Sweetie Saturday: 5 Original, Quality Ghostwritten Articles from All Custom Content
You’ve heard me talk about ghostwriting and how easy it is to get the chore of writing quality content off your plate many times and today I want to show you EXACTLY how easy it can be.Up for grabs are 5 quality, original articles (400-600 words each) written by All Custom Content.
These articles are valued at $100 and I’m taking the cash out of my pocket to pay our writing team because I want to show you just how easily you can hand the task of writing off to someone else and not have to worry about what you might get in return. There really are quality writers out there who are more than happy to ghostwrite articles in your area of expertise.
Here are the details of the contest
1. Head over and have a look at All Custom Content to see what it’s all about and what others are saying.
2. Leave me a comment of 150-400 words below letting me know your answer to one of the following questions.
• If you’ve used ghostwriters in the past, why do you love working with them?
…or…
• If you’ve never had the pleasure of working with a ghostwriter, what’s holding you back?
3. Deadline is Sunday, October 28th at 10 PM PST. To find out what time it is right now on my side of the world (PST), click here.
4. I’ll announce the winner on Monday, October 29th. Good Luck!
Don’t forget, if you’ve got a product you’d like to contribute for an upcoming Sweetie Saturday, you can do so by clicking here.
17 Comments:
How cool Alice -
I have to say that I have used Ghost Written Articles before. Actually a year or so ago, sadly - I did NOT know what I was getting into and hired someone for, alot of money...She turned out to rip off someone else's work and give it to me as her own. It was not a good experience at all.
I have learned a bit since then, and though I don't use Ghost written articles (they are pretty expensive for what I can afford right now) I do use PLR from All Private Label Content; which has been a life savor in so many area's - right now I have a whole auto response going out to my newsletter with quality "mom" tricks, tips and articles!
And when I am in a pinch for a topic, I LOVE being able to head to my folders and pick something, even if I don't just use the article as is (which I can), I use them for inspiration!
Gotta love that!
(Not exactly what you were looking for but, hey! :) I wanted to share with your readers that there are REALLY bad ghost writers out there, to remember to check people out before you hire them!)
Hi Alice, Thank you for sharing the custom content site. I had not seen it before. It certainly sounds interesting, although I would hesitate committing to any service that requires a minimum number of orders. Especially with out trying them out first. I think the article pricing is pretty fair. But to order 15 articles up front from a company you have never dealt with sounds risky. No don't get me wrong I'm not talking about your company specifically. I'm talking as if I've just found your site on a web search. As a SAHM/WAHM the idea of having someone reliable to write for me when I need it sounds great though!
Kim
www.homestead-acres.com
I have never worked with a ghostwriter. My main concern would be losing my unique, personal voice. People put their trust in you and expect that you believe and feel what you write, andI think a big part of that is expressing yourself in your own words. Call me naive. :)
> If you’ve used ghostwriters in the past, why do you love working with them?
1. They ask questions about the subject matter that I've not considered important, but may need to be covered.
2. They often use "targeted" words that bring home the point better than I could do with simpler words.
3. They can be more "focused" on the objectives of the article, rather then the mechanical elements of the article.
Thanks for the entries thus far. To address some of the questions/comments:
1. Kim, I absolutely understand your point. Not everyone will want to use our service and one of the reasons will be what you mentioned and that's okay. Working without minimums means far too much work for us at the price point we're offering. We are not out to get every client that drops by our website. And surprisingly enough, we get a lot of inquiries from people who found us through a search.
I'm sharing that information, not to convince anyone they should use our service, but how sometimes you need to make decisions for your business that may turn some people away...but are better for your profits and sanity in the long run. ;-)
2. Zenpawn: Have a read through our Content Outsourcing Guide. It's free and it addresses your concern.
Hiring a writer doesn't take you off the hook as far as ensuring that the content you put out there is exactly the way you want it. It is a TIMESAVER that allows you to have others put your materials together and then all you do make adjustments to ensure it is your voice and what you wanted. Of course, some people don't do that. They'll take writing from a ghostwriter and publish it as is. That's their prerogative, but I think you get better results with the former and you're smart to think of it.
Woops..and I thought Jennifer had an entry here. :-)
Of course there are good and bad with every kind of service. First thing - never pay a ghostwriter 100% upfront and do your homework. Again, the outsourcing content guide could help you find the right person for you. It goes into quite a bit of depth about working with contractors.
For the record, I love PLR, but don't rely on it because I need to have firm control over topics, angle, etc.
Why do I love working with Ghostwriters?
I have had the pleasure of working some some amazing ghostwriters who I knew I could assign a topic to and count the days until they delivered a perfect article. THAT is one of the reasons that I love working with them.
I've also worked with a few ghostwriters who needed more feedback and critique to get to where they needed to get - and THAT is also one of the reasons that I love working with them. Most writers are quite teachable and willing to work with you to get the results you need.
I have gladly used ghostwriters to save me time and fill in the gaps of my own knowledge and I know they'll be part of my long range business plan. I would hate to imagine what things would be like if I couldn't tap a great ghostwriter for assistance on a project!
zenpawn, I don't use ghostwriters in the areas of my business where 'my voice' is expected and called for. But that leaves quite a few areas where it's quite appropriate. I guess the key is to know which is which right?
I’ve never had the pleasure of working with a ghostwriter. I have never seen a ghostwriter. Some people say that they can appear in human form or as angels. I would prefer the angel version - to help with writer's block, research, wording, composition, meeting deadlines and choosing appropriate subject material. Some survey somewhere says that nearly a third of the population believes ghostwriters are out there. And, probably one out of every four people say they have seen or felt the presence of a ghostwriter, especially around Halloween. But, who can believe in surveys!
