Price of 1 email copy written? (professionally copywritten)

27 replies
This is the best place to ask,

What would the range of prices be of one email to be written by a professional copy writer?

Range - min $ to max $

Do you offer to write these for clients?
how much do you charge for 1?

and 5 (in a 5 series)
#copy #copywritten #email #price #professionally #written
  • David,

    I personally charge around $100 per email. However, I've heard of people charging thousands for an email series.

    I'd estimate I'm on the low end of the scales at the minute! Interested to hear other's responses. I'm also interested in why you ask - planning to start your own copywriting biz? Or looking for a copywriter?


    Ben.
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  • Profile picture of the author ASCW
    For a 5-7 part email series I generally charge around $497.
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    If you want help with copy stuff, pm me.

    Cool.

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  • Profile picture of the author Moriarty
    It all depends on what you want. What's more it's not always the case that you get what you pay for.

    If you're looking to hire, make sure that the person you're hiring is confident and chatty in their style - that is to say, friendly on screen. Because if they aren't, it'll be harder for them to craft a good email for you. So when they respond, make sure it feels great to read. You can dump any that send pro-forma responses that are dull and uninteresting. Coz they ain't trying.

    Hope this helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author jachu2
      Really varies. You're looking at anywhere from $97 at a discounted price to over $297 for a nice looking sales copy. I personally deal with many clients on a daily basis.
      Good Luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    If you are looking for one email then that's a solo ad
    and my typical price is $500. If this was a part of a
    package deal then the pricing may be lower though.

    The study and research needed to do a solo ad is
    basically the same as that for a sales letter. And
    that's where the bulk of my pricing would go. That
    is why if I'm also doing the main sales letter then
    I would give the client a break on the solo ad.

    -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author deezn
    Paul Hancox will write you 7 for $250. I have no idea how he charges that low. It's a steal.
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    • Profile picture of the author Raydal
      Originally Posted by deeznuts View Post

      Paul Hancox will write you 7 for $250. I have no idea how he charges that low. It's a steal.
      Are you sure that he writes them himself? I have no idea myself
      but many writers outsource these jobs.

      Just for emphasis, I have no idea about Paul's business model.

      -Ray Edwards
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      • Profile picture of the author copyassassin
        well, I charge based on whether I can make my monthly alimony payment or not, then factor in how my ponies did for the week, then factor in the alignment of the stars. I then consult with my magic 8 ball.

        So, between $100-1000
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        • Profile picture of the author Raydal
          Originally Posted by copyassassin View Post

          well, I charge based on whether I can make my monthly alimony payment or not, then factor in how my ponies did for the week, then factor in the alignment of the stars. I then consult with my magic 8 ball.

          So, between $100-1000
          I'm surprised you don't include research time, except you are
          saying that the magic 8 ball did that for you.

          -Ray Edwards
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          • Profile picture of the author copyassassin
            Originally Posted by Raydal View Post

            I'm surprised you don't include research time, except you are
            saying that the magic 8 ball did that for you.

            -Ray Edwards
            Written on iPhone. Sorry for horrible than worse grammar.

            Ray. For competivitive niches like weightloss, golf, seduction, where reseach is vital, the follow this protocol:

            Get into deep meditative delta transe to achieve an out of body experience. In my astral projection I enter in Gary b subsoncious to look into his research files. For racy subjects and enter into a deep level of thought and piece the quantum veil and speak to halbert.

            I then do inspection to enter into another deeper layer of emotion.

            I then travel back to the present, do a line of coke to achieve a heighten sense of mental clarity.

            I then write.

            Warning: this level of service is billed at 1,876.45 per email with 12.7% royalties. Client can not change the copy.
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            • Profile picture of the author max5ty
              Originally Posted by copyassassin View Post

              Get into deep meditative delta transe to achieve an out of body experience. In my astral projection I enter in Gary b subsoncious to look into his research files. For racy subjects and enter into a deep level of thought and piece the quantum veil and speak to halbert.

              I then do inspection to enter into another deeper layer of emotion.

              I then travel back to the present, do a line of coke to achieve a heighten sense of mental clarity.

              I then write.

              Warning: this level of service is billed at 1,876.45 per email with 12.7% royalties. Client can not change the copy.
              All that for 1 email?

              Wow, I'll bet your sales letter writing process is a real doozy...
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            • Profile picture of the author art72
              Originally Posted by copyassassin View Post

              Written on iPhone. Sorry for horrible than worse grammar.

              Ray. For competivitive niches like weightloss, golf, seduction, where reseach is vital, the follow this protocol:

              Get into deep meditative delta transe to achieve an out of body experience. In my astral projection I enter in Gary b subsoncious to look into his research files. For racy subjects and enter into a deep level of thought and piece the quantum veil and speak to halbert.

