Freelance Copywriting Rates and You

Perhaps one of the most popular questions of new freelance copywriters is how much to charge. This is a common and reasonable question. And it has a common and reasonable answer:

Charge Whatever Freelance Copywriting Rates You Can.

This is not the answer most freelance copywriters want to hear, but it's the one that can make you wealthy. I know a lot of new copywriters would love to have a list for how much to charge for what, but it's not feasible to give a strict list like that. While there are some clear rules, such as charging more for a 10-page sales letter than a 1-page sales letter and charging more for a sales page than an opt-in page, what you charge your clients is a combination of your marketing skill and what your clients are willing to pay for your services (emphasis on you, as a copywriter, in comparison to their other options).

Ask yourself what the project is worth to you -- lowball it.

Then ask yourself what the project is worth to your client -- highball it.

Your lowball to highball range is what your working with. The only questions left are:

1. How much time will the project take you?
2. How much does the client want you (as opposed to other copywriters)?

If the answers to both of these questions are "a lot," charge at or near the highball price.

If the answers to both of these questions are "very little," charge at or near the lowball price.

And if the answers to these questions are somewhat varied, use your logic to choose a price in-between. But set that range. Setting the range can protect you from price-hunting clients and can lead you to make more money than you would have if you let the client set the price.

Why Are You a Copywriter?

When all else fails when it comes to pricing, ask yourself why you became a copywriter. Was it for the money? Was it to help people? Was it to learn about marketing?

If you're in this for the money, don't take those fun-but-low-paying projects that you are hesitating on.

If you're in this for the experience, seek out high-level marketing clients and work with them even if they lowball you.

In the end, pricing is up to you, not the market standard. I could tell you that the average copywriter makes only $50,000 a year, but that doesn't tell you anything about standard deviations or how to get rich through this career.

I talk more about pricing in my guide for freelance copywriting, in which I lay out some general pricing schemes for new copywriters.