I’d like to run a quick poll in this post that examine the idea of outsourcing.
You see more and more I’m talking to bloggers (big and small) and am hearing that they outsource at least some of their blogging activities.
Perhaps the most common of these is hiring designers or writers – but there are many other activities that I see blogger outsource.
Here are some of those that I’ve seen bloggers do as well as a few suggestions from my followers on Twitter:
Please note – I’m talking about ‘paid outsourcing’ – not guest posts or getting a friend to help you with some aspect of your blog or even buying a blog template – but paying others to do some aspect of your blogging.
- Blog Design
- SEO
- Paid Blog Writing
- Comment Moderation
- Selling Advertising
- Administrative Tasks (like managing email)
- Post Editing
- Tech – Looking after the Back End
- Creation of Products (E-Books)
I’m sure there are many other things that could be added to this list (and I invite you to do so below).
So now you know the type of things I’m talking about – do you outsource any aspect of your blogging?
PS: again, I’m talking about outsourcing to freelancers or paid staff in some way and not buying a blog template or getting someone to do some of these things for free.
I out source my advertising, I am not big enough yet to actually have a lot of advertisers come up to me and ask to advertise on my web site.
I would desperately love to outsource some of it, but I’m still starting up — I only started even promoting my blog a little over a week ago.
Hence, my checking in here daily as I’m a one woman show at this point and trying to do it all. And a very tired “one woman…”
Don’t suppose you have any tips on how to give up sleep altogether?
I don’t outsource anything……… yet.
I work for a few blogs who outsource their content-writing *to* me… :-)
Would like to outsource some admin type tasks on my own blog one day (but I’d never give up writing – that’s the best bit!)
I haven’t outsourced anything as of yet. I have strong technical skills and I enjoy the daily writing of my content.
I would, however, consider outsourcing E-Materials at some time in the future, but only so far as an expert helping me with polishing the product that I conceive.
I’ve been doing everything myself for 10+ years (ack!), but I really don’t want to. I’ve been leaning towards outsourcing writing, since all the technical issues I have to handle (webmastering, coding, marketing, administration, etc..) have tended to put a limit on how much content I can get produced.
Perhaps I should be thinking about this from the other angle, but my understanding is that I should be able to get the content for cheaper than I could get the tech services.
Actually, I’ve been reading a little more about using out-of-country outsourcing for very cheap administrative support. That sounds both very appealing and very disgusting… I have trouble outsourcing to another country when we have so many folks here who could work on it. It’s just that the costs are prohibitive for me right now. I figure I might take the baby step of going for cheap and then later, paying more for local.
At any rate: no outsourcing at all right now. Sheesh… very little rest at times, too. <_<
We keep everything in house currently, mostly because I enjoy learning new stuff.
I do not yet outsource. Once I can outsource, stand by, because I’ll be ramping up as fast as I can leverage the extra help.
I plan on remaining the primary, but not sole source of content. Everything else I’d be delighted to outsource.
I have yet to outsource any work on my blog, mainly because the size doesn’t warrant it. I can easily handle all the work that my blog gives me for now.
I do see some tasks I will outsource once I have the traffic that will require me to do so. I mostly look at the mundane work, like others have stated before.
I’d rather concentrate on creating content once I have enough work.
I outsourced my web design including any current changes I need to make to the site. I have found someone I can really trust, reasonably priced and does wonderful design work. I don’t know and coding and don’t care to know. Just less work on my plate. I wish I could outsource housework. It’s just not feasible right now to do so:-).
In about 2 months time, mine will be about 90% outsourced.
Shocking.
Well, does paying for hosting count as outsourcing? Because they do have their own administrators that manage the servers, and stuff lie that :)
Yes. I paid a designer for the logo and another individual for the pages and code of my blog. I just didn’t have the time. I already use a VA for many tasks (a la Tim Ferris), so I utilize one now to do research and verification for the blog now too. I’m toying with the idea of paying for SEO, but I just launched my blog last week so I’m going to wait and see how it goes.
Although Darren is an obvious except I feel like outsourcing is the only way to go if you really want to build your blog into a full fledged business.
