Recently I’ve had some questions from people who had asked for a copywriting quote. They had gone away and compared quotes for what appeared to be similar jobs, and found the total cost was different.
How could that be?
Well even though the copywriting jobs looks similar on the face of it, the work required on my part can be quite different.
Here are just some of the factors which influence a copywriter’s pricing.
- How difficult is the topic?
What does the client do? What does she want from the piece of writing? How difficult is the topic? How long will it take to understand what I’m writing about? What level of knowledge or expertise will the readers already have? In some cases, I would need to put in some time to research the business and then get my head around the topic before I even start to write.
- How much research will I need to do?
Once I have my head around the topic, it is time to do some research so I can begin to map out the content. What is happening currently? What is the recent thinking? Have there been discoveries recently I should know about? Who are the key influencers in the field and what are they doing or saying?
- What material will the client supply?
Will I be starting from scratch or will I have a “head start” on the writing? If the client is supplying a lot of information, it may reduce the amount of time I need to use up in research.
- How big is the project?
Do you have the same word or chapter requirement? The longer or more detailed the piece of writing, the more it costs because it takes longer to research and write.
- How much time will I use up in client contact?
Do we need to meet? If so, I need to factor in travel time. Will we need to Skype regularly in order to work on content or seek their input? The more time involved with interviews or follow ups, the more it adds to the overall cost.
- How quickly do I need to work?
A tight deadline attracts higher fees because I need to work longer hours to get the work done on time – and that’s at the cost of other work which will come in during that time.
- How can I be fair about the quote?
When my colleagues or I prepare a copywriting quote, we intend to be very fair about it. This is our livelihood so we need to be paid a fair price for our work. Equally, you deserve to be given the best price we can give you. So creating a quote isn’t fast or easy. That’s why we can’t quote on the spot. It takes a lot of thought and balance to get right.
As you can see, preparing a quote isn’t as straight forward as it looks. There are a lot of factors to take into account. Just because you both want articles or eBooks written, it doesn’t follow that you will end up with the same price.
Think of it this way. Despite both being fruit, apples and oranges flourish in different care environments. Similarly, despite both being in business, you both need different care in order to get the most out of the copy. That’s why your quotes are not likely to be the same.