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Is paying for written content worth it?

by Artesh
31 replies
Up until today i have been writing my own content for a few blogs/info sites some of which are in the health niche and doing well. Obviously writing myself i cant really scale but before i make a big investment in content I'm wondering what the warriors think of buying content.

I know I sound a bit green but does buying content generally pay off (adsense and so on)?

Is there a right way and a wrong way to go about it?


Thanks
#adsense #articles #content #paying #payoff #worth #written
  • Profile picture of the author Sam Woods
    Originally Posted by Artesh View Post

    Up until today i have been writing my own content for a few blogs/info sites some of which are in the health niche and doing well. Obviously writing myself i cant really scale but before i make a big investment in content I'm wondering what the warriors think of buying content.

    I know I sound a bit green but does buying content generally pay off (adsense and so on)?

    Is there a right way and a wrong way to go about it?


    Thanks
    If you've got a model that works then yes, but if you're just posting content to a blog in the hopes that it'll pay for itself...

    My advice would be to make it work first without outsourcing - and find out on average how much each piece of content is making you a month. Then you can see how much you can pay for each article and how long it would take to pay itself off.
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  • Profile picture of the author artflair
    If you'll find a good writer than of course it's worth it.
    It might take you some time to find the right one, with a writing style that meets your expectations but when you'll do it'll save you a ton of time.
    Good luck mate
    Art
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  • Profile picture of the author evilclown
    If you are a good writer get a spinner and you can build your own quality content. People think of spinning as "blakc hat" or not a good think to do, because they think spinning is just click here and re-write to garbage.

    Learn how to spin content and you can upscale your process before you begin investing in content.
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    • Profile picture of the author Artesh
      are you talking about writing an article then spinning my own article? or taking multiple other articles i find and spinning them and rewriting them?

      I was under the impression that would still send the panda into a frenzy and my site down the serps.
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      • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
        Originally Posted by Artesh View Post

        are you talking about writing an article then spinning my own article? or taking multiple other articles i find and spinning them and rewriting them?

        I was under the impression that would still send the panda into a frenzy and my site down the serps.
        Spinning and quality content are contradictory terms. Forget spinning, not because Google doesn't like it but because the end product is terrible.

        Whether you write your own or pay for content depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Outside of MMO/IM, articles are not Christmas trees to hang spun articles and backlinks on. They're supposed to educate and entertain your target audience. They're supposed to be engaging.

        They're supposed to impress the reader so much that they bookmark your site and want to return. That's their only purpose. It's called building a relationship with your audience. If you know your topic and your audience the keywords will naturally appear.

        I realize this doesn't sit well with some people but that doesn't change the truth. Write for people or contract with a writer that can write engaging stuff and you'll never go wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    I recently paid about $75 for some content. Less then a week after the site went live it's already earned about $150.

    It's all about finding quality talent. Trust me, that's the hard part.
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    • Profile picture of the author Artesh
      Originally Posted by Brent Stangel View Post

      I recently paid about $75 for some content. Less then a week after the site went live it's already earned about $150.

      It's all about finding quality talent. Trust me, that's the hard part.
      May i ask if the return you've gotten is largely from Adsese? I ask because i'm really only using adsense and wanna know if those kinds of returns are possible from adsense alone or if i would need to step up my monetization efforts to see those kinds of returns.
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  • Profile picture of the author CSmitty
    It is worth it to pay for content for articles and ad copy, but for a blog site I would say probably not. For your blog you want to give your readers your thoughts and recommendations. I think your message would be lost with blog content that is not your own. Over time you would lose readers and adsense income would fall.


    I agree if you have a working formula now, stick with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Levanduski
    I'm a freelance writer and I have quite a few clients who have been paying me to write for them for years. If they weren't making money off my content, they wouldn't keep coming back.

    So yes, it is worth it, as long as you use the content properly.

    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author Janice Sperry
    Yes, paying for good quality content is definitely worth it. If a person does not have the skill or the time it is well worth it to pay top dollar for top quality writers.

    However, you also have to know how to use the content or it will not do you any good.
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    • Profile picture of the author Artesh
      Originally Posted by Janice Sperry View Post

      Yes, paying for good quality content is definitely worth it. If a person does not have the skill or the time it is well worth it to pay top dollar for top quality writers.

      However, you also have to know how to use the content or it will not do you any good.
      When you say you have to know how to use it what do you mean exactly.

      I was thinking of just posting the articles as if they were my own written content with a few adsense ads as i do with my own articles. Should i be approaching it differently?
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  • Profile picture of the author jamescanz
    Originally Posted by Artesh View Post

    I know I sound a bit green but does buying content generally pay off (adsense and so on)?
    Generally speaking, outsourcing can definitely be worth it for the simple fact that it frees up your time..

