A blogging platform provides you heaps of marketing opportunities for your business. The beauty of this is that you can reap these benefits even with a small budget when you outsource blog writing.
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Blogging started as a form of expression where people essentially allowed the world to sneak a peek into their personal lives and what’s inside their heads.
What once was an online diary became something else entirely with the emergence of new technologies that virtually brought the world closer.
The medium has ultimately evolved into the great and powerful platform it is today and is now a solid marketing tool businesses use to reach their customers and get their brand out there without shelling out wads of cash.
It is about the most affordable method of getting leads and conversions. In fact, if you do it right, you are looking at a positive ROI for just a fraction of the cost.
The challenge is finding the right partner to outsource blog writing to, but we’re here to help you in figuring that out.
You have the option to outsource to writing agencies that provide actual training to the writers. There are those based near you and others in common outsourcing hubs like the Philippines.
This is the best way to go when working on a high-volume blog project that requires varied skill sets.
The problem with going this route is that you rarely get the chance to assess their writing skills, which makes it all the riskier since you are basically making a commitment based solely on their word. Many agencies, however, train their writers to ensure top writing quality.
These platforms are perfect for one-time blog projects. Screening gets a bit easier because you can view their client ratings and reviews of their past work on their profiles.
However, even then, you will not be able to see if they are a fit without interviewing them in-depth especially with content mills usually playing matchmaker. They are ideal for freelance projects so it can be very difficult to build a relationship with a writer you like.
One popular writer-focused marketplace is TextBroker, which allows you to “order” content. The prices will be calculated based on your preferred quality and the word count.
You can choose from two-star to five-star writing. The ratings are evaluated and assigned to writers by TextBroker editors based on their previous work. You will pay around $108 for a five-star professional 1,500-word write-up. You will notice quite a gap between five and four-star quality because you will only be charged $36 for the same project with four-star quality.
Keep in mind that among the types of writing you will need for your business, a blog post is one thing that needs to be written to the highest quality because it will demonstrate your credibility in your trade, represent your brand to your customers, and is meant to be shared and ranked.
Upwork is a large marketplace for freelancers from around the world. Posting a job is free, but you will be charged additional fees for every transaction you make during your search such as a payment processing fee for each project. Communication between you and the writer is also required to be done within the site only.
With a massive database, you will comb through a lot if you outsource blog writing on Upwork. You are guaranteed to get a response to your posting as with any marketplace. However, to weed out the low-quality freelancers or spammers make sure you list a few pre-requisites. Also, don’t expect to get a quality writer at $2-5 per hour.
Freelancer.com also has a global network allowing freelancers from different parts of the globe to bid on your job postings. However, it can be much more challenging to filter users here and ensure you are getting a worker you can trust. A quick internet search will also tell you that there are complaints about freelancers not completing a project as agreed upon so you run the risk of losing time and money.
Craigslist is another platform you can use to outsource blog writing whether you want a blogger who can work near you or someone thousands of miles away. However, the site is a playground for scammers so you will have to be extremely careful when screening applicants especially since you will likely receive tons of responses.
Fiverr offers writing services with a minimum of $5 per project. However, it has earned notoriety for inconsistent and often slapdash quality output.
You’re talking about getting typically one-week projects completed in a day or two. Blog content almost always needs to be of optimal quality to get desired results so this might not be an ideal place to go to.
In addition, you also have to pay a 5% client fee, which is one of the highest you will find among freelance marketplaces. It is basically almost double what others are asking for.
OnlineJobs.ph is a highly affordable alternative that connects you to Filipino remote workers with excellent English writing skills.
This means you can actually get amazing quality writing and experienced writers for a fraction of the cost. A free subscription will allow you to publish three job postings and view applications to get a feel for the talent you can get.
If you upgrade to a $69/month subscription, you will be able to review the profiles and resumes and hire writers. You don’t have to worry about paying extra for every transaction. You can complete the hiring process with ease by paying this fee and cancel it anytime.
If you don’t have the time to scour through resumes, the platform will do it for you for a small fee so you can fast-track your search. The search system is pretty detailed though. You can look up professionals based on their star ratings (one being the lowest and five the highest).
