Polished and professional editing is a key factor in delivering high-quality content that increases website traffic and boosts conversions. Strong editing is an essential part of making an impact with your target audience – but should you use in-house or outsourced editing for your content marketing strategy? While there are benefits to both, the answer depends on your business needs and content objectives. In this guide, we’ll explore the pros and cons of in-house editing vs. outsourced editing, including how to determine which solution is right for you
In-house editing means hiring editors as employees (full or part time) to work exclusively for your business. Depending on its size, a business may have one or several in-house editors. These editors are an integral part of the content team, which typically includes marketing professionals, writers, designers, and project managers. They work directly with the entire content team to ensure content published across all distribution channels meets your business’s standards and objectives.Â
What are the benefits to hiring an in-house editor or in-house editorial team? As part of your organization, these editors are generally well-versed in your brand voice and style guide, which makes it easier to ensure consistency across all your business’s content. An in-house editor is already familiar with your methods and likely has an established collaboration process with the rest of your team, which can reduce training time and speed up content production. In addition, hiring a dedicated in-house editor can give you greater workflow control, allowing you to quickly adjust priorities and implement real-time feedback.Â
However, while in-house editing has several advantages, it also has some drawbacks. There are long-term costs associated with hiring employees, such as providing a full salary, benefits, and training. If you run a small business that has lower or irregular content needs, the cost of in-house editing may not be worth it.Â
If your business produces a large amount of content across multiple channels, a single editor may not be able to effectively manage the volume according to your timeline. An in-house editor also doesn’t have specialized knowledge of every content type and subject (that would be impossible!), which can limit your audience and content’s reach.
Outsourced editing involves hiring a professional editor outside of your organization to handle your business’s content. This can be an ongoing relationship or on a project-by-project basis and can range from developmental editing to proofreading or quality assurance. There are two types of outsourced editors: freelance and agencies. Freelance editors are self-employed and work directly with clients. Editing agencies are businesses that employ teams of editors, often with specialized expertise, and they offer a wider range of services and larger-scale project capabilities.Â
Choosing between a freelance editor and an agency depends on the project’s size, complexity, and budget. While a freelance editor can be ideal for small-scale operations or individuals, an editing agency is a smart choice for businesses that want a long-term editing partner rather than a one-time service.Â
There are several distinct benefits to outsourcing proofreading and editing services to a professional agency vs. a freelance editor, such as:
Outsourcing editing gives time back to your team to focus on other key tasks, such as strategy, research, creation, and growth, rather than spending hours correcting typos and grammar. And with AI tools becoming increasingly popular for businesses across every industry, editing is more essential than ever. If your organization uses AI writing tools to support content creation, an editing agency can fact-check it for accuracy and ensure it reflects your brand voice requirements.Â
While there are numerous benefits of outsourcing editing, there are a few things to consider before making your decision. Editors may need initial onboarding and clear documentation to match your tone and voice. However, with editing agencies, you’re usually assigned a dedicated project manager so you can easily communicate updates, timelines, and style requirements without having to personally train an editing team. This saves you the time commitment of managing an in-house editing team.Â
In addition, some companies may have confidentiality concerns when hiring a freelancer or outsourcing to an editing agency. However, most content editing services use NDAs and follow security protocols to ensure protection of sensitive data and proprietary content.
As you can see, there are advantages to both outsourcing editing services and hiring in-house editors. Hiring in-house editors ensures direct collaboration and seamless integration into your content team, but the long-term costs can be quite high. Outsourcing editing services is often the more budget-friendly option, and it offers flexibility, access to specialized expertise, and efficiency, especially for projects with variable workloads or tight deadlines.Â
There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and many businesses find success in a hybrid approach – for example, relying on an in-house editor for managing style guides or providing final approval, but outsourcing a high volume of content to streamline production. You could also hire an in-house editor but outsource proofreading for a final polish before publication.
Do you want to elevate your brand and scale your content, all while growing your audience? Proofed can help. By partnering with Proofed, you don’t have to choose between quality, speed, and consistency – you can have all three. Let our team of expert editors take your content to the next level. We can even help you develop your own brand-specific style guide from the ground up. Contact our team today to learn more about what we can do for your business.Â
Start by evaluating your volume of content, editing complexity, budget, and internal resources. If you produce high volumes of content and need frequent collaboration, in-house may work best. If your needs fluctuate or require diverse expertise, outsourcing offers flexibility and scalability.
There are a few pros and cons to outsourcing editing services. The benefits of outsourced editing include access to expert editors, scalability, cost-efficiency, and quick turnaround times. Some drawbacks may include the need for onboarding to match brand voice and slightly longer communication cycles – though a responsive agency minimizes these delays. It’s important to consider the editing service quality when deciding on an agency.Â
Outsourcing is often ideal for small businesses. It allows you to access professional editing services without the overhead of hiring full-time staff. You only pay for what you need, and you gain access to a broader range of expertise.
In-house editing comes with fixed costs like salaries, benefits, software, and training. Outsourced editing is typically more cost-effective for businesses with variable workloads, as you only pay per project or by volume, with no long-term commitment.
Outsourced editors are a great choice during high-volume content periods, product launches, rebrands, or when you need specialized editing (like academic, legal, or technical content). They’re also ideal if your internal team lacks time or editorial expertise. Outsourcing proofreading and editing allows your team to focus on other essential tasks related to growing your business.Â
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