When you outsource content writing, you tap into a pool of skilled writers who can bring fresh perspectives, diverse expertise, and high-quality writing to your brand. It can be a game-changer if you're looking to scale your content production without overwhelming your in-house marketing team.
So, how to outsource content writing? How will it benefit your business? Our comprehensive guide answers these questions and provides a list of the top agencies to which you can outsource your projects.
Table of Contents
- What Does It Mean To Outsource Content Writing?
- Why Should You Outsource Content Writing?
- How To Outsource Content in 10 Steps
- Content Types You Can Outsource
- How Does Content Writing Outsourcing Help Your Business Operations?
- Top-Tier Content Writing Agencies To Outsource Your Projects to in 2024
- Outsource Content Writing Takeaways
- Outsource Content Writing FAQs
What Does It Mean To Outsource Content Writing?
company to produce marketing materials for you. This covers different types of content creation, from blog posts, articles, creative captions, podcast and video scripts, to eBooks, whitepapers, and case studies.
Content marketing and advertising strategies are key to establishing your brand’s authority. However, producing content on your own can be time-consuming, costly, and stressful. Content writing outsourcing is an efficient way to reap the benefits of your content marketing strategy — minus the legwork.
Why Should You Outsource Content Writing?
By leveraging external writers, you gain access to a diverse range of expertise and the ability to scale content quickly. Outsourcing content to a writing services provider can be the best course of action for you if:
- You can't commit ample time to content production
- You need to hit your content goals
- You want engaging online content that ranks well
1. You Can't Commit Ample Time to Content Production
Company owners and managers supervise strategic and tactical operations directly related to business scaling and expansion. In this light, you may be unable to dedicate time to creating material for your product pages or social media platforms. Also, you may not necessarily specialize in content creation and writing.
When you outsource article writing, you save time and maximize your online presence. A robust content strategy will boost your business too.
2. You Need To Hit Your Content Goals
You can rest easy knowing that you have qualified professionals producing compelling copy and content for your business pages and posts. Content writers are proficient in creative and technical strategies to create copy that performs well on search engines and selling platforms. They have what it takes to help hit or surpass your content goals.
3. You Want Engaging Online Content That Ranks Well
Spruce up your company website with blog posts relevant to what you sell and do. Emphasize the benefits of your products or services with inspiring, well-structured descriptions that influence buyer’s decisions.
Outsourcing content contributes to the steady and sustainable growth of your business. Writers are adept at keyword research and search engine optimization (SEO), and copywriting done right can significantly increase your leads and boost your conversion rates.
How To Outsource Content in 10 Steps
Content writing outsourcing requires a different approach from hiring in-house marketing employees. These steps will help you find and hire the best writers to deliver high-performing content for your brand:
- Set your marketing goals
- Allocate a reasonable budget
- Choose between agency and freelancers
- Decide based on relevant experience
- Require a portfolio and paid tests
- Discuss your expectations
- Create a content selection plan
- Set a publication plan
- Compile a creative brief
- Streamline feedback process
1. Set Your Marketing Goals
How to outsource article writing? The first step is to be clear on your content marketing goals. You should have strategic and tactical objectives for blogging, leveraging social media, keyword optimization, and hashtag research.
These goals can include:
- Creating more shareable content
- Engaging more followers
- Generating more qualified leads
- Earning higher sales
- Increasing your bottom line
- Enhancing brand visibility and recognition
Your writers will contribute to your company more and achieve greater when you establish clear goals. The SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goal-setting framework articulates what you expect from the content and provides a defined roadmap to your business objectives.
2. Allocate a Reasonable Budget
Costs are a key consideration in content writing outsourcing, and the exact amount depends on the nature of your business. Set a realistic budget that will provide you with ample resources to reach the content marketing goals you have laid out. Your budget will be the foundation for practical conversations and clear agreements with your potential writers.
A well-thought-out budget should consider the following:
- Type of content (blog posts, website copy, social media posts, ads, etc.)
- Writer’s expertise
- Turnaround time
According to freelance platform Upwork, hourly rates for content writers range between $15 and $80. Balancing cost with quality is key, as underpaying often leads to subpar content that can harm your brand’s reputation. Investing in skilled writers will pay off in the long run through better engagement, SEO performance, and a consistent brand voice across platforms.
3. Choose Between Agency and Freelancers
The next step is choosing between a freelancer or an agency to outsource content writing. Both have advantages and drawbacks; you can weigh your decision based on your business needs, budget, desired level of involvement, and scope of work.
Content writing agencies have teams of writers, editors, and content strategists, providing a more comprehensive service and diverse output types. You can be assured of scalability, consistency, and project management support across different projects in the long run. On the other hand, freelancers offer flexibility, direct communication, and often lower costs. They are great for businesses with specific, niche projects..
4. Decide Based on Relevant Experience
As you narrow down your prospective providers, be sure to consider the relevant experience needed for the type of content you need. Work with writers who can deliver your requirements aligned with your vision, brand messaging, and business objectives.
