Typically, the price of content material advertising and marketing is anyplace from $5,000 to $20,000 a month. However is it value it? We are saying sure! Learn on to see what to issue into your advertising and marketing funds.
Right here, you’ll discover:
Content material advertising and marketing is crucial for producing leads and gross sales. It’s no surprise that over a third of all businesses dedicate between 10% and 29% of their advertising and marketing funds to content material advertising and marketing!
However what in case you’re working with a restricted funds?
In case you’re frightened you’ll be able to’t afford content material advertising and marketing, this complete information will present you precisely what it takes to make it work — and why it’s value the associated fee.
How a lot does content material advertising and marketing value?
Normally, content material advertising and marketing prices round $5,000 to $20,000 per thirty days.
Type of a wild vary, proper?
Let’s break it all the way down to see the place this value comes from.
What components into the price of content material advertising and marketing?
The price of content material advertising and marketing varies based mostly on a number of components, together with:
Your objectives
It’s necessary to know what you wish to obtain out of your content material advertising and marketing efforts, as this impacts the associated fee.
For instance, a content material advertising and marketing marketing campaign specializing in brand awareness could also be dearer than one specializing in gross sales. It is because it’s extra long-term and has a bigger target market.
The quantity and sort of content material you want
The extra content material you wish to produce and distribute, the extra you’ll need to spend.
Some content material wants extra time to analysis, edit, and publicize, which implies it prices extra. For instance, a 500-word article will sometimes value lower than a 5,000-word whitepaper.
Who you rent to carry out and handle the duties
When constructing your content material advertising and marketing squad, you have got three choices:
- Construct an in-house advertising and marketing staff
- Rent freelancers or contractors (for instance, a contract author or unbiased content material advertising and marketing marketing consultant)
- Rent an company to deal with your content material advertising and marketing
Some companies stick to 1 possibility or go for a mixture of all three.
All of it comes all the way down to your funds and wishes. As an example, in case you’re a startup trying to scale quick, hiring an company with years of expertise is the way in which to go.
For in-house content material strategists, the average annual salary is $94,744 within the U.S. On common, full-time content material writers within the U.S. earn $58,918 per year or $23.33 per hour.
Freelance content material strategist prices vary between $1,500 to $3,000 per thirty days, relying on the marketing campaign measurement, sort of content material produced, and their expertise.
Content material advertising and marketing company prices could be anyplace from $2,500 to $10,000 or extra per thirty days, relying on objectives, timeline, and scope.
Some content material advertising and marketing businesses cost hourly or by efficiency. HawkSEM fees a easy month-to-month price that doesn’t contain setup prices, making it simpler to maintain your funds in examine.
(We’ll discuss extra about the advantages of hiring a content material advertising and marketing company later on this article.)
The content material advertising and marketing instruments you employ
Content marketing tools make it simpler to handle, create, optimize, and promote your content material. Some are free, whereas others have a value connected to them.
Take Canva for instance. This can be a design device for creating graphics, social media posts, and different visible content material with out graphic design expertise or software program. Whereas there’s a free model, you’ll be able to pay $12.99 a month for added options.
One of many advantages of working with a content material advertising and marketing company is that they’ve entry to enterprise-level software program you can make the most of.
At HawkSEM our proprietary software program (ConversionIQ) ensures our advertising and marketing targets the suitable viewers and helps us optimize campaigns to ship a wholesome return on funding (ROI).
The business you’re in
Some industries require technical data, expertise, and an understanding of particular laws.
Creating content material for the finance, engineering, authorized, actual property, and training sectors can incur further prices.
The standard of the content material
“High quality is all the pieces in content material advertising and marketing,” says Caroline Cox, senior content material advertising and marketing supervisor at HawkSEM. “Publishing with out a plan for consistency or high quality means you waste your time and funds on content material that potential prospects don’t wish to see and that will get misplaced on the backside of the search outcomes.”
“Excessive-quality content material calls for a much bigger advertising and marketing funds, however it’s value it.”
Now let’s drill down somewhat extra into the various kinds of content material advertising and marketing and what the everyday prices are.
Technique prices
A great content material plan means you’ll be able to create content material that fulfills the wants of your target market and retains them engaged till they’re able to convert.
Your content strategy ought to embody:
- Advertising and marketing objectives and targets: Clearly outline your enterprise wants and the way your content material advertising and marketing marketing campaign will meet them
- Audience: Establish your target customers so you’ll be able to create content material that speaks on to them
- Content material sorts: Decide the content material you’ll create, reminiscent of weblog posts, movies, and infographics.
