Content marketing costs the time needed to research, create, check, publish and maintain useful material, plus any software, production and distribution spending. A free publishing account does not make the work free. For a small monthly programme of four articles, the worked example below comes to €3,650 excluding VAT, including internal time and a separate advertising allowance. This is an illustrative budget with stated assumptions, not an agency quote or a market average.
A worked monthly content budget
Assume a small business already has a working website. It plans four researched articles each month, based on questions customers ask before buying. Each article will also supply material for an email or social post. For this calculation, every hour is valued at €75. Replace that assumption with your actual employment costs or supplier rates.
| Work or expense | Assumption | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Research and first drafts | 4 articles × 5 hours × €75 | €1,500 |
| Interviews with subject specialists | 6 hours × €75 | €450 |
| Editing and factual review | 4 hours × €75 | €300 |
| Images, formatting and publication | 4 hours × €75 | €300 |
| Email and social distribution | 4 hours × €75 | €300 |
| Measurement and updates | 2 hours × €75 | €150 |
| Software allocation | Assumed monthly share | €150 |
| Optional paid distribution | Assumed campaign allowance | €500 |
| Total | 40 hours plus software and advertising | €3,650 |
Without paid distribution, the example totals €3,150. The €3,000 labour component is an economic cost: if existing employees do the work, it is not necessarily an additional €3,000 supplier invoice. Keep a cash budget and a capacity budget separately so that you can see both.
Calculate your own cost
Monthly content cost = Σ(hours per task × applicable hourly cost) + software + external production + distribution. Use different rates for different roles when available. Avoid counting the same work twice if an agency package already includes editing, design or publication.
Changing the assumed hourly value makes a substantial difference. For the same 40-hour plan, €50 per hour produces a total of €2,650; €100 per hour produces €4,650. Both totals retain the €150 software allowance and €500 advertising allowance. These are sensitivity calculations, not a range of typical supplier prices.
What makes an article more expensive?
A short answer based on an existing product specification needs a different budget from a comparison that requires interviews, product access and original measurements. Before commissioning work, specify the research required, the number of interviews, who provides images, the review process and how many revision rounds are included. Translation also needs review for local terminology, examples and rules.
Your own expertise is part of the input. A writer can structure a useful explanation, but someone still needs to supply the customer questions, practical examples and evidence. Reserve that person’s time. A low writing fee is not a complete budget if the subject specialist must reconstruct every draft.
In-house, freelance or agency?
- In-house: count available hours and the work displaced by content production. Familiarity with customers is useful, but editing and design may still need outside help.
- Freelance: agree on the brief, research, revisions, usage rights and publication responsibilities. Compare the full deliverable rather than the price per word alone.
- Agency: ask which strategy, production and reporting tasks the retainer covers. Identify paid media, specialist reviews and one-off setup charges separately.
Reduce waste before reducing quality
Start with a small set of questions that sales or support repeatedly receives. Interview the relevant colleague once, then use the recording or notes to prepare several distinct answers. Adapt one well-supported article into an email and a short social explanation. Keep each format useful in its own right.
Reserve time to correct and update existing articles. Four new pieces are not automatically a better use of money than two new pieces and two substantial updates. The decision depends on which missing or outdated information prevents readers from completing their task.
How do you judge whether the spending pays off?
Choose the intended result before publication: qualified enquiries, product trials, assisted sales or fewer repeated support questions. Record the measurement method and review period. Page views show reach; they do not establish profit. When calculating acquisition cost, state which content expenses are included and how a customer is attributed to the content. Do not credit the same sale in full to several channels.
For an initial budget, write down five things: the audience question, the deliverable, the person responsible, the hours or quoted price, and the intended result. That makes the next spending decision more useful than asking how many words the budget can buy.
