So, you’ve decided to dip your toe into the ocean of hiring a content curator to run your business blog or website. Congratulations! When you find the right freelancer for you, you will wonder why you ever decided not to hire an external writer and curate content in-house.
Content writing is a skill and you need the right person for your task. One of the dilemmas of this industry is whether to go to an agency or an individual freelancer. One of the most accessible ways to acquire quickly produced, cheap and effective web content is to use an agency. Now, I’m not going to knock agencies. My first freelance writing contract was an agency and I do some limited agency work now. They are effective at what they do, although the content you’ll get may be a little uninspired. It’s cheap and cheerful and will sometimes give you exactly what you want.
However, I am going to give you three good reasons for why a content or copywriting agency may be the wrong decision for you. In some cases, you may need the services of a dedicated freelance content writer and pay higher rates than settle for something that is just “ok”. Three simple reasons why you should hire a freelancer rather than the services of an agency.
Consistency
The main reason you may want to choose a freelancer like me is that the quality, the style and the tone will be the same every time. You know what to expect when you use the same person every time. Individual freelancers produce consistent high quality. You get used to their style and they get used to your requirements, modifying and tailoring their tone and skills to your feedback. You will grow together because of this consistency and your working relationship should only improve as you come to understand each other. On the other hand, with agencies, it is unlikely you will get the same person twice. They can employ dozens if not hundreds of people. To agencies, content is content. Work is much of the sameness, and work is given out on an equal basis with little (generally) regard for knowledge and experience. You can ask to have the same person, but you are unlikely to get what you ask for. Why take the chance?
Dedication
My reputation and livelihood depend on providing you with consistent work. I always strive to maintain the same level of high quality that you come to expect. I want you to rely on me. In turn, I want to rely on you and that you will always give me the help and support I need to produce your content. I am dedicated to the work that I do because I love it. I love writing. I take my time to craft the perfect piece and take on board your individual needs. One 500 word article per hour is about my average. Some agency workers are under tremendous pressure to churn out lots of content in as short a time as possible as they get paid a flat rate per piece and try to do as much as they can. Agencies, after all, are bidding on contracts for thousands of pieces most of the time. They are content mills, and mills care less about the individual than they do about work volume. With agencies, you are just another client in the never-ending stream of clients. I want to be seen as invaluable and reliable. That’s why I am Top Rated on Upwork.
Relationship-Building
Which brings me to the third reason for why you should hire an individual freelancer over an agency. To me, you are not just another client, here today and gone tomorrow. I genuinely hope to still be working for you and with you this time next year, five years hence and ten years hence. If you are a reliable client, then I will be keen to keep you as a client. I hope you will be just as keen to keep me as a valued member of your team, no matter how long we might go without connecting. Because that is what freelancing is about – making connections. I have several valued clients for whom I am still producing work over two years since we first started working together. If you stick with an agency, you simply can’t build that sort of relationship. You will never learn the names of the employees who produce the work and if you’ve been working with them for several years, all of these employees may have changed in that time. Agencies will not pass on details of individual writers. It’s not in their interests to do so.
If you wish to hire MG Mason Creative Services for your freelance content writing needs, please contact me via the About Page here (click). You will also see my terms and conditions, and charges.
