FWJ Poll: Let’s Try This Again – What Do You Earn as Freelance Writer?
October 24, 2008 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing
In yesterday’s poll I asked what everyone feels is a fair wage. Most of the respondents checked off $100 or more. Now, I know we would all like to earn this, but my mail, the comments and the writing forums tell me most are earning otherwise.
You see, every time I wonder if we should raise the ante, for instance only post jobs over $20, we get a protest. Many writers want and need the lower paying jobs. So if most everyone polled earns between $75 – $100, where are the $10 – $25 writers who insist on us posting those gigs? Also, places like Associated Content and Demand Studios has a large arsenal of writing. Someone has to be writing for these places.
So I’m going to get slammed, but we’re going to try this again. Instead of asking what you feel is fair, I want to know how much you’re actually earning – and how. Again, it’s not that I don’t believe there are good high paying gigs out there, but because I also know there are more writers accepting the low paying gigs.
Now that we know how much every one wants to be paid, let’s see what everyone actually is getting paid for $500 words.
So here we go – What do you earn and how do you earn it:
Web Content means writing for content mills and blog networks.
Web Copy means copywriting for private clients and websites
Print means…well ….print.
Thanks for your honesty.
That is a tough one to answer for me because it really ranges. I am willing to take a little less for something that I am very passionate about like travel writing.
But I generally make anywhere from $15 (yes, DS) to about $60-75 for a few private clients who I have proven myself with. I like Demand and I like my private clients, I have a lot of options with both.
Good poll!
I averaged it out at about $50/article or 10 cents/word – and that’s for web content (and some blogging).
I am in the $100 and more range for all of the mediums.
I’m at an age where I can’t stay green in this new field for long (I’m in my early 40’s). I’ve been writing in one capacity or another for twenty years, but have just been doing freelance for magazines since ‘05.
Here’s what I won’t budge from:
Blogs — If a post requires no research and is fun/relatively easy to write, then $15 a post. If there’s research, then as much as $30. Bottom line: I want to make $30/hr at whatever I’m doing involving writing.
Magazines — I totally range, but won’t accept $.16 a word anymore. I will do $.25 a word and up. I need to make at least $100 to $300 per piece to make it worthwhile.
I make more for articles and sites, but these are my bottom lines. And projects also need to be interesting to me.
And, no, I don’t have any interest in the job posts that are very low paying.
Wendy
I didn’t post my rate here; as an editor/copyeditor/proofreader/consultant (hey, once must diversify), I thought I might skew your results.
But I did want to say that it would be difficult for me to answer anyway, since I determine my rates more on a per hour basis. One client does pay me per word, essentially, but my per hour rate is always at the back of my mind. Often a job takes longer, and the per hour rate ultimately is horrendous, but then other jobs for the client will balance out and in the end it meets my minimum pay expectation. Essentially, my lowest acceptable rate is $20/hour. Given that I have two degrees (BAs in English and Communications) and have accumulated 6 years of professional experience, that is actually very low. (My problem is that I am a shy, ineffective, self-marketer. But I’m working on that.)
As I am now looking for more writing work (only one opinion piece published nationally, which payed about .10/word), I will be paying close attention to this ongoing discussion.
This is helpful and answers our questions better, I think. Thanks for everyone participating. I’ll tell you why I’m asking a little later.
(…and upon rereading my response, I really wish I’d taken the time to copyedit it. Sheesh…)
Sorry I didn’t realize what your definition of web content was – I do not write for those type of companies. Thus, I do not make $100 or more from them. I do for web copy and print though.
I agree, I thought $100 or more for regular web copy assignments was a little on the high side. I have completed projects that paid over $100, but they are far in-between. I average between $15 and $50 for web copy, with word counts between 200 and 500 words. I’ve become very familiar with certain subjects. Therefore, I don’t have to do a lot of research, and I can create a good, accurate piece in a half-hour or hour.
Valencia – were you referring to my post?
To clarify, I do make $100 and more for web copy (and print). (I do not write for web content mills and blog networks which tend to pay much less).
@ Scribette: No, I was referring to yesterday’s poll results.:-) I was surprised to see the number of freelancer’s who were able to find these higher paying gigs. Now, I see that the poll results were likely based on a misunderstanding.
