Writing Services: You Get What You Pay For

Disclaimer: this post is NOT about promoting my own writing service!

As you may know from reading here, I very rarely promote my own writing service via this blog. This is because the target audience for my writing service is different than the DIY niche I focus on here. My blog posts are targeted towards those who either want to tackle Content Marketing themselves – or are outsourcing on a limited budget.

(In other words – fellow entrepreneurs just like me!)

Now, the true value of a writing service can be debated ad nauseaum – with some arguing that “Content is Forever” – and investing in quality upfront is definitely worth the initial price… and those who say “Hey, I can get an ‘original’ article via Elance.com for $5 – why would I even think of paying more?”

Frankly, my thoughts on this topic are a bit pragmatic.

If you can get a  high-quality ORIGINAL piece of content for 5 bucks – something you would be HAPPY to have represent your business  either “as-is” or with minimal editing – then DO IT.

I’ll even go a step further – if you have someone who is creating great original content for you at $5 per article – take good care of them. (In fact, I would offer them $10 and hope it would buy their loyalty! )

However, in my experience, the odds of finding this aren’t in your favor. In fact, the following comment (copied and pasted here exactly as it was submitted via the ‘Comments’ feature on this site) sums up what you are likely to find in that price range:

It is not simply to do very good custom essays just about this good topic! Find the perfect writing service to have academic benefit and buy essay there!

My goal here isn’t to poke fun at anyone – which is why I removed the hyper links (which pointed to a “writing” service)  from this comment. But, it does an excellent job illustrating what is wrong with so many of the “cheap” writing services out there.

Most often – you either need to rework these articles completely (thus losing the benefit of outsourcing the work in the first place) – or throw it out on the Internet “as is” and hope for the best.

If you are publishing under a pen name, the second option might be tempting.  After all, that sub-par content is not tied directly to your name or business, right? The problem, of course, is that no legitimate publisher is going to pick up something that doesn’t make any sense and share it with her readers. And forget about having it passed along on Social Media sites.  Further, if it’s posted on one of your niche sites, legitimate visitors are going to be put off if they happen to land on that page.

The end results? Your Content Marketing efforts will fall flat.

My recommendation? Depending on your situation, you might consider one of the following options:

• Take the time to find a legitimate (and talented) writer and have the work done right the first time. (If you hire a professional writer, you shouldn’t need to spend any of your own time editing). You’ll pay more for this approach – but think of it as making a sound, long-term investment into your business.

• Buy high-quality private label rights content and rework it yourself into something unique (my personal favorite is EasyPLR.com because it is professionally edited and is offered to a limited number of buyers).

Remember, the content that surrounds your business is often the ONLY way prospective clients can evaluate you. So make sure it is saying good things about you!

Til Next Time,

PS EasyPLR.com offers private label rights articles in packs of 5 or 10 articles for around $1 each.  So, for as little as $5 – you can pick up 5 articles, rework them – and have 5 fresh new pieces of content ready to work for you in no time!