    (which is something you can never get back, obviously)

    As long as they aren't handing over something a kindergartener scribbled on a piece of paper...

    You should be good
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  • Profile picture of the author Karol Z
    It all depends on how much traffic your already getting, and how your website ranks. It's definitely worth it for people who are already getting consistent traffic, and are ranked quite well for a few keywords.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marco Moeschter
    I would also vote for it because you can save a lot of time which you can use to do more valuable tasks. You can also scale faster because it's hard to write your own content for your blog, guest posts, facebook and so on!
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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    Everything depends on the quality of the content you will use. You can test and see if you will have better results.
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    It depends on what your end goals are. There are many types of content. They offer different ROI levels.
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  • Profile picture of the author EconomicalDomains
    I think it is definitely worth it as it frees up a lot of time for other endeavors. Just make sure to find a quality writer for the right price.

    I usually start out with PLR articles and then customize them to fit my website. This saves time and also money instead of hiring a professional writer. That way I can get exactly what I want, but without spending all the time or money.
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  • Profile picture of the author Artesh
    Thanks for all the advice everyone. i'm going to give the paid writers a go and ill let you know how it goes.
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  • Profile picture of the author cyberzolo
    Yes and no. It saves time and energy but your content is supposed to be the thing that connects you with your readers therefore you should write your own content
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  • Profile picture of the author Rappostion
    If you write well then it's best to write your own article, more personalized and you know the more it's personalized the more you're building rapport with your audience and in this way you are building a long lasting relationship.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jan79
    I'm not sure what you are currently earning with your website(s), but if you think that there is still a lot to write and you have many ideas to increase this income then I would consider investing a small part of your profit into new articles... which will increase your income in the future. I'm sure that quality content will make you more money in the future, so keep expanding.

    One note: if you have the time to write everything yourself, then that's the best and cheapest option of course, but most of us have so many ideas for new articles that we can't keep up... make a list with articles that you still need and find a way to get quality writers for affordable prices.
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  • Profile picture of the author dancoc
    Yes it is worth it. You can get very quality articles nowadays a very low prices and in the mean time to do something else like link building.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    It can if you have a good quality writer. Preferably you want to hire someone who LOVES writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author ErinWalsh
    My company has writers on staff with technical back grounds to write our database. We pay per 400 words, then we have editors who will go over the written articles and make sure it meets our specifications and there's not spelling or grammar errors. Our articles range from 1,00-1,300 words each. Before we let anyone write for us we make them turn in sample writing to make sure they are a good writer.

    If you are going to look for a writer to hire, then you should give them sample topics and see if they match what you want. That way you can tell if they're all fluff or actually have substance to their writing. After you find a writer that meets your criteria then negotiate pay.
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    • Profile picture of the author Artesh
      Originally Posted by ErinWalsh View Post

      My company has writers on staff with technical back grounds to write our database. We pay per 400 words, then we have editors who will go over the written articles and make sure it meets our specifications and there's not spelling or grammar errors. Our articles range from 1,00-1,300 words each. Before we let anyone write for us we make them turn in sample writing to make sure they are a good writer.

      If you are going to look for a writer to hire, then you should give them sample topics and see if they match what you want. That way you can tell if they're all fluff or actually have substance to their writing. After you find a writer that meets your criteria then negotiate pay.
      This really sounds like the right way to do it and hopefully i can learn from everyone here and get to that level as well.

      Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author Sarevok
    It really depends.

    If you have a feasible business plan that's profitable, I could probably brainstorm a million reasons how outsourced content could help.

    As others have eluded, if you're just starting out, the last thing you should be doing is outsourcing anything.

    Only outsource when you have a feasible plan that requires development.

    Source: I'm a ghostwriter that's done probably 5+ dozen projects.

    The ONLY repeat customers are the ones with a feasible, stable business.

    And they give the best tips.

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  • Profile picture of the author BeYourOwnBossBrizzel
    Paying for written content is usually worth it in the end.
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  • Profile picture of the author lukeblower
    You have to look at it in a purely business sense- is the money you spend on getting someone else to write for you going to be paid back by the time you free up by not having to write it yourself?
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  • Profile picture of the author tyronne78
    Paying for content is a great way to free up your time so you can concentrate on other parts of your business. Most of the content on my blog I've created myself but I do buy PLR content from time to time. Finding good quality writers is a skill in itself considering there are a lot of bad writers out there in the market.
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  • Profile picture of the author TotalWebsiteControl
    It depends.. Are you a good writer? You really don't even need to be a good writer to produce good content. You just have to be passionate about the subject. But if you have the money then outsourcing content creation is the way to go.
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  • Profile picture of the author jessicah
    If it fits you, you should at least try it out. If your writing is good, you can find some place to write where your talent is appreciated and you will get a lot of requests. Then the money will come.
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