Copywriter rates and allowances

Copywriting rates vary depending on the type of content written, where you are located, and your writing ability. Freelance copywriters are in high demand for their ability to create stories to help marketing agencies sell their products, for online magazines, to write blogs, or even to copywrite for a social media post. We take a look at how much freelance copywriters should charge for their skills and services.

Research freelance copywriter rates

You will need to carry out sufficient research in order to set your rates. Make sure you research online; talk to the community of other freelance copywriters and any other relevant industry people for insight. Also, consider looking at job listings for copywriters and look at what kind of salary is being offered. This can give you a rough guide as to how much you should be charging. When it comes to setting your rates, you will need to find the right balance between having competitive rates as well as earning enough income that you can live on.

Copywriting isn’t always done in one hit, with it sometimes taking a few hours or days to fulfill your client’s needs. You will often need to research before you even get started on writing, which you should take into consideration when setting your rates too. Research is deemed part of the key reason why freelance copywriters charge by the hour, as depending on your subject knowledge of what you are writing, you may not be familiar with what your client is asking for.

How to set your freelance copywriter rates

Learning what you need to review before setting your rates as a freelancer is vital to make sure that you do not under/overcharge for your services. It is not only your freelance copywriting experience that impacts your rates, but also the type of content and how much time this will take.

When receiving a brief from a client, make sure that you have all the possible information including the topic, any graphics that need to be included too, and any facts that might be useful - having all of this information will speed up your content piece for your client. Review the brief thoroughly and decide whether to contact your client for any further information, if they do not provide this then it is worth adding time to your service as further research will be required to create a quality piece of writing.

Understand how difficult some briefs will be to write. This will determine how many hours or days it will approximately take to complete. The word count will also impact how long your piece will take, with 500 words approximately being completed within an hour, and 1,000+ words taking 3+ hours.

Average Hourly and daily rate for a freelance copywriter

Depending on your freelance copywriting experience, you should set a sensible hourly rate to begin with while your experience grows and you gain a steady client base. As a junior freelance copywriter, you’d be looking at an average hourly rate of £23-50 and £50-75 as a mid-senior level.

For a new freelance copywriter, today’s average daily rate varies between £315-475, and £500-800 for a senior-level freelance copywriter. At senior level, you will most likely have specialised skills in SEO, or writing for a niche such as a blog or website and can therefore charge more.

Should i vary my rates depending on the type of content?

There are many different types of copywriting but you shouldn’t charge the same price for them all. Price per page, per hour, and per word are great ways to price your content pieces as the length and time of each content piece will vary. Rates will also vary between your experience and niche, with higher rates being able to be advertised with the more experience you have.

Blog copywriting is hugely popular in the freelancing industry, with most blogs being up to 500 words. Depending on the type of blog, typically you can charge £100-150 at a beginner’s level, and £200-500 at a senior level where more complex writing is required. Your client may be a marketing agency looking to strengthen its SEO on its website, or perhaps a voiceover for an advert that needs a script. Here below are some of the types of freelance copywriting with their average rates if you were to choose this path.

When setting your daily or fixed rate, remember to take into consideration all of your expenses too as these will also need to be covered. Focus on a particular copywriting skill to help enhance your client base and increase your rates. Remember to review your rates from time to time as well, as you may need to increase or decrease depending on your level of experience and services offered.

More on freelancing as a copywriter.