When to hire a freelance B2B content writer (and when to do it yourself)
So, you’re trying to decide whether to hire a freelance B2B content writer like me or write content in-house. Before you commit to either, it’s a good idea to set aside a budget, add to a team member’s already overflowing to-do list or say goodbye to your work-free evenings.
When to hire a freelance B2B content writer
Here are a few clear signs that it’s time to get a freelancer involved:
Your website and blog page haven’t been updated in months
Right, be honest. When was the last time you updated your blog? And if you’re scrunching up your eyebrows at the screen because you published recently, did a human write it, or did you generate a generic article using AI tools? Because there’s one clear winner there. You know which one.
A neglected blog does a lot more than gather digital dust. It tells your website visitors and search engines that your business has gone quiet, or worse, gone under. Google rewards fresh, regularly updated content, and so do the buyers comparing you against a competitor whose blog is full to the brim with valuable content. A freelance B2B content writer gets you back to a steady publishing rhythm without you having to reluctantly hand over your evenings to writing blog content.
You want to show up in AI search
You’re probably aware that search has changed, and it’s still changing. Your buyers are now asking AI tools for recommendations, and those tools pull from content that’s clear, well-structured, and, well, actually helpful.
Thin, keyword-stuffed pages aren’t enough here. To get cited in AI answers, you need to be producing well-researched content with a real POV that answers the questions your customers are asking. That kind of writing is what an experienced B2B content writer like me does all day. If AI visibility matters to you (and I hope it does), that’s a pretty compelling reason to bring a writer in.
You’ve got a lot to write, but your marketing team is run off their feet
This is one of the top reasons why clients contact me. They’ve got a content plan ready to go, but their to-do list is seemingly never-ending. Their marketing team is spread thin, and they’ve made peace with the fact that they need some external help.
When there’s more work to do than hours in the workday, the blog tends to suffer. A freelancer takes those tasks off your plate. You keep content strategy in-house and hand over the writing to someone whose entire job is, well, writing.
You want an outsider’s perspective
When you’re buried in your own business, explaining what you do in a way that’s clear is surprisingly difficult. You know your product/service so well that you’ve forgotten what buyers do and don’t know about it. It happens to the best of us.
A freelancer comes in with fresh eyes. They ask the questions you hadn’t even considered and then translate your expertise into something readers can actually follow and, most importantly, connect with. That outside view is worth so much more than you think.
You want to hire a specialist B2B content writer
Sometimes you want more than a good writer You want someone who already knows a lot about your sector so you’re not paying for them to learn it on the job. Someone who understands that B2B tech and SaaS buyers want proof over vague statements, and that a single careless claim in insurance or finance content can land you in compliance hot water.
A generalist can do well, don’t get me wrong, but sector expertise gets high-quality content out the door faster. A specialist writer who understands your industry knows your buyers well, and can work their way around sector-specific jargon. They can write about complex, technical and regulated topics accurately without sending anyone to sleep, and they know how to build authority and nurture leads through the funnel.
When to do it yourself
I’m not going to pretend hiring a freelance writer is always the way to go. It’s not. Sometimes it is best to do things in-house.
You’re not 100% sure what you want
If you can’t yet describe what you need, a writer won’t be able to deliver it, and you’ll probably both end up confused and frustrated. Vague brief = vague content, and vague content = no leads. Nobody wins.
There’s no shame in not knowing what you want out of your B2B content, by the way. It’s a complicated beast. Spending a bit of time getting clarity on what your audience wants and the content you want to produce before you bring anyone external in means you’re going to get better results and better value for money.
You don’t have the budget to pay a freelance writer fairly
Now, this is a big one. An experienced writer is an investment, and talented freelance B2B writers price accordingly (something I’ve explored in a recent blog post, and it’s well worth a read if you’re not sure what we charge these days).
If you don’t have the budget to pay someone who is going to do a good job, it’s better to hold off rather than squeezing someone on price (we don’t like being lowballed) or settling for the cheapest option out there. It doesn’t end well.
Your marketing team’s availability is likely to change in the near future
If you see a quieter spell coming, or someone in the marketing team is about to have a bit more free time, keeping it in-house makes sense (as long as they’ve got the B2B content chops to do it well). From what I’ve heard from clients, these so-called “quiet spells” are pretty rare.
