An Experiment in Outsourcing
So, those of you who know me, may be somewhat puzzled as to why I would consider outsourcing. After all, I am a professional writer, and therefore capable of creating my own content. Well, it struck me, that when people ask advice about outsourcing, that I always offer the same answer "you get what you pay for". What justification did I have for this? I decided to conduct an experiment.
I chose Freelancer.co.uk, and it was a simple process to sign up. I posted my first project and chose my budget. There are different ranges as to how much you are prepared to pay. I chose the lowest option of £10 to £20 ($12 to $25). My project was relatively simply and was as follows:
"Article of 1000 words required for a UK website. The title is "What is Affiliate Marketing?"
Five paragraphs of around 200 words each with the following subheadings:
How to Get Started
Coming Up with a Product Idea
Validating Your Idea
Finding Affiliate Programme Partners
Four Steps to Becoming an Online Affiliate Marketer.
Must be written in UK English with excellent spelling and grammar. Must be totally original and will be put through a plagiarism checker."
Within seconds, I had over 20 responses. This particular platform works on a bidding system. The writers can see the project and the budget, and are invited to offer their proposal. Of the initial responses, not one mentioned the specific project, and were clearly automated. The project can be visible for up to seven days, but I decided to end it after 24 hours.
So, after 24 hours, I had received 47 proposals. Of these, 13 were over the suggested budget, rising to as high as £50. Writers from nine different countries applied, the highest proportion being from Canada, India and Pakistan.
I decided to look at those bidding the lowest amount of £10, of which there were four. The first two stated they could do it in 24 hours, the other two in 48 hours.
I chose a writer from Pakistan, who had 243 reviews giving her an overall score of 4.8/5. She replied instantly and stated she had made a mistake when bidding and would require £20. Rejection number one... She actually messaged me four times in increasingly poor English.
My next choice was also from Pakistan, with 275 reviews, with his score being 4.7/5. Bearing in mind, he had stated he could do it in 24 hours, he asked what the deadline was. When confirmed it was one day, he said that was not possible, and not only would he need 48 hours, but he had a made a mistake in bidding and his price was £30. Rejection number two... He later offered to drop it to £25.
Choice number three, a lady from India, who although having only one review (five stars) had a very well written profile. She seemed delighted at being offered the project and agreed to the terms as stated.
So, the article arrived, within the deadline. The first thing that struck me was the random capitalisation. There appeared to be no rhyme or reason as to which words she had chosen to capitalise. Secondly, although the content was about affiliate marketing, it didn't match the subheadings. Plus, despite the request of it being in UK English, 15 words were in American style, ie "analyze" as opposed to "analyse".
You may perhaps consider that I was "too picky" considering my budget. However, if a writer promises to deliver a project within that price, then the requester should get what they have paid for.
Recent Comments
37
It depends of the plattform, is like everything in life. You have the ones that only want your money, and others that take it as a serious profession.
I got lucky then, because my ghost writer is one of the best I've ever seen.
I'm heavily investing in content at the moment. Will be over $1k once I am all done.
Let's see what happens. I will post my results in the coming months.
Great experiment Diane. It seems to always go back to the old saying "If you want something done right, You got to do it yourself."
Sonny
Considering English is not their first language or second language, (Most are multilingual - compulsory three language policy) it's commendable that some of these writers from India and Pakistan compete with the best. But i agree there's no excuse for incompetence.
A useful and illustrative investigation, Diane!
I've seen many members inquire about outsourcing, perhaps thinking it's a cheap, easy way to acquire quality content ... your examples prove otherwise.
I used Freelancer for a graphics project. I chose a guy who said he was in Texas.
Turns out there must be an Eastern European Texas out there. LOL
Communication what I wanted was difficult. He did try to go up on the price and I told him to forget it, then he agreed to the original price again.
The graphic turned out OK but I still ended up purchasing Illustrator (something else to learn how to use) to get it the way I wanted it.
Live and learn.
If you are still looking for a graphic designer. My son has been to school for that and is doing that at home in his spare time. He made two logos for my 2 websites and one logo for another person here. He will ben doing work for our church soon. He said because he is still just starting and his average price is $40.00 per logo. He can be reached at nicholaselliott91@yahoo.com
Anyone that wants to use him drop him an email. He does good work.
Couldn’t agree more. Don’t think you were too picky. Your request was set out quite clearly and if the writer does not adhere to it then end of.
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what a great experiment Diane. very interesting results.