Building a Content Team Anyone Can Afford

The first time we looked at hiring a content team locally, the numbers didn't make sense. Content manager, video editor, script writer, social media manager. In San Francisco, you're looking at $385,000 minimum. And that's before you factor in office space, equipment, and the coordination overhead of having everyone in the same timezone.

We needed a different approach. Here's what we built instead.

The Local Team Math Doesn't Work

Let's break down what a local content team actually costs in a major market:

• Content Manager: $80-120k
• Video Editor: $70-100k
• Script Writer: $60-90k
• Social Media Manager: $55-75k

That's base salaries. Add benefits, office space, equipment, and management overhead. You're easily at $400k+ per year before you've published a single video.

For an early-stage company, that's not a content strategy. That's a bet-the-company decision.

There are huge benefits to a fully in-house team, both approaches can work but if you're scaling and don't already have the overheads of office space and local team it's time to think about remote-first.

Why Remote-First Wins for Content

Content work is inherently asynchronous. The editor doesn't need to sit next to the script writer. The social media manager doesn't need to tap the video editor on the shoulder to ask about a thumbnail.

When we shifted to remote-first hiring, three things changed:

The talent pool expanded. We weren't limited to people who could commute to our office. We could hire the best person for the role, regardless of where they lived.

Costs dropped significantly. Same skill level, different cost of living. An editor in the Philippines or Eastern Europe with years of experience costs a fraction of a Bay Area hire. They're not cheaper because they're worse. They're cheaper because rent in Manila isn't $3,500 a month.

Work started happening overnight. When your team spans time zones, you wake up to completed work. Hand off a rough cut before bed, get a polished video in the morning. The content machine runs while you sleep.

The Roles You Actually Need

You don't need to hire everyone at once. Start with the bottlenecks.

Head of Content / Content Manager: Someone who owns the pipeline. They ideate, plan, coordinate, and keep things moving. This role is critical because without it, the founder becomes the bottleneck.

Video Editor: For most content operations, this is the first hire. Editing takes time, and it's highly delegatable. Find someone who understands pacing and can match your style.

Script Writer / Researcher: If you're doing talking-head content, someone needs to research topics and structure scripts. This doesn't have to be a full-time role initially.

Social Media / Publishing: Someone to handle scheduling, posting, repurposing long-form into shorts, and managing the distribution side.

The order matters. Hire based on what's currently eating your time.

Async Advantages

With a remote team, you have to build for async from day one. This sounds like a constraint, but it's actually an advantage.

When everything is documented, recorded, and systematized, the operation doesn't depend on hallway conversations. New team members can onboard faster. Processes are repeatable. The founder can step back without everything breaking.

Work happening overnight is a real thing. We'll finish recording in the evening, hand off to editors, and wake up to a cut ready for review. That's not possible with a co-located team in the same timezone.

The Trade-offs (And How to Handle Them)

Remote isn't free of downsides.

Culture is harder. You don't get the organic bonding of sharing an office. You have to be intentional about check-ins, team calls, and creating connection.

Communication requires more structure. You can't rely on "I'll just ask them when I see them." Everything needs to be written down, assigned, and tracked.

Time zones require planning. Some overlap is helpful, especially early on. We've found that 2-3 hours of overlap is enough for most coordination.

These are solvable problems. The $300k+ savings make them worth solving.

Getting Started

If you're currently doing everything yourself, the first hire is whoever handles the task you hate most or the task that takes the most time.

For most founders, that's editing. You can record a video in an hour. Editing takes five. Outsource the five-hour task first.

Look for contractors before committing to full-time. Platforms like Upwork, OnlineJobs.ph, and content-specific job boards have experienced editors and content managers who work on a project basis.

Start small. One editor handling one video a week. Build trust, build systems, then scale from there.

The $385k local team is a trap. The remote content team you can actually afford is waiting.