As a contract author, I by no means absolutely understood the worth I offered to my purchasers till I wrote a case examine describing how my content material generated six figures in income for a selected consumer.
If you happen to calculate the worth of your writing, you’ll additionally most likely notice that you simply’re undercharging on your writing providers.
That can assist you determine how a lot to cost, right here’s an outline of the typical freelance writing charges. We’ll additionally talk about how one can create a pricing technique that maximizes your revenue.
How A lot Do Freelance Writers Make?
The common freelancer makes about $29 per hour, and the average freelance writing rate per word ranges from $0.05-$0.10 for newbie writers, $0.30-$0.50 for intermediate writers, and $1-$1.50 for knowledgeable writers.
Research from Jasper reveals that the typical freelance author expenses between $50-$1,500 per undertaking for long-form articles.
Common Freelance Author Charges
Whereas we mentioned the typical charges for basic freelance writing, right here’s a extra detailed breakdown of the typical charges for varied writing niches.
Freelance Copywriter Charges
In line with Zip Recruiter, the typical freelance copywriter charge is $37 per hour or $77,000 in the US, and the highest earners pull in about $136,000 yearly.
This knowledge is particularly for direct response copywriters, so the copy they write is normally gross sales letters or touchdown pages for gives like dietary supplements or ebooks.
Freelance Editor Charges
Statistics from Upwork present that the typical freelance copy editor charges per hour are $30 for learners, $48 for intermediate editors, and $100 for superior editors.
In the US, the average rate for a freelance editor is $29 per hour or $59,500 yearly, and the highest editors earn about $122,500 yearly.
Freelance Weblog Author Charges
The average freelance blog writer expenses between $15 and $40 per hour, although technical writers usually cost between $20 and $45 per hour.
A more detailed study from Upwork confirmed that learners cost about $20 per hour, intermediate writers cost $41 per hour, and expert-level writers cost $85 per hour.
In line with ZipRecruiter, the typical freelance weblog author in the US expenses $29 per hour and earns practically $61,000 per 12 months, with prime earners pulling in $156,000 yearly.
Freelance E-mail Author
Freelance email writers normally cost between $25 to $50 for shorter emails and $150 to $500 for longer emails. Nonetheless, many e-mail writers function strictly on retainers and cost about $1,200 for 15 emails (about $300 per week).
The average salary to rent an e-mail copywriter full-time is about $77,000 per 12 months or $37 per hour.
Freelance Journalist Charges
The common freelance journalist expenses $25 per hour and earns about $52,737 yearly in the United States. The highest freelance journalists earn round $81,500 per 12 months.
Freelance Web site Content material Writing Charges
Freelance website content writers normally cost between $100 and $200 for brief webpages, although the typical charge for longer webpages requiring technical writing is between $500 and $750.
Freelance Social Media Writing Charges
search engine optimisation Writing Charges
Freelance Ghostwriting Charges
Most freelance ghostwriters cost between $35 and $65 per hour. Nonetheless, freelance ghostwriting charges vary dramatically as about 52% make between $39,500 and $62,499, whereas about 46% earn over $199,000 yearly.
Freelance Writing Pricing Fashions
As you possibly can see, there are numerous pricing fashions you should use. Many new writers don’t notice that the pricing mannequin you choose considerably impacts your complete revenue. We’ll talk about the professionals and cons of every one that will help you select essentially the most advantageous pricing mannequin for your online business.
Pricing Per Phrase
Solely about 18% of freelance writers worth their providers by phrase rely. The per-word charge is considerably disadvantageous to purchasers because it’s simple for a contract content material author so as to add extra fluff to the article to earn more cash.
Subsequently, you could discover it more difficult to shut potential purchasers in case you’re utilizing a pricing per phrase mannequin. The opposite drawback of this mannequin is that it doesn’t account for revisions. Because of this, you could do a number of additional work for no extra pay.
Pricing Per Submit
Charging a set undertaking charge is the preferred pricing technique, with about 40% of all freelancers charging a flat charge for his or her providers.
It’s advantageous for purchasers as a result of they know precisely how a lot to funds for every undertaking, they usually don’t have to fret about freelance writers including fluff to the submit simply to earn extra for the article.
Challenge pricing can be advantageous for freelancers because it provides you extra artistic freedom so as to add or get rid of phrases as obligatory. The important thing to pricing per undertaking is clearly defining the writing undertaking scope beforehand in order that purchasers don’t request a number of revisions and drag out the undertaking.
Pricing Per Hour
Charging an hourly charge advantages freelancers as you possibly can at all times relaxation assured that you simply’ll be paid for each hour you’re employed. Nonetheless, many consumers want to pay a flat charge or a worth per phrase because it’s simple for a contract author to make up a random variety of hours.
As an alternative, estimate the variety of hours a undertaking would require after which pitch the consumer a flat charge based mostly on the undertaking scope.
