Fractional: It's So Much More Than Freelance

As the term “fractional” has emerged as a legitimate and important talent strategy, confusion about what it really means has also increased. Have you heard—or thought—this:

“Isn’t fractional the same as freelance?”

My short answer to this question (buckle up, the rest of the article will cover the long answer): No!

Yes, fractional is technically freelance work. When you hire fractional creatives, you are contracting them—instead of hiring them permanently—to complete tasks for a flat or hourly fee, just as you would a freelancer.

However, fractional goes beyond basic freelancing. It implies something more advanced. It suggests planning, collaboration, and commitment. It’s not so much a cost-saving measure as it is an overall growth strategy.

Essentially, fractional is a philosophy and an attitude. Freelance is just an adjective. 

And though many freelance creatives offer the expertise and vision that comes with fractional—heck, all those years I freelanced, I was actually fractional without realizing it—many others see themselves simply as contractors or vendors. That might not be what your organization needs to thrive when devising and executing a digital storytelling strategy.

Now, as promised, here is the longer answer: reasons why fractional is so much more impactful than freelance.

Priority: You

I’ve been forced to deal with this scenario more than a few times over the years: A “trusted” freelancer accepts an assignment from you but misses the deadline because another contract came up that they prioritized instead. Sometimes the freelancer is transparent about the competing priorities, but I’ve heard enough “Oh, I just didn’t get to it” replies to realize my confidence in their professionalism was misplaced.

True fractional professionals prioritize every assignment they accept and contract they enter. Your success becomes their success, so blowing off a deadline is unfathomable because it multiplies failure for both parties. 

And if, for whatever reason, they can’t deliver something as promised—life happens to even the most organized professionals—they will work with you to find a solution so you aren’t left high and dry. Many fractional experts network with other trusted freelancers so that if they can’t cover a task, for whatever reason, they often will find you someone who can. (Unretained, for example, networks with other experienced marketing professionals who support and recommend each other … and after a combined 60-plus years in the business, our networks are wide, skilled, and reliable.)

On-Demand Strategy

Many SMBs and startups have short-term marketing and sales enablement ambitions but lack the skillsets to make those ambitions a reality. Hiring a permanent professional for one-off projects is often cost-prohibitive and might not make sense—once the short-term projects are complete, you might end up inventing unnecessary strategy to justify that person’s employment.

Fractional provides a way to plan and execute the deep strategy you need without all the hassles of hiring, training, sustaining, and, unfortunately, maybe laying off an in-house full-timer. You also enjoy the flexibility to follow through on marketing ideas and goals at your pace. For example, if you want to prioritize a holiday-season push, you can efficiently reach out to your fractional partner to make it happen. Your “Eureka!” moments can advance beyond the idea stage, but you aren’t under pressure to come up with those moments all the time.

Adept at Adaptation

For even the most stable organizations, marketing and sales enablement strategies constantly change. Busy in-house teams, through no fault of their own, may not have time to devote all their energies to rolling with those changes. When that happens, fractional experts can be lifesavers.

Top fractional creatives are well-positioned to pivot as needed. Do you want to publish a white paper to support a new campaign but can’t put in the 10-20 hours needed to do it right? Do you need social posts for five different channels and five different topics and five different personas in a hurry? Do you hope to pull sales messaging out of a podcast your CEO was featured on? Fractional experts can help in these scenarios and more by offering versatile skills, flexible schedules, and undivided attention.

An Expert in the Room

Let’s go back to the white paper mentioned in the last section. White papers are akin to really technical e-books or really entertaining research papers—and are tricky to write if you’ve never attempted one before. Many SMBs may not have such digital storytelling skills in-house, and even marketing strategists might be hesitant to try one. Taking the fractional route gives you a way to hire the expertise that your team lacks.

That said, fractional content professionals offer more than just a way to fill the gaps—they can provide real strategy and advice for businesses and marketing teams needing another expert in the room. From SEO to messaging to persona development to even content leadership, fractional creatives can play a part in driving innovation and growth.

A Partner for the Long Haul

At the risk again of bashing your average creative freelancer, many approach work transactionally. They are hired for a job, get paid, and move on, without any thought about their clients’ long-term needs. Yes, they’ll do good work and want to be rehired for subsequent jobs, but their priority is their future, not yours. It’s more akin to being a plumber, being called in to snake a drain …

Fractional creatives become more than just someone you hire to unclog your pipes. If you trust them—and the best fractional specialists work hard to earn your trust—they become valued members of your team when you need them to contribute. You can also plan long-term strategy with fractional professionals, knowing they are committed to a partnership that spans not only the next month but also the next year and, perhaps, beyond.

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We started Unretained with decades of fractional copywriting and messaging under our belts, as well as years-long commitments to our clients. We’ve also been on the leadership side of content strategy and writer management. If these are skillsets that can help your organization, let’s talk!