Copywriting rates: Copywriters usually choose this instead of per word or hourly rates
As the demand for digital marketing, communications, and reporting grows, businesses and agencies are outsourcing their writing needs to freelance copywriting professionals. To do so, it helps to understand how copywriters charge their clients.
Copywriter rates can vary significantly depending on how they charge. They may choose to charge per word or per hour. In the UK, day rates are also popular. However, one of the most popular pricing strategies for copywriters is a custom project rate.
What is a project rate for copywriting?
In a copywriter’s project proposal, they will outline the scope, including all the variables of an assignment. They may also state what is not included to clearly define the scope.
To arrive at a project rate, they will often combine factors such as the time it takes to complete a project, the value of the project, and the market rate for a project. They will use this information to develop a fair lump sum rate in line with their experience, subject matter expertise and abilities. All the prospective client sees is the final ticket price with the included project scope and deadline, not all of these other factors.
There are a number of very good reasons for freelancers to choose a project rate. In this article, I open the lid on how freelance copywriters feel about pricing.
Not all hours are equal
Timing a project is a complex endeavor, and linking value to the time it takes to finish a project doesn’t always lead to good results for either a copywriter or their client.
Hourly rates can encourage inefficient work
Freelancers are motivated to finish as many projects as possible in their limited schedules. However, hourly rates mean they’ll be paid more for spending more time on a project.
This can lead to fabricated hourly reporting that aligns with the client’s expectations and their negotiated hourly rate. If this happens, it’s not that the freelancer is trying to deceive their client. Instead, it means the copywriter is essentially charging a project rate that is disguised as an hourly fee.
Hourly RATES may Encourage Clients to constrain timelines
Hourly rates can strain relations further between copywriters and their clients further. Clients may assume that when they limit the timeline of a project, it will lead to a lower rate. In contrast, an experienced writer will usually charge a rush fee.
Likewise, if clients need a project completed in a very concise and defined period in advance, it similarly limits the freelancer’s ability to organically schedule projects. It may require a fee to reserve the dedicated time.
Neither scenario is really a cost-saving technique. They’re approaches that require special treatment for a given project.
Hourly rates can appear exaggerated
Experienced copywriters can produce excellent copy in very little time. If they indicated the value they create as an hourly or day rate, it might appear “exaggerated” to clients. If a freelancer charges a high rate, though, it is usually because other clients are already paying that amount to them.
Hourly rates for the same deliverable can vary
A writer working on a blog post with little sleep may take much longer than when they’re working under optimal conditions. Experienced writers know that timing varies by project and by external factors in their lives. They embed their own self-awareness of time variance expectations into a fair project rate.
Time estimates are difficult to assess for either party
Clients unfamiliar with the writing process may underestimate the time it takes to complete a copywriting project. They may have an inaccurate frame of reference for how long a particular project should take. Estimating time is difficult for copywriters as well.
Writing doesn’t just mean actively typing words on a page. The thought process behind writing is what’s really valuable. Experienced writers know what works and what doesn’t, what norms are for a field, what trends are within a field, and other considerations that are informing their decisions. The work can involve mind mapping, research, outlining, thinking, and even sleeping on it before a writer even drafts an assignment.
In the editing process, writers may take great measures to align with formatting suggestions, brand voice, technical requirements, and style guide expectations. Finally, a complex client review process can significantly add to the time estimate and may require contingent pricing.
Hourly rates lead to unfair employee-contractor comparisons
Another unintended consequence of hourly rates is they lead to comparisons between employee rates and contractor rates. This is an apples to oranges comparison, though.
Freelancers have many unseen costs from running a business: health insurance, self employment taxes, marketing, operational expenses, contractors of their own, and more.
The important thing to remember is that freelancers are one-person businesses, not employees.
Are Day rates Better?
In the UK, day rates are popular. However, you run into the same problem with hourly rates as you do with day rates. This is again because time and value aren’t inherently linked for the same reasons mentioned above. For me, day rates are even more confusing than hourly rates, because I rarely reserve an entire day for a single project.