Hey Deb,
I appreciate this second poll. I voted yesterday and then watched with growing skepticism at the results and the comments. Well versed in writing for the online world, I know what most work goes for.
I hate to think there are still people out there who feel the need to boast or lie in the attempt to make themselves feel better by putting others down. But the reality is, that issue exists and will never change.
I think this poll clarifies more about the various differences between types of writing, and I hope it also eases some people’s concerns on the reality as well as lets other people feel good about themselves again.
James I don’t think anyone was lying – In the first poll I asked what our community felt was a fair wage. This one I hope is a more honest look at what our writers are really earning.
There are online versions of print pubs that pay 50 cents a word, and more that pay 25 cents a word. But I know there is blogging work that pays much less..I’m voting based on actual work. Of course, I’ve been at this for more than 30 years and I’m writing for some specialized sites that require a decent amount of research and sourcing, so these aren’t places one can write 10-12 items (posts/articles) in a couple of hours.
I like Wendy’s attitude but I’m too afraid to pass up the lower paying ($10 an hour or $3 a post) gigs – and I’m an experienced (published) writer. I would love to put my foot down and say “$30 or else” but I think I’d starve.
I need to be able to answer twice. One client is $20 for 500 words and the other client is $100 for 300 words. Both are through the same agent. I guess I should just average it out to .19/word which would be, oh, $95 for 500 words.
Generally, I’m looking at $25 per 500 words web copy. I’d like to bump this up soon to $35, but many jobs prefer rounder numbers.
There are, of course, ones I make less on (these are ones that are more fun or meaningful to me.) These range from revenue share to $10 per 500 words.
What I would like to see is more jobs listing what they will pay. Not all job boards make that a requirement. Even if they’re unsure, a ballpark figure is more helpful than “DOE.”
I make $50 for print articles and the odd website, but supplement that with $15ish blog posts.
This one’s hard to answer because I write for multiple mediums/platforms, and I get paid in different ways by different clients. For instance, one magazine I write for pays me a flat fee/article (it’s at least $300 ranging up to $1000, depending on length and the amount of research and time), others pay me per word (as much as $1.50/word). I also write a lot of web copy for a particular client and because some of it’s technical/requires more time for reading/comprehension/research, I have them pay me by the hour ($45). And then I also blog for a site that pays me a meager $120/month for eight posts, but I took it because it is fun, something I care about, and was a good opportunity to break into a new area.
That doesn’t account for everything, though. I often take bigger projects involving writing for books (never entire books) or audio, and those have paid anywhere from $1500 to $6000. It varies based on the client, the amount of work required, etc. I wish there were a simple per word or per hour rate I could come up with, but I do such a variety of kinds of work (and work for a variety of clients) that I can’t quite break it down that easily.
I do find that my “must-have” rate varies depending on whether the work is web- or print-based. If it’s web, I tend to accept lower pay rates than print, which is what the bulk of my writing background is based on. While sometimes you have to take that lower-paying gig (I’m guilty!), I wonder if the fact that as freelancers we’re willing to accept lower wages just promotes lower pay. Supply and demand, I suppose!
Both of my clients (web) pay me @$65-$75 per 500 words.
If you are taking the wage then you must think it is a fare wage – right?
I am looking for more opportunities that come from my writing to help supplement my experience and raise the rates of that writing!
@T: I too am an writer/editor/medical education consultant and charge by the hour for the latter too. Typically I charge $50/hour. As I previously mentioned, I make $0.50/word and more for writing (print).
I haven’t been a freelance writer for long, but when I started, I was also taking the $3 to $5 per post jobs as well as I was new and needed the work. As I picked up better paying clients, I ended up letting them go. Right now, the two main clients I work for pay me around $30 for 500 words. I actually still have a client that pays me $10 for 500 words but most of the articles are glorified filler.
I have a theory that a lot of writers/bloggers who earn in the high ranges do a lot of off-line gig-hunting and marketing. @Phil & Scribette, can you tell us what proportion of your high-paying gigs came from online job ads?
I also make $100 and more for print and web copy. About 80% of my clients are medium to large companies, local municipalities and government departments.
Damaria,
Almost none
I tend to be like Kendra. I have four key jobs. One pays me $20 to $30 for 300 word blogs depending on if it is a town article or an actual real estate guide to the area. Another pays me 3 cents per word to summarize news articles related to casino news throughout the world.
