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6 Ways to “Sell the Boss” on Outsourcing White Papers

By Michael Stelzner

Do you work for a company that produces white papers in-house? Is the quality a bit shy of fair?

I recently received an email from a gal named Beth about this very issue. Here’s her question:

I have been writing the bulk of the white papers, and our lead generation from them has been strong. However, I also have other responsibilities and department managers are trying to move white paper writing to ‘non-writers,’ such as product managers.

I am, at the moment, the white paper editor. Most of the white papers coming to me require more time to edit than it would have taken me to write them. Frustrating!

I would like to make the case for having our white papers written by knowledgeable writers and hire ‘real’ writers.

Do you think there is a case for using ‘real’ writers, and do you have suggestions on how to make it?

Beth, this is a great question. What follows is my response:

Beth, first realize you are NOT alone.

You would be surprised by the number of folks I speak to that are in your shoes.

So here’s how you make the case:

1. Ask why the company is producing white papers? In your case we know it is for lead generation. Keep this little fact handy.

2. Use a parallel example: If you are a software company, ask if they would ever consider having marketing do software development. Pretty quickly they should understand that writing is a skill, just like engineering. Go back to point number 1 above and ask them if they are willing to risk a paper that doesn’t resonate with readers.

3. Use proof points: Show the results from projects written by you vs. those produced by product managers.

4. Ask how important the project is: If the business is reliant on the marketing success of the paper, you have a good argument to outsource to a pro.

5. Look at the calender: Ask how quickly the project needs to be completed. Our studies show it is a 40 hour commitment for an untrained white paper professional. Ask if the manager has an “extra” week on top of his or her other duties.

6. Run the numbers: Calculate the time of the manager and your time to do edits. Determine the cost to the company based on average salaries. Chances are it’s costing MORE than if it was outsourced.

7. ?? Let’s hear from you. What are your ideas?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 5:20 am and is filed under Freelance Writing, Writing White Papers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • It's definitely a quality over quantity decision for us. It's important to remember, even for lead generation, that the quality of leads you're going to get from writing a quality article are going to be stronger than those you would receive from a not-so-hot writer. We're an outsourcing company in Davao and although we do some content writing ourselves, we outsource some of the work for subject matters we're not familiar with.
  • Outsourcing is not just an issue of cost-cutting but also of increasing revenue returns. Writing is about passion. Other people have it (like Isaac Asimov who's a compulsive writer) and other people just don't have a drop of writing juices in their veins.
  • Excellent post! Forcing people to do things they're not necessarily skilled at usually leads to frustration and incomplete projects. When weighing costs and productive time wasted on writing something that a skilled writer could've done much better in a third of the time, one has to admit that the argument for hiring / outsourcing a specialist makes good sense.
  • Writing is a skill, just like programming. As a technical writer, my experience has been that most product/project managers cannot write in plain English, regardless of how good they are at their jobs.

    Outsourcing can work for everyone when the Scope of Work is clearly defined.
  • Was it that obvious? Yup, I am a freelancer.
  • Rick
    I wear many hats but not that one.
  • Hey Rick and Matt;

    I would agree that outsourcing will create a better result, "generally."

    Are you guys freelancers?

    Mike
  • Here is one important idea. Stash the copy of your book I have on my desk! Once I got caught reading it I became an 'expert.'
  • Rick
    One could argue that outsourcing to an experience WP writer (when one isn't available inhouse) would produce a higher quality white paper, which would better reflect on the company's reputation. That is, assuming the powers-that-be would recognize the difference in quality.
  • "You get what you pay for…” That is completely true.

    While outsourcing could cost less than doing it in-house, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be cheap. A quality writer (almost certainly not the lowest bidder on Guru.com or Elance.com) will still cost real money, and may in fact cost more than doing it in-house. But if the outsourced final paper can generate (or convert) more leads than in-house paper can, that makes it worth it, right? It's all about value.
  • I have had bad experiences with outsourcing. Let's just put this simply..." You get what you pay for..."
  • james apacible
    Its A Cool Post!!

    At first you must do your best to pleased your boss, and you should take it as a challenge for yourself and writing is not a best way to finish a white papers.
  • Thanks Graham!
  • Great post!

    Yes, do you really want to pay a week's salary to an engineer to do something he or she does *not* do best? Outsourcing costs less, usually gets the job done faster, and most importantly gives you a better white paper.

    Here's another point for you: lost productivity. What projects are *not* being completed while that engineer/manager/non-writer is working on the white paper?

    ~Graham
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