What Are The Main Problems With Outsourcing Your Content Writing?

In today’s fast-paced digital world, creating engaging and valuable content is essential to get your brand out there. Whether you’re selling a product or service, or just trying to make a name for yourself, creating top-notch content is key to building trust, relationships, and brand recognition. 

If you’re a business with limited resources or tight deadlines, outsourcing your content writing can be a real lifesaver. By letting someone else take care of your content, you can focus on other areas of your business, while still producing high-quality content that your customers will love. 

Nowadays, people have all the power to choose what they want to engage with. Capturing their attention and keeping it needs to be a key focus of any marketing plan. (Good luck with targeting Gen Z; their attention span is negligible.) No matter the audience, you’ve gotta create content that’s worthy of their time and attention. 

When it comes to content writing, there’s no doubt that outsourcing can be a great way to save time and money. But it’s important to consider the potential drawbacks and make an informed decision.  

So here are some of the main problems with outsourcing content writing. 

What Are The Main Problems With Outsourcing Your Content Writing? 

They don’t have high standards of quality control 

The quality of the content written by a freelancer or an agency can be hard to judge. If you don’t have a detailed brief and a clear vision for the project, you might not get the quality of work you’re expecting. There’s the risk of the content not being up to the standards of your own business. 

Having a well-defined plan and a strong sense of direction is essential to get high quality content from your writer. Make sure you give your agency or freelance copywriter as much information as possible, such as target audience, keywords, length, tone and style of writing, research sources, and any other relevant details.  

They should ask you for what they need, but if not, it’s also a good idea to share examples of the kind of content you want so that the writer can get an idea of the kind of tone and style you’re looking for. 

Giving your writer clear, honest feedback is vital as it’ll help the writer understand your amends and ensure the quality of the content is up to your standards. Writers aren’t mind readers so they’ll need a bit of guidance. 

At Spaghetti Agency, we ensure that we produce top-notch content by asking the right questions during our copywriting onboarding sessions. This includes asking about your proposition and key messaging, as well as your ideal Tone of Voice (TOV), and brand values. Don’t worry if you’re not sure about any of these, as we’ll guide you through it all. When our copywriter has finished researching and writing, we use a proofreading checklist to guarantee error-free copy content, which is reviewed by a real-life human expert. 

They don’t have enough background knowledge 

If you’re outsourcing content writing, unless you’re working with a specialist in the area, the writer may not know a lot about your industry and the topics they’ll be writing about. This could mean that the content won’t be as accurate and detailed as you expected. 

That said, remember that a copywriting expert can still write high-quality content if they understand the basics of a topic and can source reliable information and use the right writing techniques. Good research skills are essential, as they allow the writer to gather the necessary information to write compelling, accurate, and well-structured content. 

As the client, it’s your responsibility to point the writer in the direction of any useful information. They might need to have access to the latest news, trends, and developments in the industry, as well as having access to reliable and accurate sources of information. This will help ensure that the content is accurate and well-researched. Want to focus on a product’s specifics? Give them the item’s manual or listing or find and focus on the unique selling points and benefits. 

It’s also important to consider the writer’s experience. Make sure the writer is familiar with the basics of content writing, such as SEO, link building, and keyword optimisation. This will help ensure that the content is optimised for search engines and that it reaches the intended audience rather than just sitting on your website. 

Here at Spaghetti Agency, we’re experienced in a variety of industries, but if your industry is new to us, that’s OK too. When we create content, we conduct thorough research and ask relevant questions to ensure that we have a strong understanding of the topic. A fresh pair of eyes often helps our clients take a step back and stop assuming their readers know everything – which can be very helpful! 

We also understand the importance of presenting information in a way that’s easily digestible and understandable for the reader. That’s why we approach the writing process from the perspective of potential customers who may have limited knowledge and are coming to YOU for advice.  

This allows us to communicate the information in a way that is accessible and engaging for the target audience. Having a fresh perspective can be valuable as it helps you to identify gaps in your messaging and ensures that you share information that’s relevant and useful to the reader. 

They don’t understand your Tone of Voice 

Tone of Voice, or TOV for short, is the way a brand talks to its audience through the words they use and how they structure sentences. It’s like a brand’s personality that shines through in its content. Now, why is it important for content creation, you may ask? Well, having a consistent and recognisable TOV helps to establish a brand’s identity and values, which is key to building a strong relationship with the audience.  

Think about it, if you were talking to someone who kept changing their tone and personality, you wouldn’t know what to expect from them, right? The same goes for a brand. A defined TOV also helps to make content more engaging and relatable, because it feels like it’s coming from a real person who understands them and speaks to them in a way they can connect with.  

How do we make sure we get the right Tone of Voice for you? When you work with us, we’ll send you a helpful document that outlines three different options for Tone of Voice, so you can pick the one that best suits your brand’s personality and values. 

They’re something like this: 

1. The first option is ‘super casual’, which is a laid-back and conversational tone that works well for brands that want to connect with their audience in a friendly and approachable way.  
2. The second option is ‘chatty professional’, which is a more informal and personal tone that’s perfect for brands that want to create a more relatable and engaging presence. (That’s us! We’re professionals who know what we’re talking about, but we’re not afraid to use a few choice words when we’re passionate about something.) 
3. Finally, the third option is ‘formal’, which is a more traditional and serious tone that’s ideal for businesses in industries like finance or law. To be honest, we don’t tend to use this very much because people in these industries don’t tend to opt for cowboys! And that’s OK. We love them anyway. 