- Editorial calendar: Plan out your content material prematurely to make sure consistency
- Distribution channels: Decide the channels you’ll distribute your content material on, reminiscent of social media, electronic mail advertising and marketing, or paid promoting
- website positioning technique: Guarantee your content material is optimized for engines like google and that your target market can discover it
- Metrics and analytics: Decide the important thing efficiency indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your content material advertising and marketing marketing campaign
- Group roles and obligations: Outline the roles and obligations of every staff member concerned within the content material advertising and marketing marketing campaign
- Price range: Decide marketing campaign spend to your content material advertising and marketing marketing campaign
How a lot does a content material advertising and marketing technique value? It relies on how advanced your technique is and who’s creating it.
Nonetheless, a superb content material advertising and marketing plan will make it simpler and less expensive to implement your marketing campaign, so it’s well worth the preliminary outlay.
Content material creation prices
Content material creation is the spine of your content material advertising and marketing marketing campaign.
The extra high-quality and focused your content material, the higher your outcomes might be.
Your prices will rely upon the kind of content material you wish to create and who will create it. Let’s break issues down:
website positioning
Value: $32 to $100 per hour
It’s important to issue SEO (website positioning) into your content material advertising and marketing technique in order for you your content material to rank in the various search engines. This consists of parts like keyword research, on-page optimization, and technical website positioning.
There’s a common misconception that website positioning is free. Whereas it’s less expensive than different advertising and marketing channels, like paid search and paid social, you continue to have to take a position to get the suitable outcomes.
The price of website positioning relies on whether or not you carry aboard an in-house staff, freelancer, or company.
Most freelance website positioning specialists cost month-to-month retainers between $501 and $1,000, with others charging an hourly fee between $75 and $100.
An company fees a mean of $98 per hour or round $3,200 per thirty days for retainers.
In case you rent an website positioning knowledgeable in-house, you’ll be able to anticipate to pay an average of $67,388 annually or $32 per hour. Although prices can attain as excessive as $103,000 relying on expertise and placement.
Weblog posts
Value: $250 to $1,500 for a 1,500-word article
Weblog posts assist companies place themselves as subject material specialists of their business, showcase their experience, and drive visitors to their web sites.
Hiring knowledgeable weblog writers with profitable observe data might value somewhat extra, however they’ll create better-quality content material.
“When you have a restricted advertising and marketing funds, among the best issues you are able to do is to create a small library of significant, high quality weblog posts,” says Sam Yadegar, co-founder and CEO of HawkSEM.
“Share your expertise and supply worth that no one else can, even when it’s solely 5 or 10 articles.”
The typical value of weblog posts relies on size, subject, and the experience of the author. Peak Freelance reveals the common value for a 1,500-word weblog submit ranges from $250 to $399. In-demand, skilled writers can cost upwards of $1,500.
Guides and ebooks
Value: $1,500 to $5,000
Downloadable content material items like guides, ebooks, and whitepapers are a good way to get leads.
You may qualify these results in decide which of them to promote to, and which to “nurture” with further content material like electronic mail advertising and marketing.

(Picture: HawkSEM)
The price of e book creation relies on the phrase rely and subject of the e book.
In our expertise, outsourcing copy for an e book can vary anyplace from $1,500 to $5,000 – doubtlessly much more for one thing lengthy and sophisticated.
You additionally have to issue within the design value and the associated fee to create a weblog submit or landing page to advertise the e book.
Copywriting
Value: Something as much as $3,500
Once you wish to create touchdown pages, homepage copy, and case research to transform web site guests into leads and gross sales, you want a copywriter who will get your target market.
Take this touchdown web page from Sq. for instance. It’s generic and doesn’t convey its worth to new customers:

(Picture: Sq.)
Nonetheless, the up to date model is way clearer and resonates with Sq.’s target market – on-line and native companies:

(Picture: Sq.)
In case you rent a full-time junior copywriter, you’ll be able to anticipate to spend $60,652 per year or $29.16 per hour on average. A senior copywriter can demand an average salary of $76,238, or $36.65 per hour.
If you wish to rent a contract author, the American Writers & Artists Institute (AWAI) reveals that SEO copywriting fees range based mostly on the kind of web page and measurement of the web site.
As an example:
- Internet web page optimization prices between $100 and $400 per web page
- Small web site copy prices $1,500 to $3,500 for 5 to 6 pages
- website positioning technique and coaching (aka consulting) prices $150 to $500 per hour
- A single PPC advert prices $25 to $250 per advert
Design
Value: $30 to $120 per hour for an infographic
Excessive-quality visuals get your potential buyer’s consideration and encourage them to maintain studying.