Outsourcing brings you closer to a global talent pool with different levels of expertise and rates, giving you huge leeway and a variety of options. Even with a small budget, however, you can get high-quality writing assistance when you outsource blog writing overseas such as in Asian countries like the Philippines.
Apart from experience and their ease in working with international companies and U.S.-based clients, Filipinos are highly proficient in speaking and writing in English. After all, it ranks as the second most English proficient country in Asia. With English as a second language deeply integrated into the workplace, school, and entertainment, the country is highly westernized.
The majority of the online workers you will find are able to effectively communicate in English, and writers with a better command of the language are easy to spot as well. You can gauge their proficiency by paying attention to how they present themselves on their profiles, checking their portfolios, and requesting a trial article for good measure.
Unless you need someone with local knowledge, which can sometimes be the case in travel blogs, outsourcing to the Philippines may be the most cost-effective option for you.
For comparison, a writer in the Philippines with several years of experience will write a 500-word blog post for you for $15-30. This is half of what you will pay to a local blog writer with less than a year of experience.
The same goes for the hourly rate. An experienced Filipino writer will charge from $10-12, which is three times lower than the rates of a local writer with the same level of experience. Local entry-level writers will charge around $10 per hour in the United States, which will already get you a pro blogger in the Philippines.
Learn more about how you can grow your company without leaving a dent in your budget by outsourcing to the Philippines. In this article, we discuss:
| Type | Local | Overseas |
| Per hour | $24-$50 | $3-$12 |
| Per 500-word post | $25-$300 | $3-$30 |
| Per word | $0.10-$1 | $0.018-$0.024 |
| Type | Local | Overseas |
| Beginner (0-3 years) | $50-$130 | $9-12 |
| Intermediate (3-7 years) | $130-$250 | $13-$25 |
| Professional (7-15 years) | $250-$500+ | $26+ |
Outsourcing is one way to cover an integral part of your business while minimizing costs. However, you should reflect on what your blog content will be about. You can choose among three types of writers that will best serve your strategy and vision.
Generalist writers can cover a wide variety of topics, sometimes no matter how disconnected they are from each other. They can whip up write-ups on the best bachelorette party ideas, as well as, craft a guide on grill barbecuing. These are writers with educational writing training, allowing them to zero in on different topics because they already have the writing aspect covered.
As a result, they are perfect for building top-of-the-funnel content for your blog as well as churning a high volume of content. The thing to remember here is while they will be comfortable covering different topics, it will also take quite some research just to get a better understanding of each one they cover. They might not be able to dissect a topic properly as an expert would, and if they could, it will take a considerable time.
You can give generalist blog writers the research time they need if you want quality content for a lower price, but for highly technical topics or specialized fields like medicine or law, you are better off with specialist writers or subject matter experts.
This is especially important for those in the health niche, which was recently impacted by one of Google’s latest updates where articles not written by actual health professionals end up at the bottom of the search result, because of credibility and safety issues.
With a subject matter expert or specialist writer, you also have a better chance of conversion. Because of their increased knowledge in a specific niche or topic, specialist writers also usually charge higher rates.
You can look for niche enthusiasts if you have highly specific topics such as sewing, LED lighting, or tiny houses. Not all of them will be good writers, so they can be hard to find. You will have to dig a little deeper to make sure they have the necessary writing skills.
Having a niche specialist is important though since topics will usually be very specific and clearly defined. You can turn to Facebook groups, Reddit forums, Quora, or niche writing marketplaces for your search.
Sometimes, you can do a mix of both based on your needs. If you are blogging about martial arts or pet grooming, you could get someone who has experience covering them or is genuinely passionate about it. You might need someone with actual experience though if your blog will be mainly about e-commerce or finance tips.
Depending on where you outsource blog writing, a generalist will charge you $50-$200 for a 1,000-word article. You’re looking at $200-$1,000 for a specialist. A niche enthusiast may charge lower rates than the generalist.
