When it comes to content writing, many businesses struggle with two things: coming up with ideas and creating high-quality content. Often, the business owner or marketing team is tasked with creating all of the company’s content, which can be daunting and time-consuming. And even if you have great ideas, producing well-written, engaging content that resonates with your audience can be challenging. That’s where outsourcing comes in. It is a great way to get high-quality content without spending hours writing it yourself.
There are many benefits to outsourcing your content writing. It can save you time and money, and it can also help you create better content. But before you start outsourcing your content, there are a few things you need to do to set yourself up for success.
First, you need to create a content brief. This document will act as a guide for the person or team you are outsourcing to. It should include details about what you want the final piece of content to look like. This might consist of length, tone, audience, keywords, and examples of similar pieces of content. By providing as much detail as possible, you will likely end up with a bit of content that meets your expectations.
The content length: The length of your content will depend on the purpose of the piece. If you are creating a blog post, it will likely be shorter than if you are making an e-book or an eBook. Keep in mind that longer pieces of content tend to perform better from an SEO perspective. You can determine the length based on the time you have and the resources you have available.
The tone of voice: Your content should match your website’s and brand’s overall style. Your content should reflect that you are a casual, fun brand. On the other hand, if you are a more severe or formal company, your content should be more traditional.
Your target audience: Keep your target audience in mind when creating content. Who are you trying to reach with this piece? What are their needs and wants? What kind of language do they use? Answering these questions will help you create content that resonates with your audience.
Keywords: Keywords are essential for SEO purposes. You should include a few relevant keywords in your content so that it can be found more easily by people searching for it. But don’t stuff your keywords in there; use them naturally throughout the piece.
Examples of similar content: It can be helpful to provide your content writer with samples of similar pieces of content. This will give them a better understanding of what you are looking for and help them create something that meets your expectations.
The tone: Your content should match the overall tone of your website and brand. Your content should reflect that you are a casual, fun brand. On the other hand, if you are a more severe or formal company, your content should be more traditional.
Topic: The topic of your content will likely be determined by the purpose of the piece. If you are creating a blog post, it will probably be about something relevant to your business. On the other hand, if you are making an eBook, the topic could be anything that would be of interest to your target audience.
Here is my content outsourcing template which you can use to tell the content writer exactly what you need:
What exactly I need from you: Please write a detailed article about “TOPIC HERE”
Don’t copy content from other websites! Write this article in your own words!
Special Instructions: please pay attention to the keyword on the article you are writing… this should be the title of the article.
IMPORTANT: This is not an SEO article. Please don’t focus on keyword density and just write naturally.
Before you submit, please use this tool: wordcounter.net to make sure the keyword density is NOT over 3% in the finished article.
For this article just focus on the quality of the article. I will give you some example articles for the writing style:
https://exampewebsite1.com
https://exampewebsite2.com
https://exampewebsite3.com
We check the content for plagiarism using Copyscape, so please keep it unique and don’t copy content from other websites.
Make the content as detailed as possible. Focus on the important information and the structure of the content.
Use headlines and bullet points to organize the content!
Run the content through Grammarly! (https://app.grammarly.com) This is a checking tool to fix common errors.
Not all content writers are created equal. It would help if you took the time to find a person or team who meets your specific needs. When looking for a content writer, consider the following:
Their experience: the experience of the person or team you are working with will likely have a significant impact on the quality of the final product. Please check examples of their work to get an idea of their style and quality. When looking for experience, consider the specific niche or industry they have worked in. Finding someone with experience writing about topics similar to the one you are working on can be helpful.
Their rates: the rates charged by content writers can vary widely. When considering rates, consider the quality of their work and the time it will likely take to complete the project. You don’t want to sacrifice quality by going with the cheapest option, but you also don’t want to overspend on something that someone else could do more cheaply.
The turnaround time: depending on the scope of your project, you may need your content relatively quickly. Make sure you discuss the timeline with your content writer in advance, so there are no surprises.
Their understanding of your business: it’s essential that the content writer understands your business and what you are trying to achieve. They should be able to ask you questions about your business and clearly understand your goals.
Once you’ve found a few content writers you’re interested in working with, reach out and send them a brief. This should include an overview of the project, your expectations, and other relevant details. The content writer can give you a more accurate quote based on the information you provide.
When outsourcing your content writing, it’s essential to set realistic expectations. This means being clear about what you want and providing as much detail as possible. It also means being realistic about deadlines and knowing that the first draft might not be perfect. Setting realistic expectations will make you more likely to be happy with the final product. When setting expectations, keep the following in mind:
Be clear about what you want: the more detail you can provide, the better. Give your content writer a clear idea of what you are looking for. If you have specific ideas, share them. The more information you can give, the easier it will be for the content writer to create something that meets your expectations.
