8 Steps to Outsource Content Writing for Quality & Cost Savings

Let’s be honest. Keeping up with the demand for high-quality, engaging content can be a real hurdle for many businesses. In fact, 35% of marketers report that content creation is their biggest challenge​.

Writing content in-house is pretty time-consuming, especially for small teams just starting out.

That's where outsourced content writing comes in, offering a smart solution to boost your content production without breaking the bank or overburdening your in-house team.

When you outsource content writing, you tap into a world of possibilities.

Skilled freelancers can help you produce a variety of content types, from blog posts to social media updates and webpage copywriting needs allowing your business to maintain a consistent content output and focus on core activities.

Keep reading to learn about the ins and outs of content outsourcing and how you can find and work with top-notch writers to enhance your content strategy.

What is content outsourcing?

Outsourcing writing is a strategy where an organization hires external talent to create content.

This approach allows businesses to maintain a steady flow of high-quality content without needing a full-time in-house team.

Here's what content outsourcing typically involves:

• Ideation and planning: Generating fresh ideas and creating content outlines.
• Writing and editing: Having skilled writers craft and polish your content, including landing page copies, social media posts, articles, and more.
• Visual content creation: Designers create infographics and other visuals.

Interestingly, content outsourcing is more common than you might think. Here are some statistics to back this up:

• 56% of companies outsource their content writing, and 69% report that doing so helps them produce and publish new content more consistently.
• 34% of organizations spend $1,000 to $5,000 monthly on outsourced content.

By outsourcing your content writing, you're investing in a strategic approach to content creation that helps maintain quality, consistency, and volume in your content marketing efforts.

For example, say your goal is to publish 30 B2B articles per month, outsourcing blog posts to save time for your core team, allowing them to focus on other crucial tasks.

In short, content outsourcing is a great way to expand and scale your marketing efforts without straining your in-house resources.

You might also like: 16 Best SEO Content Writing Tools

5 benefits of outsourcing content writing

Outsourcing content writing offers numerous benefits, making it an attractive option for many businesses.

1. Cost-effectiveness

Outsourcing content writing services allows companies to avoid the costs associated with hiring full-time, in-house writers.

You pay only for the content you need, providing flexibility to scale production up or down without the overhead of salaries and benefits.

2. Access to diverse and top-tier expertise

When you outsource content writing, you gain access to a diverse group of seasoned professionals with specialized knowledge.

This beats the long recruitment process often involved with hiring in-house writers with specific qualifications and experience. Plus, you can hire outside a particular geographical location.

Content outsourcing stands as a great option as you can work with diverse and talented individuals

3. Saves time for faster turnaround

The content creation process can take up a large chunk of your time, from brainstorming ideas to drafting, editing, and proofreading.

Outsourcing blog content allows you to delegate tasks to professionals who can handle them efficiently, bringing a faster turnaround for your team’s tasks.

With this extra time, your team can focus on core business activities like strategy, product development, and customer engagement.

4. Consistent and reliable output

There are always unexpected hurdles—team members falling sick, urgent projects cropping up, or simply running out of ideas.

Outsourcing writers ensure that your content pipeline remains steady, with a reliable flow of high-quality articles, blogs, and posts.

This helps build and maintain your brand's presence, keeping your audience engaged and coming back for more. As a result, you can quickly scale your content production.

5. Brings fresh perspectives and innovative ideas

External writers can surprise you with fresh perspectives and new ideas for your content strategy.

Their diverse experiences can offer unique angles, making your content more engaging and appealing to your audience.

Also read: SEO Writing: Proven Tips for Creating SEO-Optimized Content

Should you consider content outsourcing? Look out for these 6 signs

Not all teams will benefit from an outsourced article writing process.

For example, outsourcing writing will be unnecessary if you already have a robust team of in-house writers who can do the job well.

Additionally, if you prefer a team of dedicated individuals aligned with your company values and mission, external writers might not be the best choice.

In this case, you can opt for content optimization tools that help automate the writing process.

Here’s where Writesonic shines a fantastic platform for high-quality AI-generated content.

We don’t just help automate content writing tasks; we offer a diverse suite of content and SEO tools all under one platform.

But if you’re still unsure whether you should outsource or not, here are six signs to look out for:

1. You're struggling to keep up with content demands: If you find yourself constantly behind on your content calendar or unable to produce enough content to meet your marketing goals, it's time to consider outsourcing. This way, you can maintain a consistent publishing schedule without overwhelming your in-house team.
2. You need specialized expertise: When you require content on topics outside your team's expertise, outsourcing is ideal. It gives you access to a pool of writers with diverse knowledge and skills, ensuring high-quality, well-researched content.
3. You want to scale your content production: As your business grows, so does your need for content. Outsourcing provides the flexibility to increase content production without the commitment of hiring full-time staff, allowing you to scale based on your current needs and budget.
4. You're looking to cut costs: Maintaining an in-house content team can be expensive when you factor in salaries, benefits, and overhead costs. Outsourcing is a more cost-effective solution, especially if you don't need full-time content creators.
5. You want to improve your SEO: SEO requires a separate set of expert individuals. By outsourcing to experienced writers, you can enhance your search engine rankings and allow your team to focus on other critical tasks.
6. You need content in different formats: If you want to diversify your content types (e.g., blog posts, whitepapers, social media content), outsourcing can help you find specialists in each area without hiring multiple full-time employees.

If you’re looking for a quick comparison between leveraging an in-house team of writers and outsourcing content writing, here’s a quick rundown:

Check out: 25 Free AI Content Generators to Boost Your Content Creation

Step-by-step process to outsource content writing

To help you start your content outsourcing journey, we’ve broken down eight simple steps for a seamless process.

