Outsourcing the Project

Outsourcing. Hiring others to do the work you don’t want to do. Once you do it a few times, it gets easier. After doing some research, there are a few things that you need to do to make sure that you get the most value out of hiring an outsourcer. Let’s start with…

Step 1: Find The Perfect Person

You want to be patient when it comes to hiring an outsourcer. You want to find a few candidates that look promising, and bookmark their pages so you can find them in the next few steps. You can also open a text document or spreadsheet and enter the important information their for easy access.

Next Up…

Post an Ad

A well-known outsourcing site is www.UpWork.com, but similar sites include www.Freelancer.com and www.Guru.com. These sites are similar, and when you get ready to post your ad, you’ll find tutorials and instructions that will make it easy. Just be sure to post as many details as possible, including word count and niche, as doing so well help you attract the most suitable candidates.

Check Freelancer’s Ads

Another way to find people you can hire is by looking for their ads. Two good places to check are CraigsList.org and the “For Hire” section on WarriorForum.com. A quick search on your favorite site will give you a list of related forums and social sites where you can find ads.

Search Google

I already mentioned this, but to narrow down your search results, and make it easier to find creators that work in your niche market, you can include the following terms.

Come up with your own variations, and you’ll end up with a list that more closely relates to your niche market.

Look Locally

Do you prefer to work with local outsourcers? You can post an online ad, post an ad in your local newspaper, and post ads in college newspaper to find talented students willing to do some freelance writing.

Example: “Wanted: Freelance writer to create 20,000 word body weight workout ebook. Experienced writer with references and portfolio required. Experience with fitness related writing preferred. Email [your email] or [phone #]for more information.”

Ask Others

Ask anyone you know for recommendations and ideas. You may be surprised to find out that a family member is the perfect person to do the work you need done. When you get referrals, it makes it easier because if your friend or colleague was happy with their work, you can expect the same for your project.

Step 2: Time To Dig Deeper

Once you have a list of prospects for your outsourcing project, you need to take a closer look at each individual. Pare down this list by checking each person’s reviews and work history.

Samples

When you get to the page where the outsourcer has their hiring information, look for samples. If there are no links to samples, look for a contact form and ask for some. You can use this as an opportunity to ask any other questions you have. If they won’t give you a sample, cross them off the list and move on.

Check References

See if each person you’re considering has any references available. Again, if they  don’t you can ask them and see what they come up with.

Review Feedback

There are usually ratings and reviews that you can access that will give you a good idea of whether or not you are looking at a good candidate for your outsourcing project. If there are negative reviews, read them carefully to see if they dropped the ball and were hard to work with, or whether the customer was being unreasonable. A couple of bad reviews in a sea of great reviews may not be a bad thing.

Search Google

Finally, search for the outsourcer’s name, website, email address and other identity data in Google.

See what social media sites they post on, and take a look at their content. See what others are saying about them. You can get a good feel for their writing style and how they interact, which can make it easier to tell if they are a good fit for you.

Step 3: Present The Project

Once you find the outsourcer you want to hire, it’s time to present the project so they know what you want them to do. If you are new to this, you can hire more than one content creator and give them a small project, such as writing a few articles.

This way you can see how it is to work with each one, and see what type of content they produce. And you can get a feel for how dependable they are when it comes to getting the work done on time.

Regardless of how you approach it, there are two keys:

Key #1: Sign agreements.

There are documents that you can provide to make sure you are protected and you are getting what you are asking for. The outsourcer may have their own legal documents that they have for their own protection. And if you use one of the outsourcing sites, you will be presented with the information that they require, to make the whole process seamless for you and the person you hire.

This step is something that you have to figure out on your own. I’m not giving legal advice. Do a search and you’ll find a ton of sites and videos that will guide you to the resources you need to protect yourself and your project.

Key #2: Outline Your Project

Next, create a detailed project brief for your outsourcer. The more detail you include, the better results you’ll get. This will make it a lot less likely that you’ll have to ask for edits and revisions.

Here are a few ideas for your outline: