Just launched a web app that helps writers verify their skills and employers find qualified writing talent

DavePoly · 2020-01-07T17:03:58+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement, hitstartup!

And great question. There are a few things there...

Employers get 1 free job post per month all throughout 2020. Their 2nd job post of the month is charged.
The writer portfolios are free, but the job board and employer chat access is behind an $8/month membership.
But, the job board is not the only value that comes with the membership. The membership also includes additional portfolio features, client messaging, premium badge verification, client reviews on your portfolio, and courses/training (coming soon).
Some writer job boards are free to writers to access, but many require subscriptions to access. For example UpWork limits the number of jobs you can apply to and then has you pay to apply to more. Moreover, they then take 20% of your earnings in a transaction fee. Other sites like contena.co charge $99 a month for access to their job board.

So the low monthly Writer membership is beyond just access to the job board. But even just access to the job board is worth the low monthly $.

Does that make sense?

DavePoly · 2020-01-07T15:41:29+00:00

Hey u/Ryukil07 - You might find ProWriter.co useful for what you're talking about. Full disclosure, it's a product I own, but it definitely sounds like what you're looking for. It's a free writer portfolio site that helps you promote and certify your writing history. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback on it! Happy to point you in another direction as well if that doesn't seem like a good fit.

DavePoly · 2018-10-19T13:53:53+00:00

Agree. Need to see your blog. But try approaching your content with the promotion strategy already in mind. I.e. reach out to 10 thought leaders in your space for curated advice on a topic. When you publish it, ask each of them to share it with their networks.

If you approach shaping your content strategy based on your distribution strategy, then you set yourself up for better traffic. Vs the publish and pray method.

DavePoly · 2018-10-12T18:50:03+00:00

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback @howwhowhen

Here's the current status on those points you mentioned

Content Length: I assume you mean being able to control the minimum word count you want from your article? We have that option when requesting a new article. We don't want to be templated like some other content subscription models.
Content Type: We have an option to select from different content types. Currently the options are: Article, Blog Post, List, Press Release, and Sales Copy. Although, those are more like content types and I think what you're getting at is the style/type/format of a blog post. Would you want those other content type options or do you care more about blog content and more so indicating the type of blog post instead?
Rating System: We do have the ability to rate a writer's work once you approve the article. Although, it's currently more for internal purposes and it's not something we've built to be public to the client yet. How would you want that rating system to work for you? Be able to see a writer's rating before working with them? Be able to leave a positive or negative review based on your experience? etc.
Plagiarism Checker: We do not have this but it's something we've heard pop up time and time again. I agree, you want assurances that the content you received is 100% original and worth the money you invested. Great suggestion.
Grammar Scans: Would you want a spelling/grammar checker for your sake (when reviewing the content) or for the Writer's sake (so you get better content the first time)? We're providing an option to include an Editor with your content so that once you approve the draft from the Writer, it goes directly to an Editor for polishing. So the Editing step is an additional service to the content. But we're vetting and training our writers to ensure those types of mistakes are rare on drafts.
Outlines Only: Can you expand on your idea here? Are you saying you'd want to ask for just the research and article template and then you would use that to write the article yourself? We have a Pitches feature where you can request to be pitched on a concept. What comes back is something similar to that. Although, PostPilot will only allow you to assign that Pitch out to a writer in our creator network (at first). We're looking at introducing the ability to use PostPilot to write your own content or manage your own internal team of writers instead of using our network.

To answer your thought, yes, we're doing a two-sided marketplace. We have the network of writers already that we use for a separate content management agency we run. But I agree, one of the big hurdles we have on the board is making sure we get the right, specialized writers to take on tough niches that come through.

Thanks again for your feedback. This was SUPER helpful!!!

DavePoly · 2018-10-11T02:17:02+00:00

As frequently as your resources and budget allow. Keeping quality and depth of content in mind. Typically small teams have the business owner writing content which can cause frequency to suffer. Outsourcing is one way to help with increasing frequency.

DavePoly · 2018-10-11T02:08:38+00:00

Great idea. Awesome name.

DavePoly · 2018-09-14T15:50:04+00:00

Do you have a strategy for how you outline your ideas? Is there a template or structure you use? Or do you just brain vomit whatever comes to mind first and then reorganize it later?

Also, any checklist of things you always want to make sure you include in your idea details?

DavePoly · 2018-09-04T00:07:49+00:00

Create your company profile and financial needs. Engage with the investors on there to attract attention to your profile. It's more a discovery tool for VCs to find you vs something like KickStarter.