We understand that it can be tricky to decide which option is right for your brand, so we’re more than happy to offer our recommendation based on our expertise and your specific needs. Our goal is to ensure that we capture the essence of your brand’s personality and create content that truly resonates with your audience. 

The cost is too high 

Cost is often the primary factor that drives companies to outsource their content writing. When you outsource your content writing, you may need to pay a premium for quality content, especially if you want native English writers who can produce high-quality content. Additionally, outsourcing companies may charge extra fees for in-depth research, revisions, edits, rush orders, or proofreading, which can add up quickly. 

The cost of your project will probably depend on a few factors, such as the complexity of the content, the turnaround time, and the volume of content needed.  

At Spaghetti Agency we manage the whole content creation process meticulously. To maintain our high standards, we have in-depth systems and processes at every stage of our work with our clients. For example, if we’re writing your website copy or blogs, we’ll research, create concepts, write, design, proofread, upload, and check what’s been done. 

 Our company has a multifunctional team, with a complementary range of skills and talent across marketing, account management, social media, design, and copywriting. That means that much of our costs are down to labour as well as the tools we need for our team to do their jobs effectively. Every individual at Spaghetti Agency is an integral part of our ability to succeed in giving our clients a brilliant service. That also means that we’re not the cheapest option. 

They can’t meet your expected turnaround time 

When it comes to content writing, turnaround time is an important factor to consider.  

Depending on the size and complexity of the project, it can take some time to get the content written. Freelancers often work on multiple projects at the same time, and may not be able to commit to a strict deadline for your content. They have a limited number of hours available each week, or may need to prioritise other projects or commitments. This can make it challenging to rely on a freelancer for consistent, high-quality content over the long term. 

If you have a tight timeline for your project, it’s important to make sure your freelancer can realistically meet that deadline. You may need to build in extra time for revisions or unexpected delays.  

If you need ongoing content writing support, it may be difficult to rely on a freelancer for consistent, high-quality content over the long term, so you may need to find a team of writers or a content writing agency that can provide the level of support you need. 

Alternatively, you may need to be flexible with your content writing needs and adjust your expectations based on the availability of your freelancer. Communication is key in this scenario, so it’s important to keep the lines of communication open and be clear about your expectations and needs as they evolve over time. 

With a Spaghetti Agency content writing package, clients receive a set number of blog posts, emails, and social media posts per month. We make sure we communicate the timeline upfront and schedule in the writer’s time, ensuring there’s enough time to deliver high-quality work. When we’re writing website copy or other projects, the writer provides the account manager with regular updates throughout the project. Keeping the client updated on progress means the client can rest assured that the project will be completed on time. 

They may have poor communication  

When you’re outsourcing content writing, you’ve really got to have regular and clear communication with the writer – from the initial brief to feedback and revisions. This will help keep the project on track and ensure that you’re getting the content you’re expecting. 

Good communication involves setting clear expectations for the project, such as the timeline for completion, the format of the content, and the desired length. This’ll help ensure that the writer has all the information they need to create the content, and you know when to expect it. 

By providing clear feedback when requested, it’ll help establish a good working relationship with the writer. This will help the writer focus on the task at hand and provide the client with the highest quality of work. 

At Spaghetti Agency, our Account Manager will be proactive in offering ideas and suggestions. For example, they can make recommendations for additional topics or suggest changes to existing content to make it more interesting or engaging. This fosters an ongoing and productive relationship with the client. 

You may need some patience! 

The process of outsourcing content writing can take some time, and it can be easy to become frustrated when things don’t go as planned. It’s important to have patience and work closely with the writer or agency to get the best results. Patience is an important quality for any successful content-writing project. It’s not just you! Writers also need to be patient and willing to work with clients to revise and refine the content until it meets the client’s expectations. 

Copywriting by committee is NOT a thing, so you’ll need to choose one person in your business who’s responsible for giving feedback to the writer. If you try to assemble a small team of people to sign off the copy, it’s never going to get signed off. People just won’t agree on everything.  

Remember, too, that even when you’re commissioning bespoke copywriting work, you don’t necessarily need to even like it that much. Why? Because it’s not written for you or targeted at you, unless you happen to be a member of your own target audience! This means that while you may have specific ideas or preferences for the content, it’s more important to focus on what your audience will respond to and engage with. 

Ultimately, the success of the content will be measured by how well it resonates with your audience and drives the desired actions, whether that’s signing up for a service, buying a product, or engaging with your brand in some other way. If the content is effective in achieving these goals, then it’s done its job, even if you personally may not love every aspect of it. 

Although it can sometimes be difficult to remain patient, it’s essential to keep in mind that quality content takes time to create. Therefore, it’s important to give writers enough time to produce the content and allow them the space to make mistakes and learn from them. 

By staying patient, clients can ensure that they are getting the best possible results, while writers can find the right solutions to any challenges that arise. 

At the end of the day, outsourcing content writing can be a great way to save time and money and get the content you need. 

However, it’s important to take the time to consider the potential drawbacks and make sure that you’re working with the right person or agency.  

If you think that might be us, feel free to contact us today.  

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