I have a job writing marketing ads that is 5 cents per word plus 50 percent of the revenues that the ad brings in. Finally, I have a proofreading job that comes to $30 an hour.
I’ve done magazine work that was $200 for 700 words and another magazine job that was $50 for 600 words.
I take what pays the bills and is something that when broken down pays me what I would make here in my corner of the world. In the end, I am not as fussy as others. I drove past the McDonalds in the area last week and they had a sign in the window stating “Not Hiring.” When even McDonalds is fully staffed, it’s a clear sign of the times and I’m thankful to have work that pays when I have neighbors who have been laid off from IBM and have been unable to find jobs.
And with that, I’m going back to kitten world now. We adopted brother kittens yesterday that are only five weeks old, but the owner had been hand rearing a trio of kittens and came down with the flu and decided to pass two of them off early so that she could get the rest she needs.
This is helpful. Thanks Deb! Good to see you around these parts.
$270 a day. Full-Time Technical Writer.
We have such a variety in the FWJ community! I’m glad to see I’m not the only specialist who gets a lot of benefit from this group.
I’m a business writer with experience covering tax, economics, personal finance, and a slew of less challenging subjects – but all technical. I can’t imagine producing anything in my line of work for less than $300, and my fees range up to $1,000 for articles that include some data analysis and graphs/charts.
I have gotten job leads from FWJ that will probably become clients, and one that I completed last spring. (It takes a long time to work through the process with some of these folks. Once they understand that they can’t get what they want for $50 an article, they come back later and we have a deal.
I hope you’ll keep posting jobs that suit everyone in the community – for me, that’s what it’s all about.
I mostly make between $10 and $20 per content article, but I still make $30 an hour, and sometimes more.
I have made quite a bit more for some articles, but I don’t think I’ve ever taken less. I am more interested in making a particular amount each month, and if I limit myself to only the higher paying jobs, I might not hit my goal for the month.
As long as I make my monthly goal (roughly what I’d get at a full-time job “in the real world”), I’m happy. I don’t fret too much over status — did I make enough on each job to brag about it.
This is a very interesting discussion. I think there will be no way to say for sure what is industry standard in the world of writing. I have found that even corporate clients will vary tremendously on what they think is a “fair” wage to pay a freelancer. Often, it isn’t until you really get into a job that you realize whether it is worth the wage.
Sadly, I find that once you attach the word “blog” to a writing gig, the value decreases tremendously. I have spent hours researching, interviewing experts, etc to create a journalistic article to post to a blog. I also have clients that just want a chewed up spit out article-mill type of piece to put on their corporate blog (merely for Google juice.) One may pay upwards of $60 the other $20. (Some also include revenue sharing, which usually I would discourage, but in one instance, this has worked out REALLY, REALLY well for me.) Over all, however, I find that my contracts for “blogger” or “blog manager” are generally 30-50% lower in rates than my “web copy” or “online magazine” gigs.
To answer some questions, YES, I have gotten good paying gigs from online avenues. Rare, but possible. The way I’ve made the most money is by starting with a short-term gig for a large company and exceeding their expectation so that they renew, ask for more work, and ultimately give me a raise. They then refer colleagues, and before you know it, you have new clients! I have also gotten some of my WORST clients from the online job boards. It can go either way.
Wonderful topic!
I believe that all my higher paying gigs came from online job ads. I should market other ways though as well – for sure.
I did some cold calling – to local graphic design places mostly. Actually I have a post around here somewhere about how that was handled. BUT I found my best gigs on Craigslist of all places. It’s where I found my current employment as well as gigs with Oxygen Media and another big name place that I’m not allowed to divulge as part of a confidentiality agreement.
I wanted to vote in this poll, but I can’t just pick one answer or it’d skew the results. I charge $35 for a 350-500-word Web article. I can do more than one of these an hour, so the way I have my rate set, I make a minimum of $35 per hour. For Web copy, I charge $100 per page of 450-550 words.
I seem to be stuck in the $15 per article category. I keep hearing that these great paying jobs are out there, but can’t seem to get anyone to respond. Perhaps I need to look into a better proposal writing system, but I’ve been figuring that my resume is just too short; only three months of writing experience… any suggestions?