Anticipate your company’s needs. If you have decided that blogging will be a vital aspect of your business, then you will be better off hiring a full-time writer who can write multiple blog posts per week. Over time, they will learn to get a good grip of your tone and voice to better represent your brand and capture your personality in their articles every time.
You might end up with inconsistent tones or styles if you hire a different freelancer each time you need a blog post, which might do more harm than good especially if you already have a devoted audience who is familiar with how you express yourself. This also means retraining or re-orienting a different writer every single time.
On the other hand, if you just need sporadic blog maintenance for an indefinite period of time, you might want to hold on to a freelance writer you can pay per post or on an hourly basis. This can be a little challenging since freelancers attend to different clients.
While this is often negotiable, it will depend on your needs and the platform you choose to outsource blog writing. Most of the time, writers will charge by the hour. Blog writing experts, however, are usually compensated per word or per post.
If it is just a one-off project, you can offer a fixed rate or get a quote from the writer. Be careful about setting your rate though because it will influence the quality of applicants you will get. Don’t expect a ready-to-publish 1,500-word article for $10.
Sometimes, business owners tend to forget that writing skills are just one way to find out if an outsourced writer is a good fit. They focus so much on that they neglect to consider other important factors, which ends up jeopardizing the results, wasting time and financial resources, or promoting turnovers. Here are things you should pay attention to when you outsource blog writing.
If you are looking to position yourself as an industry leader, you will need someone who knows their way around your niche. Especially if you have savvy readers, your writer must have experience writing similar content, is well-versed with the subject, or at the very least interested in it.
Your outsourced blog writer should consistently deliver and give 100% for each and every piece of content. They understand that each article has as much potential to grow your business like any other form of marketing.
Sometimes, it takes one successful post to drive long-term traffic, conversions, and sales so it is important that every single post is given the thought and care it needs.
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Sometimes, it will feel like you are running out of topics to cover or that there’s no other angle to tackle a specific subject. So when you outsource blog writing, make sure the person you hire has a creative eye to find something new or spin a heavily-covered topic into something unique and interesting. This means having a genuine interest to learn or convey knowledge about what they are writing about. This will also help if your priority is to improve your blog.
Over the years, the suggested blog post length has changed many times as Google continues to update its algorithm to bring the best content at the forefront for users.
When you outsource blog writing, hire a writer who can get your message across or the information effectively consumed in a post as short as 500 words as well as they could in a 2000-word piece.
How do you know a writer can do that? Ask for samples of their previous work, give them a writing test, or if they have no experience, a one-week or 30-day trial. Go through their long-form writings to see if they are able to keep it concise and fluff-free.
We’ve written a guide to help you evaluate an applicant’s skill when outsourcing. In this article, we discuss:
When you outsource blog writing, hire someone who keeps pace with the industry. Blog writing evolves every single day so you want someone who is passionate about blogging and cares enough to adapt to the ever-changing platform for the genuine desire to constantly improve his services and skills.
SEO and keywords don’t tell the whole story. Of course, it will always come down to the idea of writing for humans and not for algorithms. However, no humans will magically stumble upon your content if they are not optimized properly.
Since your Google ranking and visibility will hinge completely on your blog content, your writer must know what it takes to get to the first page of the search results by optimizing each piece for the search engine and practicing organic keyword integration.
Go in-depth on the topic of outsourcing SEO by reading our article to learn more about:
If the outsourced writer will be using content management systems like WordPress, he should know his way around the platform so he can publish the content with minimal supervision as well as add supplemental elements such as images, charts, or tables that can make it more dynamic.
You can ask them about whether or not they are familiar with your preferred CMS or if not, at least provide them tutorials, which you can get for free from YouTube and other online resources.
In the social media age, users want instant access to information and easy consumption. This is why apart from writing an article, you might also want to consider hiring a blog writer who can quickly repurpose content for other platforms and uses and even add visual elements to the content they write to give it depth. That way, they can make social media posts or infographics that condense information concisely, easily grabbing user attention, and increasing the shareability of your content.
