To outsource copywriting is to have someone else write copy on your behalf. The outsourcing process is simple, as long as you team up with an experienced copywriter.
Outsourcing copywriting involves five basic steps:
1. Hire a copywriter 2. Send your project brief 3. Wait for copy 4. Ask for revisions, if needed 5. Receive ready-to-publish content
It's really that simple!
Benefits of Outsourcing Copywriting
Outsourcing copywriting comes with several advantages:
• Access an in-demand writer on demand with proven copywriting talents • Publish engaging, conversion-focused copy that drives business growth • Reduce in-house work hours • No recruitment or training expenses • Easy collaboration via email • Fast access to copy that strengthens your brand's image • Enhanced focus on core operational tasks • Achieve content marketing objectives • Satisfy Google with fresh, regularly updated content
1. Hire an independent copywriter 2. Order from a copywriting marketplace 3. Use AI tools 4. Freelance portals
To help you make the best choice for your copywriting needs, we've created reviews of the top five service providers for each option.
We've rated each option according to price, quality of content, timeliness and customer service, with five stars being the highest rating in each category.
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5 Options for Hiring an Independent Copywriter
Outsourcing copywriting to an independent copywriter lets you have your pick of the litter. Always choose a copywriter with a strong copywriting portfolio and several years of experience in content marketing.
The quality of work produced by professional copywriters far exceeds what you'll access through AI tools and most freelance portals.
Make sure to hire a copywriter who runs all content through a plagiarism and AI detector. Even though professional copywriters don't use AI tools (at least they shouldn't need to), it's important they run the content their copy through AI detectors to ensure there isn't a false match. If Google detects copy that reads like it came from an AI generator, it penalizes the website it's published on.
Content writing service pricing varies greatly from one independent copywriter to the next. You'll find some charging more than $1 per word, while others charge a more reasonable rate of five to 20 cents per word.
In regard to customer service, you can't beat having direct access to an independent copywriter; this is why we gave it five stars.
As far as timeliness goes, we gave hiring an independent copywriter four stars because it takes one or more days to receive a final, polished piece of content (this is unlike AI generators that produce copy on the spot). However, professional independent copywriters know how to meet project demands by adhering to strict deadlines.
Use our review of hiring an independent copywriter to find a writer that fits your budget and project requirements.
1. Whitneycann
Here at Whitneycann, we are an independent copywriter business. We fairly base our content writing service pricing on how much time it takes to create a piece of content.
On average, it takes us about 30 to 45 minutes to review a content briefing and create an optimized 500-word piece of writing, and our pricing reflects that. For a 650-word blog post, we charge $21.65.
For a landing page, we charge only $150, and you'll receive 100% unique content that comes in the form of 850 optimized words that attract and engage your most ideal customers. Our landing pages include multiple strategic headlines, 5 images with captions, all SEO metadata, and each page is customized to your brand/product.
We live in a small, rural town in Kentucky, and we don't lead fancy lifestyles, so we don't need a whole lot of money to survive. In fact, we try our best to lead a lifestyle that follows healthy wellness and holistic practices. And we've found that our prices let us lead lives that we are truly happy and content with. That's how we provide such affordable ghostwriting services and other types of content creation without sacrificing quality.
You can rest assured that all of the copy produced by Whitneycann comes with laser-focused attention to your brand. Our copywriters create content in a variety of settings—in a home office, watching a waterfall in the woods, sitting beside the lake and other serene environments—with full concentration on your project.
We complete all projects according to our listed turnaround times and even offer rush-hour services for an additional fee. Our customer service is very responsive, allowing us to continually receive "exceeds expectations" ratings.
2. Next Level Marketing Tech
Next Level Marketing Tech is an independent copywriting business like us. However, we quickly noticed when trying to order content that it required setting up an Upwork account; this immediately turned us away from the brand. There is an option to contact the company through an email request form, however, there was no option to make a content purchase and get started on a project.
We couldn't find any pricing information on the website, which we don't like. It's always helpful to have an idea of what a copywriter charges before contacting them.
A couple of things we did like about the site was its ease of navigation. Assuming the copywriter created the website himself, it's safe to assume you'll receive high-quality copywriting through Next Level Marketing Tech.
