Create or promote a special event

Pricing and/or policy changes

New Partnerships / Mergers

Financial statements

Etnies / Michelin Partnership

Below are two press release examples:

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Apple’s Financial Statement: Third Quarter Results

In this example, Michelin Automotive Tires partnered with skateboarding shoe company Etnies to

create a new shoe “equipped with Michelin’s rally racing rubber compound”.

The merger of Michelin and Etnies, two major companies in unrelated industries, is somewhat

bizarre and intriguing, hence the newsworthiness of their collaboration.

What makes this press releases effective? The adherence to good journalistic practices, a clear,

authoritative tone, and their logical, organized explanation of the facts. Writing of this caliber

requires a strong writing ability, and shouldn’t be handled in-house unless an experienced press

release writer is present.

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Companies send out press releases about their financial condition – also called a financial statement

– to inform both creditors, investors, and shareholders about their financial performance.

In Apple’s case, CFO Luca Maestri commented on the enterprise’s unit and revenue growth in all

product categories in the June quarter, “driving 17 percent growth in earnings per share.”

So how do you know if you need a press release? Not every new product or policy change

necessarily warrants one. An experienced writer, preferably in your niche, can discern when a press

release is necessary, and they can write it in a manner befitting professional media publications.

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Email marketing is one of the most longstanding and effective methods of digital marketing.

Similar in practice to traditional mail marketing, email newsletters give marketers and companies

an opportunity to reach their users with targeted content with the purpose of achieving one of

the following goals:

To give you an idea of how comprehensive white papers can be, let’s take a look at Google’s

Cloud Storage white papers.

Email newsletters are cheap to outsource, easier to measure in terms of ROI, and you can

personalize them so that they appeal to the individual user.

Here are some great examples of email newsletters in the digital marketing sphere:

Email Newsletters

Maintain relationships with current or previous customers

Acquire new customers (lead generation)

Convince customers to convert (purchase, register, or click)

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Newsletters Featuring Blog Content

This newsletter from Marketing Land relies on blog content to maintain the reader’s interest.

Of course, somebody has to write these articles. Outsourcing a freelancer, or team of freelancers,

makes it possible to maintain a steady stream of content so you can populate your emails with

relevant, informative blog posts.

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Newsletters Featuring Actual Copy

Ramit Sethi owns the entrepreneur and financial email marketing niche, because he bombards

his subscribers with targeted emails. What’s important to note in this above photo is his use of

brief, clickbait-y subject lines.

“Money advice for Millennials,” and “What successful people don’t tell you” probably generate

massive open- and click-through rates!

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Sethi’s style is text heavy email marketing. Notice how his tone is very conversational,

friendly, and engaging. This kind of writing looks simple at a glance, but it takes time to

hone so that it reads naturally.

An effective product description highlights the benefits and features of a product in a way that

isn’t overly self-promotional; at the same time, the copy should incorporate vivid language that

sensitizes the product, making it appeal to the customer.

Product Descriptions

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When selling something users can consume, like food or beverages, it’s important to use

sensory language that will give customers a taste of what they’re looking at. In Stone Brewing’s

case, using rich descriptors enhances the selling points of their Stone Coffee Milk Stout:

“For this traditional yet worldly stout, the mild bitterness of the roasted coffee is balanced out

brilliantly by milk sugar, adding a touch of sweetness and creaminess.”

The flavors are described in such a way that customers are enticed to buy the beverage before

they’ve even sampled it. Your product descriptions can achieve the same effect if you emphasize

the selling points of your product with vivid language in your copy.

Here are a few examples of well-written product descriptions:

Stone Brewing

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When selling expensive items that include many features and benefits, it’s important that users

see the most striking elements first. For example, this Sony X900E boasts “Incredible Contrast”

and “Breathtaking Pictures”; it also includes Android TV and a processor that converts “non-

HDR content to near 4K HDR quality.”

Sears

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To make sure customers don’t skim over the TV’s main features, the product description

reiterates them in a list underneath the bold “Highlights” header. As the user scrolls down, the

individual features are then explained with in-depth subtext.

For ‘complex’ products like this, it’s crucial to focus on distinguishing characteristics of the item

at hand. Not only do your product’s features set it apart from the competition, they are the

selling point.

