How Much Do You Pay for Outsourced Writers?

TotoMuffinMan

TotoMuffinMan

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Sorry if asked before but how much do people pay for outsourced writing? Also do you ever charge per hour or always per words? Thanks.
 
TotoMuffinMan said:
Sorry if asked before but how much do people pay for outsourced writing? Also do you ever charge per hour or always per words? Thanks.
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I pay between $20 - $30 per 1000 words. I’ve found there’s not much difference between this price point and more expensive writers.

I always pay per word, most writers prefer this as they can work faster and earn more.
 
Cash Builder said:
I pay between $20 - $30 per 1000 words. I’ve found there’s not much difference between this price point and more expensive writers.

I always pay per word, most writers prefer this as they can work faster and earn more.
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So this is a pretty good starting point in terms of cost per word.

I'd also never pay a freelance writer to work "hourly" because whose to say they spend that time actually writing vs bullshitting. There are definite ways to monitor this, however that just involves more time. Finding an agreeable rate at a cost per word is much more worthwhile for both parties, especially over time.

In my opinion, the criteria that adjusts the cost per word is based on: location and education.

It's also all in the SOP. To be frank, if your SOP sucks, the output of the writer will also suck. You can't expect someone to know EXACTLY how YOU want the article done. I'm a firm believer in that people can only do as well as what they're told to do. Also the same goes for YOU, don't give an inch, they'll take a mile. Meaning if they can't follow the SOP or you find yourself regularly making grammar/formatting/stylistic adjustments, stop working with them.

Some of the best writers I have are Filipinos and they are $0.01 per word; This is based on location. I also pay their Paypal fees and give regular performance bonuses.

My writers from the USA/UK that don't have an educational background in the niche but know how to write are $0.03 per word (the amount @Cash Builder noted). Again, this is based on location and education.

My Writers in the States/UK that are $0.05/word are highly educated on very niche topics (ie, a Mechanic writing about automotive repair), they have qualifications/certifications and I get to list that background on my site (also paying for their likeness).

All this is important to keep in mind too when working with a content mill or someone who manages writers. Their writers are likely in that tier of $0.01-$0.03 and then the mill/manager takes a rate on top of that. These services aren't necessarily bad, they're just trained how to write in a certain way that may or may not require edits. Even in these circumstances, this can't be re-stated enough: "...people can only do as well as what they're told to do."
 
thisishatred said:
My Writers in the States/UK that are $0.05/word are highly educated on very niche topics (ie, a Mechanic writing about automotive repair), they have qualifications/certifications and I get to list that background on my site (also paying for their likeness).
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Can I ask where you recruit those very niche topic, educated writers? I'm in a similar situation where my niche is too specific/technical for generic writers, and I'm looking to recruit a writer with personal experience in the niche. I'm currently trying to find someone through niche forums, but I'm curious where you recruited them from. When I posted something on Upwork I only got terrible applications.
 
city17 said:
Can I ask where you recruit those very niche topic, educated writers? I'm in a similar situation where my niche is too specific/technical for generic writers, and I'm looking to recruit a writer with personal experience in the niche. I'm currently trying to find someone through niche forums, but I'm curious where you recruited them from. When I posted something on Upwork I only got terrible applications.
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So depending on the niche, who ranks, etc. You would be surprised how easy it is to message the writers for other sites and to get them on-board writing for you. This is obviously problematic if the sites that exist are single author blogs. However I’ve yet to enter a niche where multiple authors didn’t exist and one didn’t get back to me.

For single author blogs: Another strategy I use is to go deep into the SERPS and find blogs that are run by people who clearly know the niche. They may not rank for a multitude of reasons but they also aren’t making any money. Their sites tend to look like early html/css blogs, the blog content is usually orphaned but the information is usually informed. These people usually just need a bit of direction in terms of formatting. This also provides incentive as you could market what you’re offering as teaching them how to write for the web; They are able to apply what they’re taught to their own sites (again they don’t rank for a reason, that’s leverage/incentive enough).

I’ve only had bad experiences with Upwork. I can’t personally vouch for writers sourced from problogger.com but I’ve heard good things from people who hire writers from there.
 
thisishatred said:
For single author blogs: Another strategy I use is to go deep into the SERPS and find blogs that are run by people who clearly know the niche. They may not rank for a multitude of reasons but they also aren’t making any money. Their sites tend to look like early html/css blogs, the blog content is usually orphaned but the information is usually informed. These people usually just need a bit of direction in terms of formatting. This also provides incentive as you could market what you’re offering as teaching them how to write for the web; They are able to apply what they’re taught to their own sites (again they don’t rank for a reason, that’s leverage/incentive enough).
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Thanks, that's an idea that might work for my niche. Can't really poach any writers from competitors, because most competition is just listing whatever sells on Amazon without any insight. But I do know of some true experts who have quite obscure sites. Problogger looks promising too.
 
