When you’re first starting out as a copywriter, it’s a common question: How much should I charge for my copywriting services? Is £25 per article a reasonable rate? How about £50? It can be a little overwhelming figuring out how much to charge for your services without any client feedback or prior experience to guide you.
Whether you’re a freelancer operating on your own terms or you work within an in-house marketing department, there’s a right answer for how much you should charge for copywriting services – and it’s not what you might think. To figure out how much you should be asking for, you need to put yourself in your client’s shoes and ask yourself some questions.
How Much Should I Charge To Be Reasonable?
The first question you need to ask yourself is: How much should I charge to be reasonable? When considering your fees, ask yourself what your client can afford to pay. If you want to be paid by the hour, add up how many hours you’ll need to put in to complete the project. Bear in mind that copywriting is a service industry and your time is worth money. What is reasonable also depends on your personal circumstances. If you’re new to the industry, ask for feedback from other copywriters and get a sense of what is a fair rate for your services.
Should I Focus On Flat Rates Or Per Hour?
Another question you need to ask yourself is: Should I focus on flat rates or per hour? You have two options here. If you’re worried about maintaining a healthy income, work on a per-hour basis. When you work on a fixed-price basis, you can plan your work more accurately and give your client a sense of relief that the cost of the project will not fluctuate. If you take the per hour route, plan to charge more in the beginning and hope for stability later on when you gain more experience.
Should I Charge More Or Less Than My Peers?
The next question you need to ask yourself is: Should I charge more or less than my peers? This is particularly important if you’re working for a regular client who wants to keep on employing your services. Bear in mind that your peers are other copywriters who you work with or for. They might not all be professional writers so you’ll need to factor that in too. If you want to work within the same field or in a similar role, it’s important to ask yourself how much you should be charging in comparison to others with comparable experience and expertise.
How Many Article Drafts Should I Complete?
Another question you need to ask yourself is: How many article drafts should I complete? The answer to this question will depend on your experience, portfolio, and the project in question. If you’re relatively inexperienced and the project is a complex one, work on an article draft basis. This will mean you’ll need to take on more work than anticipated and you won’t be able to commit to a set number of hours per week. If the project you’re working on is less complex and there’s no rush to turn the finished product over, you can take a more cautious approach and set a number of article drafts you’ll need to complete before the project is done.
What’s My Overall Objective?
Even if you’ve answered all of the questions above, you still might have a niggling doubt. What’s my overall objective? You need to consider your client’s needs and expectations and work towards ensuring they’re met as perfectly as possible. How much should you charge for your copywriting services depends on your personal objectives and the nature of the business you’re in.
It might be to generate a certain amount of revenue, or it might be to grow your client base. The answer will depend on you and what you want out of your copywriting career. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how much you want to charge for your services. And, of course, you have to make sure you’re charging what is reasonable.