Outsourcing your life to India is actually quite a bit of trouble.

Outsourcing your next copywriting or marketing project is much simpler.

But if it’s your first time, it sure doesn’t feel simple. In fact, you may feel so overwhelmed at the prospect of bringing in an outsider that you do nothing. Or, worse, you attempt to do it all yourself, putting your life on hold in a mad, uneven dash to the finish line.

Feeling this way is understandable.

How do you outsource when it’s all in your head and no one could possibly understand the nuances and complexities of your work but you do need a case study, website, and brochure and no one else could get it fast enough so why not do it yourself because you’re a decent enough writer and you got an A on your chemistry essay that one time in college and what’s so magical about writing anyway it’s just words?

Whoa. Calm down. Options, you have.

First, do you have an entire project, or just an article?

If it’s an entire project, do you have the time to manage it? Do you know the right people to call? If not, proceed to Option A or Option B, below.

Option A: Hire a marketing or advertising agency and let them do it all.

Option B: Give Jennifer Baum of Peridot Productions a call. As Official Corraller of Resources, Jenn finds the right copywriters, graphic designers, programmers, and other resources for your project, then keeps everyone on track. She has a knack for interfacing between creative freaks who would rather be surfing and ultraprofessional, world-on-their-shoulders executives. And, unlike agencies, with Peridot you pay only for what you need, on a project-by-project basis.

Don’t have an entire project? Or, want to know what happens next, in the copywriting phase? Read on.

How to Outsource Your Next Copywriting Project
Step 1: Send e-mail to copywriter who specializes in your industry or in the type of writing you need. In e-mail, include:
1. Project type

2. Date needed

3. Budget

4. Details about length, tone, and purpose

4. Any other supporting information

Step 2: Writer calls you and discusses project, then creates and submits a proposal.

Step 3: Once you accept, writer picks your brain for about 1 hour.  Another equally-knowledgeable brain may be substituted for your own brain.

Step 4: Writer reviews supporting information, researches deep secrets of the universe.

Step 5: Writer creates outline. You approve.

Step 6: Writer creates concepts. You approve.
At this point, it’s a good idea to bring in the graphic designer.

Step 7: Writer does what writers do. Writing is usually involved. Allow 2 weeks for best results.

Step 8: You review. Two revisions are usually included.

Step 9: Submit finished copy to designer.

But wait. Step 1 involves much more than simply e-mailing a writer. How do you pick the right writer? See this post for a list of what to watch out for, and stay tuned for next week’s blog post, in which we present a list of questions to ask prospective outsourcers. (Example: “Does your last name start with a ‘P’?”)