If you’re selling clothing, a quick description like the one pictured in J Crew’s example above

is best:

J Crew

“First launched in 2003, our broken-in chinos are made from heavily washed cot-ton twill that give them a vintage look with the timeworn characteristics of a well-

aged pair of jeans.”

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In this description, visual descriptors like “vintage look”, “well-aged”, and “heavily washed” give

customers an idea of what the jeans look like, and what material the pants are made from. Below the

main description, a brief bullet point list highlights other key features.

If there were no pictures to accompany this product description, a savvy, fashion-minded customer

could still get an idea of what the pants look like based on the ‘descriptors’ alone. If you’re marketing

clothing, it’s also important that the copy fits the style and voice of your brand.

While product descriptions may seem like a breeze to write, it’s still best to hire a writer with

experience in the ecommerce sphere so that your sales copy resonates with your target audience.

When it comes to finding freelance writers, there are two types of content services available. Below,

we discuss each type of service and the major players:

The Where: Where Do I Find The Best Freelance Writers?

Chapter 4

Content marketplaces connect clients with freelance writers. Their primary function is to create

content with a relatively quick turnaround rate.

Generally, there are two types of content marketplaces:

1. Content Marketplaces

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Self-service platforms give clients more leeway over their content production by allowing them

to handpick and communicate with a writer or team of writers. Many clients like this service

because they can make changes as needed to their content, and they can forge a professional

relationship with their content providers.

Self-service

Compose.ly

Scripted

Textbroker

The best writers at a fair price

All-original SEO-centric writing, expertise, and analysis

Expertise in all niches and industries

Thanks for reading our ebook! Although the platforms mentioned above create amazing content

for their clients, we obviously recommend Compose.ly over the others.

Why? We offer:

Our sophisticated team of writers understand that the best content blends style, creativity, and

sound SEO practices in a way that engages your audience and pleases search bots. It’s a tricky

balancing act, and no one does it better than us.

Freelancer

Fiverr

Contently

PLUG DESIGN: [Design/Space here for a quick compose.ly plug.]

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These platforms function more like an agency in that they offer a total hands off, autopilot

experience for a set fee. Clients simply provide key details pertaining to their business and let

their freelancer do the rest. Unlike the self-service platform above, autopilot services usually

allow their approved writers to claim the jobs they want.

‘Autopilot’ Service

Crowd Content

Crowd Source

Copify

Writology

Freelance Writing

Problogger

Freelance Writer’s Den

Online job boards post freelance job advertisements. Because these sites are constantly

updating their job boards with new opportunities, they attract writers from all over the internet.

Here are the most common job boards:

2. Job Boards

MediaBistro

Journalism Jobs

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Once you have a solid understanding of what content you need and why you need it, it will be

far easier to explain your content needs to a freelancer.

A clear description of your project will attract better talent. To write a thorough job description,

you need to convey your goals upfront. Job descriptions can be be broken into six components:

The How: Communicating Your Needs Effectively to Your Freelancer

Chapter 5

1. Business Information

2. Article Title (or General Topic Area)

3. Description

4. Content Goal

5. Target Audience

6. Tone & Style

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Obviously, there’s a fine line between giving your writer too much information (which means you’re practically writing the piece yourself), and giving too little. Although it can be tedious, we recommend over-providing rather than under-providing, especially if you don’t have a working relationship with a freelance writer. Once you do have a working relationship, your writer will likely be able to take more minimal job descriptions and still meet your expectations.

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Let’s take an in-depth look into what each of these job description components entails below:

1. Business Information

2. Article Title (or General Topic Area)

2. Description

Business name

Industry / Business Category

Product / Business Description

Your business information should include the following:

Business Website

Social Media Channels

Contact Information (email, phone number, address)

What’s the point of providing your business information? A skilled freelancer will research

your company and study your marketing materials to help them understand your product, your

audience, what type of content you’re looking for, and how it’s typically written

I.e., “How to Work With Freelancers More Effectively” or “Working with Freelancers”

Topic area and title go hand-in-hand. For example, if you want content related to outsourcing

freelance writers, you could provide a specific title like “How to Work With Freelancers More

Effectively”.

If you don’t have a specific title in mind, simply listing your topic area should suffice. A

competent writer will come up with an appropriate title based on the rest of the job description

you’ll be providing.

