How Much Should Copywriters Charge?

15 years ago

Evol,

I'm sure others will chime in. There are several threads that have been started on the subject of copy fees.

I could give you the really long, detailed answer about marketing, positioning, etc. But it's late, so I might come back with it later.

Anywho. A lot of copywriters go through a "shameless whore" phase, as John Carlton calls it. Doing cheap jobs to get the ball rolling. Or doing FREE jobs to get some exposure and experience under your belt. Maybe even a recommendation.

If you have results... and are sure of yourself... You're really unlimited.

Jim Rutz charges something like $100,000. I think Dan Kennedy is in the same area.

More commonly, I've seen a lot of skilled writers charging between $8,000 and $20,000 a copy-fee. However, the copy-fee also extends into the marketing consultation arena, where the big bucks are.

Look, I can blather on about this... but if you don't have the right marketing and ask somebody for $10,000 to write them a letter, you're going to get this face:

Pick up "Positioning" by Al Ries and Jack Trout for more enlightenment on this subject.

Because once you have the marketing, the positioning that gets your prospect hot and bothered like a hooker with $400... Well, sky's the limit.

All the best,

Angel

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EvolBaby

15 years ago

Thanks AR!

Those prices are beyond what I had expected but I can see why considering the power of sales copy.

I posted this new thread about the subject to get the latest viewpoints and yours sure hit things square on the jaw!

Writing articles, blog posts, etc. are all viable services and with the continuing explosion of blogs for marketing it doesn't look like there will be a shortage of writers soon. The ROI is extremely high or I wouldn't have the same clients for years on end now and they demand some very advanced SEO tactics and technologies. I learn something every week from my clients regarding those techniques and software they use.

Doing writing for the IM community is a new one on me but I'm sure I'll do well once I get out of the gate.

I didn't realize the power of writing articles until studying WF and now I see why. You can make a fortune writing your own articles for marketing purposes. Producing ebooks and PLRs and more. I'll study more and get organized. One thing I know how to do is write to sell. I do that for many legal firms and nonprofits.

Thanks again for the response.

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Greg Boone, pro copywriter/cartoonist/comic book artist

Copywriting/Article Writing at $2 per 100 words! Cartoons, Comics, T-Shirt Designs!

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maximus242

15 years ago

Depends on your definition of good. İf you can consistently produce good results it would be almost impossible to only make a thousand dollars a month unless you were a dolt.

Really it comes down to can you really sell? If so you should have no problem making a great deal of money. Charge whatever you like.

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EvolBaby

15 years ago

Maximus242, Right on!

That's what I wanted to hear. Now comes the part as I ask IMers what they're looking for, examples of great copy etc..

Delivering the best products possible. I have to do the writing to learn the ropes as well as round out my IMming arsenal. Combining more than one revenue stream keeps the Devil confused.

Producing products, selling products, providing services like toons/graphics, copywriting, promotion ( I'm thinking of booking some of the marketers here on our radio programs ), makes for a well rounded IM foundation I figure.

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Greg Boone, pro copywriter/cartoonist/comic book artist

Copywriting/Article Writing at $2 per 100 words! Cartoons, Comics, T-Shirt Designs!

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topsytoppy

15 years ago

How much should copywriters charge? I guess it all depends on how hard it is to write the copy. For me, there are some copies i can write within 20 minutes and there are some that will take me an hour. you would not expect me to charge the same rate. would you? It all depends.

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Alex Cohen

15 years ago

Originally Posted by EvolBaby

I'm about to toss my hat in the ring writing copy for you IMers.

I've worked in big advertising for years, am a fast writer and editor and
I write for a broad range of subjects.

Comedy, sci-fi, drama, advertising, I cover it all.

I've had a successful writing business for several years now as it's part time for me but brings in great money. It's for the news media niche where I got my start.

The pay scale there is different from IM so I'm asking what good and introductory copywriters in this field should be charging.

With some of my clients it's by the word. Some clients pay by the character but that's for a specialized form of "morphing" that's targeted for blogs and advertising that utilizes the opportunities and technologies of the various search engines.

I'm assuming a good copywriter in the IM game should be making at a minimum $1k a month easy without having to crank out copy day in and day out.

I've got clients who outsource to foreign countries but then come back to me to correct the copy as the foreigners may know English, but aren't as familiar with our idioms, metaphors, slang. Don't get me started on the liabilities of plagiarism too.

So again, what's a good IM copywriter charge and what are you looking for in a copywriter's prices?

To me, quality and meeting deadlines are a must and knowing the value of SEO.

How much value do you bring to the table? If it's $100,000, and you can effectively communicate that to the client, you should have no trouble getting $10,000 or more.

Alex

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