What to Expect from a Custom Writing Service
If you’re like most marketers, you’ve probably considered hiring a custom writing service at one point or another. But if you’re like most marketers that are new to delegating their online writing, there’s another side to that: you’re also probably not sure what to expect from working with a custom writing service. We’re here to shine a light on the topic! If you’ve ever wondered what a custom writing service is and what you can expect when you hire one, this post is for you. Read on to learn more. Let’s Define a Custom Writing Service A custom writing service is any company, individual, or firm that writes custom web content for customers. Seem simple? It is, but it’s also very varied. A custom writing service can write anything from blog content to print books, depending on what the customer wants and needs. Custom writing services are run by expert copywriters, marketers, and SEOs, and are designed to help busy marketers get the custom content they require, without the hassle of stressing over producing it in-house. Check out a short list of what we do, from our pricing page (over 40 products in our Content Shop!): To see a full list of what our copywriters can handle, check out my guide: How Copywriting Works. 5 Standard Expectations to Have with a Quality-Oriented Custom Writing Service If you choose to hire a custom writing service, you’ll be in for a unique experience. Because custom writing services are highly individualized by definition, the service you receive from the company or individual you hire won’t necessarily be comparable to anyone else’s experience. The custom writing service is there to define, understand, and exceed your unique needs – that’s the whole point! You can, however, count on a few standard protocols and methods from any custom writing service you hire. These are as follows: 1. A custom writing service will take time to consult with you about your needs To serve you effectively, a custom writing service needs to understand what you hope to get out of the partnership. For example, are you looking to populate a new site with content? Do you want to improve your leads and enjoy more conversions? Are you publishing an ebook and looking for someone to help you write or organize the copy? Maybe you’re looking to start a blog, but you don’t have time to manage it. Whatever your needs may be, the first thing any reputable custom writing service will do is seek to understand them. This information is critical for the writing company because it allows them to do the following things: Gain a deeper understanding of your company Develop a plan to meet and exceed your goals Craft custom content that caters to your corporate aspirations Adjust existing content to support your business’s trajectory When you first hire a custom writing service, you’ll want to be prepared to be as open as possible about your goals. This will help the company better serve you. 2. A great custom writing service will evaluate your current content They won’t just throw a quote at you – a good writing service will actually evaluate where you stand and go from there. If you’ve already got content on your site or blog, or if you’ve provided a layout for a bigger project, like an ebook, the custom writing service will evaluate it and reach out with suggestions, questions, or observations. This helps the writing team you select get an idea of how long you want your content to be, which topics you’d like covered, what voice you’re looking for, and what goals you’d like the content to achieve. For best results, be sure to maintain an open line of communication with the custom writing service. Remember: great writing flows easier when both of you communicate freely about the direction of the project. More tips on that in our guide on outsourcing your writing. 3. They will develop a content plan Depending on the goals you set out earlier in the process, the custom writing service will now help you develop a content plan designed to meet the objective. For example, if your primary goal was to increase your social media following, the custom writing service may design a social content plan that includes several posts each week on all of your platforms. This plan would likely include a mix of curated, original, visual, and textual content to intrigue and inspire your readers. This is a point at which you can expect to work very closely with the company. Does the plan adhere to what you had in mind? Is there anything you need clarification on? Do you want more detail about why a particular keyword is being targeted or why the use of infographics, for example, is so smart? All you have to do is ask! Any custom writing service worth its keyboards will be happy to help shine a light on these things for you. 4. Your custom writing service will optimize content for SEO If you’re publishing web-based content for the purpose of marketing or lead generation, you can expect your custom writing service to optimize it for search engines and readers. Remember, your readers come first, but SEO is vital too. Today, 81% of consumers research online before they decide to buy a product, and having content that is optimized for SEO is one of the best ways to ensure that your content appears when and where readers need it. If you’re not familiar with SEO, a good custom writing service can help you understand it more deeply. Essentially, SEO is the process of optimizing content for search engine visibility and a positive user experience. This often entails methods like keyword inclusion and meta content optimization, to name just a couple. The fact that so many custom writing services now optimize for SEO is one thing consumers love. Because today’s most visible content has all been optimized for SEO, hiring a quality custom writing service can help you remove the middleman and get professional, expert-level, properly … Read more