The way I see it: You wouldn’t start a small business that serves the general public like a restaurant or store (i.e. like a blog) without hiring some people to work for you.
Why should a blog be any different. As has been said here on Problogger many a time, If you want your blogging to be a business, treat it like a business.
And I don’t know if you count this outside of SEO, but the first thing I do when starting a blog is outsource Backlink Building.
I just started outsourcing some of my posts this month. Most of them are for making announcements and press releases. Nothing personal in these so it was ok for someone else to write it for me. Now I have more time to write personal posts at my blog. And more time to explore new opportunities.
I don’t know about anyone else here but I personally outsource ALL aspects of my blog.
Writing, designing, spamming, and even commenting on other blogs, such as this one, are all handled by a program I paid somebody to write in 1983.
The only thing I used to have to do was get paid but unfortunately the machine now handles that part as well.
@steve…OMG 30 blogs, are they short and sweet lol j/k. I don’t outsource since my 2 blogs aren’t worth looking at much lol.But I try, oh well. I put my new(second blog addy on here). Hope this ok to say on here, but can some of you let me know if my blog is ok on my comments ty.
@Darren, how did u get the tweets thing next to your post? I looked all over twitter for it, but can’t find it. If this isn’t the right part to ask this question I do apoligize.
Tony
well..I’d rather concentrate on creating content once I have enough work.
I am not outsource my blog yet but i may outsource the design and writing in future.
I only outsourch for socialbookmark subscribing
Not Yet!
Hello Mr.Rowse, you could’ve asked “Do you outsource any part of your blogging, and WHY?”, more importantly WHY? and what other options they considered (other than outsourcing that is). I like your question, so no disrespect meant :) Thought i’ll share what i felt about your question !
As for your question, No, i don’t. I do all by myself. My blog is mine, and mine alone. This way i’m able to preserve its originality.
While there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with outsourcing blogging, much like PR, it tends to lose some of its ‘magic.’ When you outsource blogging it ends up sounding intensely impersonal (because it is!). The hard part really is finding the people, who have the energy to write. Still testing and seeing what works…
At this point I do not. But then, my new blog is only 6 days old, and it’s already moved up 15 million places in Alexa, so I must be doing something right. No? One day I may have a blog that large and popular enough to require some assistance, but not yet.
I outsourced my header and logo….however if I were ever to change it up again I would figure out to do it myself. I found it difficult to express my needs with someone via email. Plus I think with a little research I can do some of the blog design myself.
Hey Darren,
Personally I do not outsource my blog efforts. However I do feel that it is god thing to do.
I think as long as you plan your posts way ahead of time and still keep control of content then it means you can do so much more.
I guess the key is turning enough profit from the blog to justify the spend.
Nice post.
Great poll! I know many bloggers who do a lot of this on their own, I am not equipped with the blog design skills but am starting to get the SEO tricks down. There is always something new to learn. If I had the funds to invest in paid outsourcing, I probably would do some of those on the list, but at this time, no I do not.
well I just started a new one and I haven’t outsourced anything but the hosting, not sure what kind of benefits there might in that yet.
I have outsourced my blog design, but that’s about it.
I have tried PLR articles for blog posts a long time ago, but it didn’t work out the way I was hoping for. I like my posts to be unique and “from the heart”.
I like to write my own stuff- I do everything myself with few exceptions that usually involves making a badge or something to do w/ code. I’ve had to learn everything from scratch pretty much (working w/ wordpress, blogging, etc).
I do some affiliate marketing but don’t make much money on any reg. basis with it. My biggest income comes from private paid advertising and this I’m glad to say has been increasingly successful for me- allbeit- not enough to make a living.
Not yet at all. Pooling is not only for those who feel as outsourcing. Thanks, this might be useful to us later!
I just starting but on the time I will definitely will outsourcing. for example to make a nice logo or other CSS things to make my blog/website different and fancy
I know there will be a time when I will be forced to outsource at least some of the things on my blog, probably sooner then later, but I really enjoy working on all the aspects of it. It will be tough but I’ve been told it’s necessary to reach the next level. Is it really so?
Hi
this is interesting…. as a business, we outsourced the design, at least part of it while we did the A/B testing
http://commetrics.com/articles/talk-to-clients-then-change-and-test-again-with-customers/
We also have an editor on staff you checks every post before it is being released.