If you are in the finance industry, your writers should have a background in commerce, such as banking and investments. If you have a fashion business, employ content providers with a background in design and a strong penchant for following style trends and news. If you sell software as a service (SaaS), you will need people with a strong knowledge of tech platforms and IT in general.
However, it may still be worth moving forward with a writer who has not worked in your exact niche. Excellent skills in researching new markets can make up for the lack of prior relevant experience. Closely evaluate potential writers’ previous experience and work samples to determine if they can deliver on topics related to your industry.
5. Require a Portfolio and Paid Tests
A portfolio will give you a better idea about the individual’s or agency's writing ability and expertise on certain topics. You can assess the quality and style of their previous work and determine whether they can adapt to your brand voice and audience.
You can also ask applicants to create a blog post and a social media post around a sample prompt. This will help you thoroughly evaluate their proficiency and ability to meet deadlines. The sample brief should be based on a real marketing need.
It is advisable to commission sample content so you can use these paid submissions for testing. See how the posts perform on search engine result pages (SERPs) and social media. Tracking performance can help you gauge the writing quality more closely.
6. Discuss Your Expectations
Once you have chosen the writers or agency to partner with, it’s time to set yourself up for effective communication and collaboration. Discuss the following upfront so they can deliver output that aligns with your needs:
- Content goals
- Brand tone and messaging
- Content style
- Target audience
- Overall business objectives
- Expected deliverables
- Timeline of delivery
- Feedback process
- Quality standards
By articulating these expectations from the start, you can avoid misaligned content, save time on revisions, and maintain a productive relationship with your writers. This leads to content that drives results and reflects your brand accurately.
7. Create a Content Selection Plan
A content selection plan is a strategic guide to ensure that all content aligns with your business goals and audience needs. You can avoid random or disjointed content that may dilute your brand message and instead streamline the approval process and reduce revisions.
Your content selection plan should outline the following aspects of each writing project:
- Topic
- Relevant keywords
- Content format
- Tone and style
8. Set a Publication Plan
Next, create a content release schedule. Experts advise having at least a quarterly timeline for everything you plan to post across platforms. Maintaining a regular posting schedule is crucial for audience engagement, SEO performance, and brand visibility. You can also coordinate content with upcoming product launches and seasonal campaigns.
To ensure a consistent and strategic flow of content to your audience, outline when and where content will be published and align it with your overall marketing calendar. Sharing this plan with your outsourced writers leads to more organized and timely content delivery.
9. Compile a Creative Brief
A comprehensive creative brief highlights the content writing guidelines, requirements, and other information needed for the successful completion of a project or task. At the minimum, your content brief template should include the following:
- Expected completion date
- Post format
- The platform it will be posted on
- Suggested title or headline
- Word count
- Writing style/tone
- Recommended calls-to-action (CTAs)
- Target readers, viewers, or listeners
- Project objectives
- Phase in the marketing funnel
- Related resources and references
- Mockup materials
- Graphics and visuals, if available
10. Streamline Feedback Process
You should provide feedback for every write-up. Even experienced writers will need guidance from new clients, and a structured feedback process will get them quickly accustomed to delivering tasks in line with your branding and expectations.
Constructive and detailed feedback will help writers understand what needs improvement and foster a collaborative relationship. Discuss corrections and errors so they can improve their submissions moving forward. Remember to acknowledge a job well done too.
Ultimately, an efficient feedback process ensures smoother communication, higher-quality content, and a better overall outsourcing experience.
Content Types You Can Outsource
Written content comes in a variety of formats. Here are the top content types you can conveniently delegate through outsourcing:
- Long-form articles: These are niche-specific articles for more targeted contextual marketing and specialized keywords for higher ranking on SERPs.
- Blog posts: Informative content that reflects your branding and engages your target audience.
- Press releases: Official announcements for media distribution, covering company news, events, or product launches.
- Ad copy: Short, compelling text for ads that drive clicks and conversions.
- Technical write-ups: Detailed manuals and guides that demonstrate product usage and benefits of services.
- Social media content: Highly engaging posts worthy of likes, reactions, comments, retweets, and shares, with strong, persuasive CTAs that have a potential for virality.
- Product descriptions and service inclusions: Detailed descriptions that highlight product features and service benefits that compel audiences to purchase.
- Email newsletters: Regular promotions containing discounts, expansion plans, company updates, and other business correspondence for subscribers.
- Video scripts: For promotional videos or tutorials to be posted on YouTube, Instagram Reels, and Stories.
- Podcast scripts: For podcast episodes or ads on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms.
- Whitepapers: Comprehensive, long-form content that educates your audience.
- Case studies: In-depth analyses of success stories, demonstrating how your offerings solve customers’ problems.
How Does Content Writing Outsourcing Help Your Business Operations?
When you outsource content writing, your business improves in the following aspects:
1. Time Savings
The process of research, writing, editing, and revisions takes many hours to complete. Outsourcing content can free up critical time and resources that you can allot on more crucial tasks for your organization.
