Short answer
Law firm blog writing cost depends on who writes, who reviews, and what tools or services are included. In-house writing trades cash expense for staff time. Freelancers charge for writing, while your team still needs to review and approve the work. AI can reduce drafting time, but it does not remove the need for attorney review, editing, and publishing. Compare the full cost per published post, not just the writer’s fee.
What goes into the cost of a blog post?
A published post takes more than typing. Someone needs to choose a useful topic, research it, draft it, check it, and publish it. For a law firm, an attorney or qualified reviewer should also confirm that the content accurately reflects the firm’s services and intended audience.
Count these inputs before comparing options:
- Planning: topic selection, audience research, and a publishing schedule.
- Writing: drafting and organizing the post.
- Review: fact-checking, attorney input, editing, and revisions.
- Publishing: formatting, adding links and images, and uploading the post.
- Tools or services: writing software, AI tools, freelancer fees, or content-management support.
A low writing fee may not mean a low total cost if your staff spends substantial time correcting or rebuilding the draft. Likewise, an in-house post may have no separate invoice but still use paid staff hours that could go toward other work.
How do the three approaches compare?
| Approach | Main cost | What your firm still needs to do | Often suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house | Staff time and any tools used | Assign topics, write, review, edit, and publish | Firms with staff who have writing time and subject knowledge |
| Freelance | Writer’s fee, plus internal review time | Provide direction, check accuracy, approve revisions, and publish | Firms that want outside writing capacity |
| AI-assisted | Tool cost, staff time, and review | Choose topics, check every claim, edit, approve, and publish | Firms with a clear process and someone responsible for review |
These are operating models, not fixed price categories. Freelance fees and software plans vary by provider and scope. Ask what the quoted price includes before comparing offers. A writer may charge separately for research, revisions, interviews, or publishing support.
How can you calculate your cost per post?
Use the same calculation for each approach:
Cost per published post = direct costs + staff hours × hourly labor cost
Include time spent on planning, writing, review, revisions, and publishing. For a freelancer, add the invoice. For AI-assisted work, add the relevant tool cost. If a tool is shared across multiple tasks, allocate only the portion used for the blog workflow.
For example, suppose a firm spends five staff hours on one post, and the firm’s internal cost for that employee’s time is $60 per hour. The staff-time cost is $300. If a freelancer also charges $250, the post costs $550 before any other expenses. These figures are hypothetical; substitute your firm’s actual hours and costs.
A useful comparison worksheet looks like this:
- Track staff hours for each stage of one or more posts.
- Multiply those hours by your internal hourly labor cost.
- Add writer invoices or the allocated cost of relevant tools.
- Include extra revision or publishing costs.
- Divide the total by the number of posts actually published.
Track published posts rather than drafts commissioned. If a draft is abandoned, its cost still belongs in your content budget.
What should you check before hiring a freelancer?
Ask for a clear scope before agreeing to a fee. Confirm whether the price covers a topic brief, research, a specific number of revisions, and delivery in a format your team can use. Also ask who handles uploading, images, and on-page formatting. Those tasks can add internal hours even when the writing itself is complete.
Set a review process before the first assignment. Identify who will check accuracy, who can approve changes, and how the writer should handle questions about the firm’s services. Share examples of the tone and level of detail you want. Clear instructions can limit avoidable revisions, though they cannot replace review by your firm.
Does AI make blog writing cheaper?
AI may speed up outlining or produce a starting draft, but the tool’s subscription price is only part of the cost. Your team still needs to check claims, add useful firm-specific context, edit the language, and approve the final post. Measure the time spent on those tasks rather than assuming a faster first draft means a cheaper published article.
A practical test is to compare a few posts produced with your current process against posts made with an AI-assisted workflow. Record staff hours, revision rounds, and publishing time. Keep the process that produces accurate, useful content at a cost your firm can sustain. Avoid publishing drafts without checking them simply to save time.
What to do next
- Choose a small batch of topics that match questions prospective clients ask your firm.
- Track time and direct costs for each post under your current process.
- Compare an in-house post, a freelancer-supported post, and an AI-assisted post using the same cost formula.
- Decide who will review and approve every post before setting a publishing schedule.
- Compare your ongoing website and software expenses on our pricing page if you are evaluating publishing and practice-management tools together.