Friday, October 26, 2012

How Much Do You Charge to Write Blog Posts?

A friend (not a reporter) asks: I am going to start doing writing blog posts for a website and need to tell them what I charge. Do you usually get paid by the post, by the hour, by the word? Any hints you have would be greatly appreciated.

The material I write under my own name for publications like Mashable, PR Daily, and Fast Company is unpaid. But one reason I do this is that it leads to client work—in many cases, ghostwriting blog posts.

On one hand, some writers get paid by the word. But since blog posts are so much shorter than, say, a New Yorker article, I prefer to charge a flat fee. Options to consider:

* How long will your average post be? (I aim for anywhere from 500-1,000 words.)

* Will you include a round of revision based on client feedback?

* Will you include a (royalty-free) picture, or is this the client’s responsibility?

* Will you be publishing the post, or just submitting it (in, say, Word) to the client?

Depending on these factors, the cost can range from [redacted] per post. Another consideration: if the client commits to X posts per week/month/months, this will reduce the price (and make your cash flow more reliable). The bottom line: ascertain how many hours you need on average to write each post, then multiply that number by what you think is a fair hourly rate.

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