It wasn’t too long ago that I opposed outsourcing. Not the idea of it, but I found it difficult to allow myself to hire somebody to do work that I could (should?) be doing myself.
I’ve changed since then. 
I’ve outsourced several writing projects over the past couple of months. Some were at a fixed price. And more recently I had people bid on a project. Here are some things about each that I wanted to share with you in case you’re thinking about outsourcing.
You get what you pay for.
Boy, ain’t that the truth! A few months ago, a writing service (which will remain nameless) was running an anniversary special: 250-word articles for $1 a piece or something like that. I thought to myself, “Cool, now I can really make some headway here and get all those articles I want written.”
I have three words for you friends: I…got…crap!
What I saved in getting them written, I ended up spending the value of my time in rewriting them. It’s just not worth it. So basically, I paid for the opportunity to edit somebody else’s work.
Don’t always go for the cheapest bid.
It’s quite interesting to see how much people will charge for a project. It’s tempting to see bargain basement prices, but like I said above, you get what you pay for. I go for the upper-middle range if everything else looks good to me. And if the service you’re using is worth anything, they’ll have a rating system for their bidders. This is a must! It’s even better when they show reviews from previous buyers. Look at these closely before you decide on the winning bid.
You need how long to finish?
Just as the bids are varied, so, too, are the delivery times. I’ve seen some bidders estimate 10 days while others can do it in 3 days — this is for the same project, mind you. So even though it would be great to get what you’re asking for sooner, avoid rushing into choosing the shortest duration based on that alone. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t trust them, but do what I did and contact the bidder to ask them to confirm their duration. Give them a chance to rethink their situation and review your requirements just to be sure they made the right choice.
Go for as high a quality as you can afford.
If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking, “Well, I’ve seen their samples and they’re not too bad. I can edit things here and there.” That’s true, but it’s in your best interest to minimize the time you would do this.
In my case, I wanted articles to use for a niche site I was building and then submit the rest to article directories. So I wanted to get them out there as soon as possible and have my site make me money. The more time you take to edit things, the longer it will be before you start seeing money coming in with whatever monetization method you’ve chosen.
Ask for samples of their work
This is crucial. The bidder may sound great in their sales pitch, but if they don’t have what it takes “under the hood”, then move on to the next one.
Communicate!
Trust me, speaking as a project manager (which is what I do by day), the number one reason something fails is because of a lack of communication. So get in touch with your bidder as soon as the deal is accepted and let them know you’re there to make things work. Give them what they need, when they need it, and be clear that you expect nothing less from them.
There are probably several of tips that I could have listed. Feel free to drop me a comment to tell me some of yours.
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Outsourcing is not easy but definitely worth it. When you find a good writer you should do everything to keep them.
Oh… and a higher price will not necessarily give you any less crap. Many writers actually outsource their $10-$15 articles to India and then just proofread them when they get them back.
There are a lot of poor writers out there so NEVER EVER pay upfront unless you have worked with them before and know what they can do. If they won’t accept these terms DO NOT hire them. There are tons of writers out there so you can easily find another one.
Sage advice, Mikael. One of the things I like about the project I’m using now is that they have an escrow service in place. So even though I deposit the money before work is done, the writer won’t get it until I say so. But at least they have the assurance of knowing the money is there when they’re done.
Excellent points. I went through 13 writers at a dollar or a dollar and a half before I found one that was absolutely perfect! Most of them all seemed eager and thankful for the work but the output was unusable.
Once I settled on the best I offered $2.50 per article which the writer was thrilled with and we have never had a problem with over 1,000 articles to date. I have filled many niche sites that I never would have never gotten around to without this service. Keep trying til you find your perfect VA.
1,000 articles?! That’s quite an achievement, and at that price, it’s quite a value, too. I’m hopeful that the writer working on my project currently will be a resource I’ll use over and over again. That would definitely save even more time and effort to have that relationship established.
One thing that is important, as mentioned above, is that when you find someone good, stick with that person. And treat them well, they will want to do their best for you and will want to do more projects for you.
I have a Filipina writer who researches, writes, and also posts on my niche blogs, for $1 per 100 words. Maybe I could find cheaper but so far no one compares. Yes I have to edit but not much more than I usually edit writing of a native English speaker.
So even if I try others here and there, in order to build up my resources, I stick with that writer and give her bonuses when I can.
Absolutely, Anna. I think you have an incredible find at that price. That’s typically my budget per 300-word article. And you bring up a good point about adding bonuses – that’s a great way to motivate for the next project.
Great tips Mark,
I have recently been employing my friends to write for me… working out pretty well.
Indeed, Forest, that’s another great way to get things done.
Wow, Forest, I guess you must be paying them well!
You hit the nail on the head about the lack of competent oral and verbal communications being an alarmingly declining skill among many entering the workforce, not to mention even old time veterans, too.
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