For example, outsourcing your content to Say it right means more than writing. We’ve spent years perfecting our process, creating an in-depth Brand Tone & Style guide, and setting up a Notion dashboard — where we guide you through the process of how to give feedback, make sharing a briefing simple, and have a team of writers that can take on your workload if it ever increases.

But we're not going to lie; there can also be reasons to opt for an in-house writer. What some companies don't realise is the fact that: outsourcing still requires some of your time. But a lot less of it compared to writing it yourself.

For example,writing a great blog postcan take anywhere from 3 to 10 hours. Briefing a copywriter to write one and giving them feedback takes 15–45 mins. Plus, you'll get a better result. So you can do the math on that one.

But the fact is, someone in your team will need to dedicate time to manage the freelancer or content writing agency. Working with an external person is never fully hands-off.

Whereas an internal writer (if they’re a good one) can take on the entire writing process from start to finish, learn and grow with the company, and adapt to change a lot more quickly. At the same time, if that person leaves — you might be in for a rude awakening.

As you can already see, there are pros and cons to both.

 

From our experience, companies usually outsource content writing for different reasons. These are the most common ones we've heard our clients mention — and you might be struggling with too:
 

• English is not your first language, and having writers who can confidently position your brand as an international player — would be a huge bonus.
   
• You don’t have the time, skills, or resources in-house to write yourself. Maybe you’ve given it a try but soon realised just how difficult or time-consuming it can be — especially if it's not your area of expertise
• You might prefer to focus on setting strategy while letting an external team of pros write.
   
• You want to work with a reliable partner with plenty of content writing experience who can work fast and deliver high-quality work from day one.
   
• Your needs may change, and working with an agency helps you stay more flexible.
   
• You're looking for a partner specialisingin your niche because they already know your lingo or are quick to learn.
   
• Working with an external agency will keep you accountable to a regular content publishing schedule.
   
• You know what you get. Working with an agency, you’ll know what you're paying and what deliverables and outcomes you can expect. No surprises.
   
• Want an outside perspective and a confidence boost? If you're working on your brand and are in your industry day in and day out, it’s easy to get caught up in jargon and complexities. An external will not just make sure your target audience understands what you're writing but will also pull the best messaging to confidently yet subtly sell your products and services.
   
• An agency has backup writers (if someone gets sick) and can scale more easily with your needs. When working with a freelancer, you'll soon find they fill up quite quickly.
  
   

Every company, freelancer, and agency has its content writing process — but from our experience, the most valuable pieces of content include a few key elements.
 

• The best content writers have a clear idea of your company, who your audience is, and what problems you're solving for them. We set that baseline with our clients with a tone & style workshop and guidelines.
   
• Great content also includes a clear goal or CTA, whether educating readers, sharing news, or persuading them to take a specific action. We get you to define that with our content brief or in our monthly content planning meeting.
   
• Content pieces work best when writers thoroughly researchwhat content their competitors are creating and set out to beat that competition. We take the time, do the research, and dig deep so we can create a high-quality piece that goes beyond high-level fluff.
   
• SEO optimisation should be a part of every web content piece.It improves brand awareness and visibility by providing information people are already looking for. This is why we optimise every one of our blog posts for Google.
   
• Editing & proofreading. At Say it right, every content piece runs through editing and proofreading — because having someone else read, edit, and grammar-check your work takes things to the next level.

Outsourcing to a freelance writer is also a great option if you want to stay flexible — yet hire an expert who can deliver results from day one. It has most of the pros that outsourcing to a (content writing) agency has. 

But there are two main differences:
 

• You’re relying on one person only, which becomes a problem when the person either gets sick or just doesn't have the resources to cover your needs.
   
• With freelancers, you will get a wide range of quality differences depending on experience and expertise. For example, how long they've been a freelancer, whether they’ve established a process, and so on. That said — quality is something you need to watch out for, no matter who you hire — and checking their portfolio is the best way to do that.
   

Hiring a freelancer is great if your needs are consistent, but if you’re a tech or SaaS company looking to grow  — you might run into some problems.

Hiring an in-house writer is great if: you consistently have a ton of writing that needs to be done, want someone to work completely independently, and want someone who can grow and learn with your company. 

The downsides of hiring in-house:
 

• It’s a bigger commitment in terms of budget resources and is less flexible
   
• That person might become industry blind quite quickly, as they are constantly immersed in your company
   
• If that person leaves, you’ll probably also run into trouble 

Many companies opt for a mix of in-house and agency or freelance, they get externals to cover the things they cannot — where an outside perspective is super valuable like a success story or interview. We do this, for example, for our client, Mondi.

Who should write your content? A breakdown.
 

Our answer: Yes — if it suits your needs best at this point in time.

You should outsource to a content writing agency if:
 

• You’re short on time and urgently need baseline blog content to position your brand as an informative authority.
   
• Your company is growing, and you need a solid content writing team to grow with it.
   
• You don’t have the resources to write the content yourself.
   
• You’ve found a content writing agency specialisingin your niche and including experienced content writers.
   
• You want an outside perspective on communicating the benefits of your products and services.
   
• You’ve taken the time to get to know them, and they have a system of procedures that demonstrate their professionalism. 
   

You should hire an in-house content writing team if: 
 

• You have the time and resources to interview, onboard, and continually train a team of writers, editors, proofreaders, and possibly SEO specialists.
   
• You want insiders to capture brand voice and personality through exposure to company values and updates.
   
• You want to develop types of content at the last minute, like newsletters, press releases, social media, user guides, knowledge management documents, and internal communication.
   

Great content comes from great relationships. So if you want great content, consider your needs and invest in a team that prioritises a healthy, sustainable way of working together.

If you’re a tech company looking to get started with a company blog and fill it up with helpful, informational articles that educate and engage your audience, we want to help. Check out our monthly content packages to see if outsourcing your content writing to us might work for you.