I often come across successful business owners who feel overwhelmed by the number of daily tasks they have to carry out in their businesses. Content creation (and related writing tasks) are among the most stressful. Which is why, as a writer who also runs a successful lifestyle blog, I create and re-purpose content for busy entrepreneurs. When you leave your content creation, optimisation, and re-purposing to me, you save tons of time. You can grow your business a lot faster. Earn more money. Or simply spend the time doing something you enjoy a lot more. And yet, a lot of business owners continue to struggle with their writing and resist the idea of outsourcing it. In this post, I tackle some of the objections I hear from business owners and explain why I think you should be hiring a writer to create content for your business.

“Do I really need to create content?”

Here’s the first fundamental difference between you struggling to do everything in your business (and leaving stuff undone) and asking a professional (or more than one) to take care of some of the work for you. If you just don’t have (or never seem to be able to make) the time to write and publish content on your business blog, a writer can get it done for you. And if you’re not sharing fully-optimised posts on your business blog, you’re missing opportunities.

To be found through Google searches.

To keep potential customers and clients on your website for longer.

And in a nutshell, to make money.

So if outsourcing writing and re-purposing content for you means the difference between you having a business blog that’s full of great content or having nothing at all on it, then you should absolutely consider hiring a writer to create content for you.

“No one can write in my voice.”

While I agree with you here, to an extent, this isn’t entirely true. Let me explain. You’re right – no one else has your unique experience, expertise, and knowledge. You created your business, and you know your products or services inside out. You are the best person to write your own content. Given the choice and the chance, you should do it yourself. If you’re just getting started with blogging and want some bespoke tips and advice that will work for YOUR business, I can definitely help you with that.

But like I said, if you’re not going to get it done, your next best bet is to find someone who will do it for you. They can’t write exactly as you would, but there are a few things that would help a good, professional writer understand what kind of writing your business and brand need.

What to share with your writer.

A writer can pick up your style and your tone, if you make sure you share a few key pieces of information with them. For example:

• Your ethos.
• Your why. Why did you start your business in the first place? What problem(s) is your business a solution to? What’s your background story?
• Your audience and your ideal customers and clients. Who are they? Why do they need you and your products and services? What are the problems they’re struggling with?
• Any content you’ve already created – written content in the shape of blog posts, a book, newsletters, web copy, social media updates, would be great. But if you have any video and audio content, these will help the writer pick up on your style.
• Your business aims. What kind of information do you want to share? What do you want to shout about? Or what do you want your potential customers and clients to know?
• Your marketing and SEO strategy. How do you want to use your content to promote your business? What kind of keywords or key phrases would you like to rank for?

The more you share with your writer, the more they’ll be able to understand who you are, what you and your business stand for, and what you want the world to know. I’d always recommend you have a discovery call with a writer first to understand if you’re a good fit for each other. Once you decide to work together, you should be sure to have a more in-depth conversation (over the phone or video if you can’t do face-to-face) to go over all of the above (as a minimum). While no writer has ‘your voice’, as such, a good writer can definitely try to get to know and replicate yours as closely as possible. Plus, don’t forget that once the writing is done for you, you can always put your finishing touches to it and make it more ‘your own’.

A writer may add a fresh perspective to your content.

What if your writer was also your ideal customer or client? What if they had the exact same problems you’re trying to solve? For example, I’m a mum of three children of primary-school age (and currently a pre-schooler). I’m in the target market for A LOT of businesses! When you run your own business you’re so close to your own perspective and to the everyday details that it’s sometimes hard to see the wood for the trees. Things that YOU take for granted because they’ve become bread and butter for you may not be that obvious to your ideal customers and clients.

But a writer can come in with a fresh perspective Don’t forget they do this for a living. Writers are creative! They’re very likely to come up with ideas you hadn’t thought of.  Plus two brains are better than one, right? Being a solo-preneur or mumpreneur can be a lonely business. Wouldn’t it be invaluable to have someone to bounce off and validate ideas with? Especially if it’s someone who understands the market too. They could help you produce better content. The right content. They could come in with a fresh wave of ideas. Or perhaps a new angle that ‘speaks’ to your audience in a more relatable way. Imagine the possibilities that working with a professional writer would open up for you.

“I don’t have the money”

If you’re a startup, I agree with you. Spending £50 for a blog post is probably too much for you right now. But if your business is well-established, successful, and profitable, maybe you do. If you’re not going to take care of your own blogging because you don’t have the time, the inclination, or willingness to do it, then I’d strongly recommend you set aside some budget to outsource it. Sharing content on your blog is (or should definitely be) part of your content marketing strategy. You’ll definitely get a return on investments. Sure, it’s not an overnight strategy, but it’s definitely one that pays off in the long run. It’ll help you establish yourself an authority in your field. And stand out against your competitors.

Imagine how many hours you could save if you had someone else do this work for you. A writing package of approximately £250 (depending on the tasks required) saves one of my clients about 12 hours of work. Let’s say, as an example, that you’re a Life Coach charging £75 per hour for a coaching session. You can use the 12 hours your writer saved you for billable client work. And that could mean a return of £900. Is the £250 really going to hurt? Especially if you consider that over time more people will find your business online and you’ll book more clients? I’ll leave this with you to ponder over.

“£50 seems like a lot to pay for just one blog post”

In a way, I agree. But when you consider how much time goes into researching and crafting the perfect post for you and your business, you’ll see that it’s a fair amount of money to pay. Having said that, I don’t recommend you should just leave it at one blog. You should always re-purpose your content.

So if you got a blog post written, why not use some of that content in a newsletter? Why not turn it into a series of social media updates that will allow you to engage with your audience for a number of days? Wouldn’t it be amazing to not have to scratch your head looking for fresh ideas every day? You could use the blog post for a Facebook live. A YouTube video. Or turn it into a podcast episode if you have one. Or an infographic or a one-page cheat sheet to send out to your email subscribers if appropriate. You could even use it as the framework for a group workshop, one-to-one training, or a paid webinar!

That one blog post you feel you paid so much for can go a long way for you. You can share it on multiple platforms and media and reach audiences you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to have access to. All of this, with a bunch of cleverly written words. And if you’re not re-purposing the content, maybe you should outsource that work too.

“I won’t find the right person”

You absolutely CAN find the right person. Personally, I wouldn’t suggest you get the cheapest possible writer on Fiverr. And I’ll be sharing more tips on how to find the right writer for your business in another post. But I know I’m the perfect writer for my existing client. Equally, I’m not the perfect writer for a lot of other businesses. And I won’t hesitate to tell them that. I don’t know anything about gambling, bitcoin, or chemistry, for example. But if we’re talking lifestyle, health and wellness, or motherhood, I’m in.

Hiring a writer to create content for your business could be one of the smartest moves you make for yourself and your business. When you think it allows you to reach more people and at the same time it frees you up for doing the things you most love, it seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?

Have you ever considered hiring a writer to create or re-purpose content for your business? If not, why not? Contact me for more information, and you can book a FREE 15-minute discovery call.