Regarding customer service, we did not try to contact the company. However, there were multiple points of contact listed on the site, including email, phone number, postal address, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
3. Outsource Copywriting The Outsource Copywriting independent copywriter has a great About page. Once again, we couldn't find any information on pricing. We did notice from all of her accolades, though, that she is a joy to work with.
We didn't find multiple points of contact, which was a downside. However, we did notice that she's willing to travel to complete projects, making her an excellent option if you need an on-site copywriter.
4. Lauren Tassi Agency
We absolutely love the Lauren Tassi Agency website. You can tell this copywriter definitely takes the time and effort it takes to craft engaging content that truly resonates with her intended audience. We also love the fact that she has a portfolio to look at and prices listed, but boy is she expensive.
Her Zen A.F. Launch Package costs $6,000 for a single landing page, one launch email sequence, one long-form sales page and a launch strategy session.
Her Just a Sales Page, Please! package costs $3,500 and comes with only 3,000 words for a sales page and only two rounds of revisions. That's an expensive sales page!
We saw only one point of contact, requiring you to book a copy consultation. However, based on her reviews, it appears she provides first-rate customer support.
5. Ashlyn Writes
This independent copywriteris another example of an extremely expensive service provider. Her cheapest package costs $950, with some packages costing over $11,000. She provides strategy calls, brand stories, website copy and launch and email funnel copy. She is also an example of why we gave independent writers only four stars in regard to timeliness; some of her services have a six- to seven-week turnaround time.
We found multiple points of contact, including postal mail, email and newsletter signup. Based on the quality of the website, you can expect high-quality content. However, this option is only for well-established businesses with large marketing budgets.
If you're looking to do a deep dive into rebranding your company, her services might be a good fit. However, if you already have a content marketing strategy in place, you can find lots of cheaper independent copywriters to work with. Being careful with your content marketing budget is essential to the overall effectiveness of the tactics you implement.
5 Options for Ordering From a Copywriting Marketplace
You have a ton of copywriting marketplace options to choose from. For this review, we will discuss three different platforms that we have worked through and two that we haven't.
We gave copywriting marketplaces only two stars for pricing because most of them are quite expensive. In addition to paying a writer to create content for you, you also have to pay a platform fee, which often exceeds 30% of the cost of the content you pay for.
For example, with Writer Access, if you pay a writer $120 for a 1,000-word landing page, you then have to pay Writer Access $36 for letting you use their platform. As you can imagine, if you pay for bulk orders, the 30% platform fee can become detrimental to your marketing budget.
Let's pretend you have $10,000 a year to spend on content marketing. Do you really want $3,000 of that budget to go toward platform fees? Of course not!
We gave copywriting marketplaces five stars for quality of work because you can access extremely talented writers through them. Plus, a lot of today's leading copywriting marketplaces use AI technology to match clients with writers, easily allowing clients to find writers who are most likely to meet their needs.
Copywriting marketplaces received only two stars for timeliness because it's easy for orders to get stuck in limbo with this copywriting option.
Let's say you put in an order on Monday with a 72-hour turnaround. The order may or may not get picked up the same day you post it. Additionally, the writer who picks it up may not complete it on time. That's three whole days wasted.
When this happens, you have to wait for another writer to pick it up and complete it. That writer very well may not complete it, either. I've seen some orders stick around on job boards for over a month.
Regarding customer service, copywriting marketplaces received only three stars because these entities are often overwhelmed with content orders. You can usually receive a response to any inquiries within 24 hours, but this is unlike the response time that you'll receive from most independent copywriters (four hours or less).
If you decide to order through a copywriting marketplace, use this review of five different platforms to find the best one for your copywriting packages.
1. Textbroker
Textbroker is where we started our professional copywriting career back in 2010. We signed up for the platform after finding a writer request inquiry in a work-from-home email. To this day, we still provide services through the platform.
Due to Textbroker's service fee, clients who purchase material from us via the platform end up paying more than they would if they went straight to us.
Textbroker does not allow you to connect with writers outside of the platform if the relationship started there, so once you start a project with a writer there, you're stuck paying a platform fee as long as you continue that relationship.