With a graphic artist in your staff, you’ll be able to develop attractive branded pictures and infographics – like this one our staff made:

(Picture: HawkSEM)
In accordance with Upwork, the associated fee for freelance graphic designers that provide infographic design is between $30 and $120 per hour
If you wish to recruit in-house, a full-time advertising and marketing designer prices an average of $84,411 per year within the U.S.
Don’t neglect about images and inventory pictures. You’ll pay round $0.49 to $8.67 per stock image, relying on which inventory photograph website you employ and the rights to the photograph.
In case you go for knowledgeable photographer, the associated fee will range based mostly on the variety of images, location, set design, skilled fashions, and photograph enhancing. This may be something from $5,000 to $25,000 for a project.
Video creation
Value: $20 to $120 per hour
Including video marketing to your content material advertising and marketing technique will broaden your viewers attain because you’re concentrating on individuals who favor to observe content material as a substitute of studying it. Plus, you’re on extra platforms, like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Video content material might embody a mixture of webinars, social media shorts (for instance, TikTok and Instagram Reels), product demos, and how-to movies.
The content material advertising and marketing value for video manufacturing wants to incorporate each manufacturing and the price of enhancing the video.
In case you resolve to do the latter your self, you’ll want video enhancing software program and a superb laptop. One in all our favorites is Adobe Premiere Pro, which begins at $22.99 per thirty days.
f In case you use a contract video editor, you’ll be able to anticipate to pay between $20 and $120 per hour, relying on the talent and expertise stage.
Hiring in-house will value a mean of $51,131 per year or $24.58 per hour.
Don’t neglect the video script. A distant YouTube video script author will value a mean of $24.29 per hour.
Podcasting
Value: Something from $100 to $5,000
Beginning your individual podcast is a implausible option to showcase your experience, encourage conversions, and make listeners conscious of your model.
To run a podcast you want a microphone and laptop, in addition to a digital camera if you wish to create a video podcast.
You’ll additionally want recording and enhancing software program, in addition to someplace to host your podcast.
Relying on what gear you want and the instruments you select, podcasting as a enterprise proprietor can cost from $100 to $5,000.
Social media posts
Value: Between $500 to $17,950 per thirty days
Advertising and marketing is all about being the place your viewers is.
Meaning creating participating, instructional, and inspirational content material on social media channels like Instagram, Fb, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
In accordance with Sprout Social, an outsourced social media administration package deal prices between $500 and $17,950 a month.
This consists of content material creation, social promoting, and platform administration.
If you wish to herald a social media specialist full-time, the common value is $70,287 per year or $33.79 per hour. Keep in mind that this doesn’t embody any instruments you employ to handle your social media presence or create imagery.
Interactive content material
Value: It relies on the kind of content material you need
Interactive content material is content material that web site guests can work together with. For instance, quizzes, polls, video games, and even augmented actuality apps.
NerdWallet’s mortgage calculator does two issues: engages its target market and educates prospects concerning the mortgage course of.

(Picture: NerdWallet)
The content material advertising and marketing value for interactive content material varies considerably due to the numerous various kinds of content material you’ll be able to develop.
This implies it will possibly value something from just a few hundred {dollars} for an interactive infographic to hundreds for an app or device.
Promotion and outreach prices
Value: $23.36 to $149 per hour
Constructing campaigns and executing them is what content material advertising and marketing is all about.
However you’ll be able to’t simply hit publish and anticipate visitors to pour in. It requires ongoing content material promotion and outreach to get your content material seen.
Content material promotion consists of sharing your content material on platforms like electronic mail, social media, and paid adverts – in addition to extra conventional advertising and marketing channels like print adverts and out-of-home (OOH) promoting.
We’ve already lined the price of social media and paid social adverts. If you wish to rent an electronic mail advertising and marketing specialist in-house, this prices an average of $69,583 a year or $33.45 an hour. If you wish to use an company, this prices an average of $100 to $149 per hour.
Content material outreach is about constructing relationships with bloggers and influencers to share your content material for backlink constructing, in addition to getting quotes out of your groups printed in third-party articles.
An outreach specialist or public relations (PR) skilled will value in another way, relying on whether or not you go together with a freelancer, company, or in-house worker.
A PR company will both invoice hourly or on a month-to-month retainer. Charges range relying on expertise and measurement – you’ll be able to anticipate to pay between $4,000 and $25,000 per month.
