In my last post I talked all about how great content is key to building street cred for startups. And that is still the case as I begin to tell you — in the second post of the series Content, Yes You Can! — that you actually do not have to create this content yourself! 

Like most other things in life (aside from the really big things, of course), content creation can be outsourced. Now you might be thinking, how could anyone else truly understand my business or my customers? And where can I begin to find this person if they do in fact exist? 

Here are the three approaches you can take to find yourself a writer (or writers) and begin to churn out content that wows your prospects and grows your business.

Find a dedicated freelancer, or two.

At this point, I probably don’t need to tell you that the gig economy is alive and well which means that freelance writers are everywhere. You can find them on websites like Craigslist, LinkedIn, Upwork and Indeed. Heck, you can google, “find a freelance writer’ and you’re sure to locate something of value. But how do you actually find a GOOD freelancer and one that’s right for your unique business?

My advice on this one is to first, look for local talent. Ideally, you find a writer who fits in with the culture of your organization… Someone who understands where you’re from, because even though you company is national in scope, your culture is most certainly a product of your local roots. In my work, I ALWAYS stress the importance of injecting bits of culture into your content, and that means where you’re from. Next, you want to find writers who understand your product and the business landscape you operate in. If you are a tech company that serves advertisers in the sports industry, your ideal writers should be able to speak with authority on both advertising and the sports industry. Not to mention, they should have a handle on your technology, insofar as to allow them to subtly connect the dots on why you are creating content in the first place.

Then, once you find a few writers that seem like a fit, reach out to them. Tweet at them, message them on LinkedIn, contact them on Upwork, and begin the process of assembling a list of candidates. In my experience, the experts (who I like to call “writers that hustle”) will rise to the top quickly, and you’ll find yourself with a shortlist of talent to evaluate. How to evaluate? Ask them for samples of their work. Have them provide a link to their website or online portfolio. Look for RECENT work that echoes the tone and quality that you strive for. When you find a writer that possesses the qualities you seek, pay him or her to write something for you. Relax, this is not a long term commitment. It is a paid test. If they pass — and by pass I mean that they deliver good writing that meets the scope of the assignment, is ON TIME and free of errors — you have yourself a freelancer.

For information on what to pay a freelancer, see this fancy infographic.

Subscribe to a content creation service.

Another approach to outsourced content creation involves partnering with a subscription-based writing service to build your offering. Yes, these exist and there are several of them out there. Contently is one, which in my experience fits the bill for larger, more established companies that can afford to pay a decent chunk of money to get on their platform. Clearvoice is another service, and ContentPros is a third. These services essentially act as an interface between you and a vast pool of freelancers. You sign up as a publication (remember, your company becomes the publication when you are creating original content), and the folks that work for said content creation service will guide you through the steps to onboard and create your unique profile.

What are costs, you ask? Some of these service providers — not all — will charge you a monthly fee to use their platform. I’ve seen these fees range from FREE to as high as $10k/month. In addition to any baseline fee, you’ll then pay freelance content creators on a per word or per story basis to write articles for your company. The same rates would apply as in the previous example. I’ve seen rates as low as $.20 per word, and as high as $1.00. With writers, cost does not always go hand-in-hand with quality, so it’s really about finding the price point that works for you and then determining which writers are willing to work for you at that rate.

Once subscribed to a content service, you’ll be matched with recommended freelancers who have the ability to pitch you within the platform, respond to your creative briefs and ultimately produce content for you in a controlled environment. There are writers, designers, video production artists, you name it living within the walls of these services. If you want it, it exists. When the work is done, you retain rights to the content. It’s as simple as that.

Hire a content strategist who knows your business.

Now to the part about how you can find someone like me to shepherd your business into content creation mode. Trust me, yes, you can find someone who can walk the walk and talk the talk when it comes to your business. My career was spent building audiences for digital sports businesses, and so, I understand digital and content and sports. This is what makes me a great fit for sports tech startups who are looking to build credibility and get their products in front of sports industry decision makers. Consequently, my clients use me to achieve their goals in that space. There are people like me in other areas too, and although we might be hard to find, we do exist. 

To hire a content strategist, you’ll likely need to take them in as a contractor for a period of time. This way, they learn your business from top to bottom before making a recommendation on the TYPES of content you’ll want to be publishing for your target audience. Speaking of target audiences, a content strategist is an expert at developing content IDEAS that can be handed off to freelance writers or creation services. In my full service engagements, I work with clients to build out their content strategy, detail their buyer personas and build series of content — with legs — that will speak to those decision makers. Typically, this process takes three to six months to complete, and by the time the groundwork is done, any business is in position to begin producing original content on their own. It’s like taking the training wheels off. Scary at first, but exhilarating afterwards.

In closing…

So, yup, you can create content. And hopefully you now have all of the information you need to where I can say, told ya so! in a few short weeks. You can do it yourself within the walls of your business — or you can outsource it. But bear in mind, with any of these options I presented, you’ll need to have a clear vision. You simply cannot expect to wave a magic wand and have a freelancer begin to create content in the exact way you want it. They will need guidance, and that’s where the content series brief comes into play. In a content series brief, the headlines are already written. The instructions are clear. The target audience is defined. All the writer needs to do is write.

If you can be super clear on all of this up front — only then can you entrust your vision to a content creation service or independent freelancer.

Interested in learning how to create a content series brief?

Download my free guide here.

Read the next post in the series: How to get your C-levels to write.