How to Outsource Content Writing for Your Business (Save Time, More Results)

Content outsourcing involves hiring external writers or agencies to create the content your business needs. Instead of relying on yourself or your internal team, you can leverage outside expertise to reach your content marketing goals faster.

Outsourcing writing is just what you need to win back precious time and energy to focus on what you do best.

But there’s more to it than hiring someone to churn out the words.

The key is finding the right level of help for your needs, capacity, and budget. Here’s how to do that, along with tips for getting the best results when you outsource content creation.

In this article:

• Don’t Outsource Content Creation Without a Plan
• 3 Ways to Outsource Writing
• Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Outsourced Content Partner
• Evaluating Candidates
• Tips for a Successful Content Partnership

Don’t Outsource Content Creation Without a Plan

Throwing spaghetti at the wall is a popular approach to outsourcing content creation. But it’s not the most effective if you want measurable results.

Start with a content marketing strategy—a plan to use content to attract potential customers and move them through the sales process.

A fully researched content strategy incorporates SEO and conversion data to identify opportunities and prioritize the best ones.

Here’s a back-of-the-napkin strategy session to get you started. This process will get you thinking more strategically before bringing in a writer.

1. Create content that supports your business goals

You might have specific targets like doubling organic search traffic or publishing 50 blog posts next quarter. These are helpful KPIs to monitor progress, as long as your content goals are connected to a business result.

Start by reviewing and prioritizing your business goals, and analyze how content contributes to achieving them. For example, will content generate new leads, grow a customer segment, boost product sales, or build your email list?

2. Understand what your target audience needs at each awareness level

Content marketing differs from traditional advertising, where the goal is to increase brand exposure. We’re building a path to purchase with multiple entry points.

Brainstorm the problems, needs, desires, and specific search terms your customers use at each level. These are content opportunities to draw people in with the right content at the right time.

For example: Proper Cloth sells custom men’s clothing. Entry points for its customers include top-funnel content hubs for problem-aware customers. At this stage, they need answers about “what to wear to a formal wedding” or “how to choose a collar style.”

3. Make sure you have the right content stepping stones in place for visitors to move towards a purchase

Top-funnel visitors aren’t ready to buy—but that’s okay. Blog content helps them explore solutions and introduces them to your brand. Additional content like reviews, case studies, downloadable resources, and email campaigns could fill in your conversion model.

Ask yourself—what does a brand-new visitor need to see next at each level of awareness?

4. See what’s working for your competitors in organic search 

Competitive research is crucial for content writing. Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to spot opportunities to improve your share of visibility in organic search results.

Identify your top three online competitors. Which pages bring them the most organic traffic? What keywords are they targeting? What opportunities can you find to create better content and outrank them?

5. Refresh any outdated, existing content

Upgrading existing content can quickly improve rankings and traffic, while new content takes time to create and implement effectively.

Before creating new content, map all your ideas with existing site pages. Outsourced writers can help you retarget and refresh old content, so include suitable target pages in your plan.

After going through this exercise, you should have a big list of ideas and topics. To create a strategy, prioritize the biggest opportunities and content that supports a business goal.

With this preparation, choosing a writer will be easier — and your content will be far more likely to achieve results.

3 Ways to Outsource Writing: Freelancers, Writer Platforms, and Content Agencies

How you outsource content marketing depends on the expertise you need and how hands-on you’re prepared to be.

Let’s explore different types of content writing services and reasons for choosing one over the others.

Freelance Writers

If you have a strong vision for your content, a freelance writer can help bring it to life. They work independently with multiple clients and have expertise in one or more niches — topics they know inside and out.

Advantages of hiring a freelance writer

The main advantage is the potential for an ongoing creative partnership. If you need a long-term ghostwriting arrangement that saves time, it’s worth finding the perfect writer and working closely with them.

Downsides of hiring a freelance writer

If you can’t provide guidance and feedback, don’t expect a writer to nail their assignments. Writers need to know what you want—they’re not mind readers!

