How to evaluate the right freelance writing fit at the right price.

In December 2020, Upwork released its Future Workforce Pulse Report, a survey of over 1,000 U.S. hiring managers and found that the overwhelming majority of content marketers project a greater increase in content production in 2021 than ever.

Coming off a year where all in-person events were cancelled and those dollars re-allocated to content production, marketing teams are already overloaded and under-resourced.

Add to it the absurd amount of content teams will need to produce in order to cut through the increasing digital clutter, and it’s almost a certainty that marketing organizations will need to augment their existing and newly hired marketing staff to meet ever-growing demand for more and better content. 

In fact, nearly 60% of marketing leaders say they don’t yet have the right amount of resources and support to help them meet their teams’ goals, a major stressor since that’s how they’re evaluated themselves.  

The increase in content demand brings with it an influx of freelance writers vying for a spot on the marketing bench. And with that increase, many hiring managers are salivating at the idea of possibly getting top-quality talent for bargain basement prices. 

Yet, while price is always going to be a primary factor in your decision making about which freelancers to hire, buyer beware. That old adage “you get what you pay for” is as applicable in content development as it could be in any other job or discipline. 

Here’s how to balance your desire to get the cheapest possible freelancer price with getting the quality of work and make-life-easier engagements from your freelance support. 

1. Remember that a freelancer is running a business, too

While they may be smaller in scale than your company, freelancers have some of the same expenses — and small doesn’t necessarily mean cheap.

It’s true that many freelancers work from home and may not pay for office space, but they still have other ongoing expenses like rent or a mortgage, utilities, and monthly subscriptions for accounting software, productivity software, other essential business tools. 

Add to it the fact they’re also responsible for their own healthcare, their own taxes, and all other financial matters that full-time employees don’t have to worry about and it’s easy to start to understand why so many are not willing to work for $25/hour, no matter how much “visibility,” “portfolio building,” or other non-financial benefits you can offer. 

Your immediate thought may be “well, their expenses aren’t my problem.” In reality, the bottom line is that freelancers also have a bottom line to manage and that there actually is a limit to how low they can or will go. 

2. Know what you’re looking for

“I just need someone to help me write this” isn’t the foundation of a successful and high-value engagement with a freelancer.

Prior to putting out the call for some help, take an honest look at what you need to accomplish and what kind of support you’ll require to do it. 

Decide how much of the content development process you need to offload — is it JUST writing some words or do you need someone to also handle SME calls, customer interviews, and campaign strategy along with drafts and revisions? 

Are you writing some social media posts and maybe a blog or two that a junior-level writer can capably handle? Or are you planning a number of thought leadership assets as part of larger campaigns that require someone with years of experience in marketing and in your industry specifically?

Beyond the tactical stuff, it’s also important to define the type of freelancer who’d be a good cultural fit with your team. Do you prefer someone willing to voice their opinions and provide some counterpoints that could improve your marketing strategy? Or would you rather have someone content to just crank out whatever work you offer to them? 

Going through this kind of thought exercise will make it much easier for you to evaluate cost versus value and bring a new perspective that will go a long way in determining how much you'll need to pay for a freelancer.

3. Know what you’re paying for

Everyone wants good value for their investments, and investing in outsourced writing help is no different. But the challenge for many hiring managers is truly understanding what goes into the pricing their freelancer is charging. 

Most just see it as a simple transaction. They need content, the freelancer provides said content, and then a predetermined amount of money changes hands. There’s very little thought given to how the freelancer is even able to provide that service. 

Every marketer dreams of freelance writers with industry and domain expertise because they’ll certainly be able to produce content with messages that resonate with the unique buyer personas and profiles the company is targeting. 

But that kind of know-how doesn’t just happen magically overnight. The reality for a hiring marketing manager is that you aren’t just paying for the words in a document; you’re also paying for the years of education, experience, and practice the freelancer undertook just to be able to produce quality work on a reasonable timeline. 

The more specific the experience, qualifications, and time availability you need from a freelancer to fit the needs of your project, the more you’re likely to have to pay.

Think value, not cost

More than half of marketing managers say budget issues are one of their top concerns when it comes to hiring outsourced content marketing help. So, it’s completely understandable that your knee jerk reaction would be to balk when a freelancer demands an exorbitant rate.

But it’s also indicative of a deeper challenge that plagues many hiring managers: understanding cost versus value. 

There’s no shortage of freelancers willing to undercut pricing to get hired. Wait long enough or connect with enough freelancers and you’re bound to get a bargain rate price that’ll let you keep a little bit more budget to put toward other work. 

But it’s worth considering what happens if the work isn’t up to your standards. Or if it’s not completed on time. What have you really saved?

The reason your freelancer is quoting you $100 per hour or thousands of dollars for an eBook or white paper isn’t because he or she is overvaluing their contributions. 

It’s because the marketing manager who wants a writer with years of industry experience, a particular writing style, and the ability to take on many of the administrative aspects of a writing project undervalues it. 

As the old saying goes: you get what you pay for.

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