All I know is that I dare not seek out a ghostwriter for fear of losing my meager wealth to those foolish apparitions of self-doubt, greed, failure, dishonesty, and a poor marketing plan. Once I overcome these ghostly apparitions, perhaps I can work with a ghostwriter. By then, however, it may be too late. My market may have succumbed to the brutish howlings of the ogre of competition!
Stan Smith
www.MyOwnEzine.com
Alice,
I have never worked with a ghostwriter before. The closest I've gotten is plr articles, which are great.
I guess what's holding me back is the price and, depending on who you hire, the uncertainty of whether or not you'll be happy with the end product. I will admit, it sure would make things easier!
If you’ve never had the pleasure of working with a ghostwriter, what’s holding you back?
I enjoy writing, I just don't enjoy the time it takes me. One of the things I preach, and want to practice, is authenticity in one's marketing. Article writing and submission is relatively new for me as I just started, but already, it's sent some leads my way. I'm concerned that if I don't 'write' and research the articles - I won't sound or be authentic. I want my readers to know that what's in the article is my thoughts, my experiences, and my learnings - not someone else's. I don't like representing myself, or my work, falsely. This is why I've not used ghostwriters in the past.
Respectfully Submitted,
Desiree H. Young
The Biz Recovery Specialist
www.bizrecovery411.com
Great article on Ghost Writers.
I personally don't use them for 3 reasons:
(1) My area of interest (mold) requires specialized information which a ghost writter most likely would not have. By the time I provide them with the necessary information I might as well write the article myself.
(2) I am very particular about the quality of anything with my name attached. If I take the time to edit and revise articles to my liking, I might as well write the article myself.
(3) I want the article to reflect my style. If someone else writes it, no matter how good they are, it will not sound like me.
Jon
I have never had the pleasure of working with a ghostwriter. I think what's holding me back is the fact that I believe and keep telling myself that I should learn how to write effective articles before I go and pay someone to do it for me.
I have only written approximately 5 articles and it's time to step it up. I desperately need content for my website, auto responder and newsletter/e-zine.
Another thing holding me back is that I worry that the info written on my topic, weight loss/fitness would not be portrayed as coming from me, if that makes sense.
I would definitely like the opportunity to see if a ghostwriter is for me. I have purchased PLR articles in the past but have not done anything with them as I feel I should at least research the info in the articles to be sure I am sending out up to date info to my readers.
As of right now, those are the only reasons I can see that are holding me back.
Thanks,
Angie
www.LosingItandLovingIt.com
Why do I like working with ghostwriters?
So far my experience has been somewhat limited. I'm learning that not everyone is as honest and ethical as I am. It breaks my heart that a fellow mom will steal content just for a few bucks.
The first writer I paid (and yes I paid her before I checked - lesson learned), had just copied and pasted content from another website.
The writer I'm working with now is wonderful! Her writing is excellent, and she is honest. She delivers on time and is easy to work with.
I hope I can hold on to her forever but I fear that she will want to increase her rates soon. :)
Which is a good thing for her, I hope she is able to meet her goals with her writing. For now I'm happy to have found her.
Over the past couple of years I used several ghostwriters: some poor, some mediocre, and some good ones.
I love working with ghostwriters because:
- English is not my mother language, and while a lot of times I know what I want to say, it doesn't always come out as I'd like it. Ghostwriters are writing for a living, so they have a gift I don’t have. I learned a long time ago that you should do what you do best, and hire out the rest.
- I have websites where I promote goods/services through affiliate marketing, and I don't know the subject matter inside and out for all the products I am selling.
- Since I have several sites, I'd be writing all the time, and not being able to do anything else if I had to write all the content myself. Using a ghostwriter's services frees me to use my time marketing (which I love), instead of trying to create usable content for my sites, or for submission to directories.
I've never tried a ghost writer because I'm too chicken LOL! I know it sounds crazy but frankly that's the gist of it. Here's my more detailed list:
1)I won't like the article(s) and won't want to hurt the writer's feeling by saying so. I know this likely sounds very silly but it's an honest answer.
2) I'll end up spending time editing the article anyway so I might as well just write the whole thing myself. Pessimistic I know, but I'm very picky so I prefer to think of it as a proactive thing ;)
3) I keep hearing my head say "Are you crazy?? Save the $15 and write the article yourself!" If I couldn't write I wouldn't feel bad, but I actually CAN and therefore I feel huge guilt at the idea of spending money on something I know I could do myself.
4) Frankly I've never done it before, don't know the first thing about it and don't know where to start or who to go to for good work. If I try it I certainly don't want to get burned.
So, those are my main reasons why I haven't done it yet. I say "yet" because I've heard you tell us all time and time again to outsource and frankly, you're successful so I know following your advice makes sense.
This Fall I decided to focus on blogging for pay (short term plan) and monetizing niche sites by earning with affiliate products and Adsense (long term plan). The niche sites mean I have to start writing articles about things I'm not that familiar with - a perfect reason to use a ghostwriter's help - if I can get over my issues LOL.
I love working with ghostwriters...after I screen them very carefully. I am very particular about the background and experience of the writer before I hire them.
Hiring ghost writers allow me to focus on the other 'bigger' parts of my business. I especially use them for ongoing projects. We build up a trust and relationship so that I know I'm going to get quality work from them and we won't have to go back and forth with revisions. It's such a relief to have the support you need in order to grow your business. It's hard to remember back when I didn't use them!
Thanks for the feedback everyone...it is interesting to see the different perspectives.
Only problem is, it's tough to see who is just sharing an opinion and who actually entered. ;-) But I think I sorted it out and have announced a winner here.
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