You’ve found the perfect freelancer for you. They get you, they get what you are trying to do, and they get your audience.
Even once you’re set on a freelancer, there are still many things to decide. This includes who will be credited as the creator of any content they produce for you.
Do you want the freelancer to white-label, or do you want their byline?
White labelling, aka ghostwriting, means that the content producer doesn’t get their name attributed to the content. Sometimes a company name may be used in place of the content creator, sometimes another person entirely different. A byline, on the other hand, is when the creator is the named author.
There isn’t a right or a wrong answer here, but which you opt for partially depends on which type of copyright agreement you have with your freelancer.
If you want to have the copyright of the content assigned over to you, the content will most likely need to be white-labelled to ensure you full creative control over the content. If the freelancer retains authorship, you can’t rewrite part or all of the content without their consent.
If you opt for an exclusive licence (where only you can use the content), you may be able to choose between white-labelling or bylining.
Let’s look at some other reasons why you might want to ask for white-labelled content vs bylined content
Why choose a white label
⬜ You want your company/organisation to become a thought leader: While having byline content in your communications, marketing, and outreach activities doesn’t prevent you from becoming a thought leader, having a higher ratio of content authored by your organisation can create a stronger connection between you and the content.
⬜ You have ideas and want to tell your story, but you need help: Even with the best notes and ideas, it can be hard to put everything together into a single piece of content. Freelancers, especially if they are skilled in your field, can help put it together for you. Even though you didn’t physically type all of the words, you provided the material to do it. However, you should never hire a freelancer to produce content in your name if you know nothing about the subject of the content.
⬜ You don’t want everyone to know you work with freelancers: Working with freelancers can be a rewarding experience for you and your audience, but you may decide that you want to give the air of producing all content in house.
Why choose a byline?
✒ To take advantage of the freelancer’s network: Freelancers with bylines are much more likely to promote the piece they’ve written for you with their network. If that audience overlaps with yours, this is a great way to get some additional publicity. I give the option of publicising content I have created in my network for both my byline and white-labelled projects, but not every freelancer is able/willing to do this.
✒ Use the freelancer’s expertise and independence to build authority and trust: Specialist freelancers may be a recognised expert or authority in your field. Having their names appear on the work may increase trust and transparency with your audience.
✒ You want to co-author: Just because you name the freelancer as the creator doesn’t mean you can’t be an author as well. Co-authorship doesn’t necessarily mean a 50/50 split on the writing. More often than not, the freelancer will still do most of the work, but sometimes the roles can be reversed.
Not all freelancers will offer white-labelling, and not all will offer bylines, so remember to chat with your freelancer about authoring, and other key points such as copyright, before entering any agreements.