Copywriting is Not an Hourly Rate Factory Job

Looking at copywriter positions on the various online job boards, some listings give an hourly rate (or range of hourly rate) of pay.

A couple times on an interview at an agency office, I was asked about my hourly rate.??I tried to explain that most copywriters work on a per project basis, charging a flat fee for a marketing package. They still insisted on an hourly rate.

An hourly rate is appropriate in many employment situations, among which include:

?????????Manufacturing Operations where workers perform repetitive tasks like assembly, packaging, etc.

?????????Standby or Vigilant duties like those of a security guard.

?????????Customer services like cashiers and front-desk personnel in hotels, stores, etc.

The hourly rate was born of the industrial age where factory operators found it more convenient to pay workers for hours worked than calculating portions of production.

An hourly rate is not appropriate for all workers. Middle management and executive positions, workload can vary considerably on a daily or weekly basis. Such employees are paid a salary. So much a year regardless of the exact number of hours worked. School teachers, considered professionals rather than workers, are also paid a salary.

Copywriters are in a Unique Situation as Far as Pay Goes

Two reasons an hourly rate is not appropriate for copywriters:

It is not possible to know in advance how many hours it will take a copywriter to complete a project. Many projects require research to varying extents. Research is were you cannot tell in advance how many hours you would need.

As a copywriter becomes more experienced, a project can be completed in fewer hours each time. Does this mean a writer would be paid less per project? Or would more experienced copywriter quote a higher hourly rate, appearing less competitive among price shoppers?

It is clear that an hourly rate makes no sense in how much a copywriter should be paid.

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A good rule of thumb is to avoid hourly copywriters, as the best writers work on retainer or a flat rate.

https://copywriters.com/blog/post/should-you-pay-copywriters-hourly-monthly-or-flat-rate

Pay per word or per page does not make sense either. Copywriting is a special writing skill so any “per volume” rate would not be appropriate.?So many cents per word is the standard for magazine articles that merely inform or entertain readers.

Copywriting aims to persuade readers to take a certain action, namely to purchase a product, pay for a service, or subscribe to some periodic publication or service. Number of words depends on how much is needed to convince readers.

Why not charge?by the word?

Copywriting is a professional service, not a commodity. You're not buying text; you are investing in growing your business. The problem with a per-word pricing strategy is that it rarely considers any of the non-writing factors required to produce effective copy and it encourages copywriters to focus on quantity.

https://write-for-business.com/about-us/fees/

How Most Professional Copywriters Are Paid

Monthly Retainer:?Some companies have a newsletter that needs to be written every so often (daily, weekly, etc.) or they need a number of emails written every month. Many companies also market on social media and need a writer to post on a particular platform a few times each week.

Monthly retainers are typically $1,000 to $3,000 per month. Rates are usually at the higher end of the scale for posting blogs or large emails rather than paragraph-length social media posts.?Most retainer work takes about four hours or less per day to complete.?Many freelancers like at least one retainer deal since it assures a steady monthly income.

Flat Rate: Large volume sales letters, web sites, white papers and case studies are charged a fixed fee. There is an element of volume, usually number of pages, but this is more a matter of complexity of what is being marketed.?

Expect a copywriter to charge a lot more for a $699.00 a year investment advisory service subscription than for a $39.00 eBook.

Promotional packages are also charged a flat rate.?Many marketing campaigns require a sales page, an email linked to the sales page, a thank you page, a ppc advertisement, and some space and social media ads. It is common practice to bundle these by taking the price of each deliverable and include a 10 – 15% discount on the total sum of prices of the components of the package.

Number and type of components can vary. Some packages include download pages, payment forms for online credit card purchases, and some even include databases.

Most employers prefer flat rates and monthly retainers to hourly rates. The marketing manager knows in advance what the writing services will cost, provided the manager and copywriter agree on the scope of these services.

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Finding Out Exactly How Much You Should Expect to Pay

It can be a difficult and daunting task to type “copywriter fees” or some similar query into a search engine if you expect a price list.?Seems like every page has its share of explanations, biographies, descriptions… etc. ?You could go down to the fifth page and beyond in the search engine listings and still not find a table of fees for copywriting services.

My best advice is to make a list of copywriters serving companies in your niche. If you provide natural-source medications, add the terms alternative health or health products to your search terms.?Get the names of the copywriters. Visit their websites. If you do not find fees for specific writing services, consider calling or emailing the copywriters, especially if you have needs for an upcoming promotional campaign.

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A Recommended Online Resource:

AWAI’S 2020 COPYWRITING PRICING GUIDE – A State of the Industry Report

This is a pdf document. Download from AWAI (American Writers and Artists Institute).

https://www.professionalwritersalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/rep_AWAI_Copywriting_Pricing_Guide.pdf

For the price per service (component or element) (email, sales page, etc.) in table form, go to pages 27 to 34, (pages 31/58 to 38/58 on the pdf page counter).