Forum Moderators: not2easy
thanks for your help,
[edited by: rogerd at 9:41 pm (utc) on July 6, 2008]
[edit reason] no specifics, please [/edit]
If you are looking for more than a competent writer, check out any publications, websites, etc. that deal with your topic and see if any independent writers can be found. If your newsletter is already going, consider putting an ad for a writer in it - your audience probably has as strong a topical interest as you'll find anywhere. Good luck.
Which country are you in, szkoda?
Syzygy
Make sure you don't get burned by your content provider!
Set up a forum/listserv and use THOSE posters as ideas or writers for the site. Been doing that since 1996 and never paid a dime for content.
Don't over work it, and don't forget what the net is about.
And the trouble with using forum posters is that there's often a vast difference between writing for an impersonal forum and a professional-sounding website or blog.
If unsure, outsource - just make sure you don't hire anyone looking for just a quick buck, but who actually know what they're doing.
There's a vast difference between writing articles for a newsletter, and writing a newsletter with articles :)
Can you say/explain a bit more about what you mean? It sounds interesting.
Syzygy
What I meant was that newsletters are a different beast from "simple" articles (and I mean that in the kindest way!).
Whereas an article can be filler for a site, blog or similar, a newsletter is generally a mix of news and call-to-action - you want to encourage people in a newsletter to click through and possibly buy something from you, or sign up for something else.
Emails/e-newsletters have an incredibly short time to grab attention - therefore you need a direct hit on someone's attention from the get-go. Because of this, often the best newsletter writers are the ones that have either a sales or direct copy background.
Articles, on the other hand, can simply be informative features that unfold at their own pace.
Hope that makes sense! :)
No, you're not the only guy writing his own content for their site(s) - unfortunately some people aren't skilled (or confident) enough in this area and need outsourced help.And the trouble with using forum posters is that there's often a vast difference between writing for an impersonal forum and a professional-sounding website or blog.
Point taken. I use my forum kiddies as inspiration for new this and that...they tend to babble since I have given them a place to do so. And in the process I find a few who babble excellent and GIVE THEM JOBS which takes a bit of the burden off of ME. How cool?
You find your writers where you find them, and if you can CULTIVATE them at the same expense as operating the website, how much better can that be? (And most of them will do it for free....or a dedicated email box)?
Just suggesting that home grown is often as good...or better than... paid professionals.
My point was that (generally) there can be a difference in "professional" and "home grown" - not always, but often.
But, good to see that you've been able to cultivate your own resource pool. :)
