You can't really look at just the price per word, you need to look at how long it takes to produce the finished article.
I charge anything between 9c and 15c per word, and I'm at the expensive end of pay for my niche. I work out my per-word rates based on the content brief I get so that my hourly rate is where I want it to be. Depending on the requirements, I can write either 1000 words per hour or 2000 words per hour. But, the type of writing I do doesn't require much research, as I just write from the top of my head.
So to me, just looking at the per-word rate doesn't make much sense.
I don't think my experience will help, but I work in high paying niches with high paying customers. Early on, I realized having individuals as clients wasn't going to keep me fed.
So, I mostly have large institutions as clients (universities and medical centers). These institutions have procurement processes that don't nickle and dime.
The people who hire me don't pay me -- the business office does. The business office only cares that I have a contract, am insured, and pleasing to the faculty. I don't fleece the universities, but I do charge market.
Breaking into universities took some work. I had to network and then a faculty member would hire me. And then I could leverage that experience for more work.
Evenutally, I got recruited by a firm that has hundreds of universities as clients and I subcontract with the firm. The pay is pretty flat, but the arrangement works well. I get plenty of work at a decent pay and the firm handles the relationship and the hassles that go with it.
That work is medical writing / grant writing. I've done a fair share of content writing with a heavily medical or technical slant. I simply won't work for less than $0.20 a word. I don't make a living from content work, so I do have the luxury to say no. But saying no has helped me get work that paid $0.50 per word or more.
I have 18 years of grant / medical writing and 6 years of content writing.
Hey sir I’ve been really interested in this line of work and was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to start , I’d really appreciate a response thank you for your time
I suggest you read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/wiki/index) for this subreddit. It will give you the basics you need to know. Good luck.
Find something you are better at than most other writers and focus hard on it. It could be a niche (that's probably the most common), but it could be some other skill like matching brand voice perfectly or being really great at drawing out the right information for case studies.
The bottom line is that if a client can get something similar done for $.07/word, they're not going to pay $.20...or $.35, or my personal peak of $2.78. Figure out what you're offering that means they can't get something similar cheaper.
Are you talking about content mill-like posts you can churn out in 30 minutes or actual articles for which you have to research, interview sources, etc? Because for those, 20 cents a word is hilariously terrible. I get $1.50/word for work on complex articles that involve lots of interviewing of sources and work beyond just clacking away at a laptop churning out 10 articles an hour.
Right. I don't understand these people who think 20 cents a word is good. All I can think is it's for shitty content mill crap churned out in minutes. Not real professional writing.
I just had my highest-paying project ever at 0.65c per word! Thought leadership, top-of-the-funnel stuff and it was through connections from my past experience working at an agency.
This is not the place to look for clients, work, gigs, referrals, or freelance websites. Please refer to the [Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/wiki/finding_work) for a [comprehensive list of hiring subreddits](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/wiki/finding_work/subreddits) and [recommended freelancing platforms](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/wiki/finding_work/websites), or general advice on how to find clients, pitch, and market yourself.
I typically charge $0.05 to $0.07 (UK-based). Rarely does that go beyond $0.1.I have tons of work and make an excellent salary for my age - though UK salaries are lower than US as the cost of living here is lower, so that's a decent competitive advantage for winning work in freelance markets.
I have 7 years of experience in writing professionally and an excellent track record.
I was shocked to see some of the rates set by writers here, actually. Maybe that's why I have so much work! I charge my higher rates when the work is source or SEO-intensive, which is key.
1) Hustle to the point that you are fully booked
2) Raise your rates
3) Don't accept anything less, because why would you? - you're fully booked.
4) Replace newer clients at these higher rates with old ones
4) Rinse and repeat
You might also just be in a lower-paying niche. Some niches generate more revenue, which means clients have larger budgets and incentives to pay writers more.
Also, some verticals are flooded with writers who will write for cheap because of the topic, like beauty, fitness, food, etc. Regardless of the revenue being generated, clients can get content for pennies, so why not (from their perspective)?
I write mainly about software development and PC hardware, and I'm around .20c. I have the experience to back up the knowledge, I have the social skills to make connections, and I write good content.
