The Authority Site Content Publishers Guild

[Golan]

@JamaicanMoose and other guys.

When searching for writers on Upwork, do you just post your job, or do you search for the writers first?

I ask because i just logged in there (the last time i was using them it still was Odesk lol) and when i'm searching for writers there is only Hourly rate, not rate per word.

 

[JamaicanMoose]

@JamaicanMoose and other guys.

When searching for writers on Upwork, do you just post your job, or do you search for the writers first?

I ask because i just logged in there (the last time i was using them it still was Odesk lol) and when i'm searching for writers there is only Hourly rate, not rate per word.

I post the job and they apply. I can't be assed to search through hundreds of writers resumes.

 

[Sutra]

@JamaicanMoose and other guys.

When searching for writers on Upwork, do you just post your job, or do you search for the writers first?

I ask because i just logged in there (the last time i was using them it still was Odesk lol) and when i'm searching for writers there is only Hourly rate, not rate per word.

I post my job, then search for writers. However, I only filter for a keyword (i.e. writer) plus people who are Native English speakers, plus have been active within 2 weeks. Then I go down the list and just click on "invite" to about 200 people - I don't spend time looking through their profile. From there they basically go through a funnel so I can easily and quickly whittle it down to the best people who I will then interview.

 

[Jesse]

I'm looking for feedback about how I'm handling my workflow for a new site. I have a somewhat limited amount of time to put into it right now (maybe 2 hours/day, 6 days/week), and I want to make the most of that time for the stage that I'm at.

I've front-loaded my keyword research so that I essentially have a list for each topic I'm covering that's been filtered for traffic/month, difficulty rating, "KGR," minimum CPC estimations and a minimum level of competition in Google Ads. I also have my major social media platforms set up already and have figured out how I want to handle images for my posts.

Each day I'm doing the following:

Promotion/Social:

• I do around five blog comments on domains I haven't commented on before. Other than building general awareness, one reason is to go back every couple of weeks, find the ones that were accepted, comment some more on those and try to build a relationship with the owner for future use (ego bait, guest posts, whatever else further down the line).
• I spend a few minutes on each platform sharing any posts I put up that day (with hashtags, an eye-catching image, etc.) as well as interacting with other users via retweeting, replying, sharing related memes, etc.
• On Reddit in particular, I'm developing a few accounts in a few minutes each day just replying in related subs to let karma build. Later, I'll begin using these to share a variety of items related to my vertical, mixing in some links to my own assets here and there.
• I'm still researching and getting a list of forums and message boards together in my vertical, but posting on those and sort of rotating through them will be a part of this as I get that list together.

Content Production:

• I prepare two (sometimes three depending on time) content writing briefs for posts (including an outline, etc.) each day and send them off to be written.
  • I'm focus on a keyword (used in title, as focus of topic, etc.) from my prepared research along with 2-3 related keywords with low difficulty and reasonable CPC and 2-5 related keywords for LSI purposes.
  • I prepare the images for the post immediately after sending it off to be written and have them ready to go in a folder for when I post that piece of content.
• I publish two (again, sometimes three) posts that have been received from being written.
  • This includes adding to the CMS, proofreading, interlinking, adding the previously prepared images and listing everything in my tracking spreadsheet.
  • I'm not sure if this is important, but I try to make sure that they are in different topics within my vertical.
  • The featured image has a focus on catching attention since it's what gets people to click (whether internally or through social media shares).

I guess my question specifically is if there are other key things I should be focusing on this early. I do want to take some time to get some other "easy links" like sound hosting sites, image hosting sites and whatever else this early on, and I mentioned that I'm putting some time into getting a message board/forums list together. However, time is limited right now since I'm about to move and have other client work to do to pay the bills and fund this thing.

 

[JamaicanMoose]

I'm looking for feedback about how I'm handling my workflow for a new site. I have a somewhat limited amount of time to put into it right now (maybe 2 hours/day, 6 days/week), and I want to make the most of that time for the stage that I'm at.

I've front-loaded my keyword research so that I essentially have a list for each topic I'm covering that's been filtered for traffic/month, difficulty rating, "KGR," minimum CPC estimations and a minimum level of competition in Google Ads. I also have my major social media platforms set up already and have figured out how I want to handle images for my posts.

Each day I'm doing the following:

Promotion/Social:

• I do around five blog comments on domains I haven't commented on before. Other than building general awareness, one reason is to go back every couple of weeks, find the ones that were accepted, comment some more on those and try to build a relationship with the owner for future use (ego bait, guest posts, whatever else further down the line).
• I spend a few minutes on each platform sharing any posts I put up that day (with hashtags, an eye-catching image, etc.) as well as interacting with other users via retweeting, replying, sharing related memes, etc.
• On Reddit in particular, I'm developing a few accounts in a few minutes each day just replying in related subs to let karma build. Later, I'll begin using these to share a variety of items related to my vertical, mixing in some links to my own assets here and there.
• I'm still researching and getting a list of forums and message boards together in my vertical, but posting on those and sort of rotating through them will be a part of this as I get that list together.

Content Production:

• I prepare two (sometimes three depending on time) content writing briefs for posts (including an outline, etc.) each day and send them off to be written.
  • I'm focus on a keyword (used in title, as focus of topic, etc.) from my prepared research along with 2-3 related keywords with low difficulty and reasonable CPC and 2-5 related keywords for LSI purposes.
  • I prepare the images for the post immediately after sending it off to be written and have them ready to go in a folder for when I post that piece of content.
• I publish two (again, sometimes three) posts that have been received from being written.
  • This includes adding to the CMS, proofreading, interlinking, adding the previously prepared images and listing everything in my tracking spreadsheet.
  • I'm not sure if this is important, but I try to make sure that they are in different topics within my vertical.
  • The featured image has a focus on catching attention since it's what gets people to click (whether internally or through social media shares).

