Agency copywriter burnout is a real thing. I’ve seen it. And it doesn’t just affect agency copywriters. It affects account managers, account coordinators, and anyone else who can write a past-due blog post for a client (and now the client is on hold, waiting for you to explain why their post isn’t live).
Have I created enough anxiety for you? Are you nodding your head, saying, “He totally gets me!”. Good. Because I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. The client blog post is the pit in your stomach. It’s that ceaseless feeling of doom. You leave the office knowing that you should’ve started writing it. You come to the office promising that it’s going to be the first thing you get to.
But you have plenty of other time-sensitive demands competing for your attention.
No one working at an agency comes to their desk in the morning without an immediate fire to put out. And you don’t get to that blog post. And guess what? That blog post isn’t going anywhere, people.
What happens when you sit on a client blog post?
The thing is, when your agency puts off a client blog post, everything else gets TOTALLY EFFED!
1. The blog post in question will be rushed (and probably suck).
When a post is overdue, you’ve already shifted your mindset from “write a good blog” to “get any blog out the door”.
Strategy? POOF! Gone.
2. Other work suffers.
Client blog posts are one of the top bottlenecks at an agency, especially if your team is doing all the writing. Blogging requires consistency and great blog content takes time. This means taking your high-priced, in-house talent off a big pitch and preventing work on more lucrative and strategic projects.
3. Your in-house agency copywriter burns out.
If you decide to keep piling work on your copy team despite the additional client blog work, they’re going to burn out. It’s that simple.
Copywriters I’ve worked with want to work on high value, strategic work. They don’t want to write yet another blog post around driveway repaving (which, no offense to driveway repavers, can be interesting…I just needed an example).
4. You need to rethink how your agency does client content.
- Agency copywriting the old way: Every piece of content needs to be created in-house.
- Agency copywriting the new way: Outsource the content grind.
There’s really no other way to put it. There are companies like us that have the scale to tackle the content needs of agencies without having to hire an entire copywriting department.
The new agency copywriter model is keeping your strategic copywriters and designers in-house but outsourcing the day-to-day needs, leaving them to more strategic, higher revenue projects. That may seem crazy or blasphemous, but it’s happening. We see it with our agency customers every day.
What happens to agencies who understand the value of outsourcing their content?
The most progressive agencies no longer see crowdsourcing as uncouth. They’re using the inherent economies of scale when it comes to crowdsourcing content, design—whatever the need is.
Agencies elevate their work quality
Once the grind of daily blog content is off their plate, agencies immediately start thinking more strategically. Many agencies use us to get their client’s blog post 80% of the way and then polish the last 20%. Now, an agency copywriter doesn’t have to think about getting a post done for to be done. Now, an agency copywriter has the time to make sure this blog is a strategic addition to their client’s content strategy.
A rising tide lifts all boats. With day-to-day blog content being outsourced, in-house copywriters can develop more in-depth, long-form pieces for their clients, as well as spend the time to create better work across the agency.
Agencies stop seeing content as a grind and start seeing it as a recurring revenue generator
Recurring revenue is one of the toughest things for agencies to maintain. Many clients are project-based. But consistent blog content not only ensures a more robust online presence for an agency’s client, it ensures recurring revenue for the agency.
Agencies keep talent
When you stop making your head agency copywriter hammer out blog post after blog post, she can work on other projects. She’ll be happier. She’ll stay.
Outsource the content and use your in-house talent for strategically reviewing, implementing content, and communicating the value of content to your client.
How to start outsourcing
If you’re looking to outsource or start creating ongoing blog content for your clients, let us know. We can set up a demo, walk you through our system, and give you more information about how Verblio (formerly BlogMutt) partners with agencies. Learn more on how Verblio works for agencies.
You can also sign up for our agency webinar to get a peek under the hood.
