This is Video 4.2

in the course:

Get Paid To Write

Module 4:

How to charge top dollar for

your copywriting work

Learning outcomes:

How to:

• Price your services

• Charge for different mediums

• Get paid for briefings

Learning outcomes:

How to:

• Offer a website audit

• Create a point of difference

• Create a social media calendar

Mediums to write for as a copywriter:

• Blogs

• Print advertisements

• Magazine articles

Mediums to write for as a copywriter:

• Brochures

• Web pages/SEO copy

• Meta tags

Mediums to write for as a copywriter:

• Email newsletters

• Video scripts

• eBooks

Mediums to write for as a copywriter:

• Tender writing

• Product descriptions

• Social media content

Extra services to offer as a copywriter:

• Website audits

• Website strategy

• Website building

Extra services to offer as a copywriter:

• Copywriting audits

• Social media calendars

How to price your services:

• Some people are happy with $150 per day

• Some won’t work for under $5000 per day

• You need to establish your ‘sweet spot’

How to price your services:

• You don’t have to publish your prices

• Publishing your prices will cut down the ‘tyre-kickers’ - this is a good thing but…you can’t increase your price

Best way to establish your price:

• What would you be happy to earn?

• For 10 hours of your time, what would you like to earn?

Best way to establish your price:

• Remember - you won’t get paid for ‘the stuff’ of getting the work - this needs to be accounted for:

• Phone calls• Emails• Briefings• Networking• Overheads etc.

Don’t charge by the hour:

• Hourly rates - invites comparison and doesn’t value your experience

• Create packages instead - get paid for your ability, not how long it takes

• Don’t charge by the word either

Blog writing fees:

• $100-$1000 per blog

• Always quote in packages of 5-10 blogs

Blog writing fees:

• Eg $100 per blog x 10 blogs = $1000

• Write in one sitting - create a blog calendar

Brochure writing fees:

• Quote per page or by the project

• Get word count established first

Brochure writing fees:

• Ask for a guide/sample of what they like already - a picture tells a 1000 words

• A4 - $250 per page - $1000 per page

• 400 words = $150-$1000+

• Always quote in packages of 5-10 newsletters

• Find a sample layout first - quote based on that

Email newsletter writing fees:

Fees for writing web pages:

• Web page: $100 per page - $1000+ per page

• Stipulate word count eg 80 words or 600 words?

Web strategy or briefing fees:

• Fee: $350-$2000+

• Objective - you get paid to do what you’ll have to do anyway when you write the copy for the site

Web strategy or briefing fees:

• Review their site and offer recommendations

• Create a point of difference - charge for it or include it in your service

Web strategy or briefing fees:

Establish:

• Their business goals

• What pages they need

• What style of site they need (provide examples of sites to look at)

Web strategy or briefing fees:

• Establish:

• Objectives for each page

• Call to action for each page

• eBooks or downloads needed to create engagement (more work for you!)

Web audit fees:

• Web audit: review their site and offer recommendations

• Could offer for free as a ‘lead magnet’ to get prospects to know you (or charge for it)

Web audit fees:

• Don’t offer a written report - too long

• Make it easy for you - ‘tick the box’

Web audit fees:

• Research software to do it for you

• ‘Website audit software’

Web audit fees:

• Helps you sell your services

• Reports could look like this…

Website audit:

Web building fees:

• Engage a third party

• Offer a referral system - they pay you for leads

Web building fees:

• You get a commission on the sale

• You manage the project

Web building fees:

• Warning: lots of headaches, price competitive but lots of work

• Best bet - connect with a professional web developer and get them to do the work

Bonus sample letter to send to web developers:

• To encourage them to give you copywriting work

• See downloads

• SEO copywriters can charge up to 50% more per page - depends on how you present it

SEO copywriting fees:

• Always quote in packages of 5-10 pages

• Eg $100 per page x 10 web pages = $1000

• Charge for keyword research: $300-$1000+

SEO copywriting fees:

Title and Description tags:

• $100-$500 per set of tags

• Monthly retainer: $1000 per month for 1 post per day x 30 days = 30 posts = $33 per post

• Weekly fee: $150 per week for 10 posts = $15 per post

Social media content creation fees:

• Weekly fee: 5 hours x $100 per hour = $500 per week

• Can also charge extra for maintaining, commenting, posting on the site

Social media content creation fees:

Create a social media calendar:

It helps:

• You keep track of the work

• You charge more - the client can see the work involved

Create a social media calendar:

• Keep the client future-focussed - not just one post is needed

• Manage the cross-fertilisation of posts between platforms

Word of warning:

Services are generally harder to write for than products:

• Accounting

• Management consulting

• Financial planners

Word of warning:

• Training companies

• Insurance providers

• Natural therapy providers

…can be tricky to write for

Word of warning:

Why?

• The benefits are intangible

• The industries are competitive

• The USPs are hard to identify

Tip: Charge a premium for them

This is the end of Video 4.2

in the course:

Get Paid To Write

Module 4:

How to charge top dollar for your copywriting work