Once you start outsourcing your content, there are a number of dangers you have to navigate. These are more common sense than anything else, but it never hurts to run through them once in a while to remind yourself. I personally would use Upwork because they are the best in my opinion. But you do need to be careful so let me show you a few ways to go about finding a writer.

How To Give Clear Job Descriptions

This is probably the most common, yet most obvious, a place where people make mistakes.

When you create a job description, don’t be in a hurry. Take your time and be as detailed as you can to convey what exactly it is you need in your article.

Job Description;

• Tone
• Topic
• What experience would you like the writer to have?
• I like to include something like “Please quote the words – I want this job – in the application title” I find this eliminated a lot of applicants because it allows you to see who actually read your description in the first place. A lot of writers simply apply for all the jobs that come up, without even reading them. You do not want to hire someone who is so complacent they can’t even be bothered to read your description.
• It can also be a good idea to include what you are NOT looking for. For example, you can say that you only want people who are native English speakers, live in US and are over a certain age.
• Essentially the more information you convey here, the fewer applicants you will get. However, you will only get people who are suitable for your job.

When Authors Apply For Job;

Once applicants send you applications, you need to give them more information about the article and probably ask some more questions.

• What to include, what not to include in the article.
• Which subheadings you want within the article.
• Give them a clear structure.
• Be very clear about what message you are trying to convey within the article.
• Don’t give away keywords until you have chosen a writer.
• Have a look at their profile and ask them some relevant questions.
• Ask to see some examples of their work because most writers will have blogs themselves or be able to match their picture on Upwork with the author picture on their published work.

Basically, the more information you give the writer, the better the chance of getting an article which is relevant to your needs.

Every person will approach a subject or niche in an entirely different way. This is why it is vital to be as clear as possible in the job description.

Making a mistake here will result in an article, which even though may be well written, will not convey the message that you had in mind because the author had a different approach to the same topic.

Would you like an example? OK, here we go…

Let’s say for example you need an article written about “10 Best Ways To Make Money Online From Your Blog” Your job description could look something like this.

Title – Article About Best Ways To Make Money Online

Description –

I would like an article written about the best ways to make money online with a blog. The article will be a list of methods and tactics to make money from a personal blog.

Keywords, structure and underlying message to be conveyed within the article will be given to the successful applicant.

Please quote the words “I want this job” in application title.

Applicant must have the following skills:

• Be a native English speaker
• Have experience with creating and editing your own blog and blog posts.
• Have experience within the affiliate marketing world.
• Must have experience in at least a few monetizing methods such as e-mail marketing, CPA or Google ads.
• Must be able to show proof of previous work related to affiliate marketing/monetization of a blog.

When the applications start to come…

Once writers start applying for the job – this happens very quickly – you need to do some due diligence on your part.

Here are a few things you can do to check if they are honest and real profiles.

• Check their profile picture against the picture in the author box of their previous work. Go to the URL’s of their previous work and scroll down to the bottom, there is usually an author box there with information about the author.
• Check the domain age and authority of the websites where their previous work is published. If they send you 3 examples of previous work but the domains are 2 months old and have 0 page rank and only have 20 other articles on the whole website, alarm bells should be ringing. You can check a website’s page authority here for free.
• Check their profile for spelling mistakes and just have a read and get a feel for them. If they use words like “24 HOUR DELIVERY!” and “GUARANTEED PAGE 1 GOOGLE” then just avoid them. No real and honest author would ever use these words.
• Check their previous positive feedback. Are they all from the same user? If the author has got 3 positive comments, but they are all from the same user who has only been a member of Upwork for 2 weeks then approach with caution.

Test their response.

Ask them a few questions related to the topic at hand, such as;

• Have you ever created your own blog? If so can I have a look?
• Which methods have you experienced with regarding monetization of a blog?

When they answer the questions, keep a look out for their grammar and spelling. Also, if they are writing in lengthy sentences and get a feel for their passion.

If they answer with one or two words and seem completely indifferent, then don’t hire them. Also, if they use a lot of “text chat” and abbreviations then avoid them also.

You are looking for someone who writes in lengthy and coherent sentences.

Overall…

The process of finding a writer on Upwork is essentially a case of weeding out the unskilled, complacent and lazy writers.

By using the methods above and learning from your own mistakes, you will get to the point where you can consistently find great writers to create amazing content for your blog.

Once you have a 3 or 4 wonderful writers under your wing, then you are in a great position because you can double or even quadruple your content output on your blog – depending on your budget of course!

Do you have any experience with Upwork that you want to share? Any particular methods you find effective in weeding out the unskilled writers?

Please do share your thoughts below!