A full-time PR worker has a mean wage of $48,383 per year or $23.26 per hour.
Auditing and evaluation prices
Value: $40.66 per hour and up
Over time, your content material will develop into inaccurate, lose its search engine rating, and see a drop in visitors. Common content material audits can assist hold your content material contemporary and related.
Content material audits:
- Substitute outdated data, stats, and visuals
- Make the format extra readable
- Optimize to enhance rating (we use Clearscope)
- Add new sections, analysis, and insights
- Implement quotes from related subject material specialists (SMEs)
- Improve the content material high quality (grammar, tone, voice, type)
The associated fee for a content material audit relies on how massive your website is and might value from just a few thousand to tens of hundreds of {dollars}.
When you’ve audited your content material, you’ll want to replace it. We do that month-to-month, mentioning when the article was initially printed.

(Picture: HawkSEM)
The associated fee for content material updating could be a number of hundred {dollars} or extra, relying on the size and quantity of labor wanted.
Maintaining an in depth watch in your content material efficiency will guarantee your campaigns generate favorable outcomes.
You may both have an company do that for you or rent an in-house worker.
These content material advertising and marketing analysts will use instruments like Google Analytics and Semrush to observe your website’s rating. Your analyst may also generate weekly, bi-weekly, or month-to-month experiences so your staff understands what’s occurring together with your content material.
The price of hiring a full-time content material advertising and marketing supervisor is a mean of $84,566 per year or $40.66 per hour.
In case you use freelance writers, designers, and content material creators, you want a mission supervisor to assign duties and guarantee all the pieces will get accomplished on time.
The typical value of hiring a contract mission supervisor is $96,081 per year or $46 per hour. An in-house mission supervisor will value a mean of $88,474 per year or $63.89 per hour.
An alternative choice is to permit a content material advertising and marketing company to deal with mission administration as an add-on.
The advantages of hiring a content material advertising and marketing company
On this article, we’ve regarded on the completely different content material advertising and marketing prices for freelancers, in-house workers, and businesses.
Hiring a content marketing agency might appear to be a costlier outlay, however it will possibly result in a wealth of advantages for your enterprise.
“The primary advantage of hiring a content material advertising and marketing company is that there are a number of folks on the staff with completely different talent units,” says Yadegar.
“You’ll get entry to copywriters, graphic designers, social media specialists, and video producers. Plus, they’ll have years of expertise working with shoppers in your business, that means they’ll ship the suitable outcomes for your enterprise.”
Listed here are some extra the explanation why working with an company could also be one of the best route for your enterprise:
- Contemporary views: Companies have a pool of in-house and freelance groups, which implies extra views to carry to the desk, growing innovation and creativity
- Extra time to run your enterprise: Companies don’t want hand-holding, which allows you to give attention to different issues, like operating your operations
- Enhanced group: Companies collect all the data and paperwork wanted to make your content material advertising and marketing marketing campaign a hit from the beginning
- Value-effectiveness: Whereas it could appear to be an extra expense, hiring a content material advertising and marketing company can really prevent cash in the long term. There aren’t any advantages, holidays, or bonuses to pay, not like in-house workers
- The best outcomes: On the finish of the day, it’s all about getting an ROI in your advertising and marketing funds — businesses present a transparent technique, reporting, and motion plans to make sure you succeed
When selecting a content material advertising and marketing company, it’s necessary to do not forget that the most cost effective possibility isn’t all the time one of the best.
“Selecting a low-cost company or freelancer is a false economic system,” says Yadegar.
“It’s doubtless that you simply’ll get a junior author who doesn’t have expertise in your area or that the content material is AI-written. This implies you received’t be producing something authentic, which is one thing Google appears to be like at as a rating issue.”
Contemplate the price of content material advertising and marketing by way of ROI. It’s possible you’ll spend $20,000 a month, however this results in $80,000 in revenue, it’s nicely well worth the funding.
The takeaway
Content material advertising and marketing could be an inexpensive option to develop and scale your enterprise.
Nonetheless, you’ll want to implement the suitable technique and guarantee your content material entrepreneurs can ship it.
Our closing tip? Vetting is crucial. Whether or not you go for freelancers, an in-house staff, an company, or a mixture of the three, take time to be taught their course of, previous outcomes, and stage of experience.
That manner, you’ll be able to construct a profitable staff that doesn’t want a variety of your consideration to get outcomes.
In case you’re searching for an company that provides all of the content material advertising and marketing companies you want — and that’s a breeze to work with — you’re in the right place.
This text has been up to date and was initially printed in June 2023.