Copywriting Rates
Working as a copywriter nowadays can earn you big bucks — about $60,000 bucks big. Of course, this will depend on your skill level and experience in the industry but then, even trainees and juniors can earn as much as $40,000 a year so what does that say about copywriting?
That it’s a really rewarding career especially those who have the talent and determination for it. So if you’re ever considering a career change, you might want to try freelancing as a copywriter.
However, as far as copywriting rates for being a freelancer goes, this is quite a difficult question to answer. There are freelancers who charge on a per project basis and then there are those who charge on an hourly basis and that depends on the project details — long term projects usually pay cheaper than short term projects.
If your project involves writing sales letters that’s going to be distributed to generate leads then we’re talking rates between $1000-$2000. Depending on how fast you work on a particular project, you can charge higher rates on a per day, per hour or per word basis if you want which is the way newspapers and magazines still pay for their article writers.
Most copywriters think this isn’t a good idea, seeing as writing articles to comply with column measurements surely deserve more. But then, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Say for example you were asked to write 6 pages of copy for a website. The information is all there already, you are merely being asked to rewrite it to make it more interesting. Depending on whether you are a competent beginner, you could aim for $200 to $300 a day for three days work and of course, based on how you perceive your client as.
You could tell him that it will take a total of 2 days to read through and rewrite the material but you would also like to add in half a day to cover changes and amendments after he receives the first draft and, as he’s asked you to come to a briefing meeting 30 miles from your home, you’d like to count half a day for that also so that makes 3 days.
You then multiply your rate (say you went with $200 a day) by three days plus local taxes (if applicable). After quoting that you say that you understand that there may be budget constraints and assure him that you will happily discuss it with him.
The trick here is to do good work so that in three days time when the client sees your work and realizes you’ve done a good job, $600 will seem fair. Even if the job takes longer, don’t ask him to pay more than what he’s agreed to.
Always remember, as a rule of thumb, that you can check your day rate by working out your personal income needs from copywriting for a year (say it was $20,000), grossing that up to allow for tax and then dividing that by the number of days you imagine yourself being able to sell in the year.
The figures quoted here were based on the median of copywriters surveyed and could differ from what you know. You always the option of charging higher copywriting rates which would allow you a higher income. However, taking the time to learn copywriting and getting enough experience will give you a competitive edge, enough for clients to not mind paying your high rates because they know they’re getting the best work.
The key to remember here it to keep up with the market changes. Don’t charge copywriting fees that are too low that you’re shortselling yourself and don’t charge too high that you’re going over what clients are prepared to pay.
