If you’ve arrived at this wonderful post, you’re probably scouring the interwebs for some idea of what it costs to hire a writer. In this lovely post, we’ll answer some common questions like what does it cost to hire a copywriter, why does copywriting cost so much, what does copywriting cost, and what is a good price for copywriting?
Before we continue, I’m going to stop you right now and warn you about something very important, so listen up:
1. Writing pricing will vary based on a few factors that we will discuss. This is what accounts for the wide variety of pricings you will see.
2. DO NOT waste your time or money on minimum-price gigs. Here’s why:
– plagiarism is a real risk
– you’ll need to go back through and edit
– these writers aren’t experienced
This being said, let’s jump into an evaluation of standard writing prices that you’ll probably find online.
What Does Copywriting Cost?
In general, copywriting can range from $100-$800 per 1000 words, with ad copy and landing pages going for much more than that. You can find pricing of about $30-$50 per 500 words on sites like Upwork and Fiverr, and these will generally yield good results. Landing pages and ad copy can go for upwards of $3,500. *choke*
If you order a gig in the $30-50 price range off of Fiverr or Upwork, make sure to run the text through a plagiarism checker, just to be safe.
The bottom line is this: if you’re looking for a dynamite, rock star copywriter, you’re going to need to pay a little bit more. There’s a whole culture that surrounds copywriting, and most writers know what they are worth.
Now, if your jaw is on the floor and you’re asking “Rachel, why is copywriting so expensive?!”, I’ll explain it to you:
Why Is Copywriting So Expensive? Here’s What Contributes:
#1: The Writer’s Experience
Hey, it’s me, your friendly neighborhood copywriter. I’m Rachel Powell. I’ve been copywriting for about five years now, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg for some of my competitors. They charge double, triple, and quadruplequadrillion what I do. My prices reflect my amount of experience, and their prices reflect their experience. In this market, you literally pay for that extra seniority.
Here’s the kicker – seniority doesn’t necessarily mean that their copy is a whole lot better than mine (or another “junior” copywriter’s). The real question is:
Does your writer (or can your writer) write like you talk to your customers/clients/audience? If yes, then they’re worth whatever they can save you in time spent developing content.
Does a writer connect with your target audience like you wish you could? If so, keep them and pay them what you are worth.
This bit of distinguishing information is critical. After all, your copywriter is saving you time so you don’t have to write all of your content yourself. So, ask yourself: what monetary value do I place on my time? If you can place a value on your time, that’s what you should be paying your writer per hour. Anything less is unfair, in my opinion (and it’s not an unpopular one).
#2: The Topic or Niche
I’m not going to lie to you; I really don’t love writing technical posts and content. But I still do it. However, if a topic is going to require copious amounts of research on my part, I’ll probably charge more for that topic.
Now, imagine you are hiring the copywriting services of someone who specializes in that topic that no other writer wants to write about. You guessed it… that’s the money right there.
Here are a few topics/niches that you will probably pay more for:
- Medical and scientific topics (paper reviews, research summaries… etc.)
- Intensely technological topics (data security, database management… etc.)
- New recipe posts drafted from scratch
- Topics about collectibles that the writer does not know much about
#3: The Type of Content
As I mentioned briefly above, things like landing pages and ad copy are going to cost you a lot more. This is because intense knowledge and experience with search engine optimization (SEO) are required for these types of copy.
Any writer can attempt these and get you something that sounds good, but only experienced copywriters can wordsmith their way to content that drives engagement and actually sells.
#4: The Content’s Length
For obvious reasons, 2000 words take a lot longer to write than 200. It’s not quite 10 times longer, but it’s definitely in the ballpark. Furthermore, more words means more contemplating SEO strategy and fitting those keywords into the text.
I’ll throw this out there, though, especially for those who are thinking: well, shouldn’t ad copy be cheap, then?
No.
Ad copy is very intense, very condensed, and very targeted. Those headlines and descriptions are critical in getting that hook that you want. Call-to-actions are the same: short, sweet, and ruthless.
So, you can see that content length also plays a role in how expensive copywriting can be, but it’s not the sole determining factor.
So… How Do I Know Which Copywriter to Pick?
Read some writers’ blogs. Go with your gut.
That’s all I’ve got for you. If you like your writer’s style and pricing, and they like working for you, you’ve found a match made in heaven.
If you enter the process with proper expectations, you won’t be let down; in fact, you’ll probably be blown away.
Like my writing style? Get in touch. We can bang out some content for your brand and see what you think! I’ll give you 20% off your first order. *wink*
Until next time,