A freelancer also has limited capacity. Keep that in mind if you’re trying to scale beyond one or two blog posts a week. You might need more than one writer to scale up to the needs of your project (and then you’ll need more time to guide and oversee their efforts).

Content Platforms

On-demand content platforms are like a buffet of writers. Besides platforms specifically for writers, marketplaces like Upwork have a massive pool of candidates. You’ll find professional writers there, many with special expertise, and freelancers at every level of experience.

Advantages of hiring through a content platform

It’s a quick and effective way to find plenty of writer options. If you’re outsourcing a limited content project—or have a tight timeline—it’s a great choice.

These platforms have built-in tools for communication, project management, and payment protection. All of this saves logistical effort and headaches that can delay progress.

Disadvantages of outsourcing through content platforms

Be prepared to sift through many inexperienced applicants and lackluster profiles. Writers with excellent profiles and reviews are busy, so your job may not get the attention you want.

Content platforms are designed for short-term gigs and less ideal for long-term collaborations. If you’re only committing to one or two articles, writers won’t be interested in understanding your business and content goals.

Content Marketing Agencies

If you don’t have a content strategy—or the in-house capacity to create and execute it—this is the way to go.

Agencies like ours handle end-to-end content marketing which includes SEO strategy, content writing, publishing, and performance tracking.

Advantages of working with an agency

You won’t have to write a blog post ever again—and you’ll have access to a full team of experts in SEO, content strategy, writing, editing, and content operations.

It’s the most hands-off option while allowing as much oversight and creative control as you want.

Disadvantages of working with a content agency

The main disadvantage is cost. You’ll be investing in a project to grow your business, rather than one-off article-writing services.

It’s important to ask the right questions before choosing a content marketing agency. Make sure they understand your goals and can articulate a realistic plan for achieving them with content. When you find the right match, you’ll have a strategic partner, not just an outsourced content machine.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Outsourced Content Partner

Can’t decide which route to go? Here’s a list of questions to make the decision clear and simple.

Do you have clear goals and vision for your content?

If yes, find a freelance writer. If you can provide topics, manage quality control, and give timely feedback, freelance writers will help you scale up your publishing.

If the answer is no, fix that first. Look for a content agency or strategy consultant to help you create a plan. Otherwise, you’ll be paying for outsourced content that may not get results.

What’s your team’s capacity for oversight and collaboration?

Be honest about this — how much time can you and your team dedicate to content operations? What’s the capacity for creating content briefs, meeting with writers, formatting and publishing articles, and keeping everything on schedule?

If the answer is “not much,” consider an agency with processes in place to manage a content marketing project. Not planning for the time commitment is the reason for many failed collaborations, frustrating everyone involved.

Do you have a clear brand voice and content guide?

Nailed down your brand voice, content preferences, and formatting guides? Great! You’re all set to team up with freelance writers. These tools will make it quick and easy to get writers up to speed.

If you’re careless and inconsistent with writer guidance, don’t expect high-quality writing. A content marketing agency can be your secret weapon. They’ll help you define and document the process to produce writing both you and your audience love.

It’s like giving your content a makeover and a roadmap at the same time.

Do you have in-house SEO expertise?

If you have an in-house SEO, you can work with freelance writers or content platforms. Your team should brief writers on target keywords, search intent, and content structure for each piece. They can make sure content meets its goals and fits into your SEO strategy.

If you don’t have SEO expertise on your marketing team — partner with organic SEO experts. Many freelance writers know how to write for SEO, but it’s not about individual articles. This approach is a waste of effort.

Effective SEO requires keyword research, content clustering, internal linking, on-page factors, and technical optimization. Without this, you risk creating content that doesn’t align with your business goals or perform well in search results.

Evaluating Candidates

Regardless of your choice, these tips will help you select a good fit:

Set a Realistic Budget

You can have it fast, cheap, or good—pick two. This old chestnut applies to most choices — from outsourced writing to hamburgers.