Your description should shed more light on the structure and scope of your content. Here is a

list of items freelancers look for:

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General information about your project

Word count

Content medium

Format

I.e., 750 - 1000 words

I.e., is this for a blog, a magazine, or a newspaper?

I.e.,Wordpress, Microsoft Word, PDF, etc.

In this section, you’re giving the writer an overview of the project. Think of it as the view from

30,000 feet. Some of the information you include here may be repeated in other parts of the

job description, where you might expand or clarify some of your points and needs. Overall, you

should explain why you’re commissioning the piece, what your goals are, and what you’d like the

piece to cover in general.

Giving your writer a minimum and a maximum word count will help set your expectations

and guide their choices in terms of how deeply they should cover a subject. If you need a

comprehensive and deep dive into a complex subject, expect to commission a 2,000+ word or

more piece. Unless you want to give the writer free reign, it will be up to you to estimate how

many words you’ll need to cover a subject in a way you think your audience will appreciate.

Giving your writer a minimum and a maximum word count will help set your expectations

and guide their choices in terms of how deeply they should cover a subject. If you need a

comprehensive and deep dive into a complex subject, expect to commission a 2,000+ word or

more piece. Unless you want to give the writer free reign, it will be up to you to estimate how

many words you’ll need to cover a subject in a way you think your audience will appreciate.

Let your writer know what format you expect your piece to be delivered in. Many shops

use Google Drive as their primary intermediary because it’s so easy to leave comments and

view draft versions.

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Key points

Things to omit or avoid

Working with freelancers is easier if you provide a robust job description

Working with freelancers is easier if they understand what goals your content is supposed to achieve

Providing examples of similar content you like will help your writer model their pieces and meet you expectations

Working with freelancers is easier if you provide a robust job description

Working with freelancers is easier if they understand what goals your content is supposed to achieve

Providing examples of similar content you like will help your writer model their pieces and meet you expectations

Are their specific points your writer absolutely must address in your content? If so, you can

make your needs clear in a separate ‘Key Points’ section of your job description..

Below are some key points that pertain to the outsourcing freelancers example above:

Key points will help you paint a clearer picture of the content you need. Again, the more details

you successfully communicate to your freelancer, the better.

Taking the time to think through and include this section can shave off the time it takes for your

writer submit second or third draft -- which could be days. It’s better to let them know upfront

about these basic requirements, and leave room more insightful, content-enhancing comments

on the second and third drafts.

If you want your writer to omit (or avoid) anything in your content, then specify.

Here are some examples:

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SEO keywords

Primary keyword

If you’re commissioning content for an online audience, don’t neglect to give your writer the

relevant SEO keywords you are targeting. To ensure accuracy, you should conduct the keyword

research yourself. We recommend providing the following information:

For any piece of SEO content you commission, it’s critical to know the primary keyword that you

want to target. This keyword will be repeated in the following critical sections at least one time:

Although some studies have indicated that Google is less and less reliant on these HTML signals

to determine what your article is about, it nevertheless remains good practice to structure your

articles this way around your primary keyword or keyword phrase.

Meta Title

Meta Description

H1 Title

H2 Subheading

TIP

You may have seen some SEO experts on the web emphatically saying that you should simply write “naturally” instead of worrying about keyword placement. Our official stance is that it’s simple to include your primary keyword in all of the critical sections above without making your piece sound stilted -- so why miss out on potential SEO benefits?

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Secondary keyword(s)

What about keyword density?

Generally speaking, any primary keyword you target will have a host of supporting secondary

keywords. A secondary keyword could be as simple as a plural. For instance, if you’re targeting

the primary keyword “Potted Plant”, one secondary keyword could be “Potted Plants”.

Depending on the caliber of writer you hire, he or she may know how to do this kind of research

and ensure that your piece is as SEO optimized as possible. However, your safest bet is to do

the legwork yourself, convey this information clearly to your writers, and allow them to spin

your disparate keyword choices into a cohesive, compelling, and SEO-friendly piece.

You may have heard that your articles should feature your primary (or secondary) keywords

as many times as necessary to achieve a specific density percentage. Our view is that this is a

useless metric, and simply recommend including your primary keyword in the critical sections

outlined above.

After that, we agree that your copy should be written “naturally” and ignore advocates of

keyword density, which will only serve to confuse your writer and possibly make your piece read

strangely. In the end, a poor user experience will lead to poor rankings.