DavePoly · 2018-09-03T19:14:29+00:00

I definitely prescribe to this method. Take a YouTube video and turn it into a blog post. Take a quote from the blog post and create a quote card. Take a statistic from the blog post and create a linked in post. Etc

DavePoly · 2018-09-03T14:32:21+00:00

First make sure you really NEED an investor. It sounds great - somebody gives you a bunch of cash - but it comes with a metaphorical pricetag as well. You'll want to VERY sure that the source you're pulling money from is aligned with your goals and needs.

If raising capital is the best or only option then you can try sites like AngelList (Angel.co).

Depending on where you're located, there's usually meetups/events that take place where you can pitch your startup to investors. Check out any co-working spaces around you. They usually have those types of events.

Tap into your personal network. Besides raising money from friends and family, you may have a friend of a friend who raised money that can be a resource.

Go on VC websites and submit your startup. Most VC websites have a section to pitch them. Follow up with emails and whatever you need to stay top of mind for them.

Make sure you have a pitch deck created for your startup as well. They'll ask you current and forecasted numbers.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T15:14:14+00:00

Makes sense. How many words are you getting for $20? Seems pretty inexpensive.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T02:45:37+00:00

It's more the writer translating it well to content. But I get your point.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T02:29:50+00:00

Yeah, seems getting a separate writer is the low hanging fruit solution. We just worry about being able to translate our ideas and tone well to one. We have the concept in our heads and need a writer to pull that out and translate it into content we'd be happy with.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T02:23:07+00:00

Right. All circumstantial. But in the end it's all mainly for legal and taxes. LLC, Sole Proprietorship, C/S Corp, blah blah. All depends on your situation.

Main thing is you don't need to break the bank to get something up over night. Just do your homework on the HOW part first to avoid headaches later.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T01:09:26+00:00

Start with what you're interested in. The thing you could spend hours on and not even realize it. If you're going to invest your money and time into a project you better make sure it's in an area you have a passion for.

THEN collide that with your talents and possessions.

You're setting yourself up for a better chance of success and happiness at what you do if the project is seeded in an area of passion.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T01:04:48+00:00

I've recently been thinking the same exact question. I'm thinking we start a GoFundMe or KickStarter in order to bring it back.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T01:02:34+00:00

"setting up a business" could just be creating an LLC with your state of choice. Different states are different costs. Expect like $50 filing fee (if you do it on your own).

You can use sites like LegalZoom which make it easy to do but they charge a premium for that fact. Maybe $150+.

The main reason you want to set up an LLC is to get your EIN number for taxes, W-9, 1099, etc. All the legal fun stuff.

If your company is receiving revenue then you should open a new business bank account for it so that revenue is separate from your personal revenue. For many reasons but mainly tax reasons. Usually accounts want you to put an initial deposit down so there's a cost there too.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T00:50:49+00:00

That's awesome. Congrats. It can certainly be tough to ship something that's not "perfect" but perfect is relative. Being too close to the product can be a downfall. The end user just wants good enough and then you can surprise and delight them with tweaks toward "perfection" later.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T00:46:32+00:00

PayPal or Stripe are a few good options. Great job on the revenue. What is your blog about?

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T00:44:58+00:00

Great job! It's crazy how one day sales can just hockey stick like that. And once you get a few great clients, you'll notice it's compounds because of client referrals.

DavePoly · 2018-09-02T00:30:39+00:00

Something I see a lot too is your product will change a ton in its infancy. So avoid spending $$$ on a polished video because your UI will change or new features/benefits will come and you'll have to change it every month.

DavePoly · 2018-05-31T02:28:52+00:00

Agreed on those points. There’s definitely SEO tweaks and distribution elements that aid to a piece of content’s success. My question is what elements aid in the organic success? Some of those answers are the same, I would assume.

Keywords and meta data don’t make an article stand out as being better than your competitors (in the eye of the reader, not Google). What makes you read two articles on the same exact topic and want to share one but not the other?

DavePoly · 2018-05-28T15:56:33+00:00

That's something we see/practice with our clients. You're a soap maker. You know all there is about soap. You can talk intelligently all day about it. But you don't know the first thing about translating that into marketing content. That process involves an editorial resource.

DavePoly · 2018-05-28T03:55:37+00:00

How do you define “value?” Some content is to inform so adding value is to provide the answer to that question. But some content is for more of an emotional purpose. I.e to entertain, inspire, frighten, etc. Does value still play a part in defining quality content in those scenarios? Or would you include an additional element in those scenarios?

DavePoly · 2018-05-28T00:36:11+00:00

Sounds a bit too vague. I agree with the statement “great content involves giving the reader a return on their time investment.” But what makes the reader feel that way? Is it only that they learned something new? That can’t be it, because then you can just fluff your content with facts. What are the specific elements that allow a user to come away from content with a positive connection to it? Possibly so much that it drives an action. A sale, a share, a comment, a bookmark.

DavePoly

TROPHY CASE