Agency vs. Freelancer: Which One Is the Best for Content Marketing?
How to make the best decision for your business.
Recently, someone posted on LinkedIn: "Hot take: if you're serious about content, stop hiring freelance writers."
The poster went on to say that freelancer quality depends on their bandwidth that week, and if the freelancer "disappears," so does content.
The OP is, not surprisingly, co-owner of a marketing agency, and proclaimed that "we're different."
I'm not going to link to the original post, because I don't want to reward the false dichotomy of "agency vs. freelancer" with more attention. I've worked for agencies. I've been a freelancer for years. I've worked with agencies as a freelancer, filling a need when the agency didn't have an internal writer for a particular client.
There are great agencies, and there are great freelancers — just like there are bad agencies and bad freelancers. Choosing one or the other has more to do with your business needs, and you should vet both of them thoroughly before entering into any agreement.
What type of content support do you need?
Agencies typically want to be a "one-stop shop" for your content. They provide everything from strategy (keyword and competitive research), to writing, to editing. They may even provide services like case studies (interviewing your customers) or social media.
This is a good fit for companies that want to outsource the entire content marketing function. Your agency contacts might work with an internal VP or head or marketing, but you don't need to staff up an entire internal marketing team. Working with an agency might be less expensive than several internal hires — especially if you don't need full-time hires.
Freelancers might also be a one-stop shop, but are more likely to fill a specific role. For example, I'm a freelance writer. I don't provide content strategy for my clients — I rely on them for that. Most of my clients do their own strategy, though some outsource that function to a different freelancer who offers strategy services, but not writing services.
I've worked with some of my clients for years and know their content very well. Agencies, on the other hand, can have a lot of turnover. Many writers and strategists cut their teeth at an agency, and then move on to in-house roles or become freelancers themselves. Freelancers usually welcome long-term, regular work, so they'll stay with you as long as the relationship makes sense for both parties.
What type of niche expertise do you require?
A benefit of hiring an employee is that they get to understand your business really well. If you're working with an agency or a freelancer, they're going to be more removed from your core product.
Some agencies specialize in a particular type of content — like technical content or case studies. But many of them are generalized. If the agency is large enough, they may have a writer with the expertise you need, but you'll want to ask about writers, strategists, and their availability.
Some freelancers are also generalists, but many try to differentiate themselves with niche expertise. For example, I am a B2B fintech writer, which is a highly niche area. The audience is very knowledgeable, which menas the content has to sound like it comes from someone who knows what they're talking about.
A content agency may or may not have someone with that type of expertise on staff. A content agency that specializes in fintech (and there are a few) probably has the right knowledger within their pool of writer and strategists. I promote myself as a freelancer who specializes in fintech, and clients come to me specifically for my knowledge. Often, they've struggled to find the right expertise elsewhere, such as with agencies or generalist freelancers.
Anna Burgess Yang
What type of project management do you expect?
You may run internal project management, and that's great. Some of my clients have me deeply embedded in their project managment tools (like Asana or Monday.com). I also run my own project management, because I need to organize my client work behind the scenes so it's consistent.
If you are interested in working with an agency, you should ask how they manage projects. Who keeps track of deliverables? Will you have a dedicated project manager? Will you have access to a client-facing project management tool?
You should also ask about turnaround times, since this can vary widely among agencies and freelancers. Both are juggling multiple clients and deadlines.
As a freelancer, I control my own schedule and work with my clients to assign a due date. Some clients give me regular work and have specific "slots" on my calendar. Others are more sporadic, so I have to schedule them around what I've already committed.
Agencies sometimes function in the same way, but can have bottlenecks. For example, a strategist outlines the upcoming content, but a writer isn't available. Or the writing is done, but an editor isn't available. It's hard to get everything lined up, especially among dozens (or hundreds) of clients.
Yes, some freelancers may fail to deliver on time. Just like some agencies may be unable to deliver because their writers quit (sometimes to become freelancers!)
What is your budget?
How much are you willing to pay for content? Chances are, you can find an agency or freelancer in any price range. But, as the adage goes, you get what you pay for.
Assuming the same level of quality, an agency will almost always be more expensive than a freelancer. You're paying for more full-service support, but you're also paying for the agency's overhead. An agency may have several roles (managers, sales reps, C-suite) that have salaries and benefits that need to be paid. Apps and tools are more expensive for larger teams.
I've worked for agencies that charge twice what I charge as a freelancer. Does that mean I should charge more? Not necessarily. I don't have the same overhead — while I have to pay my own taxes as a freelancer, I also pay very little for the apps and tools I use. I know my rates are fair, considering I'm only one piece of a larger content puzzle.
A cheaper freelancer might save a company money, but may require more editing or lack experience.
How do you measure success?
No matter which route you choose, you'll undoubtedly consider your return on investment. Is it pageviews? Clicks or signups? Establishing authority for your company or brand?
Success is often the result of your content strategy: getting the right content in front of the right audience in the right medium.
Does the agency or freelancer understand your goals and how you plan to measure success?
Keep in mind that both agencies and freelancers may have little control over content distribution. They might publish directly to your blog or social platforms, but unless you're hiring a social media manager, they can't control how much an audience engages with content. They also can't control your website's domain authority (which impacts your ranking in Google). They may not be able to ensure that the link is included in the company's latest newsletter.
So — ultimately — make sure your goals are realistic. Some content takes time to perform. You have to build trust with the audience so they start to see your content as worthy of their time.
Check out my free guide for creators or brands looking to better manage their time and content across multiple platforms.