Use keyword research software like Google’s Keyword Planner, or SEMrush

Review competitor pages currently ranking for your target primary keyword, and take stock of the secondary keywords they are targeting

Use websites like AnswerThePublic to determine what questions (which are also considered secondary keywords) users might have about your keyword or keyword

To discover relevant secondary keywords, you’ll need to do the following:

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Inform

Entertain

Keeping your readership updated on industry trends, news, and providing actionable, advice-

heavy articles could all be considered ‘informative content’. Supplying users with this kind of

material builds authority and trust in your brand, and it helps you retain your audience

This article from Empire Flippers, “How to Legally Get Reviews on Amazon Without Incentives”,

is an excellent example of content that informs its audience:.

Entertaining content is easy to read, digest, and regurgitate. In other words, it’s engaging, and

users can relate to it and share it.

One blog in particular that emphasizes entertaining, relatable content is Slack. Their pieces

are generally long, but very conversational and easy to read; in fact, they are enjoyable. Their

article titled, “The best works in progress: A suggested listening list from Slack’s podcast”,

demonstrates this well:

The author provides the user with actionable tips, and backs up those tips with in-depth

explanations later in the piece so that users can take something away from the content and

even benefit from it themselves.

4. Content Goal

Generally, all content aspires to achieve one or more of these goals:

“If you want to get reviews on Amazon, there are four things you can do. Two of them involve following up with your customer and two cover the way you can use

promotional content without breaking the rules.”

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“Everyone at Slack loves podcasts, so much so that we began producing our own about life and work back in May 2015. Late last year, we relaunched the podcast with a focus

on the meaning and identity we find in work, dubbed Work in Progress.”

“Keeping your customers happy is as important as informing them about new deals and encouraging repeat purchases. You can inform people in different ways, but the most

common one is email newsletters”

“With this MailChimp integration, your store gets connected to a specific list in MailChimp and your store visitors can agree to join it at the checkout process… Sub-

scribing to the list is just a matter of one click and doesn’t require extra typing on other pages — your customers enter their email address at the checkout anyway.”

You might be thinking, “what does content like this do for my business?” The fact is, it’s not

intended to drive conversions, but to engage the audience. In both B2B and B2C spheres,

entertaining content is important because it gives your brand a unique tone and voice, and it

appeals to your audience.

Slack strives to reach beyond their product – they truly want to engage their readers. That’s the

intended effect of this type of content.

Promote

While you could argue that all content is promotional, certain content is written specifically to

endorse affiliate services, your own brand, or a conjunction of both.

Ecwid’s article, “Best New Apps of 2017: MailChimp, Order Management, Discounts”, informs

users of the most helpful, relevant apps in their niche, and makes a case for their integrated

service:

In this example, Ecwid makes a case for the efficacy of email newsletters. The plug segues nicely

into their integrated service with MailChimp:

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“The European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most sweeping change to data protection in the past 20 years, and will go into effect in less

than a year. Its impact will be felt by every organization that does business in the EU, or handles personal information of EU citizens in any manner.”

“You can read the full report or listen to the webinar on demand. If your organization needs help building, implementing, or demonstrating GDPR compliance, TrustArc offers solutions to help, no matter where your organization stands against the GDPR require-

ments. Contact us today.

Sell

Hard-sells

There comes a time in the buyer’s journey where your users are ready to be converted into

customers. In general, there are two main sales techniques -- hard-sell, and soft-sell. Which you

need to use will depend on your product, your audience, or even the content medium.

Hard-sells feature more aggressive copy, and attempt to get your audience to make a decision to

purchase your product right away based on logical sequence of arguments for why they should.

TrustArc’s blog is a perfect example of content designed to intercept and hard-sell to customers

that are ready to take that next step. Their article “Privacy Insight Series Webinar Highlights

GDPR Benchmarking Research” unpacks a webinar episode hosted by TrustArc:

Users that will be affected by the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have ample

reason to read this type of content. At the end of the piece, TrustArc initiates the sell:

The compelling nature of the content is written with the user’s needs in mind: Internet privacy is

a high stakes issue that every digital entrepreneur should be concerned about. TrustArc knows

their product provides a viable solution to this problem, so why not ask users directly to sign up

for their service?

