Why are content writing rates so high?
Most people who are looking for content writing services want a deal. They want cheap writing, with $0.01-0.05 or up to $75 for 1,000 words popping up often. Even large companies allocate mere pennies for their freelance writers. It’s all pretty ridiculous.
Although many prospective clients believe these are generous rates, they amount to crumbs for freelance content writers. Why?
These rates force content writers to work rapidly and incessantly since they need to complete multiple projects per day to afford to live. This inevitably rushes your content, leaving you with exactly what you paid for: cheap labor for cheap results.
So, how do you balance your budgeting needs with quality content writing? This guide will walk you through the ins and outs of freelance writing rates and how to navigate price-shopping without exploiting your future content provider.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
The basics of freelance writing rates
The “best” pricing structure for content writing is and will always be an ongoing debate. You'll find that it varies per individual. While some freelance writing rates are charged per project, other freelance writers structure their rates per word. Many use a combination of these methods, depending on the project and contract.
Further, writers’ rates differ dramatically. While cheap service providers on UpWork reluctantly work for pennies, others are confident charging one dollar or more per word.
It’s easy to see why prospective clients get confused. And though you may want to pay your writer a fair rate, you don’t want to break the bank.
That said, aiming for the low end of just a few cents per word is not sustainable and inevitably leads to burnout, for reasons we’ll get into later. Still, you may not be convinced that you should go for the more expensive services either. I’d argue that if you’re thinking the latter, you’re not fully aware of what’s going into your content. This should help clear up the details of the average freelance writing pay.
Why are content writing prices so high?
Think about everything that goes into content creation. For example, when writing a blog, a high-quality writer will research the subject matter and relevant market and industry trends, look into target audience language and pain points, determine search intent, and gather SEO data, primarily. These steps take time and can’t be done in an hour or less.
For example, the agenda for a basic content writing assignment (e.g., 1,000-1,500 words, no interviews or videos) with on-page optimization and mock-up graphics, would ideally look like this:
So, that’s the base layer of the costs. After that, consider all the tools your writer uses to develop your content. For most of my clients, I use:
Ahrefs: At least $99 monthly
Copyscape Premium: Prices vary per search
Grammarly: About $20 monthly
I also rely on networking tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or organization memberships to contact interviewees, along with the occasional use of surveying tools like SurveyMonkey.
These are only a handful of the resources needed to sustain a business in this industry, and all of them are factored into the freelance writer fees.
Of course, writers’ toolboxes and strategies vary. Some may not use software like this at all. In all these cases, you must also consider the writer’s experience level and service types, primarily, when evaluating their price offers.
All this said, content writing is a serious investment. It’s an ongoing marketing necessity that requires a healthy budget, patience, and dedication. And with the right writer and distribution strategy, you’re sure to yield high returns.
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The building blocks of a terrible content writing budget
Let’s be real: It’s hard to make a content marketing budget. Pricing differs widely between writers, industries, and even webpage types. And although you’ve probably heard quality writers say “cheap prices get you cheap content,” you’ve likely stumbled upon some serious talent with low costs once or twice.
Hey, it happens. But believe me—it doesn’t last long.
Let’s say you go for one of paths most traveled by offering a rate of $0.01-0.05 per word. To some, the higher end sounds generous: One thousand words for $50 or less is a steal (literally)! To seal the deal, you might expect your writer to complete 500-1,000 words per hour. This maximizes your savings and ensures your writer keeps churning out as much content as possible.
Will it be good content? Honestly... probably not. And I say that as someone who used to scrounge at these rates. But you’d likely expect revisions on those subpar articles without additional pay.
To many prospective clients, this sounds like a pretty standard agreement. And hey, it may even sound tempting to up-and-coming freelance writers who are stuck in the pits of $20 for 1,000+ words. Still, this type of working arrangement is highly unsustainable. Here’s why.
Speed
Anything above 300-400 words per hour is not realistic. Now, hear me out: Your writer might be one of those people who can type super fast. Your onboarding training video or “new writer” guidelines might even provide tips on “how to write fast.”
A popular standard is the “research as you write” technique. Writers are told to use the first 15 minutes of the writing session to do basic web research on the topic. Skim competitor articles and take a peek at the “People Also Ask” section to throw together an intro and outline. Then take the next one to one-and-a-half hours to fill out the body of up to 1,250 words, researching as you go.
Supporters of this method will have you think this is efficient time use. But it’s not. It’s rushing. And this technique will surely yield sloppy, inaccurate content every time.
Why? Because your service provider will inevitably get burned out. Below-average freelance writer rates and unreasonable expectations force them to produce several articles per day just to keep up with their bills (including business costs).
Imbalanced costs
Everybody deserves to earn at least a living wage. That’s why insisting on a $0.01-0.05 per word rate is so problematic.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a living wage in the United States as of 2020 is $16.54 per hour ($68,808 per year) for a family of four. On the other hand, a single person would need to earn between $26,225 to almost $42,000.
Now, pit your proposed range of freelance writing pay rates against this very basic estimate of what a living income should be:
The following example is based on my real-life experience working for content mills.