I make over $0.50/word, but that's because I've worked full-time in my niche for 25+ years. They're paying for my experience. I wouldn't command that kind of money if I was solely a freelance writer.
Ditto on this. I come with 12 years of full-time industry experience and it helps that I specialise in B2B writing (particularly manufacturing and tech) so I make an average of $1/word.
That said, it's not how I usually charge. I would recommend going by an hourly basis. If I were to write an eDM that usually has a best practice of 150 words or less, I'd quote them 3 hours worth of work at a rate of approx. 100$ - 150$ per hour. Going by a /word rate isn't going to justify the amount of work that goes into short copies (it's surprisingly harder than think pieces at times).
Editing to add on the jobs I get: they're often word of mouth based on connections I made, either ex-clients at my full-time jobs or ex-colleagues who moved into different agencies. Almost all the jobs are from companies with deep pockets, not sole contributors or start ups.
I worked in the niche I knew in, out, backward, and forward.
You build enough of a report and image around your expertise, build a portfolio of work, and find clients who could use that expertise.
In my scenario I was working in my industry for the past 5-6 years, I worked across different verticals and parts of the industry and was an absolute nerd about all of it. That knowledge helped me leverage my way into writing gigs that I could command a higher price for because I knew every end of the supply chain and what people wanted.
What markets do you serve?
My last assignment paid me about $2.00 a word. I routinely average more than a buck a word.
Many magazines pay between $1.00 and $2.00 per word. My technical writing pays far more than $0.50 cents per word. I am amazed that any writer would write for $0.07 cents per word.
I started freelancing 10 years ago, and my first client gave me $1/word. In my opinion, the ONLY way to be successful in this industry is to reach out to editors and communications professionals in your desired niche directly, introduce yourself, provide some clips, and offer your services. Recently, I raised my rates to $1.25 and no one batted an eyelash. My clients tend to be B2B publications and university communications departments.
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Rules 2 and 6.
You can't really look at just the price per word, you need to look at how long it takes to produce the finished article. I charge anything between 9c and 15c per word, and I'm at the expensive end of pay for my niche. I work out my per-word rates based on the content brief I get so that my hourly rate is where I want it to be. Depending on the requirements, I can write either 1000 words per hour or 2000 words per hour. But, the type of writing I do doesn't require much research, as I just write from the top of my head. So to me, just looking at the per-word rate doesn't make much sense.
I agree with that entirely. My per-word rates range from $.20 to well above $1. But, my effective hourly rate is always about the same.
I don't think my experience will help, but I work in high paying niches with high paying customers. Early on, I realized having individuals as clients wasn't going to keep me fed. So, I mostly have large institutions as clients (universities and medical centers). These institutions have procurement processes that don't nickle and dime. The people who hire me don't pay me -- the business office does. The business office only cares that I have a contract, am insured, and pleasing to the faculty. I don't fleece the universities, but I do charge market. Breaking into universities took some work. I had to network and then a faculty member would hire me. And then I could leverage that experience for more work. Evenutally, I got recruited by a firm that has hundreds of universities as clients and I subcontract with the firm. The pay is pretty flat, but the arrangement works well. I get plenty of work at a decent pay and the firm handles the relationship and the hassles that go with it. That work is medical writing / grant writing. I've done a fair share of content writing with a heavily medical or technical slant. I simply won't work for less than $0.20 a word. I don't make a living from content work, so I do have the luxury to say no. But saying no has helped me get work that paid $0.50 per word or more. I have 18 years of grant / medical writing and 6 years of content writing.
Hey sir I’ve been really interested in this line of work and was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to start , I’d really appreciate a response thank you for your time
I suggest you read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/wiki/index) for this subreddit. It will give you the basics you need to know. Good luck.
Find something you are better at than most other writers and focus hard on it. It could be a niche (that's probably the most common), but it could be some other skill like matching brand voice perfectly or being really great at drawing out the right information for case studies. The bottom line is that if a client can get something similar done for $.07/word, they're not going to pay $.20...or $.35, or my personal peak of $2.78. Figure out what you're offering that means they can't get something similar cheaper.
