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Raising Money to Hire Writers

by deebee23
25 replies
I have a sports website that covers mostly NFL and NBA topics. I currently have saved up over $3,200 dollars as a budget. Around the end of March of 2022, I'll have save up over $7,400 dollars. I plan to to use part of it to hire at least two writers. Should I bring them on directly or utilize a freelance site like Upwork or any others that are out there?

The job will be for three months or possibly more depending on how well the articles perform.
#hire #money #raising #writers
  • Profile picture of the author DABK
    There's not enough info to tell you anything meaningful.
    Whether you hire them from Upwork or somewhere else, you have to vet them.



    If you hire them from Upwork and keep them as freelancers, you don't need to bother with the employment laws of wherever you are. The other way makes you an employer and you have to deal with the laws governing employing people in your area.



    What do you mean, depending on how the articles perform?


    Are you looking for writers who know SEO or are you looking for copywriters?


    Why 2 writers? Why not just one?


    Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

    I have a sports website that covers mostly NFL and NBA topics. I currently have saved up over $3,200 dollars as a budget. Around the end of March of 2022, I'll have save up over $7,400 dollars. I plan to to use part of it to hire at least two writers. Should I bring them on directly or utilize a freelance site like Upwork or any others that are out there?

    The job will be for three months or possibly more depending on how well the articles perform.
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    • Profile picture of the author deebee23
      Originally Posted by DABK View Post

      There's not enough info to tell you anything meaningful.
      Whether you hire them from Upwork or somewhere else, you have to vet them.



      If you hire them from Upwork and keep them as freelancers, you don't need to bother with the employment laws of wherever you are. The other way makes you an employer and you have to deal with the laws governing employing people in your area.



      What do you mean, depending on how the articles perform?


      Are you looking for writers who know SEO or are you looking for copywriters?


      Why 2 writers? Why not just one?
      Why two writers? Because I want one writer to focus on the NBA, while the other will concentrate on the NFL. If they understand the nuances of SEO, then that's fine but it's not a requirement for me. When I say "depending how the articles perform" if they can generate large numbers during that time frame, the writers may stay on longer. Thanks for the advice.
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        If you need lots of articles, you're better off hiring more than 2 writers. 10 writers can produce 5 times the number of articles, for instance. Plus, if one of them goes bad, you have less disruption (Can't decide for you at what point the pain of dealing with another writer is more than the pain of disruption... But, I'm willing to bet you can handle more than 2.



        I'd go with freelance as I do not like dealing with payroll.


        Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

        Why two writers? Because I want one writer to focus on the NBA, while the other will concentrate on the NFL. If they understand the nuances of SEO, then that's fine but it's not a requirement for me. When I say "depending how the articles perform" if they can generate large numbers during that time frame, the writers may stay on longer. Thanks for the advice.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    If you want the articles to get attention - you need to choose the subjects and the keyword phrases to use....YOU know what audience you want to attract. I am assuming you are looking for content writers - but writing for SEO is part of that. On specific team issues - you would need to know any copyright or trademark restrictions so you could pass that on to the writers.

    I advise those who are not accustomed to hiring freelancers to hire 2-4 people and order 5-10 articles from each. It gives you a variety of writing styles - but also allows you to choose 1-2 that seem to produce the best articles or continue to use all of the writers if the work meets your standards.

    I'd suggest hiring through freelance sites - choose by star ratings and reviews rather than looking for cheap. Also some good writers that advertise on this forum in the 'for hire' section.
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    • Profile picture of the author deebee23
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      If you want the articles to get attention - you need to choose the subjects and the keyword phrases to use....YOU know what audience you want to attract. I am assuming you are looking for content writers - but writing for SEO is part of that. On specific team issues - you would need to know any copyright or trademark restrictions so you could pass that on to the writers.

      I advise those who are not accustomed to hiring freelancers to hire 2-4 people and order 5-10 articles from each. It gives you a variety of writing styles - but also allows you to choose 1-2 that seem to produce the best articles or continue to use all of the writers if the work meets your standards.

      I'd suggest hiring through freelance sites - choose by star ratings and reviews rather than looking for cheap. Also some good writers that advertise on this forum in the 'for hire' section.
      To be honest, I really don't write for key phrases. I write, edit, and publish the content. Thanks for the advice though.
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      • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
        Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

        To be honest, I really don't write for key phrases. I write, edit, and publish the content.
        But you're not writing the content - you're asking about hiring writers, and you'll have to to guide them in the type of content you want. Including key phrases pertinent to your niche would be one of those requirements.

