outsource article writing

outsource article writing

The Art and Science of Outsourcing Article Writing: Strategies for Success

1. Introduction to Outsourcing Article Writing

The division of native and non-native English language writers also tends to be found at a quick glance within the profiles of providers advertising their services on regulated auction markets such as Elance, Guru, and Rentacoder (RAC), and on top-level forums. However, with the exception of brokerage sites and the writers working in niche markets that specifically target U.S. audiences, little information seems publicly available in an aggregated manner on the demographics of online native English language article writers to the best of the authors’ knowledge.

Outsourcing article writing has long been considered a unique niche in the online publishing business. Most internet-based companies offering this service have taken the approach of using writers from across the globe who are fluent in the respective languages of their clientele. Many writers for these providers are able to turn quick profits because they construct articles from pre-designed “fact sheets.” A comparable service common to the industry is that of “article spinning,” which permits clients to use a base article to create a variety of versions by replacing words and phrases, much like the Internet-based service. The demand for these cost-effective solutions is not surprising, given that non-native speakers are able to write for approximately a third of the cost of their native-speaking counterparts.

1. Introduction to Outsourcing Article Writing

2. Benefits and Challenges of Outsourcing Article Writing

Of course, writing need not be strictly utilitarian, and many editors and corrections professors may shudder to think of firms hiring brilliant essays for composition and peer-reviewed or account-rated manuscripts. An important part of professional growth, however, comes from honing one’s skills by writing for audiences of different levels of expertise. When you hire an essay styling service to do the research and composition for your piece, you can expect the firm to build in processes that lead from your rough draft to the completed essay as smoothly and efficiently as possible, and to deliver the completed piece within the promised time frame.

The primary benefit of outsourcing article writing is that it typically saves a great deal of time. The two greatest time commitments of article writing are research and composition. Many of the most productive researchers in an organization lack the necessary writing skills to produce papers, articles, and essays. Skilled writers are often able to process research into workable essays much more quickly than busy managers and academics have time. Outsourcing also allows firms to preserve the writing talent of their staff for other duties. Companies or institutions can save these employees for tasks that require their other skills – analyzing clients’ needs, offering consultations, speaking at conferences, or composing difficult internal documents.

3. Choosing the Right Outsourcing Partner

How does the prospective partner make a profit? This is a key question you must ask yourself because this issue can affect the ROI of your business model dramatically. If their business models and pricing are not clear, anticipate a majority of profit opportunities are taken before you receive your portion. Businesses at risk who have not already secured and established relationships with the top outsourcers will have trouble in a market that is consolidation friendly. If the potential provider has all the right answers but is not viable according to established business parameters, it should not be in your plan for stability. Make sure there is no doubt about how they make a profit; make sure that they are right for your business as well.

Economic Stability and Business Model

Is the provider capable of working with your business for the long term? Ask if the provider continuously monitors your contract and the rapidly changing technologies that drive the internet. How does the provider measure up to a changing competitive environment?

Flexibility

Look closely at the ability of the provider to support your technological needs. Make sure the technology employed by the provider is the latest available. Inquire about the stability and security of the provider’s technology.

Technology

If speed to market, profits, and survival are important, choose a firm that can deliver what it has promised. Ask for references: present and former clients and firms with whom the provider does business. Examine the company’s ability to adapt and innovate ways to do business with partners that are their clients.

Reputation

Check out the backgrounds and experience of the people behind the outsourcing firm. Have they been successful in the internet space? From what depths does their business experience come? Do they bring experience from long careers in the brick-and-mortar world? These considerations should guide you to a firm with a broad perspective.

Experience and Goals

Experienced partners can add significant value to your business. Here are some basic attributes you should look for when choosing an outsourcing firm.

4. Effective Communication and Collaboration in Outsourcing

Highly qualified content providers deliver superior business results only if we explicitly provide them with detailed knowledge about our business. It’s that ability to explain what gives our business a competitive advantage. Instead, there’s a large distance between us and our outsource provider. When we engage with a content provider to create specific new content for the application, typically a development engineer will create a brief about the application to engage the content provider. While the brief is complete in technical matters, it often comes across as aloof. Wouldn’t it be great if we could directly engage the application development manager with a reputation of succinctly defining highly competitive verbal business descriptions? Characterizing the content, this is a key enabler to move content software out of the factory application business into the realm of application differentiation.

One of the key success factors in outsourcing content creation is how we communicate with our service providers. From the tone we use to the detailed instructions we provide, the way we communicate can spell the difference between satisfaction and frustration. One of the greatest challenges that customers face in engaging content providers is the difficulty of transferring the expertise they have about their product or customer to their content provider. Overcoming this challenge is the key to improving the quality of the outsourced content. Otherwise, the customer may as well have gone to a web content vendor and related offer to everyone else.

5. Quality Control and Feedback Mechanisms

Please provide a 3-star rating if you have any questions. A “thanks!” lets your writer relax a little. But if they’ve gone above and beyond, it’s like seeing those first few drops of sweat break out. A five-star rating or a small bonus is a great way of saying “wow, thanks for that!”. Your feedback is poor or will be ignored. But if you give constructive feedback – what was wrong, what should change, what’s missing? – then you help your writer think about your needs. You also get an opportunity to improve the writer’s performance. Note that the first two questions are not “what is the result of the output”! In writing, speed increases comfort but not always quality. At the same time, it may happen that a vendor is not at the wheel. For example, a third-party blogging service. By the time your comments come back, it’s like reading a script from a reality TV show. What does your blog have to lose in a competitive market?

Feedback is a critical part of the process. When you come across an issue, you won’t want to work with a vendor who is not committed to solving it effectively and taking steps to prevent its recurrence. Here are the main questions you should always consider when looking for the right level of engagement from a potential writing vendor. There is a problem that the writer was not aware of because they didn’t have complete instructions. Maybe they’ve misunderstood or missed something. The result is a delivery that is not 100% compliant with requirements – measure progress separately for each requirement. Many copywriters have trouble producing the quality of copy…

Without feedback, there can be no such thing as quality control or improvement. Feedback enables each party to know what the other requires and to assess the effectiveness of provision. It is a crucial intermediary stage in output and outcomes. Does feedback improve the writing of copywriters? Do customers sometimes email copywriters with comments or feedback? Are there any formats that make it easy for clients to give vendors feedback with maximum impact? Do firms need to set up internal management systems to ensure a minimum quality standard is met?