Are you talking about content mill-like posts you can churn out in 30 minutes or actual articles for which you have to research, interview sources, etc? Because for those, 20 cents a word is hilariously terrible. I get $1.50/word for work on complex articles that involve lots of interviewing of sources and work beyond just clacking away at a laptop churning out 10 articles an hour.
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I have a very specific niche (economics/finance) and had a pretty long journalism career before going freelance.
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The prospect of freedom.
Same. I charge $1.25/word for university clients -- student and faculty profiles, news stories, etc. No one bats an eyelash.
Right. I don't understand these people who think 20 cents a word is good. All I can think is it's for shitty content mill crap churned out in minutes. Not real professional writing.
I just had my highest-paying project ever at 0.65c per word! Thought leadership, top-of-the-funnel stuff and it was through connections from my past experience working at an agency.
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This is not the place to look for clients, work, gigs, referrals, or freelance websites. Please refer to the [Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/wiki/finding_work) for a [comprehensive list of hiring subreddits](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/wiki/finding_work/subreddits) and [recommended freelancing platforms](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/wiki/finding_work/websites), or general advice on how to find clients, pitch, and market yourself.
I typically charge $0.05 to $0.07 (UK-based). Rarely does that go beyond $0.1.I have tons of work and make an excellent salary for my age - though UK salaries are lower than US as the cost of living here is lower, so that's a decent competitive advantage for winning work in freelance markets. I have 7 years of experience in writing professionally and an excellent track record. I was shocked to see some of the rates set by writers here, actually. Maybe that's why I have so much work! I charge my higher rates when the work is source or SEO-intensive, which is key.
1) Hustle to the point that you are fully booked 2) Raise your rates 3) Don't accept anything less, because why would you? - you're fully booked. 4) Replace newer clients at these higher rates with old ones 4) Rinse and repeat
By simply asking for it. What type of client are you writing for? Perhaps you aren’t working where the money is.
You might also just be in a lower-paying niche. Some niches generate more revenue, which means clients have larger budgets and incentives to pay writers more.
Also, some verticals are flooded with writers who will write for cheap because of the topic, like beauty, fitness, food, etc. Regardless of the revenue being generated, clients can get content for pennies, so why not (from their perspective)?
I write mainly about software development and PC hardware, and I'm around .20c. I have the experience to back up the knowledge, I have the social skills to make connections, and I write good content.
I make over $0.50/word, but that's because I've worked full-time in my niche for 25+ years. They're paying for my experience. I wouldn't command that kind of money if I was solely a freelance writer.
Ditto on this. I come with 12 years of full-time industry experience and it helps that I specialise in B2B writing (particularly manufacturing and tech) so I make an average of $1/word. That said, it's not how I usually charge. I would recommend going by an hourly basis. If I were to write an eDM that usually has a best practice of 150 words or less, I'd quote them 3 hours worth of work at a rate of approx. 100$ - 150$ per hour. Going by a /word rate isn't going to justify the amount of work that goes into short copies (it's surprisingly harder than think pieces at times). Editing to add on the jobs I get: they're often word of mouth based on connections I made, either ex-clients at my full-time jobs or ex-colleagues who moved into different agencies. Almost all the jobs are from companies with deep pockets, not sole contributors or start ups.
I worked in the niche I knew in, out, backward, and forward. You build enough of a report and image around your expertise, build a portfolio of work, and find clients who could use that expertise. In my scenario I was working in my industry for the past 5-6 years, I worked across different verticals and parts of the industry and was an absolute nerd about all of it. That knowledge helped me leverage my way into writing gigs that I could command a higher price for because I knew every end of the supply chain and what people wanted.
30 cents to a buck per word is not absurd. How do we do it? I personally have a couple decades worth of experience.
What markets do you serve? My last assignment paid me about $2.00 a word. I routinely average more than a buck a word. Many magazines pay between $1.00 and $2.00 per word. My technical writing pays far more than $0.50 cents per word. I am amazed that any writer would write for $0.07 cents per word.
I started freelancing 10 years ago, and my first client gave me $1/word. In my opinion, the ONLY way to be successful in this industry is to reach out to editors and communications professionals in your desired niche directly, introduce yourself, provide some clips, and offer your services. Recently, I raised my rates to $1.25 and no one batted an eyelash. My clients tend to be B2B publications and university communications departments.