Make it a point to learn the workflow process of a writer–from the research to proofreading. You want someone who does an outline for a long-form post to help them stay organized and make better use of their time, especially when writing long articles. A sign of efficiency is a writer who researches and writes at the same time and how they go about improving their first draft.
Ask them how long it will take them to write an article with a certain number of words. It will not be the same for every topic, but they should at least give you an idea of their turnaround time and how efficient they are, just make sure that a timeline doesn’t make him sacrifice quality. Quantity over quality is not always better.
Learn what blogs in your related niche the writer reads or follows. This is a way to gauge the passion and how proficient they are in their chosen field.
Make sure you yourself know why you are blogging. You need to have a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve to find the right outsourced blog writer for you and be able to communicate your goals and point them in the right direction.
In putting together a strategy, you will need to determine what you want to post on your blog. Will it be exclusive to news or will you also publish how-to guides and tips? You will also have to figure out how often you will post.
This will seem like it will be a lot of work, but again, the goal here is for you to make the most out of your blog. With the right writer by your side, however, this would be a breeze. Here are some of the things you need to prepare:
Article word count. This is important for two things. First is your budget, because the longer the content, the higher the cost. The second factor is your ranking performance. If you are just starting to blog, the best way to bring your content to the first page is in writing long-format, high-quality content. Recent trends show that Google loves posts at around 1,500-2,000 words.
Format. You should also figure out what tone and style you like the article to be written in. If it will be casual or professional, inform the writer so that they know what to aim for. Most blog writers you will find strike a balance between the two.
While you won’t be doing the grunt work, you will still need to proofread and edit the work of your outsourced blog writer to ensure coherence and consistency with your brand and personality. This is an important step especially with the first submission and if you are working with full-time writers.
This will help your outsourced writing professional get a better understanding of what you are looking for. When they eventually do, you’ll find yourself doing less and less of this.
You can delegate proofreading to a dedicated proofreader if you are expecting a consistent stream of content, and you should be able to easily afford one if you outsource blog writing to a high-quality writer from the Philippines, which will cost less than a writer in the United States.
Checking the article is also a way for you to integrate your insights and knowledge from your experience to add more credibility to the piece.
You can put together a guide on how you want a how-to post to look like and how something like a comparison article will be structured. If you are looking for long-form content for a medicine or e-commerce related topic that you know will be similar in flow and format, streamline the creation process by crafting dedicated templates that your outsourced blog writer can follow.
This way, your writer will know how to tackle each type of content. For example, if the writer will tackle a different kind of supplement for each post, he will know what information has to be included and how to structure everything. You can even provide your preferred sources and guidelines on how to optimize research.
This is to ensure consistency with the brand across the entire blog. Let your outsourced writer know how you would like him to integrate images and cite sources if they should write in an American or British English, follow a specific style guide, your preferred capitalizations and format for titles and headings, the use of Oxford comma, and more.
Think about whether or not a topic will be worth writing. How do you determine that? Will the article serve the purpose of your blog? Will it be something that people will actually search for? As such, make it a habit to at least research the topic and visualize what the article will look like.
Check search volume and customer search trends using keyword tools to make sure it is worth pursuing before you outsource it or have a blog writer develop a piece. If you want a blog post to draw in consistent traffic and conversions, choose topics that are timeless.
It is important to paint a picture for your outsourced hire what their workdays will look like. So here are a couple of things you should make clear from the get-go if you are going to outsource blog writing full-time:
Inform the blog writer of the kind of topics they will be covering. Many writers you find can cover a variety of topics. However, if they will be tasked to dive into a single umbrella topic or field, it might be difficult to keep them interested especially is it is one they are not crazy about.
So it is important that they know how to keep their content fresh and themselves constantly interested to combat any potential repetitiveness on the job. That brings us to the next point, which is the passion for research and genuine curiosity.
If they have the inherent interest to expand their knowledge or inform others, your outsourced hire will not run out of steam and will find ways to add a sense of freshness to their day-to-day responsibilities.
Blogging will always be an important aspect of your business so it isn’t always going to be about the money–for you and your writer. That doesn’t mean that you can’t find ways to save. You can download our free training below if you need more help on how to outsource blog writing.
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