What do I say when somebody asks me what my copywriting rate is? How much did you charge for your first project?
I'm a freelance writer and I'm new to copywriting. I don't know how much to charge my clients.
Replies8
- Echoing you here @Amar Patel but you're right, it depends on the company's ability to pay. I think I'm more confident for my next negotiaton. Now that you made me think of adding value and not just charging a rate for my work. That thought alone makes a huge difference. Thanks for stopping by Amar.
- Thank you so much again @Cassandra Kosmayer
- Cassandra makes some great suggestions here. And as Matt says, £350 is a fair day rate for a copywriter with a few years' experience. That's your baseline. Certain clients can afford more, others less (eg certain non-profits and small start-ups). Negotiate. Try to steer the conversation from cost to value. What is the value of this project, and your input, to the client? Quote accordingly and definitely account for thinking time as well as research and correspondence. It's amazing how much time you clock up going back and forth. Word count is rarely a fair means of gauging remuneration.
- @Alisha Roy I work for an agency so I only get paid by word count, and for some projects I really do make a loss so I'd say the research cost is definitely one of the most important! Glad I could help and I wish you luck :)
- Great suggestion @Matt Sibley Procopywriters may not help me since I'm in the UAE. But I'll check out twitter to compare copywriting rates.
- @Cassandra Kosmayer Thank you for making my life easier. I really like the idea of breaking down copywriting into research, writing time and the word limit. I ought to do this next time. I've only charged people by the word count.
- Every job will be different. In order to help you get an average ballpark, I would set a rate for yourself for research time, another for the writing time (based on your personal speed), and then another rate for the word count. This way you can create a standard per project that is fair to you, your experience, and the work you put in. It will also allow you to charge appropriately for bigger, more time-consuming projects and provide a cheaper price if, say, they just want you to rewrite their existing content. Hope this helps!
- I haven't had to answer that yet. I would check out ProCopywriters each year they do a salary survey of freelance copywriters in the UK. Current average day rate is £342. Also search out Work Notes on Twitter, they have a freelance pricing guide.
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