One of the most crucial questions to ask when you’re just starting out as a copywriter is, how much should I charge for my services?
Do you want to write for businesses or blogs that pay pennies for content? Or do you prefer to work for brands that pay you well for your efforts?
And what makes up for quality content worth paying for?
The answer is – it depends.
Here’s how much you should charge for each type of writing project.
Product Guide Articles
If you’re passionate about a product and want to share your knowledge with the world, you can write an in-depth guide to help others use the product successfully. These types of articles need to be researched and require tons of content to be useful.
You’ll need to decide how much you’re willing to spend on research, and how much you’re willing to spend on writing the guide itself. Once you’ve established a price point for one of these products, you can easily replicate it for other similar products.
Sales Letters
A sales letter is like a mini-marketing plan for your target audience. You’re trying to persuade readers to buy something from you, and you need to grab their attention right away with compelling language and vivid examples.
A polished sales letter can get you 20% to 30% of the way to the sale. Sometimes, all it takes is a few well-written sentences to get the job done. Other times, you need to craft an entire compelling sales pitch. So, it’s up to you to decide how much you’re willing to invest in these materials.
Brochures
A brochure is similar to a sales letter in that it’s designed to grab attention and make the reader want more. But a brochure is more concise and to the point. It gets right to the point, doesn’t it?
A good brochure can do wonders for your marketing efforts. Even though you might not have a lot of money to invest in marketing, a well-designed brochure can get you 80% of the way to the sale. So, it’s important to ask yourself, do I want to spend the money on a decent brochure or would I rather invest in SEO?
A well-designed brochure can help you decide what to put in your budget for marketing efforts. If you do decide to invest, make sure you get a royalty for the product and/or service you promote. Don’t expect your clients to pay you for publishing the brochure. Take the money out of your own pocket. (Just kidding.)
White Papers
An ever-popular choice among business owners and executives who are serious about growing their businesses, white papers are a great way to get the word out about your product or service. You’ll need to do lots of research to ensure that the paper you write is of good quality and makes a professional impression. Just remember that these days, a white paper can be worth thousands of dollars.
The key to charging high prices for your white paper is making sure that it provides a lot of value to your target audience. If you do a lot of research for the paper and spend a long time writing it, make sure that you provide your audience with enough content to justify the high-priced consultancy.
Case Studies
When a company decides to invest in a case study, they’re usually looking for something that’ll help them solve a problem. As the name implies, a case study is a detailed account of a real-life situation in which you played an instrumental role. The case study format can be a great way to show how your product or service helped solve a specific problem and how it benefitted the customer.
For example, if you helped a nonprofit raise $20,000 for a pediatric cancer research program, you could write a case study about that experience. You’d need to do some research into pediatric cancer to understand the problem the organization was trying to solve. Then, you could narrate your role in helping them reach their goal. Don’t expect to make a lot of money from your case studies. In fact, you might end up helping other businesses solve their problem for a free trial.
Blog Articles
A blog article is similar to a product guide article in that it provides valuable information about a specific product or service. But a blog article is different in that it’s frequently updated with new content. This is particularly valuable if you want to stay in front of your audience. If you do a lot of research for the blog article, cite your sources and ensure that your readers can find the information easily. You can also create a lead magnet to draw in potential customers – like a free download or a course that teaches your target audience something new.
Your blog article might go viral and reach thousands of people. With that much attention, you could charge a lot for your services. Just keep in mind that the more you charge, the less you’ll make. So, it’s all about the strategy you choose to follow. Do you want to charge a premium for your content? Or do you want to keep your prices low and generate more volume?
The key takeaway from this article is that, while pricing is a sensitive topic, you should always ask yourself, does this project need to be done NOW? What’s the hurry? If you can hold off on doing a project for a little while, you’ll be able to get more mileage out of it. And what’s more important, the client will have complete faith in your ability to complete the project.