2. Efficiency and Speed
The number of outsourced professionals will depend on your business demands. You can outsource writing to more experts when the need arises. You can employ either full-time or part-time services.
Content writing outsourcing agencies and freelancers are strict with deadlines. You are guaranteed fast delivery of high-standard quality of content.
3. Increased Flexibility
Outsourcing to multiple content writing professionals can give you fresh perspectives that will bring your content marketing to new heights. Highly engaging, informative, and relevant content attracts larger audiences.
4. More Frequent Posts
You can post more frequently and consistently with a repository of content. Relevant, well-written pieces are essential for your brand’s active online presence, reputation, and recognition.
5. Unparalleled Quality of Content
Get professionally crafted, sterling materials through content writing outsourcing. Pro content writers will surely deliver to satisfy your marketing requirements.
Top-Tier Content Writing Agencies To Outsource Your Projects to in 2024
1. Brafton
- Location: 2 Oliver Street Suite 904, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, United States
- Average Hourly Rate: $150
- Expertise: Content Marketing, Email Marketing, PPC, SEO
Brafton was established in 2008 and has since developed unparalleled expertise in social media marketing, content marketing, inbound marketing, and B2B marketing for the modern digital age. These talents have allowed the agency to fast-track sales, engagement, and ROI for clients.
With offices in Chicago, San Francisco, London, and Sydney, this team of creative geniuses provides top-notch services on a global scale. Notable clients include Canva, Cisco Systems, Epson, JTB Corp, Pearson, and MIT.
2. Lightning Media Partners
- Location: Old Bridge, New Jersey 08857, United States
- Average Hourly Rate: $100
- Expertise: Content Marketing, SEO
Lightning Media Partners provides the power of a full editorial department for a fraction of the cost to clients from various industries. This content creation marketing agency delivers high-quality, high-volume content for digital publishers and small businesses. Its approach combines a targeted content strategy with best SEO practices to help clients connect with their audiences and boost their SERP rankings.
Notable clients include CO by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business News Daily, MediaCutlet, and BobVila.com..
3. Elephate
- Location: ul. Robotnicza 42A, 53-608 Wrocław, 53-656, Poland
- Average Hourly Rate: $100
- Expertise: Content Marketing, SEO, Public Relations
Elephate is a content marketing agency that creates unique content based on deep research for different niches. It provides SEO services to deliver valuable traffic to clients via issue-solving blog posts that rank for keywords aligned with search intent.
The agency also provides quality press coverage and PR content. Its proprietary digital PR campaign tool combines high-quality data with attractive infographics to maximize engagement.
Notable clients include Kahoot!, Zalando, Oponeo, and Vox Meble.
4. Digital Media Ninja
- Location: 3333 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75201, United States
- Average Hourly Rate: $65
- Expertise: Content Marketing, SEO, PPC, Digital Strategy
Digital Media Ninja is a Dallas-based agency that delivers swift, sure, and skillful digital marketing techniques. It works with businesses across the country, in every industry. Any digital or content marketing campaign is tailored to the client’s goals. The agency's specialists use research-based SEO, paid media, and content marketing strategies to transform any site into a conversion powerhouse.
Notable clients include Hunger in the Wild, Robles Family Law, and JR Custom Construction.
5. MaxDRIVE Marketing
- Location: 8691 Cooks Mill Road, Georgetown, Indiana 47122, United States
- Average Hourly Rate: Inquire
- Expertise: Digital Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media Marketing, Advertising, Creative, Full-Service Digital
MaxDRIVE Marketing integrates all aspects of branding and lead generation, including content creation, social media management, email marketing, and more, into one seamless platform. This ensures a cohesive and effective marketing strategy that maximizes time and resources.
The team creates optimized content in six formats designed to get in front of your ideal buyer. Then, it distributes this content to 350+ high-authority websites and platforms for maximum visibility.
Notable clients include Mott Corporation, Trivista Companies, Purifier Man, and Beamer Laser Marking Systems.
Outsource Content Writing Takeaways
If you want to drive visitors to an SEO-powered website, blog page, and socials, you must consider outsourcing content writing and leaving the creation and collateral production to the experts. This will allow you to spend your time and energy on what truly matters — your business’s operational and tactical aspects.
When you partner with high-performing freelancers or professional content marketing companies, your business benefits from efficient content production, consistency across various platforms, and faster turnaround times. You can easily engage your audience and meet your marketing goals consistently.
Outsource Content Writing FAQs
1. What does an outsourced content writer do?
An outsourced content writer creates written content for the hiring party. The content can include blog posts, articles, social media posts, website copy, email newsletters, and more. Writers conduct research on the topic, understand the target audience of the piece, and write in a tone and style that aligns with the client's brand messaging.
2. What are the best websites for writer outsourcing in 2024?
Some of the most popular websites for outsourcing freelance content writing are Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, Textbroker, and iWriter.
Browse the top creative agencies on DesignRush and their portfolios, reviews, expertise, awards, and more. Filter the list based on location, price, client types, and areas of expertise to find the team that fits your budget and requirements.
