It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned professional or fresh out of college. When it comes to writing for money, there is always one question you need to ask yourself: how much should I charge?
The short answer: it depends. But the longer answer is a little more complicated. Let’s dive in.
The Cost Of Creating Headline Copy
The cost of creating headline copy can vary widely depending on a number of factors. One of the most important factors is how much you are willing to pay for the privilege of seeing your article in print. If you are considering a paid publication, then the cost of the article will be determined by an editorial board. For a wire service such as Reuters or The Associated Press, the cost of the article is often determined by the submission fees charged to the news agency. For a blog post, the cost will be whatever you want to charge.
In some cases, you may decide to simply copy and paste the news story from another source. In those cases, you will obviously not have to write any new content. You will just have to find the article and cut and paste it into your own blog post. The cost of this is usually negligible. It can be as low as zero in the case of a wire service or a major news publication.
The Cost Of Researching And Filtering The Truth
The cost of researching and filtering the truth can be high. If you have decided to write a factual article about a topic you are not familiar with, then you will have to do plenty of research. But beyond the cost of the research, there is also the cost of taking the time to verify your facts. Sometimes, getting the facts right can be a painstaking process. You have to filter through a lot of garbage to find the few diamonds in the rough.
For example, let’s say you are writing an article on the top 5 ski resorts in the world. You have probably never skied in your life, but you somehow stumble upon the topic while doing research for some other article. You begin your search and find out that Tignes in France hosts one of the longest ski runs in the world. This information changes the entire tenor of your article. You now have a fact to back up your claims. But to verify that this is indeed the longest ski run in the world, you have to do some more research. You have to look it up in a skilookup or visit the French Alpine Club to get the official record.
This is where the costs quickly add up. If you have decided to write an article about a topic you are familiar with, then the costs are generally lower. But even then, it is still very costly to get every detail right. Sometimes, the best you can do is create an informative list of tips or suggestions for people who are interested in the topic.
The Cost Of Writing For The Wrong Audience
If you decide to write for the wrong audience, the costs can quickly add up. For example, if you decide to write for a very wealthy person who spends a lot of money on luxury goods and expensive restaurants, then the costs of researching and pitching the story will be more than worth it. This is because, for the most part, they will not be interested in your product or service. They will simply want to enjoy your content and maybe learn something from it.
However, if you decide to write for a much larger audience, then the costs can become significantly less. The reason being is that your audience is more likely to be interested in your content. Therefore, you can often get away with not having to do as much research and fact-checking as you would for a more targeted group. Sometimes, it just takes a little bit of luck to find the right audience for your content.
How Much Should You Charge?
Okay, so you have started to see how expensive creating headline copy can be. Now that you know the costs, you can ask yourself the important question: how much should I charge?
You can start by taking into consideration how much time you actually spent on the article. When you factor in all the research, fact-checking, and writing, you will have a general idea of how much you should charge for your work. You should also take into consideration how well you performed on the article. Did you meet your deadlines? Did you follow the rules of the publication you were working for? How was the story distributed – did you send it to the right people? These are all questions that should play a part in your estimation of how much you deserve to be paid for the article. After all, you put in a lot of work and deserved at least some recognition for it.
Remember: the purpose of this article is to give you a general idea of how much you can charge for your service. Every situation is different and there are many factors that you should consider. But this should give you a good indication of how much you can charge.