Lastly, you possibly can provide a retainer settlement the place the consumer pays a month-to-month recurring charge for a particular deliverable. For instance, you possibly can cost $3,000 per 30 days for 4 1,500 phrase weblog posts. This is a superb pricing mannequin because it provides you common recurring revenue.
It provides extra danger to the consumer, so closing them on this pricing mannequin could also be harder. Nonetheless, in case you persistently ship nice work, it’s normally extremely advantageous for each events.
How A lot Ought to a Freelance Author Cost?
One of the best ways to set your charges as a contract author is to judge the worth you present to purchasers after which choose a charge based mostly on that ROI.
Many freelance writers fall into the lure of pricing their providers based mostly on expertise degree, content material high quality, or effort required. Nonetheless, purchasers don’t care concerning the writing itself – they solely care concerning the ROI your providers generate.
That is each good and unhealthy information for freelance writers.
The unhealthy information is that some purchasers have inefficient advertising methods, poor-quality merchandise, or different points with their broader enterprise technique that make your content material ineffective – no matter your content material’s high quality. Sadly, if the content material isn’t producing an ROI, it doesn’t make sense for them to proceed working with you.
Nonetheless, the excellent news is that in case you work with the proper purchasers, you possibly can cost a lot increased charges, as any content material you produce will present far more worth for them.
For instance, in case you work with a superb lawyer, a 500 phrase article that brings them two new purchasers value $20,000 is far more beneficial than a 1,5000 phrase article for a flower present that generates two purchasers value $20 every.
This implies working with high-quality purchasers is the important thing to elevating your charges. So, along with bettering your writing abilities and basic content material advertising data, you also needs to try to enhance your consumer roster.
To find out the full worth of your content material, ask the consumer to trace leads and offers received out of your content material after which calculate the worth of these offers.
Utilizing that quantity, you possibly can decide the ROI of your providers after which choose an inexpensive charge that’s helpful to each you and your purchasers.
How you can Cost Extra For Your Freelance Writing Providers
Now that you simply’re charging based mostly on the ROI of your writing providers, listed here are just a few completely different strategies to make more cash as a contract author.
1. Work With Excessive High quality Shoppers
If you happen to work with increased high quality purchasers, you’ll be capable of produce the next ROI and subsequently cost increased charges on your providers.
The difficult half is defining a top quality consumer, so think about these elements:
Some industries merely don’t have nice success with content material advertising.
For instance, a Thai restaurant most likely received’t see important beneficial properties from producing 1,500 phrase weblog posts on Thai meals recipes just because that’s not how their prospects uncover their enterprise.
As an alternative, take a look at competing services and products and decide whether or not or not they’re utilizing content material advertising to drive prospects. You’ll be able to normally reply this query by taking a look at how lengthy they’ve produced content material.
In the event that they’ve been producing content material for an prolonged interval, chances are high that the content material is working and driving prospects.
For instance, if a cookie store desires to rent you to create social media content material, take a look at a competitor’s social media web page. For instance, a fast look on the Crumbl Cookies Fb web page reveals that they’ve been persistently producing a excessive quantity of social media content material for an prolonged time period.
Subsequently, social media content material works for that trade, and you may drive a fantastic ROI for the potential consumer’s enterprise.
2. Lead Quantity and Worth
If a enterprise is paying you to write down e-mail copy for a low-ticket provide to a low-quality e-mail checklist, you most likely received’t be capable of generate a lot income out of your copy.
Because of this, they received’t be capable of justify paying the next charge on your providers. Ideally, work with purchasers with a big audience and a high-ticket product/service.
For instance, a private harm lawyer in New York Metropolis could be a fantastic potential buyer as they’ve a broad audience and a high-value service.
3. Buyer Satisfaction and Demand
Lastly, do a background examine in your potential consumer earlier than you begin working with them to make sure they’ve a high-quality services or products. If they’ve poor evaluations or a product with poor product market match, you possible received’t present an ROI for them no matter your content material’s high quality.
That is usually a difficulty for freelance writers collaborating with model new startups. To examine for product/market match and product/service high quality, browse overview websites to gauge buyer satisfaction.
For instance, Gong would most likely be a fantastic consumer as they clearly have loads of joyful prospects in line with their 5,000 plus G2 evaluations:
2. Implement a Retainer Pricing Mannequin
When you’ve closed higher-quality purchasers, implementing a retainer pricing mannequin is the subsequent step to rising your revenue. We’ve discovered that that is essentially the most worthwhile pricing mannequin because it means that you can generate recurring income.
Many purchasers intend to work with freelance writers for an prolonged time period, however funds cuts and workflow interruptions may cause content material initiatives to be pushed again or canceled.
Because of this, many freelance writers discover their revenue unstable, which could be anxious and unlucky.
That can assist you to generate a extra constant revenue, think about using a retainer pricing mannequin the place the consumer agrees to pay you month-to-month for 3 to 6 month contracts.
The one disadvantage with the retainer pricing mannequin technique is that purchasers could hesitate to signal because the retainer mannequin is far riskier for them. Subsequently, provide a trial one-month contract after which transfer them to a retainer pricing mannequin.
