Do you have good ideas for blog posts, but no time to write them?
What if you could give a writer the title, some simple instructions and get back a well-written blog post that you could make your own?
That’s where many small businesses are. They have the ideas, but no time to execute. Let me tell you about a service I tried that might make your life easier.
I received an email from Chad Fisher recently. He is one of the founders of a writer’s marketplace called Content Runner. The thing that was interesting to me is that Content Runner has integrated nTopic into their service to help their writers produce a more topically relevant article.
Chad gave me a $30 credit to test out the service, so how could I say no?
Create a Headline
I often find myself pleading with clients to spend more time on their headlines. A headline can account for 30% of a reader’s decision to click on a link. Content Runner’s approach asks me to create the headline of an article first! I love that I am now writing a headline to attract good writers and then attract readers.
If you’re having trouble thinking up a good headline, you can make your way over to the IDEAS tab.
Finally you give the title, instructions and any other details you feel will help you get the best possible article. In this example it’s an “open order” which means any writer can email you and offer their services, but you need to “ok” them.
Finally, review your order and submit it.
When you decide on a writer to handle the job, the finished product comes back to you in whatever time-frame you chose. In my case I have been choosing 2 days and never had a problem. Eventually you get an email letting you know it’s finished and you can go review it.
The Review
If you love it just how it is, you just click the accept button and the writer gets paid and you get your article. If you need some revisions you can communicate them through the form.
Editing is Easy
Everyone agrees that it’s easier to edit than to create. That’s where the my next step is. I now have 99% of the work done. At this point I usually work on a better opening and add in some sub-heads, and then it gets a great image and published.
Isn’t this Cheating?
What some call cheating, I call smart. I don’t know many business owners that have two free hours to write a blog post every few days, but most have an extra hundred bucks they can throw at the problem.
I love the idea of giving a talented writer all the tools they need to help me look better. The only difference between using a service like Content Runner and hiring an in-house copywriter is about $30,000/year. I can form a relationship with my favorite writers and always give them the work so that I continue to get high quality work.
Thanks for the informative review. Content runner appears to legitimate after all. I have one request though – could you inquire about their payment method? I see they require a bank account number, does this also include accounts outside United States of America?
I don’t think the require a back account number, because all I used was a credit card. I believe if you have a mastercard or visa you should be fine.
I have both cards but the problem is that they require American Bank Association Routing Number (a nine digit code) which is not supported in my country. We use Swift Code a unique identification code for a particular bank – now contentrunner does not support Swift Code, I tried entering that number to no avail.
Content Runner only requires an American bank account if you sign up as a writer. Users (those placing content orders) only need a credit card.
Phil, I appreciate your time in putting this article together because I too was contacted by Content Runner. Now Chad himself didn’t reach out to me personally, but one of his guys in the office, Gerard, did. I was given the same offer but hesitated to look at something knew.
The main reason why I hesitated was that you can spend a lot more money paying for content writing here in the US… than what it costs to utilize writers around the world through Upwork (formerly ODesk) or Fiverr, etc. That being said, I’ve spent a lot of money on those platforms as well as I can tell you that sometimes what you get back is…. basically… crap. So, you start over again, more money, more time, etc. So, it was good to come across your article and I think I’m going to take those guys up on their offer.
As an SEO professional, I do have the need for content quite frequently and I have to be spending time with the process myself, I’m not moving my business or my clients’ businesses forward with my expertise.
Ok Content Runner… here I come. 🙂