How to hire a content creator in London

Day-to-day, the work covers:

• Planning: brainstorming ideas, researching trends, and building a content calendar
• Production: copywriting, scriptwriting, filming, taking photos, recording audio, or designing graphics
• Editing footage, text, and sound, and formatting each piece for its platform
• Publishing with titles and hashtags that help people find the content
• Reviewing metrics such as watch time and click-through rates, then adjusting what comes next
• Community management: replying to comments and feedback to build a following

Creators work independently, freelance across several clients, or in-house for one organisation under titles such as digital content creator.

Types of content creators

Content creators are usually grouped three ways: by format, by creative style, and by their relationship with an audience. Format and audience relationship are the two that shape a hire.

By format, the main groups are:

• Short-form video content creators, making fast-paced videos for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts
• Long-form video creators, making tutorials, vlogs and in-depth videos for YouTube and Vimeo
• Podcasters and live streamers, working in audio and real-time broadcast
• Writers and newsletter creators, publishing articles and essays
• Photographers and visual artists, sharing photography, digital art and graphic design

Some projects split filming and editing between specialists: a videographer captures the footage and a video editor shapes it in post-production.

By audience relationship, the main groups are:

• Independent creators, who build and own their audience directly through their own channels, newsletters or subscriber communities
• In-house creators, hired by organisations to make content for the organisation's own channels, such as a social media content creator running its social accounts
• UGC content creators, who make brand-focused content such as product demos and testimonials for the brand to publish on its own channels or run as ads, with little or no following of their own
• Influencers, who build a following that brands pay to reach, often grouped by audience size from nano to mega

Hiring for UGC creators and brand content creators is growing.

An influencer and a content creator differ in focus. A content creator concentrates on the craft and value of the content, and an influencer uses personal sway to shape what an audience thinks, does or buys.

Working with content creators

Hiring a content creator moves through five stages, from the brief to the terms you agree.

Before you speak to anyone, set out:

• What you need made and where it will run: your website, paid ads or your social accounts, such as Instagram, TikTok or YouTube
• How much content you need, how often, and who signs it off
• Whether the creator appears on camera
• Your brand guidelines, with examples of content you like
• Whether the work is a one-off campaign or an ongoing role

Keep the brief to what the work needs. Once the brief becomes a job advert, vague titles and padded requirement lists put strong creative candidates off.

Reviewing a creator's work

Start with what the creator has published on the platforms you use, on their own channels or for earlier clients. Check that the standard holds across a run of posts.

Ask for performance data from accounts they have worked on, such as reach or engagement over time. Then set a short paid task to your brand guidelines, which shows how they work to someone else's brief.

Choosing a contract

The choice between temporary, fixed-term and permanent hiring depends on how long the work lasts and how defined the role is. For content creators, most hires follow one of these routes:

• Freelance suits a defined project or a set number of pieces. You agree a day or project rate with a freelance content creator and manage the work directly.
• Temporary means the worker is employed by a recruitment partner, which handles payroll. A temp suits campaign peaks, cover and short-term projects, and lets you test a role before committing to permanent headcount. It is the quickest route to someone productive.
• Fixed-term means the creator is employed directly by your organisation, with a set end date or tied to a project. It suits funded projects and leave cover where the creator works as part of your team.
• Permanent suits ongoing content made as part of your team.

A temp can move into a permanent role once both sides know the fit.