I guess my question specifically is if there are other key things I should be focusing on this early. I do want to take some time to get some other "easy links" like sound hosting sites, image hosting sites and whatever else this early on, and I mentioned that I'm putting some time into getting a message board/forums list together. However, time is limited right now since I'm about to move and have other client work to do to pay the bills and fund this thing.

If you have extra cash, you can easily outsource the promotion/social/outreach/image creation stuff to a VA. If time is limited, throwing money at a problem is really the only way to overcome it. Your content curation pace seems good enough, with the caveat that more is better. If you outsource the aforementioned stuff and spend that extra time on creating your guest post outreach/HARO process, that would be ideal. Once you have that process down, you can then outsource that too. Or just pay someone like Steve Brownlie for links. Whatever floats your boat.

You're creating a good foundation but you're spending too much of your limited time working in your business and not enough time running your business.

 

[MrMedia]

Load up an excel spreadsheet with kws, titles, h2s, h3s, etc. Add in additional notes where needed. Send to a team of writers.

Take the same excel sheet and modify it for purpose. Send to an image guy on fiver.

Aim for 30-50k words per week.

Upload yourself to check quality then when happy outsource to a freelancer.

Your job is to do whatever it takes to feed the content machine. If that means working a job so be it.

Done

 

[Jesse]

If you outsource the aforementioned stuff and spend that extra time on creating your guest post outreach/HARO process, that would be ideal.

Okay cool, that's great news since it tells me what I should work on learning next.

You're creating a good foundation but you're spending too much of your limited time working in your business and not enough time running your business.

I agree completely, and this is the thing I'm aiming for. I've only started outsourcing content for this past week after writing a dozen or so posts myself, and I'm trying to learn each individual part before I hand it off to someone.

Thank you very much for this.

Load up an excel spreadsheet with kws, titles, h2s, h3s, etc. Add in additional notes where needed. Send to a team of writers.

I'll definitely need to do this in the very near future. I'm sending off one brief at a time right now as I'm getting the process figured out, but it would be a lot more efficient to do it with a spreadsheet, especially when I start having more throughput.

Your job is to do whatever it takes to feed the content machine. If that means working a job so be it.

Yeah I'm working full-time writing content and doing this as well, hoping to transition completely away from producing content for other people inside of the next two or three years, etc.

I really, really appreciate you taking the time to offer some advice.

 

[Jesse]

I already know how I feel about this, but I thought I'd throw the question out there to see what everyone else has to say about it since it seems like the kind of thing I could be wrong on and would learn a lot from.

Here's the question: Do people actually read this stuff, or do they just skim the first paragraph or two, look at the pictures and read the headings? Are we just jerking ourselves off when we say things like "good content gets links on its own," or do people just share and link to random stuff all the time just because someone else did?

I'm not asking this in an attempt to come up with some kind of excuse to not do X, Y and Z for my site or the users. Instead, I'm actually asking because I'm wondering if my idea of serving what the user wants is skewed one way or another.

Put another way: Is what makes content "good" the quality of the writing and presentation in a vacuum, or is the measure of "good" content decided only on what it achieves for our goals?

 

[CCarter]

Do people actually read this stuff

It depends on the reasoning for the content. The level of need or desperation.

Example: if someone is balding they'll read every word if they think this solution will help. If it is some entertainment like some pick up artist stuff they'll probably skim.

So the level of need is their reasoning for reading the content. If they are more serious about the project then they'll go it.

Another great example is the Digital Crash Course here. The serious people read every day, took notes, and then took action. The people not serious skimmed and only reason content they gravitated towards, but stuff things like the customer service day they may think it's not important and skipped. Ironically they all want to sell something at some level...

 

[bernard]

Do people actually read this stuff,

I'm surprised at how many people actually read the whole thing

You have to hook them though, if your content above the fold is shit, then they'll jump.

 

[Jesse]

It depends on the reasoning for the content. The level of need or desperation.

Example: if someone is balding they'll read every word if they think this solution will help. If it is some entertainment like some pick up artist stuff they'll probably skim.

So the level of need is their reasoning for reading the content. If they are more serious about the project then they'll go it.

Another great example is the Digital Crash Course here. The serious people read every day, took notes, and then took action. The people not serious skimmed and only reason content they gravitated towards, but stuff things like the customer service day they may think it's not important and skipped. Ironically they all want to sell something at some level...

Okay this is pretty much exactly what I thought.

In the past, I think I've leaned too far in the direction of assuming that everyone would read everything no matter the situation. Adjusting in the opposite direction when needed is something where I have to overcompensate a bit since my sense for how much is "enough" is skewed.

I think it's some aspect of ingrained childhood perfectionism sticking its head out.

 

[CCarter]

Adjusting in the opposite direction when needed is something where I have to overcompensate a bit since my sense for how much is "enough" is skewed.

Something to think about is the seriousness is based on the user's perspection not yours. There are zealots that take "Game of Thrones" very seriously.

So just because you think something is silly doesn't mean the end user will. And vice-a-versa.

 

[Jesse]

Something to think about is the seriousness is based on the user's perspection not yours. There are zealots that take "Game of Thrones" very seriously.

So just because you think something is silly doesn't mean the end user will. And vice-a-versa.

I feel you completely on this. I think my tendency has been the opposite (assuming everyone takes everything they're searching for seriously), but it's fundamentally the same idea.

Thanks for your advice on this.