        Also, your forecasted budget is irrelevant at this stage. If the writers produce content that brings in a profit, your earnings ought to drive any ongoing budget.
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        • Profile picture of the author deebee23
          Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

          But you're not writing the content - you're asking about hiring writers, and you'll have to to guide them in the type of content you want. Including key phrases pertinent to your niche would be one of those requirements.

          Also, your forecasted budget is irrelevant at this stage. If the writers produce content that brings in a profit, your earnings ought to drive any ongoing budget.
          I already guide them now. Dealing with key phrases is not really a thing when dealing with sports related topics.
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          • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
            Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

            I already guide them now. Dealing with key phrases is not really a thing when dealing with sports related topics.
            Make up your mind. Your question in the opening post was about your plan to hire writers next March. So who are you guiding at the moment?
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            • Profile picture of the author deebee23
              Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

              Make up your mind. Your question in the opening post was about your plan to hire writers next March. So who are you guiding at the moment?
              I hire freelancers occasionally to writer articles at the moment.
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  • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
    Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

    I have a sports website that covers mostly NFL and NBA topics. I currently have saved up over $3,200 dollars as a budget. Around the end of March of 202?

    The job will be for three months or possibly more depending on how well the articles perform.
    Consider going the Freelance route. First off you would not have to deal with payroll taxes. Second you can chose from a wide range of writers. Start looking at Upwork or Textbroker to see which provide a more suitable writer. Also look at the writers here on the forum or run a Classified ad.


    You have a nice budget to start. Why not begin looking for a NFL writer now? The 2021 Season begins September 9. You may strike gold early and have one of the articles bring you sales. March seems a far ways off even the NBA starts Pre Season on October 3
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  • Profile picture of the author Gambino
    I have hired easily over 500 freelancers for all sorts of things from writing to design to programming and more. And finding good writers is easily the most difficult.

    I don't think you're looking for content in the traditional sense that most users here do - in terms of writing SEO content, building links and hoping you can build up traffic over time.

    You're looking for writers that are your target audience (NFL fans, NBA fans, etc). That know the subject, are passionate and can crank out articles. None of the sports websites I follow have better than average writers. But it's readable, understandable and most importantly continuously updates.

    If that's what you're looking for then I would forgo traditional freelance sites and find people who have their own small blogs or are active on Twitter (or social media) and preferably have a following in the sports world. There are thousands of people who have small blogs for different sports and/or teams and even more that talk sports all day on Twitter.

    Your biggest obstacle is going to how you syndicate the content whether through Google News or some other syndicate(s). Until you figure that out, you can write and post articles all day long and most of them won't produce much, if anything.
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    • Profile picture of the author Monetize
      I hired two writers to develop major projects for me recently and
      both of them had issues. The main issue is that everybody seems
      to be arbitraging these jobs.

      I chose people whose profiles said they were located in the United
      States because I needed the writing done in American English but
      what they delivered was a different version of English.

      I have been dealing with this for years and it is frustrating having
      to re-write the work, not to mention the money that I wasted.

      To the OP, I don't think you need thousands of dollars to hire
      writers, just be careful where you procure them from.
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    • Profile picture of the author deebee23
      Originally Posted by Gambino View Post

      I have hired easily over 500 freelancers for all sorts of things from writing to design to programming and more. And finding good writers is easily the most difficult.

      I don't think you're looking for content in the traditional sense that most users here do - in terms of writing SEO content, building links and hoping you can build up traffic over time.

      You're looking for writers that are your target audience (NFL fans, NBA fans, etc). That know the subject, are passionate and can crank out articles. None of the sports websites I follow have better than average writers. But it's readable, understandable and most importantly continuously updates.

      If that's what you're looking for then I would forgo traditional freelance sites and find people who have their own small blogs or are active on Twitter (or social media) and preferably have a following in the sports world. There are thousands of people who have small blogs for different sports and/or teams and even more that talk sports all day on Twitter.

      Your biggest obstacle is going to how you syndicate the content whether through Google News or some other syndicate(s). Until you figure that out, you can write and post articles all day long and most of them won't produce much, if anything.
      They won't produce? My traffic is up 351% in Google search
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      • Profile picture of the author Gambino
        Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

        They won't produce? My traffic is up 351% in Google search
        Up 351% isn't a meaningful figure without knowing the total number of visitors, where they're coming from and the page(s) bringing in the content.