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Soft-sells

Soft-sells, on the other hand, try to evoke an emotional reaction from your reader that they will

associate with your brand, and lead to more sales in the future.

If selling is the goal of your content, it’s helpful to let your writer know which technique, hard-

sell or soft-sell, you think would be more useful for your product, although any writer worth

their salt should have their own informed opinion.

Imagine that you sell sneakers, and you commission a piece of content from a writer to explain

why your sneakers are the best. In your job description, you fail to mention that your sneakers

are designed specifically for the elderly. What else would you expect when your writer sends

back an article explaining that you can run, hike, skateboard, and backflip in these sneakers?

That explains the importance of knowing your target audience, and communicating who they

are clearly to your writer. When it comes to audience, there are two ways of breaking it down

for your freelancer: B2B and B2C.

TIP

How to Convey Your Content Goals to a Freelancer

The best way to communicate your content goals to a freelancer is to provide them examples as we did above. Do you want promotional content? Find a promotional blog that you admire, and show your freelancer the pieces you would like them to emulate.

As you may have noticed, most content blends one or more of these content goals into a single piece. That’s fine – as long as this is clearly understood between you and your writer.

5. Target Audience

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Firmographics (B2B)

All businesses are not the same, just as not all customers are the same. That’s why marketers

‘segment’ their business targets using what’s called firmographics.

Similar to demographics, firmographics help businesses develop their ideal customer profile by

grouping target businesses together based on their similarities and characteristics.

Businesses are generally defined — or segmented — by these qualities:

When defining your B2B target audience, it’s important to note that you’re not targeting one

specific persona, per se, but a group of decision makers. The individuals comprising that group

might include C-Level executives, technical experts, board members, purchasing experts, and

so on. According to B2B International, the challenge, then, “is arriving at the most effective

groupings” of decision makers.

While this may seem daunting, it’s not as difficult as one might think, seeing that the observable

behavior of most SMBs “tends to be less subject to whim or rapid change, meaning that once

an accurate segmentation has been established, it evolves relatively slowly and is therefore a

durable strategic tool.”

To better understand the differences between B2B and B2C audiences, we need to divide them

using two distinct methods:

Firmographics (“Business demographics”)

Demographics

Number of employees

Product type

Industry

Annual revenue

Recent activity

Product usage

Where do they do business?

Who are their customers?

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In other words, because the habits of SMBs are somewhat predictable, it’s actually easier for

marketers to sketch an accurate profile of their ideal — or typical — B2B customer.

Having this information on hand will help you relay exactly who your B2B target audience is to

your freelancer, which will make your content more effective in the end.

One could argue that the elements of tone and style are the pillars of great content. Why,

you might ask? Because together, tone and style establish your brand’s voice, which is what

distinguishes you from your competition.

All of these qualities come into play when creating a B2C buyer persona. Some marketers

even include factors like personality traits, hobbies, worries, hopes, and fears into their

characterization of the ideal, everyday customer.

By ascertaining who your ideal customer is, be it B2B or B2C, you can better relay your content

needs to a freelancer.

Demographics (B2C)

Demographics (B2C)

When creating a consumer profile based on demographics, the qualities we look for are more

tangible:

Gender

Age

Geolocation

Education

Religious preferences

Political orientation

Ethnicity

Race

Income level

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Blogs are typically written for one of two reasons: to inform users by providing educational or

insightful content, or to promote a product or service.

Informative content is topical, current, and intriguing. It can relate to both the savvy customer

and the uninitiated, novice reader alike. Promotional content focuses primarily on endorsing

products or affiliate services.

Here are 20 ecommerce consumer stats revealing how customers shop in 2017.

Informative Example

Informative vs. Promotional

Over time, you want that voice to be resounding and unique. When your brand voice is clear,

people listen. It has to do with building trust, authority, and maintaining a high standard for

your content.

So how do you convey something so delicate to a freelancer? It boils down to effectively

communicating each facet of tone and style, which we break down into five categories. You

can decide, out of each category, which word best describes the tone and style you like your

article to convey.

Informative vs. Promotional

Casual vs. Professional

List-heavy vs. Narrative

Newsworthy vs. Evergreen

Targeted/Niche vs. General/Broad

NOTE: For our purposes, we will be focusing strictly on blog content in this section, simply because it’s the most in-demand content medium in most B2B and B2C circles.

Five reasons our software is superior, and how it will help you increase traffic and conversions.

