Comments on: Freelance Copywriting – What’s a Fair Price?

By: Danielle Lynn @ Clear Copywriter

Danielle Lynn @ Clear Copywriter — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:03:48 +0000

Very true about having a contract copywriter work at the business. I’m currently a freelance copywriter, and I believe I get a lot more done when I work from my home office – not the employer’s office.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:07:42 +0000

Hi Anna,

Thank you for your comments. I believe that 1,000 words of copywriting per day is a reasonable amount. Remember that you have to research the products or services you’re writing about, find the best angle to present it, then organise your ideas. After the first draft, editing and redrafting are essential. From concept to completion, you might be able to write 170 words per hour and write six hours per day. If you are running a freelance copywriting business (and answering enquiries, creating quotations, etc), you’ll be lucky if you get six hours of productive writing in an eight-hour day.

People are mistaken when they think copywriting can be done quickly and easily. Fast writing isn’t good writing, and it requires much more editing in the end.

As the great novelist Thomas Mann said, “A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 03:27:30 +0000

Thank you, good article. I know what my rate/hour is (it is on the contract with the client), but I am not an experienced copy writer and my client is extremely tight-ass and somewhat unpredictable.

Additionally, the arrangement is a partnership. I set up and manage his online store and get a percentage from the sales (hasn’t been any yet). Part of ’setting up’ the online store is the copy writing. The work is done, just waiting for the remaining products to arrive.

What I can’t figure out is what is a fair speed. I have written 5 websites with information (About Us, Terms & Conditions, Contact Us etc) plus adjusted a few product descriptions. I took me quite a while to write it. However, I want to log it according to the average writing speed for an experienced copy writer.

The client is not fussy. I am working independently, and deciding the content and how much text is necessary.

How much text per hour is the norm? If I know, then I will go with the corresponding number of hours times the rate, and feel confident that my bill is fair.

Anyone knows?

Thanks.

By: Marie

Marie — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 08:34:43 +0000

I have a bachelors degree in communications and am currently sub-editing press releases and news for an SEO company. This is my first job in which writing is the sole task (I have worked in radio which included script writing) and I have been doing it for 9 months. I have been asked to write some advetorial copy for a company I also present tv commercials for and they have asked what my fee is. I have no idea what I should charge as I have not been writing professionally for long and I have never done any freelance before. They have asked for a price per word, however an hourly rate would also be sufficient I would think. Do you have any recommendations as to what I should start out charging?

By: Marie

Marie — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:53:43 +0000

I have a Bachelor of Communications degree and am currently working full time sub-editing press releases and news for an SEO company. I have been asked to write some advetorial copy for a cosmetic company I present tv commercials for but I have no idea what to charge. I have only been employed as a sub-editor for 9 months and never done any freelance writing before, paid or unpaid. Do you have any suggestions as to what I should start out charging? They have asked for a rate per word but I think an hourly rate would also be ok. Thanks.

By: SEO Article Writing Lab

SEO Article Writing Lab — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:51:43 +0000

I must say, you have hit the nail on the head. Freelance copywriting is serious work, and often switching from a well-paying full time job is just nonsense… Then again, Ms. Copywriter doesn’t need to worry about being cut, because “the company no longer needs a full-time copywriter”, etc.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:44:41 +0000

A very informative and interesting site – thanks for the info. I’m proofreading my first freelance job after completing a diploma in national book editing, proofreading & publishing. It’s a glossly brochure for a well know electronics company with lots of specs and I’ve put in 25 hrs to date. There will probably be another 10 hrs to come. (The designer lives close by and therefore I can be very flexible for her.) I thought to charge $40 ph but is this reasonable?

By: top outsourcing countries

top outsourcing countries — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:08:25 +0000

The price basically depends on the location. It depends on the quality of the freelancers and the time period. But the negotiation should be there.

By: Emma

Emma — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:50:36 +0000

Thank you, Michael, for your swift and comprehensive reply!

By: admin

admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:01:28 +0000

Hi Emma,

Thank you for your enquiry. Rates for editing and proofreading vary considerably. The Society of Editors (Victoria) conducted a survey of its members about four years ago and found the average hourly rate was around $60 per hour. This is reasonable when you consider the amount of knowledge and experience required to be a competent editor.

I have found that I can proofread 2,000 to 3,000 words per hour, depending on the quality of the text.

People often ask for proofreading when they really need copy editing or substantive editing (see our blog post on the difference between editing and proofreading).

Let’s say you can proofread 2,000 words per hour. If you want to earn $48 per hour for your proofreading, you will charge $12 per 500 words.

I suggest that you time yourself when proofreading to get an idea of how long it takes you. Eventually you will see how many words per hour you can proofread (on average) and determine how much you need to charge for your proofreading services.

Michael