How much should I charge for copywriting?

Sep 03, 2006

Recently I removed from the main page the link to my writing rates. There were two primary reasons: 70% clients anyway ask me in their first query, How much do you charge?

And even if they viewed the writing rates page, they still wanted quotes for their specific requirements, and it does make sense — people do have their unique needs and it means the rates should also be unique.

I’ve realized you cannot quantify services like copywriting and content writing. Every need differs from the other. My writing rates page was unprofitable for me too — the clients would chose a category bearing the lowest quote and then gradually get me doing the higher valued work without paying for it. With the rates page removed, I can quote according to the work demanded; I can decide what I actually want to charge now.

Will I be, consequently, overcharging or undercharging clients according to my preferences? No I won’t. No matter how confident I am these days, I know how much I can charge right now. I neither believe in undercharging nor overcharging. I prefer charging the exact amount I feel I should get.

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3 Responses to “How much should I charge for copywriting?”

Nehal
May 6th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Hi Amrit,
I am a freelance writer. Till now I have written copy for different sites. Now I am getting into pure copy writing. As a new and freelance copy writer can you suggest me how much shoud I charge to client so that I do not miss them but at the same time i am paid for the work that I put in. Another question I have is after how many projects should I increase my charges. e.g. say i completed 4 projects in next 6 months.
Jonathon Narvey
July 4th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Great post. In reply to Nehal’s question of after how many projects should you increase rates, I don’t think bait and switch is a good idea. Demand the rate that you think you are worth. Reevaluate once a year to ensure your rates are keeping up with inflation and your business’ growth. Changing your rates too frequently will cause your clients to look for more reliable writers.
I wrote on this topic recently on my own blog. Check out How Much Do You Charge For Copywriting? Cheers.
Amrit
July 4th, 2008 at 6:07 am
@Nehal: Sorry Nehal, for not replying earlier…I’ve activated the email notifier now. In the beginning your priority should be building a portfolio and for that even if you have to charge less, do that. But charging less does not mean that you don’t give in your hundred per cent, remember that this is going to give you the much needed portfolio and you may also gather lots of testimonials from happy clients.
@Jonathan: Thanks for your insight; I totally agree, you should charge what you feel you should get.