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Outsourcing the planning prior to getting copywriters involved?

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by Edwin Hayward, Jul 20, 2008.

  1. #1
    I wonder if anyone has pointers to share about outsourcing the process of planning a series of articles on a particular niche topic?

    By that, I mean engaging somebody who has solid existing knowledge of the niche (or failing that, the capacity to conduct effective, rigorous research to determine the most relevant article topics within the niche). The output of the process would be a series of clear, unambiguous article suggestions (perhaps as a list of bullet points or one-paragraph topic summaries), providing solid coverage of the niche, which could then be passed on to an experienced writer to be turned into fully-fledged articles.

    After all, I'm probably not alone in having an interest in potentially building sites on topics I know little or nothing about - and just like it's potentially easier (and cheaper) to engage professional writers to create the content itself, it would seem to make sense to follow a similar process at the planning stage rather than dedicating days of my time to learning the rudiments of the topic.

    All suggestions, ideas, pointers and experiences welcome!
     
    Edwin Hayward, Jul 20, 2008 IP
  2. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #2
    If you hire an expert writer in the niche (and it sounds like you mean content writers; not copywriters since you're talking about articles), they should be able to do that with / for you.
     
    jhmattern, Jul 20, 2008 IP
  3. Edwin Hayward

    Edwin Hayward Member

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    #3
    Yes, sorry, you're right, I got my terminology mixed up. I meant content writers.
     
    Edwin Hayward, Jul 20, 2008 IP
  4. tsrumler

    tsrumler Peon

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    #4
    Hiring an expert writer in that niche would work well, but don't forget that there are also many really good writers that are great at research also. Even though they may not be experts, they would more than likely be willing to do the research for you in addition to writing the content.

    All I'm saying is don't limit yourself to writers who only know about that specific niche, because you might miss out on other excellent writers.
     
    tsrumler, Jul 20, 2008 IP
  5. vgal

    vgal Active Member

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    #5
    Hiring someone who is an expert in a particular topic will normally cost you more than a general writer, and rightfully so. Are you good at uncovering factual information on the web? If so, you could probably find basic information to give to your writer. On the other hand, they would still need to read, research, and get a basic understanding of the topic in order to put together an article that is actually helpful, readable, and engaging.
     
    vgal, Jul 20, 2008 IP
  6. webgal

    webgal Peon

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    #6
    Edwin- I nearly fainted when I read your post. Nobody thinks they need to plan any more. You are a rare species. That is precisely what you should do to create a successful site. "Throw it up there and see if it sticks" is typically the mentality which is why 85% of all websites fail and fold in the first year.

    So many ideas come out of that planning stage. Rearranging it later is a pain. I always advocate planning, putting things in writing, establishing strategic goals, researching your target market and figuring out how to monetize it other than the obvious.

    In my opinion, you need a copywriter strong in marketing for the planning part and perhaps the landing page. Once you have subjects nailed in relevant categories which is important for attracting visitors and SEO, you hire content writers. And in the planning stages you decide the slant you will take to make the site it's most effective and you communicate this to the content writers.

    It does depend on the niche but that would be my advice based on what I see here.
     
    webgal, Jul 21, 2008 IP
  7. Edwin Hayward

    Edwin Hayward Member

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    #7
    Thanks for all the comments (please keep them coming). In answer to a few of the points made...

    A) Yes, I could do my own research, for sure (I've done it for about 30 sites so far) but it's a case of far too many ideas, much too little time. So getting somebody trustworthy to put the "foundations" in place short-circuits the process.

    B) I wonder how well a good writer with no subject-specific knowledge could identify the needles in the haystack of the subject in a reasonable amount of time? For any given niche, there might be 500 possible angles yet only 20 that are "key" in the sense that they blanket the topic while simultaneously matching the way people are searching about the topic, talking about it and so on (i.e. the SEO aspects). Not having had much experience of hiring professional content writers, it's hard for me to quantify this.

    C) Just to clarify, I'm talking about a series of articles that cover a whole niche, and which taken together would make for a solid website, rather than the planning process behind a single article.

    Anyway, I hope that more people will come forward with ideas - I'm especially curious to hear from anyone who's actually hired somebody to complete the kind of initial research/planning assignment I'm describing, any pitfalls to avoid, stuff that worked well, that sort of thing...
     
    Edwin Hayward, Jul 21, 2008 IP
  8. webgal

    webgal Peon

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    #8
    Edwin- It would depend on how technical or specific the niche. It would be difficult to get it right if there aren't funds in the budget for research that would involve interviewing a professional in the field. For example, I've written a lot about trigeminal neuralgia but I would run it by a brain surgeon first.

    As for planning, I wasn't referring to the planning of one article. I was thinking more macro. The concept of the site and the navigation planning and how to balance SEO and user friendly.

    I think if you want perspective from another business person, you might want to try the business forum and not the copywriting and content writing forum. While I do hire writers for large projects, particularly web development, I think you are looking for advice from actual owners.
     
    webgal, Jul 21, 2008 IP
  9. cvishy

    cvishy Peon

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    #9
    Honestly, I am not a staunch believer of rigorous planning. That said, I do not disagree with the importance of planning. Ideally, in whatever you do when you hire a company to outsource your content writing requirement, all you need to do is look at the company's quality process. I get a lot of content projects from my clients in the US and I make my quality process extremely clear to them.

    If they have a 4+ stage quality process, then your choice is right.

    Thanks
     
    cvishy, Aug 1, 2008 IP