As far as pricing for Textbroker, you can't beat the cost. They pay most of their writers only one to two cents a word. That means if you hire a 3- or 4-star writer through the platform, you'll only pay about $20 for a 1,000-word content piece, including the platform fee.
We highly recommend that you hire only 5-star writers through the Textbroker platform. These writers earn a much higher rate of five cents a word, and the quality of their work reflects the pay increase. We are a five-star writer at Textbroker. Only 1% of writers make it to that level.
2. Writer Access
Three years after starting our copywriting career with Textbroker, we became writers through Writer Access; we no longer offer our services there for several reasons.
Writer Access is much more expensive than Textbroker, but the quality of work is by far better than what you'll acquire through 2-, 3- and 4-star writers at Textbroker. Even 2-star writers on Writer Access tend to provide much better copywriting than Textbroker's 3-star writers.
Once again, your content orders can get stuck in rotation from writer to writer at Writer Access, making it impossible to meet project deadlines.
Additionally, Writer Access' customer service is nothing to brag about. However, it is possible to find a 4-, 5- or 6-star writer on the platform who provides excellent copywriting that you can partner with for years to come. Just keep in mind that once you start the relationship through the Writer Access platform, you're stuck paying a platform fee for each and every single piece of writing that you purchase.
3. nDash
nDash (another platform we offer our services through) allows writers to directly pitch companies with project ideas, which makes it different from Textbroker and Writer Access.
The cost of content through nDash varies greatly, but the quality of work you receive is usually better than the previous two platforms we've discussed. Plus, you can negotiate and set price rates with writers through nDash.
Any time we've ever needed to contact customer service, we've received a response within a few days, which is a drawback for those with strict project deadlines.
If you want writers to pitch you ideas for content pieces, nDash is a great platform to buy interesting content pieces covering engaging topics.
4. WordAgents
This copywriting marketplace caters to businesses of any size. They vet all of their writers, but this doesn't necessarily mean you're going to connect with the best ones. You'll have to scour through different writer profiles to find one that best meets your needs; the same applies to Textbroker, Writer Access and nDash. Some of the platforms will connect you to writers using AI tech, but some also charge a fee for this service.
Another downside to WordAgents is that they commit to a 7-day turnaround. Unless you're ordering tens of thousands of words, you shouldn't have to wait a full week or longer for content.
Also, a huge downside to WordAgents is that they offer only two rounds of revision for each content piece. Any professional copywriter that provides quality work understands that unlimited revisions are key to pleasing clients.
As far as pricing, it appears you can order 1,000 words for $114. For 60,000 words, you'll pay $3,420. Here at Whitneycann, we offer 60,000 words for only $2,900, allowing you to save over $500 for the same amount of work.
5. Semrush Content Marketplace Out of 29 reviews, the Semrush Content Marketplace received four out of five stars. Most reviews mentioned that the platform produces high-quality SEO content and provides reliable services.
Again, like other copywriting marketplaces, Semrush Content Marketplace boasts high prices when compared to working with most independent copywriters.
Probably the most beneficial reason to purchase content through this marketplace stems from the other suite of tools that you can access. Chances are, if you're investing in content writing, you're spending quite a bit of money on content marketing, which means you likely have funds to access the advanced SEO tools offered by Semrush. If you're going to use their tools, why not keep your content creation all in one spot, right?
For some business owners, this works great. For others, it's far more cost-efficient to partner with an independent copywriter with lower content writing service pricing.
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5 Options for Using AI Tools
Who doesn't love AI? Google search results, that's who! Google itself uses more AI tools than we can imagine to provide all of the neat little services it offers. The company even employs generative AI search technology to produce search results for some of its users.
But when it comes to copywriting, Google hates the use of AI-generated tools. Why? Because Google knows people prefer human-generated writing.
Think about it. If you perform research on the effectiveness of different wellness practices, do you really want to read something created by a robot? Or would you rather read an article created by a real person with real-life experience in the wellness industry?
AI-generated content is fairly easy to detect, and every time Google scans your website, it inspects it for AI copywriting. If it detects it, it counts it against you by lowering your search rankings.
Still, many brands use AI tools to produce copy. Why? Because it's fast and cheap. AI tools can generate thousands of words for an article in the matter of seconds. They can even include valuable data and statistics with references to back them up.