Promotional Example

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Freelance writing opens up a plethora of new opportunities for millennials who want to ditch

their desks for their living room.

A new case study of the gig economy shows there is a 45% increase in millennials quitting their

day jobs in favor of freelancing.

Casual Example

Professional Example

A casual tone sounds light-hearted and friendly. The primary benefit of a casual tone is that it’s

engaging and unintimidating, both of which are necessary to retain a general audience. A more

serious, professional tone, on the other hand, comes across as more authoritative.

Casual vs. Professional

TIP

So what is “conversational” content?

Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be misconstrued as a synonym for “casual” or “light-hearted” tone, or any tone for that matter. Conversational writing simply targets the reader, and nothing more.

Why is conversational content so important?

Writing that comes off as too literary or “non-conversational” runs the risk of losing the reader. That’s why internet writing puts so much emphasis on conversational writing: we want to entice, engage, retain, and ultimately convert our readers – not confuse them.

So what makes writing conversational? It simply needs to sound colloquial, as if you were talking to another person. This effect can be achieved without compromising the desired tone for your blog. B2B content should not be stodgy and dull just because it deals with an esoteric subject matter. Readers want to be talked to – not lectured.

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Below are three tips that will improve the readability of your long-form blog posts:

Thought leaders and influencers alike recommend long-form blog posts because they are better

for retaining a niche readership, unpacking complex concepts, improving search ranking, and

interlinking, which decreases bounce rate.

List-heavy Example

Narrative Example

Do you like bullet point lists, numerical lists, and listicles? Or do you prefer chunkier paragraphs

that tell a story? List-heavy content is better for providing actionable tips or an exhaustive list of

items because it organizes the information in a linear, aesthetically-pleasing fashion. However,

some readers still prefer the more conventional narrative style.

Opting for list-heavy articles or a traditional narrative style depends entirely on your audience.

Sample both to see what works for you.

Newsworthy content is time-sensitive; evergreen content is timeless. Generally, newsworthy

pieces are great content to generate a spike in traffic, but once the buzz dies down, so does

their relevance.

Evergreen content, on the other hand, is built to last. Solid evergreen material is also an SEO

standby that will appreciate over time, making it the superior blog piece.

List-heavy vs. Narrative

Newsworthy vs. Evergreen

Include captivating headlines

Break up dense texts with lists when possible

Use simple vocabulary

Stick to bite-sized paragraphs

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Google’s latest Panda update has had adverse effects on websites with poor-quality content.

Recent surveys show a high demand for this service in parts of Asia, which will affect marketing

trends and strategies in the near future.

These three tried-and-true tips will improve the quality of your content and search ranking over

time.

This new cutting-edge product will make online streaming services much more accessible and

prevalent in every home across the nation.

Providing concrete examples and details like the ones shown above will give your freelancer a

clear idea of what tone and style you need for your blog. Find what works best for you and stick

to it – consistency builds trust in your brand.

Newsworthy Example

Targeted/Niche Example

Evergreen Example

Evergreen Example

Targeted content is aimed at a specific group of individuals, as opposed to general content,

which appeals to a broader audience.

Targeted/Niche vs. General/Broad

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Our Compose.ly Content Marketplace gives you access to a team of elite writers and a wide

range of content marketing services. We guarantee that it’s accessible, easy to use, and the

quality is unparalleled.

Compose.ly matches your business with elite writers that understand what makes your brand

special. Our team will tell your business’s story by crafting authoritative content that engages

and retains your target audience. Let’s work together, and watch as your content goals become

a reality.

We understand writing. It’s what we know and do best. We also understand the relationship

between writer and client, which helps us facilitate fruitful relationships. This is something we’ve

learned to excel at, not only because we care about forging lasting partnerships with our clients,

but because we want to contribute to the greater community of freelance writers.

That has been our goal since the founding of Freelance Writing, a site that has provided talented

freelancers with the opportunities and resources they need to become better writers since

1997. Since then, we’ve gained valuable insights into the craft and trade of freelance writing,

and one thing is certain: clients want a no hassle, easy-to-use platform to get the content they

need, when they need it. Our highly accessible, in-house software and team of elite writers can

do just that.

The Compose.ly Content Marketplace

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Let Us Tell Your Story

We Love the Craft. We Know the Trade.