              I then do inspection to enter into another deeper layer of emotion.

              I then travel back to the present, do a line of coke to achieve a heighten sense of mental clarity.

              I then write.

              Warning: this level of service is billed at 1,876.45 per email with 12.7% royalties. Client can not change the copy.
              Wait a minute... was that you head-butting the Akashic Records librarian last week?

              Here i thought I was having an acid flashback, and yet now must ponder the inherent question; "Am I NOT alone in the universe?" - for certainly until now I thought to be the only one who wrote my best while out-of-body!


              All sarcasms aside... I needed a good laugh.

              One day I'll write something so moving it'll retard my starving bank account...simply cause I know; copywriting requires an adequate amount of literacy that perpetuates an unforeseen force, and though sinnister as it may seem...many are governed by the need to be perpetuated!

              On a serious note:

              There's no fixed amount one can apply to a starving writer's motivation. Trust me I know this from personal experience.

              However, I am quite impressed by the responses ranging from $97 -$1874.45, so much as to say; "I need to master copywriting, right now!"

              By God... I've been perpatrated. I mean penatrated. No, perpetuated to get off my arse and start taking my writing more seriously.

              Meanwhile, I cannot seem to put a dollar amount on the OP's question, for as of yet I've never written anything for money.

              When I do... it won't be on fivver!

              I think if it generates sales, $97 is a fair price for a professional copywriter to write a compelling email. After all, well placed words can motivate... as this thread has got my hampster scrambling.
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              • Profile picture of the author copyassassin
                Originally Posted by art72 View Post


                However, I am quite impressed by the responses ranging from $97 -$1874.45, so much as to say; "I need to master copywriting, right now!".
                Pricing is both art and science.

                That's the honest truth.

                One person charges $100 and another person charges a $10,000.00 for the same piece.

                A Washington Post writer asked a famous violinist to preform in the subway.

                Nobody noticed him, at all.

                Put him in tux, in a concert hall, the rich and powerful gladly plan their evening around him.

                Same music, different pricing.

                Pearls Before Breakfast - washingtonpost.com

                The principle appears everywhere in business, including email autoresponders; copywriting fees.

                In my opinion there are two important issues here:

                1) Value
                2) ROI

                If the client is large enough in scale, he can pay a large fee because the value you can provide translates into large dollar amounts. Which gets to ROI.

                The more wealthy and powerful you become, the less risk you're willing to take.

                In other words, large firms go with established copywriters (or professionals of any kind) because they have established a track record of success that is predictable with an acceptable margin of error.

                That's why most pop stars use the same agents, same PR companies, same producers, same everything.

                Or simply put, large firms make smart bets. They'll happily limit upside ROI for less risk on their part.

                Is John Carleton worth 100K?

                To the right firm, with the right budget, he sure is. He's a safe bet.

                Here's what you need to really think about:
                1. Who has the money to pay large fees?
                2. What do you have to do to be credible to them?
                3. How do you get exposure to them?

                Why write for $100 an email, when $10,000 is just as easy?

                Adam
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                • Profile picture of the author iMassMarket
                  A cheap copywriter can't even sell themselves.

                  You get what you pay for. And sometimes... you get a freak'n bargain you would have gladly paid more for.

                  That's how much a copywriter costs.

                  I would worry more about the reward of results than the reward of feeling I'm getting a great deal. A simple rule of thumb that has worked for me in the past is simple.

                  Good copywriters are expensive. Hire them if you can, give them a bonus based on ROI and you'll get great results.

                  Great copywriters are booked.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    Love the answer Adam.

    I just did one for $600.

    I ended up throwing in two more.

    But I've done work for the company before, including a sales letter.

    So the flow was obvious.

    The execution was quick and easy.

    That being said...

    I agree with Ray.

    A solo ad can be an extensive amount of research and interview time.

    As usual.

    The writing is only 10 - maybe 20%.

    Charge accordingly.

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author monstrapecuniam
    Originally Posted by davidkings View Post

    What would the range of prices be of one email to be written by a professional copy writer?

    $5 on Fiverr. Professional copywriters charge more... but who tells you that they don't actually resell stuff bought for $5? That's just the power of globalization, I suppose... I have already come across good quality copywriting for $5 or $10.
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  • Profile picture of the author verial
    If you are asking because you want to get into the business, start your quotes at $100 a pop. I accept all the way down to $50.

    If you are asking because you want to hire, you can usually get a good writer to a good job for around $20 a pop. A professional copywriter will charge somewhere around $50 on average.

    I would opt to go with a writer in leu of a copywriter, just because of the cost-to-benefit ratio. Even the best copywriters will be hard-pressed to get a standard marketing email's conversion rate to above 2% (though many will readily make claims such as 5%-10% conversions).