In other words, if you’re on a tight budget, be prepared to compromise on speed or quality.

Consider your priorities. If you’re targeting competitive keywords, investing in experienced, higher-priced partners might be necessary.

For less critical content, cheaper freelancers could suffice.

Remember, the cheapest option isn’t always the most cost-effective. Low-quality content may end up costing more in rewrites.

Seek relevant experience

Prioritize writers or agencies with experience in your niche or industry, as it can significantly impact your content’s quality and effectiveness.

Start by reviewing their portfolios, case studies, or writing samples. Look for content that demonstrates:

1. A solid understanding of your industry’s terminology and concepts.
2. Understanding of your target audience’s pain points and interests.
3. The ability to explain complex ideas in an engaging, accessible manner.

Ask for samples related to your field or something adjacent.

Also, look for a writer or agency’s ability to capture unique brand voices and connect with readers.

Gaps in subject matter expertise can be bridged with research and briefing, but the copywriting technique is a baseline requirement writers should bring to the table.

Verify Track Record and Reliability

Before committing to a content partner, it’s crucial to verify their performance and reliability. Start by examining testimonials and reviews from previous clients, focusing on what matters most for your writing project:

1. Consistency
2. Responsiveness
3. Quality of work
4. Results

Don’t shy away from asking for references. Speaking with current or former clients can provide valuable insights.

Lastly, consider the writer or agency’s content marketing efforts. Look at their websites and blogs. This is a good indicator of their capabilities.

Tips for a Successful Content Partnership

To ensure your content project gets results, set the tone from the start. An organized process, good communication, and clear expectations will help you and your writing team get great results together.

What does this look like in practice? We find the best client relationships (and content success) with these tips:

1. Document project guidelines. Sign off on content guidelines before anybody starts writing. Our projects begin with creating this document in consultation with our clients. We review it with writers before they start, and update regularly.
This document should include specifics of your brand voice, target audience, and content goals. Include ideal content examples, and any preferences for formatting and editing to keep things consistent.

2. Designate one contact person on your team to handle communication. Our clients often have multiple internal collaborators for subject matter expertise, review, or alignment with marketing efforts. But without a point person, bottlenecks and dropped balls are more likely. Give one person ownership of communication and responding to writer questions.

3. Establish an efficient workflow and realistic publishing schedule. Identify the steps in your workflow and the person responsible for each step—from researching the topic to on-page SEO. Consider how much lead time each person needs for their step.

With this information, you can build an achievable publishing schedule with enough slack to keep content flowing. Review periodically and check in with the team, both internal and external, to make sure it’s working well.

4. Be timely with input and approvals. If you plan to read and sign off on every piece of writing personally, try not to become a bottleneck. The time commitment may prove to be too much (see above)! If this becomes a source of delays, designate someone else on your team to sign off on content. Explain what you’re looking for when you review — solid content guidelines are for reviewers and editors just as much as writers.

5. Provide specific feedback to help writers adapt and meet your expectations. Actionable feedback is best if you want to see improvement—while vague criticism is frustrating and unhelpful. Try pointing out specific items in your content guidelines that may have been missed. It’s also helpful to provide examples of what you’d like to be better at when a piece of writing misses the mark.

6. Keep in touch. Regularly meet with your writing team to check in and clear up any questions. Conversations keep writers engaged and focused on their goals. It also humanizes a relationship that can easily become strained by revision requests and document comments!

7. Track and adjust to improve content performance. Set goals for individual content and the project as a whole, so both you and the outsourced team can measure results. Monitoring performance also helps spot opportunities to improve and republish content that’s falling behind.

Ready to Outsource Content Marketing?

Outsourced writing can speed your way to new traffic, greater visibility, and increased sales.

Luckily for you, it’s something that we do extremely well. With our content marketing services, we help businesses like yours achieve all of the above.

Ready to kickstart your content machine into gear and start increasing traffic and sales? Then get in touch!