        Likely 99% (or more) of the content posted online drifts into oblivion. If you are getting traffic, then you must have some type of platform (social media, content syndication, PPC, etc) that is driving that content.

        Posting content alone does nothing unless you don't have a channel in place to drive the traffic. Where are you driving the traffic from? You must already have some source of traction.
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        • Profile picture of the author deebee23
          Originally Posted by Gambino View Post

          Up 351% isn't a meaningful figure without knowing the total number of visitors, where they're coming from and the page(s) bringing in the content.

          Likely 99% (or more) of the content posted online drifts into oblivion. If you are getting traffic, then you must have some type of platform (social media, content syndication, PPC, etc) that is driving that content.

          Posting content alone does nothing unless you don't have a channel in place to drive the traffic. Where are you driving the traffic from? You must already have some source of traction.
          Dude the 351% comes from Google search terms. My social media growing as well.
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          • Profile picture of the author Gambino
            Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

            Dude the 351% comes from Google search terms. My social media growing as well.
            351% is meaningless without knowing the rest. But, I can tell you're a bit sensitive about your blog so I'll just say good job on at least getting a little traction and leave it at that.
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            • Profile picture of the author deebee23
              Originally Posted by Gambino View Post

              351% is meaningless without knowing the rest. But, I can tell you're a bit sensitive about your blog so I'll just say good job on at least getting a little traction and leave it at that.
              I told you the rest, and no I am not sensitive. Lol
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              • Profile picture of the author Monetize
                Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

                I told you the rest, and no I am not sensitive. Lol

                I think it's great that your traffic is increasing from the added content.

                Just keep doing what works for you, that is all that matters.
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              • Profile picture of the author Gambino
                Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

                I told you the rest, and no I am not sensitive. Lol
                We still don't know how many pages are bringing in organic traffic and what the raw numbers are. What I'm trying to say is that 351% doesn't tell the story. And that's the only metric we know.

                Up 351% from 5 visitors isn't really anything. Up 351% of 1000 visitors and perhaps you might have some traction. Likewise, if minimal pages are driving the traffic then you're in trouble. If multiple pages are driving traffic, you can improve those rankings and there's enough searches to support it, then you have room to grow. The problem is, many sports blogs are focused on right now, so SEO content isn't ever green. Next year, or even two months from now, people won't be searching for things like 'top 10 running backs for 2021' or similar. So, sites that currently rank for that, will inevitably lose those visitors eventually. Just for example, evergreen content would be searches like "best running backs of the 2000s".

                With that said, I reviewed your current site, the old site that forwards to the new domain and social media channels. Which I won't post here since you haven't provided it yet.

                The good: It seems well branded with continuity across social media. Although, I don't know what the name has to do with football or basketball and I'm a pretty big fan of both leagues.

                - Your articles are well written and informed and seemingly most range from 550-1000 words; not too good short, not too long and right in the sweet spot for a "news" type site. Although there is some longer form list content in there which is nice.

                The bad: For a one person shop (and even if you scale to three writers), the topics are too broad to master anything. It's better to be the best at something than below average or average at everything, essentially. It seems you've posted 4 articles in the last 7 days. Compare that to ProFootballTalk for example who is your direct competitor and they've put up about 275 articles in that same 7 day span. Now, I understand PFT has been around for years and has scaled from one guys office to being acquired by NBC but this is the type of blog you are competing with and should be aspiring to become. I single out the NFL right now, because that season is just getting started and should be cooking with gas.

                - The site covers the NFL, NBA, Boxing, News, Sports and Lifestyle, Fantasy Football, and specifically has the Saints and Memphis Tigers in the header... which is a mess of a navigation. And you just don't have enough fingers to keep up with all of those stories and be the elite, go-to source for everything. And I don't think two more writers would put a dent in it. As someone said earlier in this thread, why not reduce the topics to the NFL or something more focused in the short term so that you can actually kill it instead of being spread so thin?

                - The site has a domain authority of 4 and 12 linking root domains (per Longtail Pro). It ranks for 31 keywords but overall ranking will be very difficult without any link building and increasing your domain authority overall.

