We’ve heard about freelance writers, but what about using an internal writing team to satisfy your content needs? But what happens when no one has time to create content?
At one point or another, your company will need content. That means having website content, social media posts, emails, and other content ready to go. That’s where working with a writing team—freelance and internal—comes into play. However, that also begs the question—what should your internal writing team focus on and why?
This guide outlines how to define an internal writing team and how they differ from freelance writers. It also answers the question — what should your internal writing team focus on? For example, they should focus closely on ideation, product, sales, and more—they shouldn’t focus on content creation. That’s where you’ll use freelance copywriters.
What is an internal writing team?
Most companies focus their efforts on creating products, developing services, sourcing leads, and everything in between. However, that “everything” rarely includes creating content. That’s an issue because one of the best ways of engaging your target audience and converting them into leads is by, you guessed it, using high-quality content.
We can define an internal writing team as one contracted by or on a company’s payroll and handle its content creation process. That content could include articles, blog posts, case studies, graphics, sales collateral, white papers, and more.
Freelance vs. Internal writing team
Even when you look at the benefits of working with an internal writing team, you may still have questions about which is better—a freelance or internal writer—when looking at your overall content production process. Let’s look at some of those benefits for each:
Benefits of working with freelance writers:
- They require onboarding regarding style guides, but they don’t require employee training sessions
- Companies save on healthcare and unemployment insurance
- Companies can hire them on an “as-needed” basis
Benefits of working with internal writing teams:
- There’s consistency in the company’s overall content production
- Internal writers know how to capture the brand’s voice, target messaging, and speak directly to the target audience
- They’re available immediately for content strategies, revision requests, and scope changes
What internal teams should focus on
This question is common among industries where products and services are technical and tightly regulated, where knowledge sharing, company news, and innovations are challenging to explain. Instead of depending on freelance writers who don’t understand the “industry speak,” turn to internal writing teams to focus on these complex assignments, which include the following examples:
Company news
Companies can turn to their internal teams to share company-wide announcements, including events, meeting notes, project updates, team accomplishments, and more. They’re also an excellent resource for creating a “virtual bulletin board” on a brand’s blog. They can use that space for sharing timely and relevant information about product updates, new services, and more.
Innovations pushing things to the next level
Creating informative articles, blog posts, and case studies educates potential customers regarding the value of new products and services. Case studies, in particular, featuring customers already using these products and services help build confidence in these innovations. Your internal team should focus on crafting compelling stories around how your brand’s products and services solve its target audience’s pain points.
Knowledge sharing
A brand’s internal writers have their pulse on the industry and what’s happening within the company. They’re excellent resources for sharing information in an internal knowledge base. This centralized hub is where organizations maintain, share, and store information employees need to complete tasks. Examples of knowledge base management software include Airtable and Document360.
Technical subjects
Internal teams know your industry inside and out—and can eloquently write about it using industry jargon correctly. Besides knowing how to craft messaging by speaking directly to professionals within an industry, they can dial back jargon, so communications are easy for prospects to understand.
Tightly regulated assignments
Industries like life sciences and pharmaceuticals must follow tight regulations regarding terminology and topics when communicating company information. Internal teams work closely with a company’s compliance and legal department, ensuring they meet the industry’s criteria during the content creation process.
Manage your internal writing team on nDash
Freelance writing teams aren’t the only content community nDash supports. Brands can manage their in-house writing team, including collecting content ideas, keeping track of due dates, and organizing a content calendar. Here’s a link focusing specifically on using nDash as your in-house writing team solution: How can I manage my in-house writing team?