    The statistics don't lie: Email marketing is pretty vanilla in terms of what you should and shouldn't do. Just teach your writer what to do and save some cash.
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  • Profile picture of the author CopyMonster
    $10: no promises on conversion.
    $100: at least 3% conversion
    $1000: at least 20% conversion
    $5000 + 5%: at least 50% conversion
    100% conversion: on application only...
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    Scary good...
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Ceskavich
    Haha.. copymonster, scary good. That's probably the best Warrior Name / tagline combo I've ever seen.

    - - -

    You guys might be missing the mark.

    Just because your client wants one email or a 7 email autoresponder series doesn't mean it's the best thing for him or for his company.

    In fact, many of these smaller internet businesses could be better served by re-positioning them, coming up with better hooks and figuring out the best way to sell their main product or service.

    You'd have to do this to write compelling email, anyways.

    So unless a company is doing big figures already... why settle for email? Them paying you to write their email while they're throwing away money on the front end is silly. Help them with their business. That was your core promise anyways, wasn't it?
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  • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
    Well ignoring much of the hype and chest-beating above, here's my take:

    1. Single email? No. I simply don't do them unless an add-on to an existing project. That's because the time spent learning about the business model, the product, the competition and all that is just as high as if writing a full-on 20 page salesletter.

    2. My rate for a 7 part autoresponder is the same as my standard rate for a salesletter and for the same reasons - $1500.

    3. If I've already worked with you, especially for the same product, then typically I charge around $100 per email as an add-on service.

    As a CW I find the biggest issue with emails is not spam filters or even the readers, it's the client changing their mind about the content or the order that the emails should be sent. In the early days I'd let clients bully me around as they spent weeks changing their mind. Today I make it very clear I'm the writer and I'll decide the content, the order and even the time intervals!



    Alan C
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  • Profile picture of the author Kreator517
    Originally Posted by davidkings View Post

    This is the best place to ask,

    What would the range of prices be of one email to be written by a professional copy writer?

    Range - min $ to max $

    Do you offer to write these for clients?
    how much do you charge for 1?

    and 5 (in a 5 series)
    I hate to rain on the parade here. but somebody's got to do it.

    You can get unlimited sales copy for any niche for free.

    Professional copywriters at $500-$1000 a head are all well and good for the SME's and corporates, but Dave, I'm 100% positive that, as webmaster, you're inbox is as flooded with sales emails as the rest of ours are.

    There are your free copywriters!

    Are we saying copy/paste? Raid the competitions wisdom? No. That's plagiarism, and you won;t learn anything.

    Plus you might end up DDOS'd at best or sued at worst.

    Just sign up to some of your competitors mailing lists, get a feel for what's working for them, and you ought to be inspired with enough patterns verbiage and to get your own set done in no time.

    Give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and he's fed for life!
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    • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Kreator517 View Post


      I hate to rain on the parade here. but somebody's got to do it.

      You can get unlimited sales copy for any niche for free.

      Professional copywriters at $500-$1000 a head are all well and good for the SME's and corporates, but Dave, I'm 100% positive that, as webmaster, you're inbox is as flooded with sales emails as the rest of ours are.

      There are your free copywriters!

      Are we saying copy/paste? Raid the competitions wisdom? No. That's plagiarism, and you won;t learn anything.

      Plus you might end up DDOS'd at best or sued at worst.

      Just sign up to some of your competitors mailing lists, get a feel for what's working for them, and you ought to be inspired with enough patterns verbiage and to get your own set done in no time.

      Give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and he's fed for life!
      Quite possibly the worst advice I've seen on this forum in a good while.

      Take this advice on board and your business is pretty much doomed.

      There is a reason why copywriters can charge what they do, it's because we get the message not only opened and read but also we get those readers to take a direct call to action increasing bottom line profits hand over fist.

      Suggesting this can be done for free on a DIY basis by simply copying a myriad sales emails in your email inbox is a completely flawed marketing strategy. And terrible advice to share with others on this forum.

      I don't know about other copywriters on this forum but I've had it up to here lately with complete newbies coming in here undermining the huge amount of value we bring to the table.

      In effect, what your ilk are stating, is that the real copywriters here are ripping everyone else off with the service they provide and their 'high' fees cannot in any way be justified.

      You state: "Teach a man to fish and you've fed him for life." Whilst me? I call BS on this statement being used in this context. It's false logic at best. At worst, you can fill in the blanks yourself.

      Your tactic is no way a method of teaching a man to feed himself for life. What your method actually is, is a method to keep that poor old sod starving for life NOT fed for life.

      If you want your SME business to really take off, employing a high quality copywriter will be one of the best investments you can make.

      So tell me 'Kreator517', when was the last time one of your free 'copied' emails brought in 6 figures overnight?

