In-house VS outsourcing: Copywriting pros and cons

Aug 8

5 min read

To outsource or not to outsource. It’s a big question for start-up businesses and established companies alike.

When it comes to content and copywriting, you may feel it’s best to stick with an in-house team that has your brand’s tone of voice nailed. You might also think that outsourcing to professional copywriters is a big expense. Can’t it all be done with AI now, anyway? Well, not quite…

Let’s take a little look at the benefits and drawbacks of keeping your content in-house and see how it compares to getting a copywriting agency on board.

What are the pros and cons of keeping your content in-house?

With in-house copywriting, the pros and cons really hinge on your business setup. If you’re a freelancer running all aspects of your business solo, your needs will look very different from a mid-sized business with a dedicated marketing department.

So, let’s break it down a bit and look at some specific scenarios.

Scenario 1: You’re a small business owner who handles pretty much everything, from finance to social media

In this context, the benefits of doing your content and copywriting yourself include:

In-depth knowledge of your brand and offerings: Nobody knows your business like you. There’s no need to worry about training another person in the minutiae of your operations. All the info is already in your head!
Creative control: By writing your own website landing pages, blog posts, and social media captions, you can have creative control over every word and be confident that it sounds like you.

On the other hand, there are a few big drawbacks to consider:

Time constraints: If there’s anything we small business owners know, it’s that time is precious — and, honestly, there just aren’t enough hours in the day! Writing high-quality content requires time and concentration. It’s easy for it to slip by the wayside when you have so many other areas of your business to focus on.
Limited perspective: You know your business like the back of your hand — which is amazing! However, it can also lead to a bit of an echo chamber. You may find yourself using technical language or jargon that isn’t clear to your audience.
Limited expertise: If you aren’t confident in your own writing ability, you may find copywriting challenging. It’s also important to remember that effective content writing doesn’t just sound good. It needs to balance your tone of voice with search engine optimisation (SEO) to make sure prospective clients and customers can find you online.

Scenario 2: You run an established business that is scaling quickly

No matter your industry, content marketing is essential for growth. To keep the momentum going, you may find that an in-house copywriter can offer the following benefits:

Strong team relationships: You can get to know your writer well, and they can understand your brand, customers, and clients.

Consistency: An in-house copywriter can also help make sure content is consistent across all platforms and formats, from social media and web copy to printed documents.

So what about the downsides?

Resource strain: As your business grows, so does the demand for content. You may need to increase your blog output, send out more email newsletters, or completely refresh your website. More campaigns and touchpoints can soon stretch an in-house team, which may lead to rushed copy, stressed employees, and lower content performance.
Skill gaps: Your team may be amazing at certain areas of content creation, but SEO copywriting is a unique skill, and it’s important to have an understanding of strategy and how to apply it — combined with engaging wordsmithery, of course.

The pros and cons of outsourcing your content to professional copywriters

It’s quite a nuanced picture, isn’t it?

As we’ll go on to see, however, when you outsource your content to a small copywriting agency (like us!) you can get many of the benefits of an in-house writer without committing to paying a full-time salary.

You can build an excellent relationship with freelance writers, especially when you find those who:

Are dedicated to providing excellent communication.
Will happily hop on a call to iron out any details.
Will truly get to know your business to ensure consistency across all content.

That’s not all — here are some other benefits of outsourcing to professional copywriters:

Skill and dedication: Professional content and copywriters (such as yours truly here at The Content Coven) do this day in, day out. They understand how to craft content that will engage and convert. Skilled content writers can also really get to know your brand identity and tone of voice, adapting their copy to reflect this.If your goal is to improve your visibility, then professionals offering SEO copywriting services can weave in the right keywords and techniques to get you seen.

Speaking for ourselves, we also love what we do! We will always put 100% into every piece of content we write for you.

Time-saving: When you choose to outsource your blog content or any other copy, you can free up time to spend elsewhere. Whether that’s working on your key offering, networking, or building your team in other areas.
A fresh perspective: While getting to know your brand, a professional copywriter also brings an outsider’s perspective, helping to clarify your message, highlight benefits you might overlook, and bring in proven content strategies you may not be familiar with.
A cost-effective alternative to full-time employment: There’s no getting away from the subject of money. When you outsource your content writing, you’ll typically find that hourly rates are a lot higher than those of your full-time employees. But remember, you won’t be paying holiday or sick pay, and you’ll only pay for the content and hours delivered. Plus, by freeing up your time to focus on other areas of business growth, you may even find that outsourcing means you can onboard new clients and find new or improved revenue streams.

On the downside…

It can take time to get into the groove: When you start working with a freelancer or dedicated copywriting agency, it’s important to remember that there may be some initial back and forth as the writer gets to know your brand. However, if you can provide them with brand and TOV guidelines and comprehensive copywriting briefs, they’ll soon be a seamless addition to your team.
Less immediate access and communication: With an in-house copywriter (particularly if you work in an office together), you can generally have a quick chat at any time to discuss edits or other project details. When you outsource your content, there may be more space between communications, particularly if your main way of working together is via email.
That said, the more you partner with a copywriting agency, the fewer edits and tweaks you’ll need.

Is it time to outsource your copywriting?

We’re here to tell you that there’s no right or wrong way to get your content and copywriting done. It’s important to find the way that works best for you and your business. If any of the following points resonate with you, however, it could be a sign that outsourcing is the way to go…

You don’t have time to create written content.
You don’t have the capacity or finances to hire a full-time copywriter.
You don’t feel confident in your own writing ability.
You want to increase your brand awareness or improve site visibility, but you’re not sure where to start.

We have more guidance in our article: Should you outsource your copywriting?

SEO copywriting services from The Content Coven

Leaning towards finding the ideal professional copywriters to outsource to? The Content Coven is here to help with your web copy and blog posts.

We take great pride in getting to know your brand’s tone of voice to make sure every piece of content we write sounds and feels like you. We provide flexible SEO copywriting services and are always happy to tailor our work to your needs.

Feeling like the stars have aligned? Feel free to send a message, and let’s have a chat to see how we can help.