Pros and Cons of Outsource Content Writing vs In-House Writing

Every business, be it small or large requires content for marketing their services or products regardless of the industry.

And customers want up-to-date impartial information consistently that voices their needs and answers their queries.

Not just that, search engines want high-quality, relevant and fresh content to serve users globally.

If you are a business owner, you need to find the right balance without compromising the quality of your content. But creating content on your own can be a hassle.

That’s why many businesses either set up their own in-house content writing team or outsource content creation work to content writing agencies or freelancers.

But before you decide whether to go with an in-house content writing team or outsource your work, I will help you decide which option is right for you.

What is outsourcing content writing?

Producing high-quality content, choosing the right topic, and finding the right writers can consume a lot of time and energy. 

And that’s how outsourcing content writing comes into the picture where an agency or freelancer collaborates with your business to create quality content.

A recent study by Semrush shows that 49% of businesses outsource content writing services entirely or in a hybrid model. 
Source

If you are a small business, creating high-quality content by yourself is not easy. It is a time-consuming process.

You won’t be able to focus on more important things like managing and expanding your business or generating leads.

And you might feel like this!

And if you don’t want to lose your focus, start practising ruthless prioritization. Here’s how you can implement it.

So to save your time and effort, you can outsource your content creation to an agency or hire a freelance writer.

But before you decide to outsource your writing, let’s take a look at its pros and cons.

Pros of outsourcing content writing

1. Larger pool

You can choose an ideal content writing agency as per your content requirements.

These agencies have many writers with different skill sets and a wide range of experience in multiple fields.

At TCC, we have a team of qualified writers competent to produce helpful and engaging content for the audience.

You can also hire freelance writers available across the globe who are ready to provide their services to businesses.

And even, the right freelance platforms can make the process of hiring, managing and paying the writer simple and more efficient.

You can hire freelance writers from platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer, as well as from LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

2. Industry expertise

These writers are experienced, qualified and have the skills to create up-to-date, relevant, and plagiarism-free content.

And they know what consumers want and answer their questions by providing them with helpful content.

3. Content diversity

In-house content writing teams can get stuck on some topics. Whereas outsourced content writers can bring a fresh perspective to your content.

These expert writers create content without any bias by highlighting the areas of improvement.

And they will write SEO-friendly content which is useful and engaging for your audience. (This is a bonus!)

4. Scale up quickly

Once you outsource your content creation to an agency, you are not limited to a single writer.

As you get access to multiple writers, the content creation process can be scaled up quickly.

Writing industry-specific, engaging and jargon-free content can be difficult for many companies.

These experienced writers can break down complex terms and jargon into simple language.

Furthermore, they can provide better content editing services and ensure that high-quality content is delivered.

Cons of outsourcing content writing

1. Finding the right experts

Now here comes the stressful part.

You might face difficulties in finding agencies that have writers with the required expertise and in-depth subject knowledge. 

Even if you are hiring a freelancer, you need to find someone who will produce quality content consistently.

2. Cost variation

When you have an in-house writer, you pay a fixed monthly salary. However, when you outsource content writing, the cost may vary depending on the content requirements.

The content writing agencies will charge you for providing customised services. 

And when it comes to hiring freelancers, prices vary based on their expertise and knowledge.

3. Less control

You have less control over the content creation process. It’s not possible to choose the best- suited writers from the agency.

And you don’t have control over when the publish-ready content will be delivered.

4. Dependency

There is a risk of an agency or freelancer suddenly leaving work in between without a proper explanation. And if this happens, the content creation process comes to a halt.

So, your business’ growth is dependent on the agency or the freelancer.  

And this might hurt you more than your breakup :p

5. Maintain communication

As a business owner, you need to maintain constant and effective communication with the respective agency or freelancer.

Maintaining clear communication is important for consistent and quality content creation. 

If any miscommunication happens, there is a high chance of issues being raised in the content creation process.

What is in-house content writing?

When you have sufficient budget, time, and resources you can set up an in-house content writing team consisting of industry-specific experienced and skilled professional writers.

This team of full-time content writers will produce content as per your business requirements keeping in mind your target audience.

According to a recent Semrush study, 51% of businesses don’t outsource content writing services at all.
Source

The in-house content writing team is easier to manage as compared to an agency or a freelancer.

That’s why larger companies with large content needs prefer hiring full-time content writers. 

Now, these in-house teams have their own pros and cons, let’s take a look at them.

Pros of in-house content writing

1. Better understanding

The in-house content writing team has a better understanding of the industry, clients and target audience.

They have better ideas for driving sales by putting out the relevant content. And increasing business growth becomes easier as they have in-depth knowledge about the business.

This is like icing on the cake.

2. Cost management

While producing content, lots of research is required. And if you don’t want to pay a variable price, it’s better to hire an in-house content writer.

And you don’t have to worry about cost variation as the writer’s salaries are fixed. 

3. Investing in skills

You have the opportunity to build a smart content writing team by investing in enhancing their existing skills, knowledge, and ability to produce quality content.

The writers gain a lot of experience if provided with specific training about content creation and they can turn out to be the greatest asset for your business.

4. More control

You have more control over the content creation process with better management of writers and resources.

And you can easily find a writer from the team with specialised knowledge of the topic. (Sigh)

This allows you to take control of your business’ growth as well as the growth of your in-house team.

5. Eliminates dependency

One of the best things is that you are independent of any agency or freelancer for content writing services.

The in-house writing team has the time, skills, talent and knowledge to create quality content.

Even if any writer from the team leaves the organisation you have other writers who can produce content consistently. 

This flexibility offers to be independent without compromising on the quality and quantity of the content.

Cons of in-house content writing

1. Limited skills

The in-house writers may lack some skills and specific knowledge about content creation and can take time to develop those skills.

Also, the team will take time to have a specialist writer with enough experience to work on the content strategy.

2. Time-consuming

The recruitment process to hire in-house writers can be time-consuming. 

You need to review many applications, take interviews of the candidates and complete the onboarding process.

Once you onboard the writer, you have to provide basic training of the content creation process. And the writers can take time to get acquainted with your process.

3. More expensive

An in-house team is a good option only if you have the budget to pay multiple writers.

If you have an in-house content writers team, you pay them salaries and extend other employment benefits such as travel allowance, rent allowance, health insurance, etc.

All these benefits turn out to be expensive affairs for a business.

4. Less diversity

If the in-house content writing team lacks specialist writers, it becomes difficult to produce diverse content. 

The in-house team can be influenced by any internal bias as they don’t have outside knowledge, which may result in reduced quality of content.

And I’m sure you wouldn’t want to publish low-quality content.

5. Team bonding

When you have a team of writers, it becomes a challenge to bring the whole team together.

And the team members can have contrasting opinions about the content creation process.

If team members have any trust issues, it becomes difficult to create consistent and quality content.

You need to maintain a healthy and stable work environment among all the employees.

FAQs:

What should you choose?

How to decide whether you should outsource content writing or have an in-house content writing team?

Well, for that you need to take multiple factors into consideration before making the right decision.

Every business has different content needs, budget, availability of time, resources, and workforce. 

Hiring an in-house writer and outsourcing content writing services are both excellent ideas. But it comes down to the size of your business and the amount of content you need.

Now, it’s up to you to choose the most suitable option to create quality content.

And once your content is ready, you need to market it to reach your target audience.

Content marketing is an effective way to generate leads and drive sales for the business.

How? Well, here’s your answer.

Hope this blog has helped you to choose the right option.