I’ve sold a couple magazine articles for $700 for 1000 words, but now all of my work comes from an online job that pays $25 for approximately 650 words. That’s obviously a huge pay cut, but not so much when you factor in the time costs related to magazine writing: looking for ideas, querying, waiting for a response, interviewing subjects, writing and rewriting, and then waiting for a check. I guess I just don’t have the patience for print work. Plus, I need a steady, reliable paycheck.
@ Kevin Freeman: Are you actively pitching your services to clients, or are you only relying on job ads? I have found that many clients are not actively looking for a writer, but when I pitch, they realize they need one or I happen to pitch at a time when a regular writer is going on maternity leave or out sick or something. I have a few hundred prospects that I am working to pitch via e-mail. I found Web sites in niches I enjoy and am experienced in, and I looked to see if their content was recently updated or if they even had content. If the site lacked content, or the last update was three years ago, I sent an e-mail pitching my services. The key to doing this without being considered a spammer is to send a very individualized e-mail to each company. Try to get the name of a contact person. Mention their site by name in your pitch. Let them know you really can help them. This helps much more than sending out a canned e-mail to 100 companies.
Thanks for the advice Leigh. I’ve been responding to job ads, but hadn’t thought of finding outdated or poorly written websites. Good stuff.
Kevin: I was going to e-mail you directly with more info, but I see that the blog you write for has other writers, so I don’t want my e-mail to end up in the wrong place. If you want to e-mail me directly, my address is wordofmousecomm@gmail.com. I’ll write back to you there if you want.
I can’t use the voting box and be honest with my range of pay. It varies widely and to be honest, it also depends on how hard up I am for work.
Print: $100 and up.
Print Reprints: $25-$75
Web content: $5.00 to $300.00 for 500 words.
I’ve worked doing keyword articles and I do so now, but the pay for the ones I write now is much higher than when I started. I don’t look down on writers who write for peanuts, because I don’t know their situation. I’ve needed money in a dire strait, why should I say a thing about others who are in that boat?
Many are gaining experience and clips, some just have no idea where to go. I try to hook up as many new people as I can, when I can. What really ticks me off is when I hear others going off about pay rates, but they don’t lend a hand to the new guys who are stuck writing for the low pay. That’s not everyone who complains, but I know there are many who do complain, but never put out a hand to help these guys up.
Yeah, you’ll get writers who want you to find every job for them. You’ll have weirdos. Still, a reputation as a nice person and a helpful friend is worth a lot more to me than sending off a few links in an email or IMs I can walk away from.
Sorry if I sound like I’m ranting. We just need to all help each other to get the pay rates up…
@ Julie F: I agree that we should be helping each other and sharing information where we can. I have met some very generous (and patient) people online and I like to pay that forward when I can.
I didn’t get to participate in the last poll… I work from home, so when I find something in my field that pays more than $3 a post, I take it.
Jodee-
You guys here are an example of that, I think. FWJ is a free source to all of us looking for jobs. Yours and Deb’s generosity and patience with some of us readers should show everyone just what I mean.
Here here, Julie F! As always, thanks a million to Jodee and Deb for the priceless leads and info.
I do freelance writing on the side. I have a grad degree and a decent amount of intermittent writing experience. At a minimum, I bill $20/hr or 5 cents a word for really basic web content or blog writing. These are for jobs I actually want (i.e., I like the subject matter). I also apply for jobs I don’t want, and just charge more. I solely look for freelance writing work online.
I do this part time right now because I’m in college so I typically take the lower pay assignments because they are easy to write, easy to find, and don’t have a long committment. I wish I could commit more time to doing this but right now I can’t.
It doesn’t really feel accurate to assign a number to it.
I mean, I get $12 per super-mini article at one place, ten times a week. I also get $30 per regular article 3 times a week elsewhere.
Are we talking regular gigs or the most we’ve ever gotten?
If we’re talking average, per month, in a steady gig? $1000.
I refuse to do ‘keyword’ articles – only creative content that I enjoy writing.
Good post. I misunderstood copy and content before voting though. Sorry!
It seems like some writers are reluctant to share where they write for the amounts they get paid. Is this because of client confidentiality or other reasons?