Going over budget on hourly copywriting task for client: what to do?

5 replies
Hey guys,

Stupid newbie here again. I took on a job that I thought just involved editing some pre-written sales copy for spelling and grammatical issues. The client said this task would just take a couple of hours.

I briefly skimmed the copy and gave them an estimate of 3 to 4 hours, saying I'd stop and check in if it took longer than 5. The client agreed to pay my normal hourly rate.

Well, after I started, I realized that minor editing wasn't gonna cut it. The website copy wasn't just written by a non-native speaker, it was written by someone who didn't know how to write copy in the first place.

I scrapped just about everything and started rewriting from scratch. Once I hit the 5-hour mark, I stopped logging, checked on my progress, and realized I might actually need 10 to 15 hours to do this.

What do I do now?

I know I could finish this task a lot faster by just editing the poorly-written sales copy that's already there, but I honestly feel terrible about myself whenever I'm providing less than my best effort on writing gigs. I've wanted to be a writer since I was a kid and I'd feel like I was kicking my dream by not giving 100%.

So, how do I explain to this client that I'm gonna have to go way over-budget to provide quality results without earning myself bad feedback?

Or should I even do that?
#budget #client #copywriting #hourly #task
  • Once you realized it was going to take longer than the scope of the original conversation, you now have a brand new deal.

    You should have stopped at that point and gone back to them and said you believe the project is more involved than originally estimated. Say that you can finish the original agreement and that's that, or you could work out a new arrangement for more extensive work.

    You should not have started rewriting from scratch without working out a new agreement, and at least putting together a memo of understanding that outlines what you agreed to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by Written View Post


    So, how do I explain to this client that I'm gonna have to go way over-budget to provide quality results without earning myself bad feedback?

    Or should I even do that?
    Time to bite the bullet.

    Explain to your client just what you've told us. That the copy needs a lot more work than you originally thought. It now looks like 10 - 15 hours.

    Take the blame for the mistake and say you'll just charge for 5 hours.

    I know it's a hard pill to swallow, but making this sacrifice should keep your reputation intact.

    Alex
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    • Profile picture of the author Written
      Thanks, guys.

      To be a little clearer, the client did actually ask for some rewriting--I just didn't realize the extent of the rewriting.

      Alex, I think I'll do what you said.

      The real issue is that I'm awful at estimates and always underestimate the amount of time it will take me to do anything writing-related, so I guess it's time I get punished for that.

      Next time, I think I'll just charge by the word.
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  • It's your call but I wouldn't charge by the word. This isn't content. It's sales copy. You are offering a professional service. Charge what it takes--part of that is coming up with a professional estimate. After that, if it takes longer than you thought, that's called experience.
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    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
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    • Profile picture of the author RRG
      One solution is not to charge by the hour.

      Charge by the project.
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