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Do you charge by the project or by the hour?

by gemm24
7 replies
Hey all, re-entering the copywriting world after some time away. Curious about how everyone prices their jobs. And, if it's not too personal, what's your hourly rate? About 15 yrs ago I charged $50/hr. I'm shocked to see sites like eLance and Odesk paying pennies for content work (which I'm not interested in.) Was a copywriter for several major ad agencies so I have some creds and lots of published work. But that was before email blasts, annoying banners and social media marketing.
#charge #hour #project
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by gemm24 View Post

    Hey all, re-entering the copywriting world after some time away. Curious about how everyone prices their jobs. And, if it's not too personal, what's your hourly rate? About 15 yrs ago I charged $50/hr. I'm shocked to see sites like eLance and Odesk paying pennies for content work (which I'm not interested in.) Was a copywriter for several major ad agencies so I have some creds and lots of published work. But that was before email blasts, annoying banners and social media marketing.
    If you want high copywriting fees, position yourself effectively in the marketplace and charge by the project.

    Those who charge by the hour commoditize themselves. And I'm sure you know who wins that game.

    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I charge flat rates for all my work. Then the client knows what they're paying upfront and can budget accordingly. I NEVER do an hourly rate job.
    Signature

    Cheers, Laurence.
    Writer/Editor/Proofreader.

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  • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
    An interesting quote I recently read is that people hire top copywriters for their thinking, not for their writing skills.

    While I think that quote applies to top people in most fields, it adds some perspective on what copywriters are actually charging for. I seriously doubt people can charge an hourly rate for their thinking.

    Marvin

    P.S. Another way I've heard it said is people can steal my ideas, but they cannot steal how I think
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    • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
      Originally Posted by Marvin Johnston View Post

      An interesting quote I recently read is that people hire top copywriters for their thinking, not for their writing skills.

      While I think that quote applies to top people in most fields, it adds some perspective on what copywriters are actually charging for. I seriously doubt people can charge an hourly rate for their thinking.

      Marvin

      P.S. Another way I've heard it said is people can steal my ideas, but they cannot steal how I think
      By project of course.

      Ultimately, your clients need to know that they're not paying you for your time or for the amount of words you write. They're paying for the end result, which depends on the amount of experience and expertise you bring to the table.

      Time spent on the project is completely irrelevant. Any client who doesn't get this, probably isn't worth writing for, and the faster and more effective you get, the more you'll be penalizing yourself for charging by the hour anyway.

      Case in point, last month, I wrote a classified ad for a business coach in Australia. 45 words total...took me about 20 minutes to write. She paid $75 to publish it and she's got three new clients already -- probably several leads too.

      That's $7,500 ROI...and that's NOT including the leads which will convert over the next 30 to 90 days OR the clients she'll get from running that ad for the next 6 months...or re-running it in other print publications.

      Now, tell me, how much would YOU have charged her?
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      • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
        Originally Posted by sethczerepak View Post

        Case in point, last month, I wrote a classified ad for a business coach in Australia. 45 words total...took me about 20 minutes to write. She paid $75 to publish it and she's got three new clients already -- probably several leads too.

        That's $7,500 ROI...and that's NOT including the leads which will convert over the next 30 to 90 days OR the clients she'll get from running that ad for the next 6 months...or re-running it in other print publications.

        Now, tell me, how much would YOU have charged her?
        That sounds like the perfect situation to be charging a base fee plus a percentage of sales generated.

        Marvin
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  • Profile picture of the author gjabiz
    As a Creative Marketing Professional, I like to be more involved in products than just the copy end of things.

    Now, there are many times when copy is needed, wanted and it takes a certain style or familiarity with what the client wants.

    For example, a full page newspaper ad is a different animal than a WSO.

    With your background you may want to consider more than just copy, because you know agency clients work on longer term contracts.

    But, I ageee, for freelancers, a project quote is the way to go, however, if you bring more to the table than just copy, consider a more comprehensive contract.

    gjabiz
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  • Profile picture of the author Curtis2011
    I don't sell copywriting, but the best copywriters most definitely charge by project and not by hour.

    A few years ago at one of Eben Pagan's events, Frank Kern said he charged $25,000 to rewrite the sales page + product launch emails of some other guru's new product before it launched.
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