In my local currency I pay let's say ₦100 per 100 words.

That's like $0.26 per 100 words.

Most of my writers are locals though
 
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I'm starting off a new blog and currently looking for writers. After reading the journey by @Ryuzaki I feel like giving Lettercraft a try.
 
anywhere from 2-3$/100 words

Its works pretty well.

It also depends on how technical my topic and how much research is required.

I usually hire them for small easy to answer queries and pretty easy topics so that helps.
 
brucewayne said:
anywhere from 2-3$/100 words

Its works pretty well.

It also depends on how technical my topic and how much research is required.

I usually hire them for small easy to answer queries and pretty easy topics so that helps.
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Yeah I pay about the same as you do. I give my writers more pay if I need quicker articles. I try to mix it up in terms of length. I.e. longer answer queries vs short ones, etc. Right now I have three writers who are all pretty good. One of them said she was taking a break for the next month but still wants to keep in touch for the summer.

The relationship with a writer is another thing. I found my writers through my friend and Upwork. With the ones I found on Upwork, I had to try out a lot of them but I like the ones I have now. It's very relaxed and I can just message them and give them work. If one of them can't do it, I'll just send it to the other and they're always free to do it.
 
brucewayne said:
anywhere from 2-3$/100 words

Its works pretty well.

It also depends on how technical my topic and how much research is required.

I usually hire them for small easy to answer queries and pretty easy topics so that helps.
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Same range here. I started lately to have the writers/content services skip the intro and outro and add that myself. Reduces writing time on my end tremendously and gives it some consistency across all posts. It also lowers the cost of each article that I order.

I hope to scale that in the future by eventually having an editor do that writing of intro/outro.
 
TotoMuffinMan said:
Sorry if asked before but how much do people pay for outsourced writing? Also do you ever charge per hour or always per words? Thanks.
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12 USD per 1k words and I'm happy with my writer's writing. But you have to do keyword research quite well. If you don't find low competitive keywords then the quality content doesn't work.
 
Nipu20 said:
12 USD per 1k words and I'm happy with my writer's writing. But you have to do keyword research quite well. If you don't find low competitive keywords then the quality content doesn't work.
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I'm around the same rate for the outsourced writing jobs I've done so far. I've tried lower and the quality was unbelievable low. I've tried to hire for ~20$/1k words but haven't been overly successful (on Upwork) with it.
 
Wow, reading this thread makes me think I'm spending too much on writers. I generally pay $0.05-$0.10/word DOE and try to find writers based in the US. I have trouble seeing how people can make a decent living here earning lower than that.
 
Thao said:
Wow, reading this thread makes me think I'm spending too much on writers. I generally pay $0.05-$0.10/word DOE and try to find writers based in the US. I have trouble seeing how people can make a decent living here earning lower than that.
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There are advantages to both approaches. With writers from your cultural space, you have less stress, less rework/effort reviewing and won't need to explain thing you'd consider basics. Happens regularly when you outsource across the globe.
 
I pay $0.03 - 0.05 a word.

I aim to hire people who involved in the niche in some way, whether it is as a hobby or for their profession, so they know the lingo to use vs a generic writer.
 
operation said:
I pay $0.03 - 0.05 a word.

I aim to hire people who involved in the niche in some way, whether it is as a hobby or for their profession, so they know the lingo to use vs a generic writer.
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I assume this makes your articles much more organic for both readers as well as Google. Paying a bonus for niche knowledge sounds like a good investment. Have you compared it to articles by a highly professional writer without niche knowledge?
 
I think it costs a lot more in the beginning because you need to train the writer, so in the beginning, be prepared to pay also for the content which is not the best quality. If you found a talented writer with time it will get better. Price varies from very little to very much. I cannot say however that you can be 100% sure you get a great writer if you pay an exorbitant price. I tend to go in the middle between very cheap and very expensive. I am also open to pay above-average if we have a good connection and if I really like the content. But in the end, everything is subjective. What is a good writer? An article might be very fitting for me but less fitting to the audience. That's why the only solution is trial and error. Start in the middle and then increase or decrease until you find what writer you like best.
 
thisishatred said:
It's also all in the SOP. To be frank, if your SOP sucks, the output of the writer will also suck. You can't expect someone to know EXACTLY how YOU want the article done. I'm a firm believer in that people can only do as well as what they're told to do. Also the same goes for YOU, don't give an inch, they'll take a mile. Meaning if they can't follow the SOP or you find yourself regularly making grammar/formatting/stylistic adjustments, stop working with them.
"
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What is SOP?

It depends on the quality, experience and turnaround time.
But I would say it varies between $10-$50 for 500-1,000 words.
 
$20-$40 per article. I don't use wordcount. I asked the writer to Google the keyword, look at the first 1-3 results and write better, longer than them.

Also I always ask my writer to post on my site directly. I will train them on formatting.
 
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