6
15 Comments

Is $50 for 1000 Words Too Much?

Hey Buddies,
I have been trying to move from B2C to B2B content writing. Some of the potential clients I have interacted with are mostly from SaaS niches like lead generation, SEO, e-commerce, video marketing, affiliate marketing, etc.

But my problem is this, whenever I share my content samples/portfolio and quote $50/1000 words or $0.05 per word, I get a lot of push back.

And that made me want to ask whether this rate is too much or not!
Note, I am a non-native writer with some SEO experience. And I use to charge $30/1000 words.

The main content pieces I usually create are blog posts, lead magnets, and case studies.

If you are or have been in charge of hiring writers for SaaS content marketing, your insights and tips might be helpful.

on November 5, 2020
  1. 3

    Hi @Donfelix,

    If it helps, take a look at this rates table from the Editorial Freelance Association. Note, these figures may apply primarily to U.S. based writers and editors, but it's helpful nonetheless to understand where your rate falls in line with others. I'd also take a look at rates writers set on sites like Fiverr.

    Ultimately it comes down to how you describe your value and what type of clientele you want to attract. In my experience, clients who want me to cut my rate are the ones that end up being the most demanding. So while you may feel that lowering your rate will help you attract clients, you'd need to make up for the lost $$ in your lowered rate with volume. And you may end up having clients that require a lot.

    As @jessicaleo pointed out, it really is about how you communicate your value. If you're writing blog posts, lead magnets, and case studies, all of these assets are being used by your client to attract business and make them money. It helps to explain that your rate is commensurate with the value the client will derive from these assets, whether it's a growing email list, more traffic to their site, and paying customers.

    Best of luck and thanks for sparking this discussion!

    1. 1

      Thanks for adding your points here.
      The essence of this post is actually to
      get insight from other people like you.

      1. 2

        If there is one person who isn't willing to pay, don't help him/her. Find better customers. You don't need to lower your price to get everyone.

        1. 1

          Great advice.
          And that's why i've been able
          to ignore some prospects by saying no directly.

  2. 3

    Hi, I hire Maddy from https://www.the-blogsmith.com/ and I pay her $350/1000 words.
    I would check her own content and other written articles to see why people buy her services.

    When I look to hire someone, I want to know what that person has written about and see their style. If I want a 1000 words article, I want to be it on topic and niched down. Not too general, so writing about for example, SEO headlines and just making it a general one on it, won't cut it for me.

    But if I would like a SEO headlines topic, I would like to see an article written for a specific niche (for example headlines to attract giveaway subscribers) + examples + a study if exists somewhere and such.

    If you're struggling to get clients, I would suggest you to write such specific niched-down articles on your own site. So for example, if you target a hosting company that focuses on WordPress, I would write an in-depth (even more than 1000 words) article with technical details in it. If you would like to target food bloggers that wants better SEO with articles, I would write an article on specific type of food/recipes, go in-depth there and then offer alternative recipes or ingredients and write about that (there are probably several sites that you can find info on that).

    1. 1

      Lots of insightful points @igorbenic
      My intent for posting this to get insights
      from people that actually hire writers like you.

      I have started a blog https://www.saasvaluechain.com/
      and the plan is to niche down exclusively on marketing.

  3. 3

    It really depends. prices can vary from 10$ to 500$. You don't have to be an SEO expert but you need fluent English to be able to charge more money for sure.

    1. 2

      Thanks Man!
      Fluent English might not be a problem.
      However, finding prospects that can
      afford $50-100 for 1000 - 2000 words posts is the main thing.

      1. 1

        This comment was deleted 3 years ago

        1. 1

          How will you go about finding prospects (B2B SaaS Businesses)
          that can afford $.10 per word?

          1. 1

            I'm not in copywriting niche but I freelance as a developer.

            Here's the truth. You don't find high paying clients (think $50/hour or more). They find you.

            I get leads by writing content on my own website that's geared towards my niche and I engage with potential clients everywhere I can.

            Generally, in order to land these client you need to be helpful to them at first and then get them to buy your services.

            Hope comment helps you out.

            All the best,
            Adem

          2. 1

            This comment was deleted 3 years ago

  4. 1

    If you can show that your work can directly or indirectly increase sales/traffic/etc, you should be able to find customers with higher budgets for your work.

  5. 1

    $70-$100 per 1200 works is about normal imo

  6. 1

    Not too high if it's written by a human and another human can actually read it. I only get garbage at rates below that.

  7. 1

    I think that's low. I have paid more if the writer is a native English speaker, uses relevant links, and has a track-record of SEO content. Just my opinion :)

  8. 1

    It all comes to 1) how you sell yourself and the perceived value, 2) who these people are -are they stingy (individuals who run on budgets) or loose (business people).

    You gotta find your edge and selling points to justify the price, then you can charge $50 or even higher.