Be realistic about deadlines: if you need your content quickly, be upfront about it. Content writers can usually accommodate rush orders, but they will likely cost more. Likewise, if you have a longer timeline, let the content writer know so they can plan accordingly.
Be prepared to revise: no matter how good your content writer is, the first draft will likely need some revision. Be ready to give feedback and make changes. The more open you are to revision, the better the final product will be.
Once you’ve received the first draft of your content, it’s essential to provide feedback. This will help the content writer make necessary revisions and ensure that the final product is something you’re happy with. When giving feedback, be specific and constructive. For example, rather than simply saying, “This isn’t good,” try to explain what could be improved and why. This will help the writer understand your vision for the project and make the necessary changes.
Feedback is also crucial in the revision process. After you’ve suggested changes to the first draft, the writer will usually revise the piece and send it back to you for approval. At this stage, it’s essential to read through the revised content carefully to ensure that all your changes have been made. If there are any remaining issues, provide specific feedback so the writer can make the necessary revisions. Remember, the goal is to end up with content that you’re happy with and meets your needs. By taking the time to provide quality feedback, you can help ensure that this goal is met.
When outsourcing your content writing, the final product must be high quality. One way to help ensure this is to provide your content writer with internal links and sources. Internal links are links to other websites that you own. This can help the writer create more comprehensive and accurate content.
For example, if you’re outsourcing a blog post about the benefits of your product, you might provide a link to your product page. Sources are another way to help the content writer create accurate and well-researched content. If you have any studies or statistics that you want the writer to use, be sure to provide them. By giving the content writer access to internal links and sources, you can help ensure that the final product is of the highest quality.
SEO keywords are essential for your content to be found by potential customers. Therefore, it is important to include them in your brief to the external content creator. You can either give the creator a list of keywords to use or ask them to keep SEO in mind when writing the piece. Keywords can be incorporated into the title, headings, and the text’s body.
Examples of SEO keywords:
But where and how do you find keywords that are not too competitive? There are several ways you can find keywords for your website content or for your blog posts. For example, you can use premium keyword research tools like Ubersuggest or SEMrush. But there are also free keyword tools that you can use to find keywords with low competition. Here I can recommend the free keyword research tool from AHrefs.
If you have any other specific instructions for the content writer, include them briefly. For example, if you want the writer to use a particular tone of voice, or if you want them to target a specific customer group, be sure to include this information. The more specific you can be, the better the final product.
Some examples include:
Image sourcing: if you want the content writer to include images in the piece, let them know. You can either provide specific ideas for them to use or ask them to find images that are relevant to the topic.
Meta information: if you want the writer to include meta information (title, description, etc.), let them know. This will help ensure that the final product is optimized for search engines.
Links: links can be helpful in many ways. If you want the writer to include links to other websites, let them know. You can also ask the writer to include links to your website. This can help improve your website’s SEO and drive traffic to your site.
Submission format: before the content writer gets started, let them know what format you want the final product in. For example, if you want a blog post, you’ll need to provide the writer with the specific instructions for submitting a blog post to your site.
There are many different content outsourcing platforms on the internet, but not all platforms are equally good. We searched for a long time until we found the right platform that does a good job.
I can recommend the content platform “HireWriters“. There you will find many freelance content writers doing a good job.
You can order items in different lengths. There is also the right writer for every topic. Just take a look at the platform and test an article or two!
A content brief is essential for any business that relies on content to promote its products or services. It’s a way to ensure that you get the results you want and that the final product is high-quality. If you take the time to write a content brief, you’ll be sure to get the best possible results. Ensure that you’re as specific as possible and provide the writer with all the information they need to create great content.
A content brief should be as long or short as necessary to provide the writer with the information they need to create high-quality content. If you can be brief and to the point, that’s ideal. However, if you need to provide more information to get the desired results, don’t be afraid to do so.
A content brief is a document that provides information about what you want the writer to create. A style guide is a document that includes information about how you want the content to be written. For example, a style guide might consist of information about the tone of voice to use, the target audience, and the format of the final product.
If you don’t have time to write a content brief, a list of topics can be helpful. However, providing the writer with as much information as possible is crucial to getting the best results. The more specific you can be, the better.
A good content brief should be clear, concise, and specific. It should provide the writer with enough information to create high-quality content that meets your needs. You will also want to ensure that your content brief is free of typos and grammatical errors.
It’s up to you. A call to action is not required, but it can be helpful. If you want the writer to include a call to action, let them know. You can also provide specific instructions about what you want the call to action to say.