You can literally cut content marketing expenses to almost zero with AI tools. Some brands program AI tools to create new articles and then automate the publishing process so they never have to lift a finger to add new content to their websites.
While all of this sounds amazing, it's not. Because, like we just said, Google hates AI-generated content.
If you can't walk away from the use of AI tools to create copywriting, you may as well use the best ones out there. Use our review of AI copywriting tools to see which ones best meet your needs.
1. Quillbot
QuillBot is an automated writing assistant that employs machine learning techniques to produce authentic, error-free writing. A lot of its functions, such as its grammar checker and a summarizer, are available in the free edition.
Users of Quillbot often praise its grammar and spelling checker but claim there are better options available. Here at Whitneycann, we use Quillbot, the Hemingway app, and Word processor grammar and spell checkers to polish all of our copywriting.
Quillbot does an amazing job of helping you improve your writing by making full-sentence suggestions for wordy and confusing phrases.
With the free plan, you can use most of Quillbot's standard features. However, with a premium plan, you can access various forms of rewriting voices and tones. You can even customize the rephrasing tone to match your brand's voice.
The cost of Quillbot varies depending on the discount you use. You can do a quick search on Google and the Quillbot site itself to see which discounts are active at the time of purchase. We were able to use a discount and get the premium version for only $75 for the entire year.
Generating truly amazing copy, Jasperleverages GPT-3 technology and is very easy to use. Much like Quillbot, you can set the tone of the copy you want it to create.
It can get expensive using Jasper, with the flexible monthly pricing plan starting at $29 for only 2,000 words. For 990,000 words, it'll cost you $499. There's also an option to pay $59 for 50,000 words or $279 for 290,000 words. If you happen to need 300,000 words a month, you can take advantage of custom pricing.
Jasper's best features include:
• Ability to create blog outlines and full articles • Social media content creation • Ad copy creation • Profile bios creation • Product description creator • Google ads creator • SEO meta description and title creator • Landing and sales page copy creator
3. Hypotenuse AI
Available for free, this AI-copy-generating tool uses machine learning combined with NLP technology. One of its drawbacks is that it focuses on the creation of only a few content: social media posts, blog posts, and ad content. However, for some e-commerce businesses, those are the only types of content necessary to run a successful brand.
• Blog creation tool • Product description creator • Headline and slogan creator • Social media post creator • Ad content creator • Summary tool • Rewriting tool • Image generator • Bulk generator • Content search
For $29 a month, you'll receive 75 credits that you can use to purchase 20 blog posts, several product descriptions, and unlimited ad copy. At $59 a month, you'll get 500 credits that you can use to create unlimited blog posts, product descriptions, and ad content. If you need additional credits, you should look into their enterprise option, which comes with custom content writing pricing.
4. Rytr
This AI copywriting tool uses proprietary technology combined with GPT-3, allowing it to create content for 25 different purposes, including song lyrics and various types of story plots. Very simple to use, Rytr produces copy with a lot of numbers and statistics; however, it doesn't provide references or sources to back them up.
Pricing for Rytr starts at $0, allowing you to create 5,000 characters worth of content. For $9 a month, you can access the tool for up to 50,000 characters each month. For unlimited characters, you'll have to pay $29 a month.
Rtyr's best features include:
• Email marketing copy creation • 20 different tones • 30+ languages • PAS framework generator • AIDA framework generator
5. Copy.AI
Also using GPT-3, Copy.ai produces copy that sounds like it comes from a human. One of its best features is its ability to create ten different results when you ask it to create copywriting. All you do is tell it what kind of product you want it to create copy for, and it generates 10 different pieces of copy to choose from.
For a solo plan, you'll pay $49 a month for Copy.ai. If you have multiple employees for whom you want to use it, you can inquire about a multiple-set plan that comes with custom pricing billed annually.
Copy.ai's best features include:
• Social media creator • Blog content creator • Idea generator • Digital ad copy tool • Sales copy tool • E-commerce tool
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5 Options for Freelance Portals
Most established copywriters don't put a ton of effort into securing work through freelance portals. They stay busy working for private clients and securing open orders through content marketplaces that they can start working on right away.
