10 Tips For Outsourcing A Writer

Making money from home offers many possibilities and it's something that can take up a lot of your time once you get on a roll.

Many entrepreneurs need some help either due to lack of a skill or due to excessive workload and outsourcing some of your work to other work at home entrepreneurs can be helpful.

You can outsource various services like web design, virtual assistant services and you can also outsource the services of a writer who can do various things for you such as:

• Sales letters • Special reports • E-books • Blog postings • Press Releases • Web content • Article submissions • And more

Here are ten tips for outsourcing a writer. These tips deal with various aspects that include ways to pay them, ways to find the right writer and ways to best utilize this service.

1. Find a Writer online through Google searches based on writing. You can search based on your niche with keywords or through online writing sites like Elance, Guru or Rentacoder, GoFreelance or GetaFreelancer.

2. Post an ad online in community forums, on Craigslist or on other classified sites and bidding sites to find a writer and interview and review the writers that apply by reviewing their samples and covering letters.

3. Review samples for each writer to see what style matches your needs the closest and Google the writer by name to see what else they've done as well as what their reputation in the industry is. Look for a writer who has a style or voice that matches yours, or one with the ability to find a voice that matches your needs especially if you will be having them ghostwrite for you. It's a good idea to put specific directions in your advertisement and look most at those who specifically follow your directions. If they can't follow directions in an advertisement, they might not do so well in following your work directions.

4. Set up a meeting to discuss your needs. You can do this on the phone, on instant messaging or on Skype. This will give you a chance to converse with the writer and find out if their style will meet your needs. Communication is key in terms of getting the results you want.

5. Put a time buffer on your deadline in case there are problems with the writer, with an emergency or in case the writer's finished product needs extra time for revisions.

6. Start off with a small test project to make sure the writer's style meets your needs before you are tied to a writer for a large and labor-intensive project. For larger projects, do interim checks to ensure everything is on track throughout the process. It's easier to change direction part way than to rewrite an entire project after it's delivered.

7. Check projects on anti-plagiarism tools like Copyscape.com to ensure you're given original material.

8. Ask for a confidentiality agreement if it's suitable for your business.

9. Pay the writer promptly. Not only is their reputation on the line but so is yours. Don't forget the fact that the writer who knows your niche will also know your industry and as much as good news can travel fast, bad news can travel faster. Online services like Elance offer escrow services or you can pay a writer via PayPal. The industry standard for new relationships is 50% up front and 50% on delivery. Once you've established a rapport you can alter the terms to something that suits you both.

10. Learn the art of delegation. Once you find a match with a great writer and they develop a solid knowledge of your business, delegate more of your writing tasks to them. The more time you have to develop your business, the great the opportunities for growth.

If you don't find the perfect fit straight away, don't give up. Some people have the most luck with online bidding sites whereas others get great services through word of mouth referrals.