{"id":2709,"date":"2021-05-11T14:16:57","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T14:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chrisalden.co.uk\/?p=2709"},"modified":"2021-05-11T14:22:38","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T14:22:38","slug":"copywriting-prices-whats-the-cost-of-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisalden.co.uk\/copywriting-prices-whats-the-cost-of-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Copywriting prices: what’s the cost of content?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It can be difficult to compare copywriting prices \u2013 especially if you’re new to content marketing. Here’s my take on the cost of content. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line: when you buy copywriting services from a freelance or an agency, you want value for money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t necessarily want the cheapest copywriter you can find \u2013 but you do want a good copywriter who can work within your budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you make sure you find the value you want? Here’s my take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project fees, not day rates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a copywriter, I quote in terms of project fees, not day rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My feeling is that when you pay for copywriting by the hour or day, you create a pretty odd set of incentives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One copywriter might “get” your business, have efficient content processes and be an experienced writer. The other might be a relative beginner who is still working things out, and requires more revisions to their work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if both charge you \u00a3450 per day, who’s going to send you the bigger invoice? The one who takes longer, that’s who.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an experienced and efficient writer, I don’t use day rates. The good news is: project fees are the alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project fees create the right incentives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There’s another way to commission a copywriter \u2013 and that’s to use a project fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the ProCopywriters Survey 2020<\/a>, 74% of freelancers use project fees \u2013 compared to 69% who charge a daily or hourly rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So project fees seem to be slightly more popular, at least among UK copywriters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With project fees, the incentives are the right way round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You send the copywriter your brief<\/a> for what you need \u2013 a white paper, a series of blog posts, a website, whatever \u2013 and the copywriter quotes you a fee for the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can send the same brief to multiple copywriters, and get quotes that are more accurately comparable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project fees help you refine your brief<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But here’s the real secret to using project fees. It’s the fact that, when a copywriter has to quote accurately for your brief, it’s in the copywriter’s interest to work out what you really want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I quote a project fee, I sometimes spend a fair amount of time thinking about what your project is, how long it might take me, and how I can help \u2013 even before I start doing chargeable work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a client, you can make use of this. Within reason, you can often take informal advice from a specialist copywriter on how to refine your brief and meet your content goals \u2013 again, before the project even starts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s included in a copywriting quote?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I send a copywriting quote, it typically covers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n