Payment rates for web content writing

or..."how long is a piece of string" :-)

[macavity]

Hi everyone,

I know this is a question which can't be answered with absolute accuracy but I'm just looking for some rough, ballpark figures that I can use to get started with...

I run a number of sites, one of which is crying out for more content. Fortunately, a good friend of mine has found herself in a position where she's able to work part time and offer her services as a content creator. This would be a new venture for her but given her background I have no doubts as to her suitability for the role. The hurdle I'd like to get over, though, is deciding how much to pay for her services.

My requirements are fairly modest, in the region of 2 or three 1000-word articles per month. I would estimate (based on my own experience) that each article would require around 2 hours web-based research before compilation. My feeling is that it's probably simplest to stick with a "per article" (rather than "per hour") method of payment but what do people consider a fair figure as far as payment is concerned? I've done some research, both here and by looking at creative freelancing sites, but the figures seem to vary wildly. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks!

Mac

[vkaryl]

What does SHE thinks she's worth?

I wouldn't do what you're wanting for less than $500 US per article.

[EileenC]

I'd budget for at least a couple hundred per article, and probably more. For that price, though, you should also get all rights to the articles. That's the only way to ensure you are getting high quality, non-plagiarized content. Stay away from the web sites where people bid for the project -- you don't want to award work on a lowest-bid basis, because you really will get what you pay for, despite what they say their credentials are.

[Labyrinth]

There are writers that will work for a nickel a word and writers that work for $1 plus a word. "Solid" writers seem to start in the $0.30 -$0.40 per word range.

I'd expect to pay a minimum of $300 per article and at $300 I would NOT expect to get copyright ownership. I would, however, negotiate exclusive rights for a minimum period of one year.

[JessicatheCopywriter]

Looks like you have good suggested ranges here of $300-$400 per article.

Here is a suggestion if you are tight on your budget and need to pay toward the low end: you can offer a guarantee for x amount of future work to the copywriter. If a writer knows he/she can count on regular work, the writer will be more likely to cut you a deal.

It goes without saying, but then be sure to follow through with the guarantee.

[macavity]

Many thanks to all for your responses, much appreciated!

Cheers,

Mac

[Leosghost]

offer a guarantee for x amount of future work

Never work for "pie in the sky" ...someone consistantly gives you a lot of work... sometimes you can surprise them and say "hey this one is cheaper.. cos you've been good "...only do this when they have ..not when they say they will ...they might mean well and then get hit by a train ...you still gotta eat .

[EileenC]

I agree. Occasionally someone will dangle an offer for "more work later" for a very low price of on my part up front. Experience has taught me that more work seldom materializes. I counter that offer by saying that I start out with my regular copywriting rates, but offer special discounts later on for high volume customers - e.g., do $X of business with me in the next 6 months, and in the following 6 months, you get X% off every writing project you hire me for.

[arsmarketing]

Hi,

I have had articles written for $5.00 an articles with copyright. It could cost more or less depending on what you want. I have articles in the 300-500 word range done for $5.00 an article. One place you can find these contractors at is Rentacoder.com, or elance.com and you post a bid and the coders will bid on the work. Simply take the bid that you want.

[EileenC]

Buyer beware on $5 articles. A very high percentage of these articles are not written as originals, but rather copied and pasted from other sources on the net.

[digitalv]

Buyer beware on $5 articles. A very high percentage of these articles are not written as originals, but rather copied and pasted from other sources on the net.

Yeah but that's reasonably easy to figure out these days. Just do a Google search with quotes on pieces of the text within the article. If it's been published before, you'll find it. I know it's not a 100% sure thing, but it's a start.

I would have to guess though that any author who would work for $5 and isn't stealing his/her work probably isn't a very good author, or will be selling that same article to someone else later.

[EileenC]

Many of the article buyers really don't care that it's stolen, unfortunately. There's a tacit "don't ask, don't tell" mentality about it. (I know this because I'm sad to say that I've had a few clients with this mentality. Needless to say, they were not my clients for long.) Nor do the buyers care much about quality - they are just trying to stuff as much content as possible on their sites for search engines, without offering genuine value to their readers. If visitors to those web sites aren't really looking for good, insightful information, it won't really matter much. But if visitors really are looking for good info, they won't be back.

[arsmarketing]

The articles I have purchased are basically information researched and compiled from other sources and then written. They are original but as most information is taken, researched, based on someone else's work.

The articles are what a high school student would research and write for a paper.

I guess I seem to be defending them but I know someone who does freelance writing for some of these services.

We each can make our own choices, write our own content or pay to have it written.

Good day.