---
title: Senior content support without a full-time hire | B2B Copywriter
description: Get senior copywriting and editorial judgement on demand. Calculate the real cost of hiring vs. fractional support | B2B Copywriter
image: https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/b2b_copywriter_og_social_image.svg
---

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Fractional support

# Senior support without a full-time hire

Expertise that's on-demand, not on payroll.

[Get a free content review](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/senior-support#ss-review)[Discover the true cost of that new full-time hire ↓](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/senior-support#true-cost-calculator)

Headcount request

## Senior content lead

ContractPermanent, full-timeFractional, 1-2 days a week

StartsAfter a six-week searchThis week

MTWTF

Five days, whatever the workloadOnly the days you need

Slow and painfulFast and awesome Mike

MSMike10:42

Does the workload really justify a full time hire?

MSMikeResolved

Same judgement. Less cost. Zero hassle.

Before MikeAfter Mike

![Meta](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Meta_lockup_positive%20primary_RGB.svg) ![Google Cloud](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/logo_googleCloud.png) ![Google Workspace](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Logo_google_workspace.png) ![Perk](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Perk_PerkGreen.jpg) ![Usercentrics](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Logo_blue_Usercentrics.svg) ![Imeld.ai](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/IMELD%20logo.svg) ![DataGuard](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/DG%20logo%20v2.png) ![EY](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/EY%20Logo.jpeg) ![Meta](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Meta_lockup_positive%20primary_RGB.svg) ![Google Cloud](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/logo_googleCloud.png) ![Google Workspace](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Logo_google_workspace.png) ![Perk](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Perk_PerkGreen.jpg) ![Usercentrics](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Logo_blue_Usercentrics.svg) ![Imeld.ai](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/IMELD%20logo.svg) ![DataGuard](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/DG%20logo%20v2.png) ![EY](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/EY%20Logo.jpeg)

"They're not recruiting because they don't have the budget. It's more expensive than ever to hire people, to pay the National Insurance."

**— Andrew Harvey, Group CEO, VMA Group, in conversation with Rich Fitzmaurice**

£19,000

Average recruitment cost for a manager-level hire

1.4×

The real cost of a hire once NI and pension are added

20%

Typical agency fee. Payable either way

3-4 months

Before a new senior hire is actually up to speed

## The extra costs nobody puts in the job ad

Hiring senior marketing talent is a big upfront outlay before it's ever useful.

### Hiring is really expensive

Agency fees, job ads, weeks of interviews. £15k gone before anyone's written a word.

### Onboarding takes absolutely ages

Systems, access, getting across the product. Useful by month three, if you're lucky.

### The salary is just the first cost

NI, pension, kit. Add 30-40% to whatever's on the job ad.

### Permanent is permanent

Fine when the work's steady. Awkward when it isn't.

Free cost calculator

## What would that hire really cost you?

Put in a salary. Discover the real number. Then strongly consider working with me instead.

True cost of hiring calculator

What would that hire really cost you?

Your numbers. Updated in real time.

Base salary for the role

£55,000

Would you use a recruitment agency?

Yes

Hire directly

Use an agency

£62,700

Salary + employer NI + employer pension

£11,000

Recruitment or agency fee

£11,458

Cost of reduced output while ramping up

£85,158

Total, year one

 A hire on **£55,000** actually costs roughly **£82,500** in year one, before three to four months of onboarding. Fractional senior support starts this week, no recruitment fee, no notice period.

[Get senior support instead](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/contact)

Conservative estimates based on UK averages. Your numbers may vary.

—

How this works

## Senior thinking without the overhead

Same judgement. Smaller costs.

01

### Starts this week

No shortlist. No six weeks of interviews. Just the expertise.

02

### Up to speed fast

Fifteen years in enterprise tech. Five years in agency

03

### Scales with the workload

More when you're swamped. Less when you're not.

—

## Proof it works

Numbers not vibes

+20%

### Lead gen for SaaS scaleup

Created new gated assets for a SaaS scale-up that outperformed the old bests by 20%.

2×

### Sales target for Enterprise Tech

Content lead for integrated ABM campaigns that smashed the sales target and grew pipeline.

+5%

### Click through rate for AI startup

Increased nurture CTRs with tailored, test-ready email flows that moved prospects to demo faster.

[See the full case studies →](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/case-studies)

Who does this

## Hi. I'm Mike.

Fifteen years writing for organisations where the buyer was smart and the margin for error was zero. Meta. Google Cloud. Enterprise tech, AI infrastructure, compliance.

No recruitment process, no onboarding, no desk. **Just senior thinking, when you need it.**

[More about me →](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/about)

![Mike Sharkey, B2B Copywriter](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/hubfs/Mike%20Sharkey%20B2B%20copywriter.png)

Try before you commit

## Get a free review of a recent piece of content.

Send me something you've been working on. I'll share some notes on what's working and what isn't.

No pitch. No obligation. You just decide if it's useful.

## Senior thinking. Not another salary.

If the workload doesn't justify a hire, let's talk about what does.

[Get a free content review](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/contact)

—

Frequently asked questions

## On fractional support and hiring alternatives

### What does a fractional editorial partner actually do?

Steps into the workflow wherever the pressure is highest. Reviewing and tightening copy, writing the tricky pieces that are taking too long, or being the senior eye that catches what slips through. Senior editorial support without the overhead of a full-time hire.

### How much does it actually cost to hire a senior marketer in the UK?

More than the salary on the job ad. Recruitment fees run 15-25% of first-year salary if you use an agency. National Insurance and pension add another 20-25% on top of base pay. Use the [calculator on this page](https://b2bcopywriter.uk/senior-support#true-cost-calculator) to see the real number for a specific salary.

### What's the difference between fractional support and a freelancer?

Mostly depth of integration and level of judgement. A freelancer typically executes a defined brief. Fractional support operates at a more senior, strategic level, shaping the thinking as well as writing the words, and sits closer to the team on an ongoing basis rather than delivering a one-off piece.

### How quickly can fractional support actually start?

Days, not months. There's no job spec to write, no shortlist to interview, no notice period to wait out. The ramp-up is limited to getting across your specific product and market, which for an experienced senior operator takes days rather than the three to four months a new permanent hire typically needs.

### When does it make sense to hire permanently instead?

When the workload is genuinely constant and growing, and you need someone embedded in the day-to-day operational rhythm of the business long-term. Fractional support is the better fit when the need is real but variable, project-based, or you're not yet sure the workload justifies a full salary and everything that comes with it.

### Is fractional support only for content and copywriting?

No, fractional models exist across marketing, finance, and operations roles. This page specifically covers senior editorial and content support, the same judgement and experience you'd expect from a Head of Content or senior marketing hire, without the recruitment process or the permanent commitment.

---

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