COPYWRITING: WHAT IT IS, WHAT TO CHARGE, AND HOW TO FIND GREAT CLIENTS

We are all writers.

If you own a business, if you write an email newsletter, if you use email, if you send texts, if you caption Instagram photos, if you write Facebook posts, you are a writer. We’re not talking about quality, we’re talking about necessity. We are all writers by necessity.

If you’re reading this article, I’m assuming you’re in one or more of a few categories:

You:

1. like to write and want to do it more

2. already write and make money but you’re not sure what you should be charging

3. want to hire a copywriter and don’t know what to pay or how to find one

4. are curious about copywriting and just want to learn more

Great news! This article can help you with all of that.

WHAT IS COPYWRITING

(Hint, not ‘copyrighting.)

cop·y·writ·ing

/ˈkäpēˌrīdiNG/

noun

1. the activity or occupation of writing the text of advertisements or publicity material.

“I’ve started freelance copywriting in the evenings and on weekends”

Copywriting is the act of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action.

When great copy is paired with great design, it’s magic sauce.

Copywriters are responsible for the text on brochures, billboards, websites, emails, advertisements, catalogs, and more. This text is known as “copy.” That’s why a copywriter is often referred to as “a salesman in print.”

What type of work does a copywriter do?

Websites

Email newsletters

Facebook Ads

SEO

Blog posts

White papers

Ghostwriting

Tag Lines

Product Copy

Naming

Social Media

PR

Pitching

Collaborate w/ Design

Product

Marketing

Research

Writes books

Brand voice

Style Guidelines

Copyediting

Business development

Content Strategy*

UX Writing*

Not all copywriters work at an ad agency that’s like Mad Men. You can work for an ad agency, a large corporation, a small business, or for yourself as a freelancer. (That’s what I do!)

HOW TO FIND GREAT CLIENTS

If you’re a freelancer, here are a few tips for finding fantastic client work.

1. Do a side project that makes you so excited you don’t care you’re getting paid.
2. Write. Write a blog, write a book, write Instagram captions, write.
3. Spiffy up your LinkedIn profile
4. Add “copywriter” to your email signature
5. Have a website that clearly states your name, email address, your freelance availability, and what type of writing work you specialize in. (Or would like to specialize in.) Client list helpful.
6. Be on twitter, facebook, and/or instagram and participate in the conversations you’re most interested in. Make friends and be nice.
7. Be great to work with. Like, so great, *everyone* refers you
8. Email short (4–5 sentence) personal* emails to companies you want to work for (*form emails are death. It will be deleted immediately, as it should.)
9. Attend conferences
10. Get a good head shot

WHAT TO CHARGE

There are a lot of different ways to charge but after nine years of freelancing, I’m a convert to value based pricing or VBP.

I love this explanation of value based pricing from Benek Lisefski on Medium:

Value based pricing is a strategy to price your services based on the value your deliverables will bring to your client. Like project pricing, it’s a fixed fee. The difference is in how you arrive at and justify that fee.

An overly simple example: the project you create for your client might net them $100K in new sales. You charge 20% of that ($20K). Any smart client will be willing to invest $20K to earn $100K.

It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to complete the job. The effort you put in is no longer part of the pricing equation.

Let that sink in for a second.

If you practice value-based pricing, the cost your client pays has nothing to do with how long or hard you work.

Disconnecting your earnings from your time is a huge paradigm shift. Selling time is baked in to nearly all service businesses at such a deep level that it can be difficult to fathom all the ramifications of what this strategy changes.

Suddenly that artificial ceiling of hourly billing is gone. Now efficiency is rewarded, and not to the detriment of your client.

Your services are now defined, led, priced, and justified by the goals, outcomes, and overall value of what you create.

All freelancers should be charging on the basis of what value they’re adding to the work, the company, and the overall brand. It’s perfectly fair to charge a different amount to different clients. You should take into account your expertise, your perspective, your skill, geography, logistics, scope, timeline, and the team. Understand your differentiated worth.

Hourly rate punishes you for working efficiently and keeps your work (and value) as a line item for your client. A flat project rate can be convenient for the client up front, but scope creep is real and infuriating. As a freelancer or contractor, you pay your own taxes and don’t have any typical employee benefits.

Here are some sample questions to ask yourself when formulating a quote:

1. What is your value? What unique skills, talents, and experience (life and work) bring to your work? (i.e. Are you a mom working as a copywriter for a small online company selling to moms? If so, YOU are the target market. That’s a huge plus for your client.)
2. Is this a large corporation or a small company?
3. What value will the content you create have on this company’s bottom line?
4. Are you only a copywriter, or more?
5. Do you like working with _____?
6. Will you feel resentful about x amount of money
7. Why do you feel you can’t charge more?
8. Where do you work from/how much is childcare/freelance is > emotional and mental work
9. How much do you need? Then go backwards to figure out your quote.
10. Pro tip: It ALWAYS takes longer than you think.
11. Know your tax rate and prospective annual income
12. How much do you want this job?
13. What’s the turnaround time? Location? Are your services in demand?

Here’s some more advice from a designer who wrote a book about Value Based Pricing that I like:

Charge something, work backwards. Add up all your expenses and the number of hours you want to work in a month, whatever you get, double that. You might overcharge or undercharge but you’ll figure it out as you go along. (Dan Mall https://cushionapp.com/talking-shop/dan-mall)

Figure out what the client wants first, then talk rates.

GENERAL RATES*

$45/hr for junior

$50-$100/hr mid-level

$100-$250/hr experienced

*super important to see these numbers for copywriters looking to be hired and for companies looking to hire. Transparency may help close the gender pay gap.

I can’t put a number on what each person should charge but I would say a good benchmark is feeling a little uncomfy with the rate you’re requesting. Research, research, research. It’s on you to charge what’s fair.

Deposit of 30–50% is typical. First time client, you can request all up front but I stick with 50%.

Outline a contract (you can find great samples in the Creative Lady Collective) and don’t write a single word until you’ve both signed.

Retainers are my favorite thing in the whole world. Allows you to set aside time just for that client, and know in advance when/how much you’ll be paid. Basically, you’re charging a flat fee per week or per month for x services. Like, $1000/mo for 4 newsletters.

Prepare a Rate Sheet. When a potential client gets in touch with you, they may have a budget they have to adhere to. If you have a Rate Sheet ready to go, you can quickly share with them how much you charge for blog posts, white papers, email newsletters, social media posts, video scripts, etc. Tailor it however you like.

RESOURCES

Content Strategy Facebook Group

Content Strategy Slack content-ux.slack.com

Confab conference

Content Strategy by Kristina Halverson

How to write everything by Ann Hardling

Copywriting: Successful writing for design, advertising, and marketing by Mark Shaw

On Writing by Stephen King

Elements of Style by E.B. White

Chicago Manual of Style (The Orange Bible)

Grammarly (add to your browser)

Pricing Design by Dan Mall https://abookapart.com/products/pricing-design

Jessica Hische flow chart, Should I Work For Free? http://www.shouldiworkforfree.com/

You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero

Thanks so much for reading this article on copywriting. Hope it helps! Follow me on Twitter @koswriter and on Instagram @koselicummings. I also write a weekly newsletter called Little Things(subscribe here) and host a weekly podcast (subscribe here).