P.S.: If you’re not ready to outsource your content needs, why not try Writesonic? Our AI Article Writer lets you generate ready-to-publish blogs in just under two minutes!

Step 1: Define your content needs, goals, and budget

Like any content strategy, outsourcing must start with clearly defining your team’s needs, goals, and budget.

Determine your content volume:

Research suggests that publishing around 11 articles per month, or about four posts each week, produces the most traffic for most businesses. However, this can vary based on factors like the age of your company, your SEO goals, and your overall content strategy.

Identify your content purpose: Are you aiming to drive traffic, inform your audience, or encourage specific actions? Clearly communicate these goals and guidelines to your outsourced writers to ensure they craft content that aligns with your objectives.

Set a realistic budget: Decide whether you’d like to pay per blog, per word, or on a contractual basis. Freelance writers generally charge between $25 and $100 per 500 words. Your budget should reflect the quality and quantity of content you need while remaining sustainable for your business.

Step 2: Choose the right outsourcing platform or service

Finding the right content writers is important for ensuring the quality and effectiveness of your content. Here are several options to consider, each with its own benefits:

• Freelancing platforms: Upwork and Fiverr are popular platforms that offer a wide range of talented freelance writers if you’re on a budget. You can post a job with your own rates or manually source a writer through the platform and pay for their charges.
• Online communities: LinkedIn and Facebook groups are excellent to find industry-specific writers. The key here is to be highly proactive with your sourcing effort. These communities are ideal for a passive approach, allowing you to connect with potential writers who are already discussing and sharing relevant content.
• Content service providers: For a more stable option, you can opt for a third-party content marketing agency. For example, Contently is a cloud-based content agency specializing in B2B and B2C content. In exchange for a subscription fee, Contently will manage your outsourced content. You can also look into content farms that mass produce content. However, it could may lack quality and niche services.

Step 3: Develop a content plan

Create a content plan that outlines your strategy, topics, and publishing schedule.

This will guide your outsourced writers and ensure consistency in your content production.

Consider using collaboration tools like Asana, Slack, and Notion to manage tasks, share briefs, and store content in a central repository.

Step 4: Vet and select writers

When evaluating potential writers, it's essential to ensure they align with your content requirements and business functions. Here are key questions to ask during the vetting process:

• Have they produced similar content to what you need?
• Do they have experience working with brands like yours?
• Can they provide examples of their work?
• Do they have a good working relationship with their editor?
• What types of milestones do they use to track their content output?

Focusing on answering these questions will help you better understand whether your outsourced writer is aligned with your content requirements and business functions.

Adopting a uniform approach to assessing all your candidates ensures a fair and thorough evaluation process.

Step 5: Set clear expectations and deadlines

Once have a team of outsourced writers, clearly communicate your expectations, brand guidelines, and content goals to ensure alignment and consistency in your content strategy.

Establish a streamlined workflow that suits both parties, defining deadlines, revision processes, and communication channels.

Step 6: Provide necessary resources and support

Investing time in onboarding new employees is as important as onboarding new employees. Start by sharing necessary resources and support.

Share insights about your business, industry, and target audience with your outsourced team members.

The more they understand your company and your offerings, the better they can create helpful content. Ensure they have access to necessary content writing tools, style guides, and any other resources they might need to produce high-quality work.

Step 7: Implement a feedback and revision process

Regular feedback is essential for improving the quality of your outsourced content.

Provide constructive feedback based on your preferences, audience feedback, and performance metrics.

This helps writers understand your expectations better and refine their content to meet your needs.

Also, establish a streamlined process for revision requests, and consider pairing outsourced writers with an internal team member responsible for reviewing their work.

Step 8: Monitor progress and content quality

With all these steps in place, always monitor the performance of your outsourced content to measure its effectiveness.

Track key metrics such as engagement, traffic, conversions, and ROI to assess the impact of your content creation efforts.

Use this data to refine your content strategy and optimize future content creation projects. These metrics are crucial as they can help you determine whether your investment in outsourcing blog content is really paying off.

Ready to automate and outsource content writing?

Outsourcing content writing can be a game-changer, turning your marketing dreams into reality without the hassle.

Just imagine the peace of mind knowing your content is in expert hands, freeing you up to innovate and grow.

While you’re on the hunt for a new outsourced team of writers, why not give Writesonic a shot?

Our platform automates content creation, helping you save time and maintain high-quality output. Start today and experience how Writesonic can revolutionize your content creation process!

FAQs

What are the steps involved in outsourcing content writing?

Outsourcing content writing involves these essential steps:

• Define the scope: Determine your content needs, including the number of articles per month, the average length of each article, and your budget.
• Find suitable writers: Research and select writers who fit your requirements using platforms like Upwork, LinkedIn, or content service providers.
• Create detailed briefs: Provide clear guidelines and objectives for each piece of content.
• Establish a feedback loop: Implement a system for regular feedback and revisions to ensure quality and alignment with your goals.

How does outsourcing contribute to increased efficiency?

Outsourcing content writing services strategically allows you to tap into external expertise, advanced technology, and additional resources.

This can lead to enhanced performance across key metrics such as efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction, ultimately boosting your business's output.

What are the recommended steps to outsource blog management?

To outsource your blog management:

• Create a wordPress website: Set up a user-friendly platform for your blog.
• Outsource research for content strategy: Collaborate with experts to develop a robust content plan.
• Work with experienced writers: Hire skilled blog writers to produce high-quality content.
• Hire a virtual blog editor: Ensure consistency and quality by employing an editor to oversee the content.
• Leverage third-party services: Utilize content marketing agencies to enhance your blog’s impact and reach.