About Our Outside IR35 Content Contract Roles
What does a content contractor do?
As a contract Content, you are hired to create, manage, and optimise the written, visual, and multimedia content that organisations use to communicate with their audiences, whether customers, employees, regulators, or the public. The breadth of content contracting is considerable, spanning copywriting, content strategy, content design, technical writing, editorial management, social media content, video scripting, and SEO content production. Content contractors are deployed across in-house marketing teams, digital agencies, media organisations, government communications functions, and any organisation that produces content at scale and needs flexible resource to manage peaks in demand or specialist capability gaps.
The skills expected of content contractors depend on the specialism and seniority of the role. At the generalist end, strong writing ability, a clear and adaptable voice, and the ability to produce well-structured content to brief and deadline are the baseline expectations. More specialist content roles require specific expertise: content designers need knowledge of plain language principles, user research, and service design; SEO content writers need an understanding of keyword strategy and on-page optimisation; technical writers need the ability to explain complex processes or systems clearly for a non-specialist audience. Across all content disciplines, the ability to understand the audience, align content to the organisation's purpose and tone of voice, and produce work that requires minimal editing is the hallmark of a strong content contractor.
What is the market like for content contractors?
Content contracting is a large and active market, driven by the continued growth in digital channels and the increasing volume of content that organisations are expected to produce across web, social, email, and owned media. Demand for content contractors peaks around campaign periods, product launches, website redesigns, and periods of significant organisational change that require substantial communications output. The market spans a very wide range of rates, from relatively accessible entry-level writing roles through to senior content strategy and content design positions that command rates comparable to other specialist digital disciplines. Contractors who combine strong writing skills with specific platform knowledge, SEO expertise, or UX content design capability are in the strongest demand.
What does Outside IR35 mean?
IR35 is UK tax legislation that determines whether a contractor is genuinely self-employed or working in a manner that resembles employment. When a contract is classified as outside IR35, the engagement is treated as a business-to-business arrangement. The contractor operates through their own limited company, invoices for services, and manages their own tax affairs including corporation tax, self-assessment, and VAT where applicable.
Outside IR35 engagements are assessed against three key factors: the degree of control the client exercises over how the work is delivered, whether the contractor has a genuine right to provide a substitute, and whether there is a mutuality of obligation between the parties. Contracts that demonstrate contractor autonomy, project-based delivery, and the absence of ongoing employment obligations are more likely to sit outside IR35. Since April 2021, responsibility for making this determination sits with the end client for medium and large private sector organisations.
On QualityContracts.co.uk, approximately 28% of roles with a stated IR35 status are classified as outside IR35. The proportion varies by sector and role type, with some disciplines seeing a significantly higher or lower share of outside IR35 opportunities. Each listing on this page displays its IR35 status where provided by the hiring organisation.
What content roles are usually Outside IR35?
Content contracts show an even split between inside and outside IR35 where status is stated. Outside IR35 content work tends to involve defined creative projects: developing a content strategy, producing a specific campaign, or building a content library with agreed deliverables and timelines. Agencies, brands commissioning specific content programmes, and publishers needing specialist expertise for defined projects are the most active hirers. Contractors who frame their services around deliverables rather than ongoing support are better positioned for outside IR35 treatment.
How much do content contractors usually earn when working Outside IR35?
Contract rates for content roles typically range from £300 to £550 per day, depending on the scope of the role, required expertise, and the delivery expectations of the engagement. Rates shown are for outside IR35 engagements and reflect the gross day rate paid to the contractor's limited company before any personal tax obligations.
How many Outside IR35 content vacancies are there on Quality Contracts?
Over the past twelve months, we have tracked over 290 content contract roles across the site. Of the roles currently listed on our site, around one in four are Outside IR35. Data reviewed up to June 2026.