#10 Stop outsourcing creative work—7 reasons to do it yourself

Hey there,

Not long ago, creative work was reserved for major campaigns.

Project managers and marketing teams could focus on execution while creative teams handled the big ideas.

That model no longer works. The pace of content today is like a caffeine-fueled hamster on a treadmill—non-stop and exhausting.

With more campaigns, more content, and more ads to produce than ever before, waiting on an external team to handle all creative work slows things down and creates unnecessary complexity.

The solution? Take control of the creative process yourself.

Even if you’re not a designer or a copywriter, developing creative concepts in-house makes your job easier, faster, and more effective.

Here are seven reasons why handling the creative side of your projects yourself is worth it.

Let’s dive in. 🚀

7 reasons to start working on the creative side of your projects yourself:

1️⃣ It forces you to focus (say only one thing at a time)

One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is trying to say too much at once.

Sure—your product has multiple benefits and there are a lot of details you have to cram into a campaign.

But that’s what landing pages are for.

The frontline content of your campaign?
​It can only say one thing.

The creative process forces you to cut the fluff and get to the one specific thing that will stick in your audience’s mind.

The best structure? One adjective + one noun.​
​✔ Spicy wings
✔ Safe travel
✔ Lightweight shoes

Mastering this level of focus isn’t just useful for creative work—it’s a valuable skill that helps with messaging, presentations, and decision-making in every part of marketing.

2️⃣ Fewer people = faster approvals (less selling internally)

The more people involved in idea generation, the more approvals, subjective opinions, and delays you have to deal with.

And make no mistake—getting people on board with a creative concept is selling.

You have to:
✅ Sell it to your colleagues.​
✅ Sell it to your clients.​
✅ Persuade them that this particular route is worth taking.

More opinions = more resistance.
More resistance = more delays.

Convincing others to approve a campaign sometimes feels like convincing a toddler to eat vegetables.

The fewer opinions involved, the faster the campaign moves forward.

3️⃣ It saves your budget (keep more for ad spend & production)

Creative work is expensive.

Agencies, freelancers, and internal creative teams all add significant costs.

Being able to develop creative concepts in-house means:
✅ Less outsourcing.​
✅ More budget left for ad spend, content production, or testing.​
✅ Fewer costly revisions due to misalignment.

💡 Example: Instead of paying thousands for an agency to "develop a concept," you use a structured process to craft the idea yourself—and only hire help for execution.

This lowers costs and keeps creative control in-house.

4️⃣ It’s fun (break the cycle of mundane tasks)

Let’s be honest—marketing project management can be repetitive.

📅 Aligning deadlines.
📑 Managing approvals.
💰 Tracking budgets.

Creative work adds a completely different dynamic to your day.

✅ You get to think differently.​
✅ You get to experiment.​
✅ You get to create something from scratch.

Instead of just briefing creatives, you get involved in the idea generation yourself—maybe even sketch something out or write a concept statement.

This makes your work more enjoyable—and makes every campaign feel more like something you built.

5️⃣ Because you can (creativity isn’t a magic talent)

Many people believe creative work should be left to "talented creatives."

But that’s a myth.

Creativity isn’t some mystical force that only agencies in black turtlenecks understand.

It’s a structured process—and once you understand that process, you can apply it like any other skill.

The only difference between you and a creative agency is:

✔ They follow a specific structured process.​
✔ They’ve practiced it more.

Creativity isn’t a mystical gift—it’s a skill.

And like any skill, the more you practice it, the better you get.

6️⃣ A fresh perspective (see marketing differently)

Once you start working on creative concepts yourself, you begin to see marketing differently.

Instead of just consuming content passively, you start recognizing creative structures, patterns, and techniques.

This makes you:

✅ A better strategist.​
✅ More critical of what works vs. what doesn’t.​
✅ Better at evaluating campaign effectiveness.

💡 Example: Instead of saying, "That’s a cool ad," you’ll start thinking, "Ah, they’re using exaggeration as their creative technique, and the message is ‘lightweight running shoes.’"

7️⃣ A new career path (creative work can replace a salary)

Marketing is shifting.

The demand for creative strategy is growing.

And creative work justifies significant budgets.

A marketing project manager who knows how to structure creative concepts can easily turn that skill into a high-value solo career.

In fact, with just 2–3 clients per month, someone developing creative concepts can replace the salary of a full-time project manager.

Creative work is one of the highest-leverage skills in marketing today.

And the shift to more in-house creative strategy is already happening.

With the right skills, you can turn creative work into a full-time job. And unlike most full-time jobs, this one doesn't suck.

Want to practise creative work?

🔥 Want a structured way to turn clear messages into creative concepts?

My FREE Creative Equations Course teaches:

✔ 2 methods to craft a sharp, attention-grabbing message.
✔ 4 creative techniques to transform that message into a compelling concept.

📌 Get instant access here.

Until next time,​
Tomas

🎯 P.S. Don’t bring a knife to a marketing gunfight—bring a process that makes creative work easier. 🚀