How to Use Purchased Content to Grow a Blog

Learning how to use purchased content to grow a blog is a critical step in a blogger’s journey. Here are 10 tips to buy and use purchased material to make the most of outsourcing for your blog.

Reasons to Buy Content for Your Blog

For those of you who’ve never purchased content, there are many reasons to do so. You can have a content pool to pull from when you want to:

• Develop your own products or focus on a single content pillar
• Support last-minute timelines (sponsored posts, products promotions, etc.)
• Write content for a new keyword while still maintaining your ranking words
• Build up content for high-traffic seasons or holidays
• Take an actual vacation!

In their own words… Why Bloggers Purchase Content

Herchel of Gym Craft Laundry said she learned how to use purchased content to grow a blog, “to free me up to come up with more ideas and work on other projects.”

Haley of Haley’s Vintage noted, “I buy content when my schedule is crazy and I need a break, when I have writer’s block, and when I need to fill a gap in my site.”

Katelyn of What’s Up Fagans? said she buys content (through regular contributors) to support her well-ranked keywords, free up some of her time, and expand the depth of knowledge offered to her readers. “I buy content to better meet my long-term goals.”

There are many, many amazing writers and content creators willing to share their skills, no matter what your blogging goals. But…

How to BUY Content for Your Blog

Some due diligence is required to make sure purchased content is right for your site, done legally, and gets some attention from you before it is published.

1. Ask Around: Find a reputable Facebook source (like this one and this one) or hire a VA after a portfolio review. Hubpages has a list of professional sources and tips on how to buy content.
2. Support YOUR Plan: Understand that just buying content that “strikes your fancy” isn’t great for your SEO site plan. Additional reading on what NOT to do when buying content.
3. Speed Matters: Turn on notifications and ask any writer you are interested in to tag you in their post. This has been a life-saver. Also, perform a quick keyword research for the piece. Quality content and images go FAST.
4. Documentation: If it is an original piece, make sure to get the Copyscape report. If it is a roundup, make sure to get any notes (and adhere to them) about notifying bloggers who’ve given permission for inclusion in the roundup.
5. Be Informed and Considerate:
   1. Be clear on your price range – don’t be tempted to spend more. I pay between $20 and $50 for a single post, but there are often VA groups where promotions or bundles are offered to reduce the price per post.
   2. Be clear on the delivery dates before you buy.
   3. Be clear on the terms of exclusive (only yours) or semi-exclusive (same content, different images).
   4. Pay promptly.

Be sure to sign up and get exclusive content shared only with subscribers. You’ll have an all-access pass to premium content in the resource library and I’ll be just an email reply away!

How to USE Purchased Content to Grow a Blog

So now, you have a wonderful article ready for your site, right? Not yet. Purchased content shouldn’t only be about convenience, as we discussed above. Here’s where your work comes in…

1. Hook ’em – Don’t copy and paste with a 2 sentence intro and summary. Draw a reader in with a short story or a ‘hook.’ How or why is this content relevant to them? What personal story is going to make this content ‘yours?’
2. Keyword Research and Alternates – this is where keyword research comes into play. You’re going to make sure you do the exact same stuff you’d do for your own content. Include alternate keywords (variations) that support your chosen one(s). Check out this free checklist for keyword research – there are some gems in that, like authoritative linking.
3. Make it Your Own – Just because it was written by someone else, alter it to make it sound like your writing. Use the words that resonate with your audience to increase the potentials for shares and discussion.
4. Visuals – Add additional images, if applicable. Sourcing roundups with pinnable images is usually a given, but for content for which it isn’t offered, give some thought to the imagery. Stock images or your own photography are both options, even when the content isn’t your work.
5. Link Your Content – Be sure to spend some time linking any relevant content you have to the purchased blog posts.

Summary

Learning how to use purchased content to grow a blog is a convenience and a skill. Some of my clients’ most successful posts have been delivered by others – could your next money-making post be on the hard drive of someone else right now?

Thanks for joining me to learn a bit about purchased content. Would you please share this to Pinterest to help others unlock this knowledge, too? #elevateeveryone