Use Content to Build, Advertise and Drive Traffic to Your Online
Business

Where Can You Get Content?

There are three main sources for you to get the content you
need.

They are:

 - Write it Yourself
 - Hire a Ghostwriter
 - Use Other Writers

There are pros and cons to each source but by using a
combination of sources you can accumulate a well-rounded body of
content for your use. Here are some of the points to consider
when using the different methods for creating content. What
works best for you will depend on your level of writing ability,
what the content will be used for and your budget, among other
things.

Write it Yourself

Writing content yourself is not only the least expensive method,
but allows you to inflect your personality into the content.
This can be very useful in attracting a loyal customer,
especially through newsletters and articles.

Writing content yourself can also be beneficial when writing
about a topic of which you are particularly knowledgeable about.
If you can inform your customers on a topic it may be difficult
to find another writer who can impart the same information
accurately.

However, if your writing skills are extremely poor you may need
some assistance. Whether you simply need to hire a proofreader
to catch grammatical errors or an editor to rearrange your
thoughts and point out where your information needs
clarification, you may still be able to create your own content
for less cost than hiring a writer while maintaining the
originality of your content.

Hire a Ghostwriter

When you need more than just a little assistance, whether it's
because of time restraints, lack of writing abilities or you
need a writer with knowledge of a topic you aren't familiar
with, you should consider hiring a ghostwriter.

Ghostwriters are individuals who will write content for you
(website, articles, ebooks, press releases etc.) and give you
all the rights of the original author. You pay them for their
time and abilities and in exchange you claim ownership of the
material.

Ghostwriters are valuable to businesses that need quality
content on topics that are easily researchable by the
ghostwriter. You may also find ghostwriters who are experts in
their own field but hire themselves out as writers as a side
business.

For more detailed assignments you can also hire a ghostwriter to
use your knowledge or research and compose the information in a
manner which reflects your own ‘voice'. The ghostwriter will
need to work very closely with you and develop a style of
writing that will emulate the way you express yourself.
Ghostwriters have often been hired by famous people to assist
them in compiling their autobiographies.

The cost of hiring a ghostwriter is variable depending on the
level of expertise required, the amount of research needed and
the nature of the assignment. When hiring a ghostwriter you
should make a ‘work-for-hire' agreement which means that the
writing cannot be resold to another buyer or used by the
ghostwriter for other purposes.

If you regularly need access to a variety of information you can
use a service such as www.InfoGoRound.com which gives you access
to a large database of articles written by ghostwriters. This
service also permits you to request articles on specific topics
that one of their professional writers may undertake writing for
you. While the content may be used by other members you are
entitled to use them without crediting the original author. You
may also change the information or add to it without special
permission as would be required if using free to reprint
material.

Use Other Writers

There are really two categories of other writers you should
consider. Writers who offer their content for free and paid
writers.

Paying for a writer to create content for you is not common for
small businesses unless the expertise of the author is needed
for the material to be useful. Secular magazines often pay
writers for their work which can vary in cost depending on the
background of the writer and the size of the publication. Fees
for writers can be found in the ‘Writer's Market' book which is
a resource for writers looking for paying jobs.

Writers can be found through associations, recommendations by
other people and from freelance websites like www.elance.com.
When hiring a writer you should ask for samples of their work
and have them make an agreement for permission to use their work
or the exclusive rights to the work. Without an agreement in
place you may be facing copyright infringement claims or find
the writing published in another place without your knowledge.

Working with writers, proofreaders or editors is just another
part of doing business online. Making use of these services can
help you project a polished, professional appearance to your
visitors and readers while still giving you control of the
information presented.

As with any contract work you should be careful to choose
individuals who respect your needs and deadlines and can provide
quality work while at the same time recognizing the value of the
services these individuals are providing to you by giving them
enough time to finish your projects and adequate pay.

If you are planning on writing your own content, where do you
start? Head to the marketing science lab….
http://presssuccess.com/cpl

Sincerely,

Jack Humphrey
Willie Crawford
Diana Barnum
Peter Lenkefi
Mark Braunstein