Your marketing strategy requires a solid and effective copywriting effort. But if you don’t have that skill on your team, should you hire in-house or outsource? How do you choose the best option for your business? Let’s break it down!
1. Got Copy? (These Skills Are a MUST!)
Your family road trip newsletter isn’t of the same calibre as a sales-inspiring copy. It requires a dedicated skill set that comes with both training and experience. You can shake a stick at copywriting training online, but the only tangible proof is results you can measure.
If no member of your team has the storytelling and intention-driven writing skills required, it’s time to recruit! Whether in-house or outsourced, you’re paying for talent. How much and when are the only questions.
2. What’s Your Budget?
Freelance experts and service providers typically charge in packages, delivering your copy in stages. Once the number of deliverables or assets is determined, creation can begin.
An upfront deposit is common when working with freelancers and that can spike initial costs. But if you’re a startup or solopreneur, an in-house employee simply isn’t feasible. An outsourced copywriter will be ready to work on day one, with all of their own equipment and established processes.
A copy and content agency will come with a budget-friendly invoice and a pool of talent to leverage. Agencies can produce high-quality copy while also promising quick turnarounds.
3. How Much Copy Do You Need?
If you need someone to write every social media post, every email newsletter, a daily blog post, all of your podcast notes, and type your tweets, that’s going to cost you a pretty penny with an outsourced provider. A project of that scale is better served in-house. If you can afford it, hire as much experience as possible. This will save you time, hassle, and experimentation over time.
4. Your Process or Mine?
Here’s the trouble with hiring skilled experts. You need to do what they recommend. Otherwise, what are you paying for? Consider how much control you want to have over the process, delivery, and timetable of your copy project.
A freelancer has other clients and existing deadlines, and usually, there are limitations on edit and revision cycles stipulated in their contracts. If you don’t want to compete for their time, hire an in-house writer.
No, Outsourced Copywriting Doesn’t Mean Low Quality
I can’t tell you how often I hear this in my industry. And it’s pretty frustrating! A freelance writer can mirror your voice and brand message just as well as an in-house writer, probably better.
Here’s why: They write for a variety of clients across a plethora of industries ALL THE TIME. They zero in on the skill of voice adaptation every single day. Most of us consider it the BEST part of our job!
Written by Liz Slyman
Over the past decade, Liz has worked as a copywriter and digital marketing executive for a multitude of companies from startups to mid-sized businesses to working as the VP of marketing for award-winning, platinum-selling artists. Leveraging an understanding of the nuance of language in marketing, Liz founded Amplihigher, a content marketing and copywriting agency designed to connect consumers to companies in a way that results in next-level brand expansion.
Check out: 6 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Should Develop Their Writing Skills
Author: Allan Bangirana
Allan Bangirana has a taste for all kinds of topics and usually writes about tech, entertainment, sports and community projects that make a difference in society.
He writes for Newslibre and Spur Magazine. He is also the co-founder of the Innovware project and a freelance consultant passionate about technology and web.
