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Freelance copywriters 'in demand'

Some of the UK’s freelance copywriters are pocketing inflation-busting pay increases, with online and senior practitioners earning annual premiums of up to £100.

Speaking to FreelanceUK, a majority of creative recruiters said pay rates have leapt because demand for exemplary copywriting skills on a temporary basis outstrips supply.

And although the hefty premiums tend to be reserved for copywriters with glitzy business or internet portfolios, one agent said pay rates for junior copywriters are also upwards in 2007.

But all the agencies, each specialists in freelance roles, said the pool of people calling themselves ‘copywriters’ has grown, thereby intensifying competition for top rates.

This influx of copywriters, many of whom are self-taught, puts the onus on candidates to “demonstrate a higher breadth of experience” today than was previously required.

Having broad experience is the key for copywriters to unlock pay premiums, regardless of whether the assignment is ‘above the line’ or ‘below the line,’ according to creative recruiter Xchangeteam .

‘Above the line’ refers to big budget projects that use freelance copywriters to compose marketing taglines or assist with advertising or publicity campaigns.

‘Below the line’, in contrast, refers to the remainder of copywriters’ assignments: direct marketing, brochures, press releases, websites, online mailers and marketing copy.

According to Xchangeteam’s database, daily pay for senior copywriters has risen last year from an average of £250, to a minimum this year of £300.

Similarly, their database shows pay rates for junior freelance copywriters started last year at around £150 a day, but this year have risen to £200 a day.

“These rates do reflect the overall market mainly due to demand being higher than supply,” said Emma Brierley, founder of the London-run agency.

“Good copywriters are not always easy to find and when you have good ones who’ve worked on a number of projects with a breadth of experience, they are in demand and can therefore demand their rate.”

The copywriter most able to demand more money for their time and expertise is the competent and reliable online copywriter, according to creative recruiter ProfilesCreative .

Debra Amini, its managing director, said a shortage of Web-savvy copywriters with solid online skills is most noticeable in the retail industry. Their premiums can range up to 20%.

“With most of our creative roles we have not seen an increase in rates from year-to-year [as] clients won’t pay it - apart from [for] ‘online’ copywriters,” she told FreelanceUK.

“Everyone, especially our retail clients, is growing their online proposition and due to the shortage of quality online candidates, they are paying more to secure the freelancer taking their assignment over another one.”

The firm’s database, which covers creative roles in London, Leeds and Reading, shows daily pay rates for senior copywriters have leapt from £300 last year, to up to £400 this year.

Daily pay for junior copywriters, also on a freelance basis, has remained static over the last 12 months at £150, yet these candidates may secure a hike of 15-20% if the role is online.

Another creative recruiter reports much less buoyancy for freelance copywriters, to the extent that daily earnings are “going down” for the majority - those engaged in ‘below the line’ projects.

“Copywriting is a skill that can cross geographic boundaries and many freelancers in the UK were earning from US clients, often through marketplace sites like Elance and Guru.com,” said Lisette Howlett, managing director of Hirescores.com .

“It has become harder for them to compete against US copywriters for this market since prices have not kept up with the dollar exchange rate decline.”

She added that the “proliferation” of new copywriters has effectively stunted the pay settlements clients are willing to offer freelance or self-employed workers.

Ms Howlett told FreelanceUK: “It's much easier to become a copywriter now than it was 10 years ago, because of the advent of the Web, so there are more copywriters around now.

“Even though these… [candidates] aren't a serious threat to skilled, professional, natively fluent British copywriters; they are depressing the market in terms of earnings - and, in many cases, eroding trust.

“Of the group of people who call themselves freelance copywriters, a far greater percentage is inexperienced... than was the case a decade ago. The quality of the core professionals is still just as strong, it is just that the size of the pool so much bigger.”

The Hirescores.com database suggests a new freelance worker doing ‘below the line’ assignments could reasonably charge £25 an hour, rising to £50-60 an hour for their senior counterparts.

It also indicates that for permanent copywriters at agencies salaries start at around £20,000 and can rise to £150,000 a year.

For established copywriters, who work outside of agencies, the database reveals that earnings in London range between £60,000 and £90,000 per annum.

Positively for freelancers in 2008, Hirescores.com said copywriters who want to maximise their earnings should act like an entrepreneur, or, at the least, an astute marketer.

The online agency said: “It is plausible that pay rates for someone at the top of their game will have gone up and will continue to go up, but this will be much more linked to their personal 'brand' than a general market trend.”

Dec 11, 2007
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