Also, freelance portals let writers bid on jobs, and due to undercharging, it's difficult for professional writers to win jobs at a decent rate.
This isn't to say you can't find talented copywriters through freelance portals. However, when it comes to quality of work, we've heard time and time again that freelance portals often produce low-quality content.
Customer service through freelance portals depends on the copywriter you choose to hire. And depending on the platform you use to connect with the writer, you may have to stick to that portal for all communication, which can be aggravating if the copywriter isn't logged on at the time you send a message.
Use our review of five freelance portals to get a good idea of which one might suit your content development needs.
1. Upwork
Upwork puts more serious policies in place than most of its competitors. Selling services is not permitted on Upwork. While Fiverr allows you to provide a wide variety of services, including writing and programming, Upwork requires you to specify your expertise upon registration.
Customers like Upwork because it provides a one-stop shop where they can find top-tier specialists in any field. In addition, getting hired on Upwork is easy.
The elimination of the "cold pitch" is a huge plus for freelancers. Users of Upwork have immediate hiring needs. You can compare it to fishing in a pond where you know the fish will bite.
In years past, freelancers had the ability to submit as many bids as they liked at no cost. Unfortunately, this created problems for the web-based service. In other words, there were excessive numbers of unqualified people applying for available positions.
To generate revenue, Upwork adds a 10% fee to all jobs. Looking for a way to avoid having to pay Upwork's service charge? You can take your long-term connections off the site and work with them directly after two years, so there's no need to worry.
However, you'll get your Upwork account suspended if you take a copywriter off-platform before paying an early conversion fee (approximately 12% of the freelancer's expected yearly earnings on Upwork).
2. Freelancer
This Australian-based service is the most common result for a search of "freelancer site." Despite stiff competition, Freelancer.com is an excellent platform for finding freelance work. When it was launched, it was ahead of competitors like Elance and Odesk.
There are now over 20 million registered users on the platform, which includes freelancers and clients. Invoicing and other financial functions are among Freelancer.com's many useful extras.
Scams, both on the part of prospective clients and freelancers, are a risk with any freelancing portal. Do not give over your website's credentials or any other critical information to a freelancer unless you have worked with them for an extended period of time and they have shown their trustworthiness. In addition, never pay the copywriters on these sites before they've completed their task.
3. PeoplePerHour
Companies advertise projects for freelancers to bid on through the PeoplePerHour portal. The company's in-app chat tool serves as a one-stop shop for all job-related communication.
All conversations between clients and freelancers should stay inside the platform's message system for the sake of transparency and ease of reference in the event of a dispute.
Reviewing the given work thoroughly before accepting your payment will shield your funds and guarantee your satisfaction with the final outcome. You should always pay using the site's option, or you can't get a refund of any type.
If you're looking for a freelancer, one of the most crucial things you can do is check their reviews to see if there are any complaints about them being late, plagiarizing, or being dishonest.
It's also important to check their social media profiles to be sure they're who they say they are, to check out their portfolio, and to determine whether they are a suitable match for your requirements.
Because of all the additional research you need to perform to verify the copywriter's identity, it makes more sense to simply hire the writer through his or her website or social media profile. In doing this, you also gain access to your most preferred payment options.
4. Fiveer
If you need anything done quickly and cheaply, you should check out Fiverr, one of the most well-known freelancing portals. In case you were wondering, the site's name, Fiverr, refers to the five-dollar minimum payment required to post a job. Fiverr is a marketplace where consumers and sellers can connect via gigs.
Copywriters on Fiveer are not verified, meaning anyone can create a profile on the portal claiming to be a professional copywriter. This is why we don't like freelancing sites.
Common problems with the site include copywriters not delivering projects on time, poor-quality content, content that doesn't meet briefing guidelines, and increased pricing. Even if you secure a copywriter for $5 an hour, Fiveer now charges $2 extra for each order you purchase.
5. Guru Guru is a collaborative platform consisting of a wiki, a web-based intranet, and a database. Because it's powered by AI, it improves with usage. Guru promotes efficient communication and boasts a simple setup.
Guru's flaws include a murky pricing structure, unhelpful customer support, pricey services, a lackluster approach to dealing with "job scammers," and an unreliable and untrustworthy rating system for content creators.
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