When you’ve made the decision to increase the amount of copywriting you need for your company, but don’t have the funds or amount of work to justify bring aboard another employee, it’s natural to consider hiring a freelance writer to be your next step. Before you begin the hunt, however, it’s important to consider some of the inherent advantages and disadvantages of working with freelancers:
ADVANTAGES
- Cost-effectiveness: Hiring a freelance writer to be paid either per piece or per hour is significantly less expensive than hiring a new full-time employee with salary and benefits. Plus, if you run a smaller company, you might not have the amount of work needed to justify another full-time employee.
- Temporary nature: If you only have a temporary need for a copywriter, you can hire a freelancer for a short period of time and have an understanding that his or her work for you will be done when the specific job is complete. Freelance writers typically do not have any expectations that a temporary job will turn into a full-time position.
DISADVANTAGES
- Lack of quality assurance: You can never be completely sure what you’re getting out of a freelance copywriter. After all, anyone can be a freelancer, regardless of his or her qualifications.
- Difficulty of finding a good long-term partner: If you are looking for a copywriter to work for you every now and then on a long-term basis, it can be difficult to find a freelancer who fits your needs precisely. You need to comb through numerous unqualified candidates before finding someone you like. Even then, you cannot necessarily be sure freelancers will be reliable enough to meet your deadlines or will be willing to take on a long-term partnership, as their employment situation could change at any point in time.
Fortunately, there is a third option in working with a professional copywriting services provider. These agencies staff professional, highly trained copywriters and editors who serve as your long-term content marketing partner. If you need to develop high-quality, engaging content for your business, consider working with a copywriting firm to get the job done right.