How many articles do you need weekly or monthly? When I was scrounging at the start of my freelance writing career, I could reach up to 1,000 words per hour. Sure, this could mean I earn about $20-ish in just over an hour. But this rate was only sustainable if I got enough daily assignments, meaning I needed to have multiple clients to support myself, thereby adding to the workload. The perfect recipe for severe burnout (which came in only a few weeks).
Are you prioritizing content quality? On that note, writing up to 1,000 per hour meant that I was spinning if it wasn't my stream of consciousness. Unfortunately, some clients specifically requested spinning. I conceded because I was a beginning ghostwriter who didn’t understand the severity of what I was doing (spinning is essentially plagiarism). Ask yourself if you want original, quality content—which takes more time—or a bunch of thrown-together or pretty-much-plagiarized words to “rank.”
Are you a competitor copycat or an original content producer? If you want to play copycat by replicating your competitors’ blogs and formatting, I’ll just say that it’s best to write the content yourself. Clients who lack a unique vision for their content wind up micromanaging to emulate their competitors’ blogs in formatting, language, subtopic choices, and more. Plus, you likely haven’t factored in the costs for the writer’s research into the subject matter and target audience search intent, among other things needed to develop unique content, leading to underpayment.
A heavy workload
A writer earning an average living wage—equivalent to a weekly income of $661.60—would need to write between 13 1,000-word articles at $0.05/word to 66 1,000-word articles $0.01/word every week. That is a massive workload to sustain over an extended period.
I know. I’ve done it. Take a look at what an average month of a moderate workload used to look like for me before I transitioned to my new rates. (And this isn’t even a complete calendar.) Every week—every DAY—was packed full to the brim with assignments. I hardly got enough time to think about what I was writing, though I still managed to squeeze out quality articles due to obsessive overworking, often leading to 50-60-hr weeks.
Now, you might say, “Well, they don’t have to write for me full-time. They can supplement with other contracts!”
Of course, they can. But when so many prospective clients think this way, your writer is left with few choices. All they can do is acquire as many low—or moderate—pay agreements as possible to support themselves.
These working conditions invite disorganization, confusion, exhaustion, and communication problems. There’s no way a content writer can keep track of all their subject matters, client voices, styles, and standards, and have enough time for editing and revising when they’re blazing through assignments at this rate.
It’s no wonder so many freelancers succumb to burnout so often.
Such a climate puts your writer under constant pressure. They’re expected to turn out high-quality content with little to no time to research the topic or target audience for pennies. And to make matters worse, when the articles inevitably don’t perform well, you won’t be happy with the copy, necessitating even more work or worse—jeopardizing the contract altogether.
Urgency
Too many business owners turn to content writers when they’re at their wit’s end. They haven’t had traffic in a while, and may have heard that SEO is a quick fix to rankings and visibility. But reality sets in after the first few blogs are published and there isn’t an immediately noticeable difference in traffic.
Clients in these scenarios often default to two lines of thinking:
What went wrong in the content creation and SEO?
Did the writer oversell their services?
These are natural knee-jerk responses. Nevertheless, both are equally ridiculous.
To the first point: Everything went wrong. You can’t rush quality content. Enforcing a tight hourly limit can only yield shallow writing that lacks research, perspective, and depth.
And to the second point: Your writer could have oversold their services. However, that’s less likely than the alternative, which is you failing to provide them the scheduling flexibility and creative freedom they need to fulfill their potential.
In either case, many clients allow their dissatisfaction to create friction, often leading to contract termination or increased pressure on the writer. Both inevitably lead to an erosion of your working relationship. You’ll end up with high turnover, preventing any writer from staying on long enough to truly capture your brand’s personality and voice. In the end, it’s a constant cycle of subpar content, and everyone loses.
How to make a mutually beneficial budget
So, how do you settle on freelance writing rates that work for you and your writer? It’s simple: Ask them.
Look at it this way: You wouldn’t call a roof repair company and demand that they replace your roof for a few hundred bucks. Neither would you call an electrician and dictate the work they’ll do for your measly budget.
Instead, your first instinct would be to ask the independent contractors how much their services are going to cost. And writers should be treated the same. It’s a safe bet that you don’t know all the processes, training, and specialized tools that go into writing your content. So, instead of imposing the costs on the writer, invite the writer to tell you what they’re offering and why it justifies their rate.
If there are any concerns about their price point, ask about the availability of custom packages. You can also request a consultation, during which you discuss the following questions to home in on a price that’s right for the both of you:
How often do you need content?
What types of content do you need?
Do you need special additions to your content (e.g., interviews, graphics, etc.)?
If it turns out that their rates don’t work for you, your last option is to simply move on. This course of action will always be much more preferred and respectful than trying to haggle someone’s prices and convince them that they’re worth less than they’ve determined.
Find the best content writing rates on a budget
Shopping for a writer can be overwhelming. You might not have a lot of money to work with, but it seems that the highest-quality freelance writers charge more than you're comfortable with.
But instead of seeing it that way, I welcome you to consider that maybe they aren't charging exorbitant rates. On the contrary, you might have budgeted a bit too conservatively for something you've not yet considered in full.
Take time to consult with experienced writers to learn more about the time and tools needed to develop unique, meaningful content that empowers your readers and enhances their quality of life. Schedule an appointment with me today for help with developing a budget that works for your content marketing needs.