As well as, it’s essential to have nice testimonials and different joyful purchasers to show that you simply do wonderful work. Then, be sure you consistently ship the identical superior high quality work on your purchasers in order that they proceed to resume the retainer with you and provide you with referrals.
3. Reposition Your Providers
One unlucky side of freelance writing is that many enterprise homeowners view content material writing as a commodity. Subsequently, you could attain a ceiling the place you discover most purchasers don’t wish to pay extra for content material writing providers.
For instance, in case you’re already charging $500 per weblog submit, many freelance writers have a tough time elevating their costs extra, as $500 is unquestionably on the upper finish for freelance weblog writing.
The important thing to charging extra is repositioning your self from a contract author to an search engine optimisation or content material service supplier. Then, as a substitute of pitching purchasers a set of deliverables (e.g., a 1,500 phrase weblog submit), you possibly can pitch them an end-to-end content material service.
Many high-end freelance writers already embrace extra providers of their provide, like key phrase analysis and content material technique, so you could not have to alter your providers in any respect. As an alternative, you’ll simply should reposition the messaging.
Whereas it might appear foolish that you simply’re providing the identical deliverables, the repositioning is essential as a result of purchasers are used to paying upward of $5,000 per 30 days for search engine optimisation or content material advertising providers. Nonetheless, few purchasers pay that worth level for freelance writing.
From a consumer’s perspective, the key distinction between a service supplier and a contract author is that the service supplier is a advertising associate that may information technique and provide directional recommendation. In distinction, a contract author normally must be advised what to do.
As a high-end freelance author, you could have already acquired the talents to be self-sufficient and advise the consumer, so this shouldn’t be an excessive amount of of a shift for you. In truth, it’s fairly releasing to have full reign to information the technique.
I also needs to notice that whereas most freelance writers really feel that they should have staff beneath them to place themselves as search engine optimisation or content material advertising suppliers, this isn’t true.
In truth, one of many major considerations that purchasers have with content material advertising and search engine optimisation businesses is that their work is outsourced to low-end freelancers or contractors.
So you possibly can truly use the truth that you’re a solopreneur to your benefit and actively pitch that you simply’re doing the technique and execution your self.
4. Create Your Personal Advertising Funnel
Now that you’ve got expertise driving the technique of a content material advertising company, the subsequent step is to create an inbound advertising funnel to have a gentle stream of inbound purchasers.
To start your content material advertising technique, write a weblog submit that outlines your course of and the methodology behind your method to content material advertising. This may instantly set up you as an authority, because the consumer can see how you concentrate on advertising. Because of this, it will likely be simpler for potential purchasers to belief you and choose you over rivals that don’t present perception into the thought course of behind their technique.
Listed here are just a few wonderful examples of methodology-style posts that present not solely an outline of a particular content material advertising course of, but in addition an in depth evaluation that provides you perception into how that individual thinks about content material advertising:
When purchasers can perceive your thought course of, it’s a lot simpler to know why your course of is efficient and belief you as an individual.
When you’ve written about your course of and methodology, the subsequent step is to write down case research of the way you’ve carried out the method to show it’s an efficient technique.
Once more, listed here are a handful of case examine examples that show how your course of has pushed excellent outcomes:
For many freelance consultants, that is adequate to drive constant inbound leads. Some freelancers select to develop a social media following to constantly drive inbound curiosity.
Ashley Cummings is a superb instance of a contract author who has constructed a considerable following as a contract author:
Elevate Your Freelance Writing Charges As we speak
Elevating your charges could be scary, however you’ll discover that you simply’ll appeal to higher purchasers and be happier in the long term.
Begin by pitching potential purchasers your new charges, and as you shut sufficient new purchasers, let your present purchasers know that you simply’re elevating your charges.
So long as you proceed delivering wonderful work and worth your providers based mostly on the worth you ship for purchasers, lots of them might be joyful to pay the next worth on your content material providers.
Nonetheless, it’s a difficult journey, and you may want some help from friends and mentors alongside the way in which. Subsequently, we created the Copyblogger Academy, which is a membership group of different friends rising freelance writing companies.
Along with peer collaboration, you even have direct entry to me, Tim Stoddart (somebody who owns a advertising company and varied content material web sites). I’m joyful to reply any questions you could have alongside your journey and supply one-on-one mentorship.
I additionally notice that completely different views are essential, as a barely completely different viewpoint on an idea could make it click on. Subsequently, I additionally interview a number of the prime content material creators of the day, like Steph Smith, Ethan Brooks, Chris Ducker, and others.
I may clarify extra about what’s inside, however the easiest way to determine if the Copyblogger Academy is best for you is by signing up for it. If you happen to don’t suppose it’s best for you within the first 30 days, I’ll provide you with a full refund (and I’d love to listen to your suggestions!). Nonetheless, I believe you’ll instantly see the worth of it when you leap into the platform, and some years from right this moment, you’ll be grateful to your self for making the funding!
See you inside Copyblogger Academy!