      And you're saying we charge too much? Wow! That's quite the leap you've got going on there. Just pulled this post off the top of your head did you to make yourself appear 'intelligent' when the bottom line is...

      Truthfully, you haven't got the foggiest idea what you're talking about!


      Mark Andrews
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      • Profile picture of the author verial
        Originally Posted by Mark Andrews View Post

        Quite possibly the worst advice I've seen on this forum in a good while.

        Take this advice on board and your business is pretty much doomed.

        There is a reason why copywriters can charge what they do, it's because we get the message not only opened and read but also we get those readers to take a direct call to action increasing bottom line profits hand over fist.

        Suggesting this can be done for free on a DIY basis by simply copying a myriad sales emails in your email inbox is a completely flawed marketing strategy. And terrible advice to share with others on this forum.

        I don't know about other copywriters on this forum but I've had it up to here lately with complete newbies coming in here undermining the huge amount of value we bring to the table.

        In effect, what your ilk are stating, is that the real copywriters here are ripping everyone else off with the service they provide and their 'high' fees cannot in any way be justified.

        You state: "Teach a man to fish and you've fed him for life." Whilst me? I call BS on this statement being used in this context. It's false logic at best. At worst, you can fill in the blanks yourself.

        Your tactic is no way a method of teaching a man to feed himself for life. What your method actually is, is a method to keep that poor old sod starving for life NOT fed for life.

        If you want your SME business to really take off, employing a high quality copywriter will be one of the best investments you can make.

        So tell me 'Kreator517', when was the last time one of your free 'copied' emails brought in 6 figures overnight?

        And you're saying we charge too much? Wow! That's quite the leap you've got going on there. Just pulled this post off the top of your head did you to make yourself appear 'intelligent' when the bottom line is...

        Truthfully, you haven't got the foggiest idea what you're talking about!


        Mark Andrews
        As much as I dislike Mark Andrews for his role as this forum's Negative Nancy, I have to agree with this (the beginning part, not the part where he tries to justify his career).

        Taking copy you "feel" is good and altering it for your business has at least two fundamental problems:

        1) You have no idea for whom this copy was written. The marketer's audience and your audience likely differ by a large margin. In addition, he is probably focusing on completely different demographics than you are (e.g., young women vs. poor college students). You also don't know if this copy is a control or a test.

        2) Someone who needs copy is not a profession copywriter himself. Ergo, he has no idea what good copy looks like. Picking out one of the "good" sales letters from your email box is difficult in this manner. You might be picking out a dud.
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        • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
          Banned
          Originally Posted by verial View Post


          As much as I dislike Mark Andrews for his role as this forum's Negative Nancy ... (the beginning part, not the part where he tries to justify his career).
          Pardon me? Come again?

          First, the rules of the forum state no name calling.

          Second, feel welcome to criticize me when you yourself start actually posting up something resembling quality advice on this forum (which actually makes sense) instead of the garbled written English and the most dreadful copywriting advice you're prone to spouting off at every opportunity.

          Third, when you've provided as much value on this forum and elsewhere as I have, when you start posting up the same level of high quality advice, when your thanks to post ratio is well above your appallingly low ratio / score, then and only then, do feel welcome to start poking others with a stick.

          Fourth, if you're an 'applied psychologist' as you state elsewhere online - then I must be the Messiah preparing for the second coming.

          Seriously man, you can hardly string a coherent written sentence together let alone going around criticizing other forum members and calling them names - you sir are a complete joke.

          Seriously, what planet are you on? :rolleyes:


          Mark Andrews
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  • Profile picture of the author wvcopywriter
    I charge $100 per email. I have had special discounts for holidays, that when good. But my set price is $100 a copy. May be raising next year.
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    Don't have the time to write emails that will get opened, read and your reader to take action then leave me a message. I will get back to you within 48 hrs.

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    • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
      Banned
      Originally Posted by wvcopywriter View Post


      I charge $100 per email. I have had special discounts for holidays, that when good. But my set price is $100 a copy. May be raising next year.
      When marketing yourself trying to position yourself as an expert copywriter, one of the first things you want to help create is trust in your copywriting abilities. This will obviously aid your credibility.

      Talking of which, do you think your above posted up comment helps your credibility? Do you think it helps to create more trust in you as a copywriter?

      Perhaps you need to proofread your reply again? Because I'm as certain as can be, your reply doesn't make any sense in the English language at all. What does this mean exactly?...

      "I have had special discounts for holidays, that when good."

      Pardon me? Only you've completely lost me there and probably near everyone else too. "I have had special discounts for holidays, that when good." Does this honestly make perfect sense to you? (The next sentence down isn't much better either come to that).

      If in just two very short lines of written English you're unable to make sense, how on earth are you going to cope writing an entire marketing email for a prospective client to help their business grow?


      Mark Andrews
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