December 15, 2016
People’s opinion of outsourcing content is often split right down the middle. On one page, some people believe it to be cheap, cheerful and lacking in quality. On another page, people believe outsourcing content is a sensible, profitable and efficient method of acquiring a professional service. We here understand both sides of the argument to some extent but are still firm believers that outsourcing your content makes much more financial sense.
Why do we think that outsourcing content is better for your pocket? Because we’ve been there, on both sides of the employment spectrum, and we know what each experience is like. Each writer here at Content Juice has filled the role of ‘copywriter’ or ‘content writer’ at some point in our careers; either for a digital marketing company or a copywriting agency. We have also experienced what it’s like to be on the other side and hire a content writer too. Of course, we’re all freelancers as well, so all three bases have been covered.
Let’s start with being an in-house writer and let’s take working for a digital marketing company as an example. Now there are many huge marketing companies out there that can keep a copywriter busy all year round no problem. The UK has over 25’000 marketing agencies. You can’t imagine that every single one of those companies is able to do the same. In fact, the vast majority of SME and start-up agencies will not be able to provide enough work to keep a writer busy all year round. That is just the way it is as a company begins to grow and create its portfolio.
When you first start out as a content writer in this industry, you are more than likely to find your first role working for a small organisation as spoken about above. So, your first role is going to bore you to death. You’ll have bits of work here and there but nothing major to do. If you have found yourself a role that provides enough mental nourishment, then great! Crack on! You found yourself a job to travel to every day and can expect to make anywhere between £15’000-£25’000 a year (market average).
As a freelance content writer you needn’t worry about the workload or pipeline. Your input is requested on a ‘as and when’ basis. There is no need to travel to a place of work every day and no need to sit in an office bored. Obviously, there are various drawbacks and financial risks being a freelancer. The unpredictability and lack of financial security is a problem for many rookie writers, which is completely understandable. It is one of those games where you get out what you put in. After a few years struggling and working your backside off you will gain a reputation and begin to gather more clients.
The wage of a freelance writer is too hard to predict or place a market average on. Day rates can range from hundreds to thousands depending on the writer and category of writer. If you can make a living from freelance writing then it is a very enjoyable and rewarding job. Working on your own terms and being able to write anywhere that suits your aura best is a dream. The unhinged approach to writing is much more satisfying than working cooped up like a chicken in a sweltering office somewhere.
Given what has been mentioned already, put yourself in the role of the employer. Let’s start with your in-house writer option. You will be paying them anything between £15k and £25k as the basic wage. You will also need to pay their national insurance and pension contributions on top of that too. At the top end, this starts to then creep up and above £30k. You also must consider their holiday pay and sick pay, plus any bonuses that you may offer as part of the position. There’s also your recruitment costs to factor in too.
All of a sudden, your one bored writer with nothing to do begins to cost you between £40k and £50k. Say your writer is completing 10 pieces of content a week, totalling 520 pieces across the year and you’re paying £40k overall for this employment. That works out at over £75 per piece. That’s more expensive than outsourcing. Well it’s certainly more expensive than our prices anyway!
On the other hand, you take the outsourcing option and pay a company like Content Juice a retainer to secure 12 months’ worth of writing services. That retainer or contract of work could be quoted at £2000 a month – totalling £24k a year. So you have saved over £15’000 for the same level of service, but from a writer who is not bored or demoralised. You are receiving work from a writer who is eager to impress and earn their stripes in the industry. Using the same example as above, 10 standard pieces of content a week here will cost you £800 per month. This totals £9’600 for 520 blogs across the year. More than £30k cheaper than hiring a content writer full-time.
There are of course some risks involved with outsourcing content; the main one being the quality of work. If you are using a writer for the first time you have no idea what the quality of work will be like. Also, there is less security in terms of acquiring edits and demanding time. Therefore, it is vital you acquire an example of work from a writer before you choose to take their services. Also, go with a writer or company that has some pedigree and releases good content of their own!
Our conclusion to this argument is that outsourcing content can actually achieve better quality of work for much less cost. You acquire all the benefits of an in-house writer without the mentioned costs and hindrances. It is most definitely a more cost-effective option and allows you to use the service as and when you need it. It’s one less person taking space in your office too! If you would like some more information on how outsourcing can work for you, visit our contracted services page or call us on 0330 133 0664 to discuss your options.
