There is absolutely a place for simple formulas when costing out content projects. And at True North we do use formulas as part of scoping out our work. Where we recommend caution, though, is in when and how you use different variables. Scoping a website rewrite, for example, based purely on number of pages could either get you a cost that’s bang on — or way off.
So the first step in reaching a more accurate scope is getting clear on the variables that are in play.
Volume
Let’s start with the variable that most people go to: volume. This could be the number of pages, articles, product descriptions, words…
Volume is always going to be a factor. But it’s only reliably accurate as an indicator where the total content is either very small or very consistent. When you’re only writing a five-page website, it’s pretty straightforward. Or if you’re writing a hundred product descriptions that all have the same shape and approach.
Even here, though, don’t assume that short equals fast. There’s an art to distilling ideas; to finding what’s essential. Think of any famous tag line: ‘just do it’, for example. Do you think the brand strategist got paid by the word?
Subject matter
What are you writing about and how complex is it? Is it a familiar topic — something like ‘shopping on a budget’ — or more niche — something like ‘applying for assessment under the environmental protection and biodiversity regime.’ That last one is an actual True North Project!
We also look at the shape of the field. Now that may sound a bit nebulous, but basically we’re looking at the number of moving parts. Is there one key topic? Or are there many discrete topics that would require work to understand each one?
Subject matter will affect how much work is needed to get our writers up to speed — and may also affect the cost of hiring those writers, where they need specialist skills.
Briefing
Before we can write the pieces about that subject matter, we need to brief the writers. That could as simple as a quick email questionnaire telling us what to update on a page — or a full research and discovery process.
Business areas aren’t always aware of what’s required to get an external writer properly briefed. And there’s a very good reason for this — a bias we all have and which is known as the ‘curse of knowledge.’ In a nutshell, this means that we assume that others know what we know. Why do I need to spend time briefing a writer; shouldn’t they just get it?
As a rule, the more complex the subject matter and work required, the more effort will be needed to brief writers.
Engagement
How will we work with you to get the job done? This includes how we onboard the business areas, get them across the project and adapt our processes for them. It includes how we navigate the revision and approval processes, the number of steps required, and whether it’s a quick email or a full meeting.
If we need to engage with other service providers or in-house experts, like your branding or web team, we’ll factor that in too.
Systems
What tools and processes do we need to deliver the work? This could be as simple as setting up a google doc to collaborate on a draft — or configuring a CMS with full content governance.
This will depend on what systems your organisation uses — and your internal policies on security, web and accessibility.
Costing models
Right! We’ve covered the factors that go into scoping out content. Now let’s sort out the different ways that service providers will actually charge you for the work.
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