Writing we do ourselves or have guest posts… but not paid.
Thanks for this survey.
Respectfully
Urs
My.ComMetrics.com – benchmark your blog – improve performance
I am not outsource my site blog yet but i may outsource the design and writing in future.
YES….
When the company starts to expand, all the work and all the articles cannot be handled by one man alone…
So we do hire writers to write articles and sometimes we ourselves give them the ideas and topics to write the articles
I do outsource some of my blog post when they are technical, but when I have to write some of my own reviews then I do write my own blogs.
Thanks for the tips on outsourcing.
Jay
I do a lot of interviews and I outsource the transcribing. It was the best thing I ever did.
There are not a lot of people who can really help me on the content side of PTSD Spirituality so I write it myself.
I have bought a premium theme to cut down on the learning of peripheral skills like PHP. But that is as far as it goes. I read some of the books and articles on SEO and web surf sites like this one for useful information.
The main reason I don’t employ outside professional help is that I cannot afford it. I do not object to people being paid for their earned web skills. The market determines their prices. But that price removes them from the sights of many smaller, part time bloggers, such as myself.
We don’t all want to quit our day jobs or become full time bloggers, but we do hope we could cover our yearly fixed costs. We want to add to the voices in the blogosphere and continue to do our primary, non-internet, vocations. Since we are not earning high internet levels of income, we cannot afford to pay the rates of qualified, but expensive, web wizards.
A site that helps people deal with PTSD and not commit suicide will never be an A-List blog. It won’t generate the revenue to justify borrowing money to bring in hired guns to optimize my SEO or run my e-mail or even tell me all of the basic things I wish I knew how to do or that I merely shoiuld do.
Thus, sites like ProBlogger and others become our source to visit and hopefully find that information nugget that someone else is charging $200 an hour to tell me. And, I appreciate that – Thanks!
Semper Pax, Dr. Z
I try to outsource nearly everything EXCEPT the actual writing of the blog posts. But this can vary by blog. For example, I have about 20 websites that all earn different amounts, but I have a few that earn several thousand dollars per month – on those blogs I am the only one that touches them.
On the other sites I have outsourced content in the past but the results have been pretty terrible.
I’m looking at potentially hiring a US based writer in the next few months to help with writing.
I have outsourced some of my writing on my blog and it has turned out to be a great way to give more content to my readers. It has also turned into a joint venture with the overall development of the blog. Yes It took a little while to find the right fit for the blog ever writer you acquire from the outsourcing area does not fit. This is yet another part of the blogging and site growth you must take your time, be patient.
ephman does EVERYTHING. even manages his own freeBSD server. EVERYTHING. because he’s a geeky nerdy geek.
I do not object to people being paid for their earned web skills. The market determines their prices. But that price removes them from the sights of many smaller, part time bloggers, such as myself.
probably sooner then later, but I really enjoy working on all the aspects of it. It will be tough but I’ve been told it’s necessary to reach the next level.
I think that is quite true about being paid from the web skill such as blogging but the way prices are there, can be cause for vanishing some smaller blogger.
I don’t outsource the work of my blog.
For the meantime, I have not outsourcing my blogging project. I do all of them so that I will learn from my mistakes. But I’m thinking of outsouring some of it like, redesigning my site, paid blog writing and especially post editing if the capacity to pay these outsourcing work permits.
As an SEO copywriting service provider, I receive orders from the bloggers who outsource their blog post writing tasks to me. I outsource technical jobs of my blog and ebook design to some experts that I know.
The collaboration of this type helps everyone, my valuable time is saved. Their valuable time is saved too. This is how B2B is formed among the bloggers’ family and their relatives.
Interesting post.
I don’t outsource any part of my blog, it’s a great way to learn about things if you take the DIY route, you also save a lot of money making your net profit higher. I guess what it comes down to is time vs. money and finding the right balance to make it work.with your lifestyle.
Don’t you guys think that it’s a bit unpersonal to uotsource the writing part?
I like writing stuff by myself or use PLR content and modify it..
David
http://www.DavidLuzsi.com