In January 2024, I joined Preply Business‘ marketing team as a fractional content manager to cover the B2B Content Manager’s maternity leave.

From January to September, I managed the production of their blog content and reported on production metrics.

This was my first fractional role, and I’ve learned so much about content operations, fractional collaborations, and myself throughout this process.

In this article, I’ll share some of the key lessons with you.

A bit of background on fractional content managers in general and my role at Preply

Fractional content managers are usually hired to do one or a mix of these things:

• Execute: Put your existing content strategy into action
• Strategize: Help you improve existing or carve out a new content strategy
• Build processes: Create SOPs and an efficient content workflow
• Hire: Assist you in the hiring process to find the right content folks (in-house and freelance)

Initially, my role at Preply was mostly focused on execution. But mid-way through our collaboration, we needed to bring on more freelancers as content needs grew, so I ended up hiring, as well.

Here’s a rough overview of my responsibilities:

• Managing a predetermined content calendar
• Creating content briefs
• Assigning work to four (later seven) freelance content writers
• Hiring freelance writers
• Editing content and reviewing it after publication
• Managing freelancers’ contracts and invoices
• Working closely with in-house team members to make all of this happen (B2B Marketing Manager, SEO Managers, Localization Specialists, Design, and Sales)

Now, let’s get into the lessons.

1. Good documentation and processes are incredibly important

I joined the team just 1.5 weeks before the B2B content manager left for maternity leave. You can imagine that this is a much faster track than doing a thorough 30-60-90-day onboarding.

During that short window, we had a few handover sessions, and I needed to take over their workload very quickly.

It would be impossible for me to do that without having a good handover plan, thorough documentation, and content processes set up.

My onboarding experience was great and included:

• Handover sessions: Going through the scope of work, content production budget, software tools, freelancer database, invoicing, questions, and more
• Meeting the key collaborators: Hopping on several calls to meet a few people I’ll be working with the most
• Well-documented processes: Documents with processes explained in great detail that I could always refer to
• Defined role and scope of work: Clearly outlined expectations in the contract to help me focus and protect boundaries on both ends

In the future, if I ever needed to step into a role (fractional or full-time) that would require me to execute fairly soon, I’d make sure to confirm they have solid documentation and a handover plan in place

2. There’s no need to turn the house upside down

Covering a maternity leave taught me that just because something could be improved doesn’t mean it should.

Just imagine someone coming back to work from a very stressful time in their life, and finding a completely new project management system with new workflows.

And even though I have an idea of how something could be better, I may be missing the full picture of why they’ve decided to do something in a specific way.

Instead of changing everything, I did this:

For minor changes

If there was a minor change that I could implement into the process that wouldn’t be too disruptive, but could improve the processes significantly, I’d implement it.

For example, the standard deadline for the writer’s first draft was 7 days from receiving the brief (= 5 business days), but the writers often asked for a 1-2 day deadline extension and sometimes sent in sloppy first drafts.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: I extended the standard deadline to 10 days (and sometimes even 14 days, when the schedule allowed).

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹t: Significantly higher-quality first drafts (= less editing time for me) and fewer deadline extension requests (= smoother project management)

This was an easy adjustment since the content calendar had some cushion time built in.

For major changes

I also noticed several opportunities for major improvements that would significantly disrupt existing workflows.

For example, using a different content operations platform that would save the team a lot of headaches, or adding freelancers with a very specific expertise to their bench.

I decided not to implement these changes. Instead, I created a detailed feedback document outlining my ideas.

At the end of our collaboration, I sent this document to the B2B content manager and a few key team members.

This way, I still shared my insights while giving them autonomy to choose which ideas to implement and when.

3. Boundaries are important. So is recognizing when to loosen them up a bit.

Before we signed the contract, the client and I defined the scope of work in great detail. I took over some of the content manager’s responsibilities, and other projects were put on hold.

Preply Business has large sales and marketing teams that often need content assistance. When I joined, I was worried that other team members wouldn’t realize I hadn’t taken over everything and would send a ton of work and meeting invites my way.

So during the first few months, I kept very rigid boundaries. If a request came my way that was an inch outside of my scope, I’d immediately say “no.”

Learning to say ‘no’ is vital for freelancers. Every extra task for one client takes away from other clients, your free time, or business development.

BUT. A very important BUT.

That doesn’t mean I should keep my boundaries that rigid at all times. In long-term collaborations, doing something extra that makes the client’s life easier can strengthen the relationship and bring more business down the line.

Doing a quick favor here and there makes your collaborators more likely to support you when you need it (and you probably will on such lengthy projects).

The most significant out-of-scope work I took on was sourcing, interviewing, and hiring freelancers. I did it because it would keep the content production running smoothly without any major hiccups (which was definitely within my scope).

This decision had a much larger impact than I thought it would. It helped me hone my hiring skills, understand the freelance writing market better, and has indirectly landed me another 8-month contract with Preply.

4. Proactive communication and reporting help you build trust and gain autonomy

I reported to the B2B Marketing Manager during our bi-weekly syncs. Without a pre-meeting report, our 30-minute calls turned into status updates with little time to dig into challenges or strategic decisions.

During our first few calls, I noted down all the questions she asked and created a report template. The goal was to answer routine questions upfront, freeing up our sync time for deeper discussions on specific content assets and goals.

One month in, I started sending a detailed report the day before each meeting. It included the content plan progress, key updates and challenges, and my questions for her.

Here’s a sneak peek:

These reports helped me build trust and earn complete autonomy over my work.

5. A thorough handover is the cherry on top of your collaboration cake

The final phase of my role was handing everything back after the maternity leave ended.

Even though I worked hard to maintain existing processes, a lot changed over those 8 months.

Some team members left and new ones joined, shifting the content production dynamic. A few freelancers became unavailable, so we brought in new collaborators.

Throughout my engagement, I kept a diary of important changes and turned it into a comprehensive handover plan that included:

• Team dynamics session: Reviewing key team changes and how they impacted the content manager role
• Freelancer feedback: Sharing observations on collaborations with both existing and new freelancers
• Process updates: Documenting small changes like the new payment workflow and deadline extensions
• Communication handoffs: Notifying existing freelancers about the transition and introducing new ones to the returning content manager
• Improvement recommendations: Creating a feedback document with ideas the team could implement as they saw fit
• Loose ends: Ensuring all tasks were complete, eg. invoices processed, content published and QA’d, etc.

A thorough handover ensures a smooth transition, reduces future questions, and ends the collaboration professionally.

My next steps

Until May 2025, I’ll be covering another maternity leave at Preply, this time with their B2C content team. You can follow my thoughts and observations in the “Fractional Content Manager Diaries” series on my LinkedIn profile.

These two projects at Preply opened my eyes to new opportunities in fractional work. If you’re interested in hiring me as your fractional content manager, drop me a line to start the conversation.