                The mixed: With almost every blog I've consulted on that wasn't built around a product or selling (think Pro Football Focus), but about content; the biggest issue is monetization. They are by far the lowest ROI business model I've experienced. Generally, these types of blogs either need to be well funded in order to survive long enough to build up a user base and be acquired or eventually attempt to go to a subscription model to stay afloat. And, in my opinion, subscriptions for content are the hardest thing on earth to sell when you're competing with free. I wouldn't count on the affiliate links being enough but the autographed memorabilia is an interesting idea for a shop like this. You could perhaps develop that into a real money maker given your ability/desire to buy/sell. Finding the funding to keep the lights on is obviously important and perhaps that can do it.

                Anyways, went a little more in depth than I originally planned but I say this not to be a jerk, and hope you don't take it that way, but to genuinely try to help you build something sustainable and profitable.
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                • Profile picture of the author deebee23
                  Originally Posted by Gambino View Post

                  We still don't know how many pages are bringing in organic traffic and what the raw numbers are. What I'm trying to say is that 351% doesn't tell the story. And that's the only metric we know.

                  Up 351% from 5 visitors isn't really anything. Up 351% of 1000 visitors and perhaps you might have some traction. Likewise, if minimal pages are driving the traffic then you're in trouble. If multiple pages are driving traffic, you can improve those rankings and there's enough searches to support it, then you have room to grow. The problem is, many sports blogs are focused on right now, so SEO content isn't ever green. Next year, or even two months from now, people won't be searching for things like 'top 10 running backs for 2021' or similar. So, sites that currently rank for that, will inevitably lose those visitors eventually. Just for example, evergreen content would be searches like "best running backs of the 2000s".

                  With that said, I reviewed your current site, the old site that forwards to the new domain and social media channels. Which I won't post here since you haven't provided it yet.

                  The good: It seems well branded with continuity across social media. Although, I don't know what the name has to do with football or basketball and I'm a pretty big fan of both leagues.

                  - Your articles are well written and informed and seemingly most range from 550-1000 words; not too good short, not too long and right in the sweet spot for a "news" type site. Although there is some longer form list content in there which is nice.

                  The bad: For a one person shop (and even if you scale to three writers), the topics are too broad to master anything. It's better to be the best at something than below average or average at everything, essentially. It seems you've posted 4 articles in the last 7 days. Compare that to ProFootballTalk for example who is your direct competitor and they've put up about 275 articles in that same 7 day span. Now, I understand PFT has been around for years and has scaled from one guys office to being acquired by NBC but this is the type of blog you are competing with and should be aspiring to become. I single out the NFL right now, because that season is just getting started and should be cooking with gas.

                  - The site covers the NFL, NBA, Boxing, News, Sports and Lifestyle, Fantasy Football, and specifically has the Saints and Memphis Tigers in the header... which is a mess of a navigation. And you just don't have enough fingers to keep up with all of those stories and be the elite, go-to source for everything. And I don't think two more writers would put a dent in it. As someone said earlier in this thread, why not reduce the topics to the NFL or something more focused in the short term so that you can actually kill it instead of being spread so thin?

                  - The site has a domain authority of 4 and 12 linking root domains (per Longtail Pro). It ranks for 31 keywords but overall ranking will be very difficult without any link building and increasing your domain authority overall.

                  The mixed: With almost every blog I've consulted on that wasn't built around a product or selling (think Pro Football Focus), but about content; the biggest issue is monetization. They are by far the lowest ROI business model I've experienced. Generally, these types of blogs either need to be well funded in order to survive long enough to build up a user base and be acquired or eventually attempt to go to a subscription model to stay afloat. And, in my opinion, subscriptions for content are the hardest thing on earth to sell when you're competing with free. I wouldn't count on the affiliate links being enough but the autographed memorabilia is an interesting idea for a shop like this. You could perhaps develop that into a real money maker given your ability/desire to buy/sell. Finding the funding to keep the lights on is obviously important and perhaps that can do it.

                  Anyways, went a little more in depth than I originally planned but I say this not to be a jerk, and hope you don't take it that way, but to genuinely try to help you build something sustainable and profitable.
                  Thanks for the advice. I get exactly what you are saying, but I am not trying to keep up with the sites you mentioned. As a matter of fact, I'm not even trying to build a large digital media brand. I am just looking to build something to make enough money to sustain myself as an independent outlet. Also, I live near the Memphis area and have been credentialed in the past to cover live games involving their football and basketball programs.

                  The Memphis category also has a good open rate with my email list and the content always has large page views. As for the Saints, they are the team that I follow, so I built a separate vertical within the site, and it has its own newsletter as well. As for the writers, the plan is to have one for the upcoming NFL season to assist content generation.

