Scaling content without scaling headcount: How to hire smarter in B2B

Lean doesn’t mean lacking, it means finding the right pro for the job. Here's why...

You’re trying to create awesome content that helps smash your marketing goals. But you’re also trying to do it without a massive team that costs more than it delivers. The cold, hard truth? Many B2B marketers are boxed in by budget cuts and brand guidelines, yet are still expected to deliver world-class content. Just, you know, without the team to do it…

The cold, hard truth

Maybe you’re a lean team. Or maybe you’re the only marketer in the building. Perhaps you’re that CMO who has to wear five hats and still find time to eat lunch. Either way, you don’t have time to hand-hold a junior hire. And you definitely don’t have time to rewrite the same blog post for the fourth time.

But here’s the thing: trying to keep up alone is a recipe for burnout. And hiring a full-time marketer when you don’t have the budget (or the need) is even worse. You’re caught in a cycle of half-baked hires, or half-baked content. Or both…

“Come appraisal time, don’t be the person still juggling KPIs in one hand and an empty content calendar in the other…”

The wrong fix: Full-time hires and generalists

You’ve probably seen it before. Bring in a full-timer, only to realise the salary (plus NI, plus benefits) is just the start. It’s the onboarding. The endless ramp-up. The weeks (or months) of “getting up to speed.” And if they’re not the right fit? You’re back to square one but with less budget and more headaches.

Generalists aren’t much better. Sure, they’re cheaper than a full-timer, but what’s the cost of “good enough” content? Generic blogs that sound like everyone else. Product copy that’s all features, no benefits. Emails forever left unread.

The right fix: The smarter way to hire for impact

Here are 4 things to look for if you want to hire lean, smart and effective.

1) The copywriter who’s done it 1000x

Not just a writer, but a B2B operator who’s proper been in the trenches. Someone who knows the difference between good enough and great (and has the portfolio to prove it). Advice? Ask for real examples of long-form and short-form content. Real life: Writing a 1-pager that doubles SQLs, but only after three rounds of careful iteration and testing.

2) The Claygency adjacent

Someone who’s lean, smart and built for speed. The kind of copywriter who knows how to stack AI tools and automation without losing the human voice. Advice? Don’t just ask about tools, ask about how they orchestrate them. Real life: Channeling claygency vibes and using Claude, ChatGPT, Recast and Airtable to turn a whitepaper into a campaign that converts.

3) The all-round marketer

The one who can think like a strategist, a demand gen manager, and an operator. Advice? Look for a writer who asks about your funnel and your customer journey. Real life: Creating a  three-email nurture campaign off a single blog post, because that’s what the funnel needed.

4) The plug-and-play pro

That person who can slot into your existing team and process or build one from scratch. Advice? Ask how they’d start if there was no brief at all. Real life: Kicking off a project with just a landing page link and a hunch, turning it into a killer content campaign.

The bigger fix: Why it’s not a “cost” at all

Here’s the real deal, though: this isn’t an expense, it’s an investment. Because better content doesn’t just fill up your blog or keep your CMO happy — it drives real results:

• Better content = better conversions
• Lower risk, faster impact
• More control, more clarity and more time back for you

And that’s what it’s all about: making lean work for you, not against you. The Claygency mindset. One person, moving like a whole team. Skilled at using AI to scale content creatively. Ready to slot in, ready to deliver.

Content challenges? You’re not alone. But the right approach, not a bigger team, is how lean marketers win. So take a breath, rethink the brief and remember: you’ve got this.