Note from Jennifer: I have written a lot of blog posts about how freelance writers can increase their income by learning to write faster and by reducing time spend on other tasks, like revisions. When you’re working for a project rate (which all freelance writers should do whenever they can), any way you can save time helps you increase your average hourly earnings. I outsource many of my non-writing tasks, like research, to a virtual assistant who is also a writer and she agreed to share some of her tips. In today’s guest blog, Cat DiStasio explains how to cut down on the time you spend doing research so you can make more money or take more time off. She writes advice for freelancers on her website, so be sure to check that out for more tips.

By Cat DiStasio

You’ve negotiated a fantastic project rate for a new content marketing deliverable. Congrats! Unfortunately, it’s taking forever to find the experts you need to interview and the sources to back up your claims, so your actual hourly rate is spiraling downward like so much toilet water. Before panic sets in, remember that anything you can do to reduce the time you spend on an assignment will help bring that hourly rate back up into a comfortable range.

But how? Cutting down on research time without sacrificing results is all about efficiency, and that often begins before you even load the Google search page. None of the tips I’m about to share are secrets, but they will help you build searches that more narrowly target the information (or people) you’re seeking and eventually turn you into a more efficient researcher and a much happier freelancer.

How to reduce the time you spend on research:

1. Make sure you understand the objective of the article. This includes knowing what information your client is hoping to convey to their audience, as well as understanding who the audience is. For most content marketing deliverables, it should be fairly easy to determine what question it answers and who would care about the answer.
2. Consider the perspective of your target audience before you begin your research. This will help you get into the right mindset to anticipate readers’ priorities and concerns, and gathering information that is relevant in that way up front will make your research go faster. As a bonus, you’ll probably find that your writing flows easier as well.
3. Know what types of sources you’ll be able to use. Many clients have requirements about citation sources, particularly around the age. My research clients often tell me they don’t want to see any articles that are less than two years old—because that’s what their clients are telling them. In that case, I use those parameters on every search so I’m not wasting time looking at results that are too old to use. Similarly, B2B clients love research from places like McKinsey, Forrester, Harvard Business Review, et al, so visit those sites directly to conduct research rather than relying on Google to weed through other results.
4. Look beyond basic Google searches. While you can access a lot of information via the main search bar at google.com, it’s not always the best way to access the information you actually need or want. Drill down on your top-level searches by search type and use Tools to specify date ranges. Google Scholar is a fantastic tool for finding studies and industry research, as it often includes robust abstracts.
5. Make your search terms do somersaults. Search algorithms are a pain, no matter how you slice it, and the best defense is a creative and adaptable search strategy. Use different combinations of terms, adding and subtracting to follow the breadcrumbs of the search results you really want. If you feel like you need a little more guidance, check out the Expert Search Tips at the bottom of this Google Search Help page.
6. Consider outsourcing your research. If you really want to free up your time to do more writing and less research, and you’ve built up a good base of anchor clients, it might be time to outsource the work. Jennifer explained how outsourcing certain tasks helps her increase her income. A good virtual assistant can assist with research as well as other non-writing tasks. (Check out my list of 10 tasks you can outsource to a virtual assistant to get ideas about how else you can free yourself up for more writing.)

As with any new habit, it takes some time to build up your skills. You won’t slice your research time in half with one magic tip. But, by practicing your techniques and adjusting your approach based on your results, you’ll be able to increase your speed over time and maximize your average hourly earnings. These small changes can add up to big results, because you can use that free time to take on more paid work and increase your overall earnings, or you can choose to spend more time on leisure activities or family time. The bottom line is that becoming a more efficient researcher gives you more control over your work-life balance, and I think most freelancers agree that is one of the most valuable perks of our work.

What are your biggest challenges when it comes to doing research for your content marketing deliverables?