                  Yes, I have considered niching the site down to just the NFL and Memphis content going forward, or just the NFL itself. In regards to the site name, I thought it was appropriate, so I went it. Going to a subscription-based has been considered before. As I said previously, I am not trying to build a large outlet, but I would like to have my own real estate for sports. Thanks for the advice!!
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            • Profile picture of the author DABK
              Meaningless? Meaningless when it makes the OP feel good about themselves?


              No offense, OP,.


              But Gambino is too right about it: Going from 2 visitors a month to 7 is a 350% increase. So is going from 1,000 to 351000.


              And going from 10 visitors to 350000 can still mean you don't make money.



              Originally Posted by Gambino View Post

              351% is meaningless without knowing the rest. But, I can tell you're a bit sensitive about your blog so I'll just say good job on at least getting a little traction and leave it at that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Serene Carmen
    Hi, check out Content Wish. I have been really happy with their content writing (consistent quality).
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew North
    Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

    I have a sports website that covers mostly NFL and NBA topics. I currently have saved up over $3,200 dollars as a budget. Around the end of March of 2022, I'll have save up over $7,400 dollars. I plan to to use part of it to hire at least two writers. Should I bring them on directly or utilize a freelance site like Upwork or any others that are out there?

    The job will be for three months or possibly more depending on how well the articles perform.
    Heya, I've worked as a journalist so I think I may have something to add here about the performance of your future articles. This is just as important as finding the right people to write them. The biggest hurdle that news sites face is developing unique story ideas. I've seen editors approach the need for unique content from several angles. One site, that performs moderately well, takes trending tweets posted on social media that haven't yet been covered by other sites (essential), then works it into a story. That gets the job done, but the results aren't that impressive.

    The best-performing independent news sites share original opinions and analyses written by expert journalists. A very successful site that does this is ccn.com (not a typo). ALL of that site's content is expertly written opinion pieces or op-eds and Google loves the site because of it. It's the hardest form of content to scale but that's what it takes in order to offer something different.

    So my advice is to think about how you are going to attract the best talent and come up with the most unique ideas for your articles. Hiring randoms from Upwork is unlikely to work. You might have more success finding established journalists through sites like Muckrack and offering a better deal than just a flat rate per word. It's not usual for these journalists to earn a percentage of ad revenue if their articles take off.

    Best of luck to you. I've seen countless news sites fail over the years because the editors couldn't find the right talent and or drive enough traffic for it to be worth the effort.
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  • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
    2 of 3 things happen here -- an' I am eliminatin' #1 for your own benefit.

    1) It don't mattah what you do; your initiative is guaranteed to bomb from the outset.

    (I assoom my role as Motivayshcwaan Queen for the next part, even though #1 rules out evrythin' that follows if'n it happens to be troo.)

    2) Your writah knows more'n you do 'bout what you offah, so if'n you get any way successful, they will turn slipstream into cowgirl an' ride your ripped platform like a star.

    * Ulp *

    * Only one hoptschwaahn left. *

    An' it is this ...

    Any hire contract means what's yours is in a way stoopider biggah part than you think THEIRS also.

    Your drunk psychopath taxi drivah will always precede you into the Hudson.

    So tip the odds in your favor by hirin' smart an' rewardin' in kind.

    Transmutation ain't no exact science, but it breaches all kindsa boundaries most singularly focussed non-writers can mebbe tap.

    That is why we meet up once in a while to craft insurmountably benevolent incendiaries.

    You gaht the big deal you can't say.

    I gaht the say stuffs for most anythin' worth my time.

    The more experter than Moi you are, the more you non-usurpable.

    All you gotta do is tell me what it is you can't frickin' say!

    Prolly I will run with that till I know bettah.

    So mebbe play fair bcs the odds're stacked against you when you speechless, less'n you SWEET.
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    Just to clarify something here.. i keep reading the concern of payroll... Even with AB-5 in California... in more than most cases "Freelance writers" would be considered "Independent contractors" and then the only "Payroll" you would be doing is filling out a 1099 at the end of the year... which is for you, the business owner a tax benefit.

    If I had to find someone to write on a specific topic for any amount of time, I would start with contacting local high schools and speaking to the "newspaper" teacher, and see if there might be any kids that would be fit the bill and be interested.

    If that doesnt work I would approach local community colleges that have journalism programs and again approach those teachers to get leads towards students that may fit your needs.
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