Outsourcing Online Writing

As an online writer and owner of websites, you might enjoy writing most of your own blog entries and other content for your web sites. However, the day might come when you own too many web properties to do all of your own online writing. When that day does arrive, you might find that you want to outsource the writing of some of your blog entries and other content for your websites. If you have reached that stage or you anticipate reaching that stage in the near (or not so near) future, you might want to look into outsourcing the writing of some of your blogs and websites. But how do you start this process of outsourcing?

Initially, when hiring writers, you may want to look right in your own backyard. More precisely, if you personally know any freelance writers and you happen to like their work, you might want to hire people you know offline in the real world before exploring online options. Often college students and stay at home moms and stay at home dads seeking some extra income make the choice to work as freelance writers.

In addition to hiring people you know offline, you will want to investigate (and perhaps hire some freelancers through) some or all of the better known and most reputable freelancing websites that help match website owners in need of content creation with freelancers. These sites include but are not limited to ODesk, Elance and Textbroker.

Next, use your professional social network to find writers to whom you can outsource some of your online writing. In other words, ask around among your professional and personal contacts to learn the names of quality freelance writers who are currently seeking work. Some people might be reluctant to share information because they may want to keep certain freelancers to themselves, but others will be quite generous with referrals.

Keep handy the names and contact information of all the writers you use whose work you like and whose online writing style aligns with your overall vision for your blogs and websites so that you can call upon them and use their services again and again. (Treat them respectfully and pay them competitive rates so they will want to keep working for you. Their quality writing services are a precious commodity, after all.)

One quick word of warning about hiring someone you know personally: If you hire someone you know in the real world (a friend or acquaintance, for example) there is always the possibility that their work will disappoint you and you will need to end the professional relationship, so it is important to realize that there is always some potential risk involved in hiring people you know in your offline life.