Not all words are equal
Oftentimes the value of a piece depends greatly on the type of deliverable you’re producing. Here are a few examples:
Sustainability and Annual reports
These reports are a heavy lift for the company. They require accuracy, executive-level approvals, and input from multiple departments across an organization and interested stakeholders. While the writer may play a smaller role in actually producing the copy, serving more as a guide for cohesion, the project importance and unique expertise required from copywriters makes these reports more valuable.
Persuasive sales copy
Great sales copy can use very few words, but lead to an enormous uptick in conversions.
Top of funnel blogging and content marketing
While I don’t write sales copy, content marketing also has a high long term ROI. Here’s why:
It can be repurposed into many different formats, easily. The heavy-lifting occurs when the informative content is first researched, written, and published.
Evergreen content with well-selected keywords can also bring significant gains in organic traffic over the long term.
A robust content library often distinguishes the thought leaders in an industry from new startups.
Middle of funnel content
For middle of funnel content like product reviews, case studies, and video scripts for demos, the value is higher in terms of converting leads into customers.
B2B independent research and thought leadership
Finally, the holy grails of content marketing value are white papers and independent research reports. These are highly influential pieces of content used to influence c-suite decision makers. That’s why copywriters charge more for them.
Writing vs Editing
While clients may expect a lengthy document to be more affordable, because it’s just “editing” or “rewriting,” most copywriters I know don’t see it this way. It can be a red flag for writers, because it means their client is trying to pre-determine the level of work needed, when that is in fact the writer's job when scoping the project.
Entering an unfamiliar project and adjusting someone else’s work can add more complexity than a writer would face with a blank slate. This contributes to it becoming a time-intensive endeavor. Depending on the quality of the existing work, the writer may need to make significant adjustments to improve it. Sharing a sample of the copy will help the writer determine their fee.
How to save money
If you’re wondering what the “cheap” words are, these are pieces of writing that lack a clear strategy for your underlying goals. Unfortunately, this type of content simply isn’t worth your time or money, as it won’t likely support your business aims over time. “Cheap writing” can quickly become a sunken cost.
Instead, develop a clear content strategy that eliminates the need for much trial and error. When copywriters have clear, straightforward instructions, writers with less experience and lower rates can likely complete the writing task. The important thing is not to reach out to an experienced writer, expecting entry-level rates.
Content writing has multiple variables
Here are some examples of the different variables that may or may not be included or considered for different copywriting projects.
Voice of customer research
Pitching preparation
Content planning or design meetings with the client
Depth of topical research required
Length (often expressed as a word count)
Number of SME interviews
Review process
Publishing process
Deadline (rush fees may be included)
Depending on the standard procedures your organization requires for finalizing a piece of writing, all of these variables can lead to additional costs in a project fee.
Negotiating a fair copywriting rate
Writers are often open to negotiations. In the process of negotiations, it helps state both your underlying marketing goals and your budget. This will help writers develop a reasonable offer to help you achieve your goals, even if it’s not necessarily in the same format you had anticipated.
Keep in mind that requesting reduced rates of more than roughly 15% of the proposal fee without a change in scope is disrespectful to the copywriting professional.
How to understand if it’s a fair offer
Experienced writers price their work according to the specific value that type of deliverable provides. Here are some pricing guidelines from the American Writers and Artist’s Institute.
A high project rate should reflect high quality service. This includes everything from the communication to the project management, in addition to the final written product.
Ask for writing samples
To understand whether a copywriter is charging a fair rate, look at their writing samples. Existing writing samples should suffice. You can also ask to compare drafts before and after they’ve gone through edits to understand a writers’ own voice without the input of an editor.
Performance metrics
Check for performance-based success metrics or case studies if the copywriter has them. Not all copywriters have access to their clients’ analytics, but some do.
If you need to go one step further and reach out for references, just ask. Any writer with a solid portfolio will be more than willing to provide support materials.
Don’t ask for unpaid work
Keep in mind that requests for unpaid writing samples or writing tests are very much held suspect by copywriters. This indicates a lack of trust in the process and their expertise.
Bottom line: Aim for quality paired with a consistent, measurable strategy, and you’ll save money in the long run.
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Thanks for reading! I hope you found this helpful. If you’re interested in learning more about how I help climate tech and ESG startups grow their content libraries with strategic SEO writing, just ask. Schedule a discovery call today.