How to hire a freelance B2B content writer
If this blog post has convinced you that hiring a freelance B2B content writer is the way to go (glad I could help), then fab. Now you’ve got to find one. Here’s how to go about it:
Decide what types of content you need
Before you start your search, make sure to decide exactly what you need. Blog posts? Case studies? Web copy? Ad copy? Email newsletters? LinkedIn posts for your founder that won’t have readers hitting the ‘seems like AI slop’ button? They all require different skills, and writers tend to specialise in a handful.
It’s worth thinking about how much content you’d like to produce, too. Four blog posts, a case study and 12 LinkedIn posts every month is a very different brief from a chunky white paper and an email newsletter every quarter, and it changes who you should contact.
Define your budget range
How much you’re willing to pay will impact who you can work with. You don’t need to come with an exact figure, but a range helps a lot. It saves everyone time and weeds out mismatches early.
Work out what you can spend and be upfront about it. Experienced writers talk money all the time and want to know what you can pay them. If the budget is too low, they’ll tell you. I recommend checking out my recent article about how much experienced B2B content writers in the UK are charging these days.
Head to Google
Probably one of the best places to start your search. A quick Google of “freelance B2B content writer” or “freelance [your industry] content writer” or something similar will show you writers with websites. It’s a pretty good filter, too. A writer who ranks for terms like that clearly knows their way around SEO, which is what you’re looking for if you want to show up online. Take a look at portfolios, and if you’re impressed, reach out.
Browse LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the place to go to find freelance B2B content writers. We love it there. A quick “B2B content writer” search will show you dozens of experienced writers to approach (you might even find my profile). Take a look at their posts and portfolio examples to see if anyone stands out.
Try to resist a freelance writer call-out post (unless you’re ready to be really specific about what you need)
We’ve all seen them. The “I’m looking for a freelance writer, send me a DM” sort of posts that get 100 replies in an hour and DMs full of writers vying for work. If you want to look for a writer this way, fine. But be specific. Like really specific. Include the content the chosen writer will produce, your industry, budget and other requirements. This will weed out many writers who don’t fit the bill. But know that writers who definitely don’t fit the bill will comment or reach out anyway. LinkedIn is really fun like that.
Evaluate writer portfolios
Read writers’ portfolios. Don’t jump straight to asking for a call or a paid test project. Do you think their writing appeal to your customers? Is it clear? Are the pieces actually helpful? And don’t worry too much if a writer can’t show you a big pile of content they’ve written, because many of us ghostwrite content under strict NDAs.
Ask for referrals
Never underestimate a good recommendation. Ask your network who they recommend – a writer referred by someone who you trust is more likely to produce a great result for you.
Referrals essentially do lots of the vetting process for you. You can ask the referrer the questions a writer’s portfolio doesn’t answer, like “Were they reliable?” and “are they easy to brief?”
Have a quick call with writers who you think fit the bill
A quick call allows you to ask questions and get a feel for the writer as a person. Do they seem interested in your industry? Do you like their approach to their work? You could be working together for a while, so a good rapport really matters. Ask them about their experience, how they like to be briefed, their turnaround times and how many revisions they include – things like that. You’ll get a feel for who they are and whether they’re likely to be a good fit for the project.
Offer a small paid test project
This isn’t always necessary. If a writer’s portfolio is strong, they were referred to you by someone who can’t speak highly enough of them, and the call went well, you might feel ready to work with them without a paid test project. But if you’re torn between a few writers, or much of a writer’s work is under NDA, a small paid test project is a low-risk way to see what they can do.
Work with a freelance B2B content writer
Still here? That means you’re probably closer to hiring than you realised.
Let me introduce myself. I’m Lucy, a freelance B2B content writer with seven years of experience and more than 1,500 pieces behind me, including SEO articles, case studies, white papers and LinkedIn copy. I write for brands across tech, SaaS, HR, recruitment, insurance and finance. If your sector is there, I already know a lot about your buyers and their jargon. Perhaps we’d work well together.
Ready to discuss your B2B content needs? Fill in my quick discovery questionnaire and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
