We hear a this a lot: Should I put prices on my website? After all, when you go to buy anything else online, there’s a clear price.
But it’s a little different with copywriting.
As a copywriter, you’re always going to customize the service you’re providing to meet your client’s specific needs. A website for one client may require a lot more work than a website for another—even if they’re both five pages long.
For example, a product page for a $5,000 service is going to require a bit more benefit-driven copy than perhaps a product page for a $15 scarf.
Should I Put Prices on My Website to Filter Out “Cheap” Clients?
It may seem easier to list prices to “filter” out clients you don’t want to work with, those clients who can’t afford your rates.
But why let your clients decide for you? Don’t YOU want to decide whether or not you take on a project?
Having a conversation allows for the nuance that comes with every single project and every individual client. Maybe a client can’t afford your regular rate, but they can afford something close to it and you really want to work with them, whether because you like the client, like the project, or both.
Or maybe you know the client stands to make a ton from your work and can afford more than your regular rate. Give yourself the flexibility to charge based on the specific need and situation.
Plus, clients may take the rates you have on your site and guess for themselves what you’d charge for other types of projects not listed within your packages or services (and it’d get really clunky to start listing out everything you could possible write—T-shirts, ads inside buses, ads outside buses, radio spots, pre-roll video scripts…the options are truly endless).
Or worse, they may assume because you don’t have a price for something, you can’t do it.
Many First-Time Clients Want to Work With You on a Smaller Project
The other major thing to consider: is the client “cheap” or do they just not know you yet?
Taking on a smaller project with a client can open the door to larger projects.
For example, when I was first starting out as a copywriter, there was a copy agency I wanted to work with. I was still relatively green, so they gave me a small project. The client literally said, “Kate blew some of our more senior writers out of the water.”
That one small project has led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in work over the course of our 10-year relationship.
This isn’t uncommon. Just like you want to help your clients build that know, like, trust factor with their audience, you need to build that KLT factor with your own prospective clients.
What About Listing Package Pricing?
This is another case where you can set yourself up for frustrating conversations. Say you want to sell a package for online business owners with web copy for five pages, a welcome email, and a Facebook ad. Even if you say something like, “starting at $X” you’ve now created an anchor price in your prospective clients’ brains.
You get on that discovery call (make sure to check out our video below!), you talk with your client and realize they do, indeed, need this package. But their five pages require a lot more time and research to create than your base rate.
So, you send the client a rate twice as high as your base price. What do you think your client is going to say?
Best case: They’re totally fine with it. Worse case: you’re potentially going to find yourself justifying rates more than you need to.
Have packages in mind so you can easily present options to clients, but there’s no need to present it on your website.
What If All I Want to Write Are Email Funnels?
First, choosing to focus on one type of deliverable will significantly limit your copywriting opportunities. And, especially when you’re first starting out, who wants that?!
The niche trap applies to industry as well as deliverable. You can certainly focus on email funnels, but if a client wants a funnel and other work, why risk that client dropping you for another copywriter who can deliver it all?
If you do focus in on one type of deliverable, you may think, “well, won’t it take me the same amount of time to write any type of email funnel?”
Probably not. Every client is different.
One client may want significantly more content in each email than another. Or you may find certain clients need more meetings to review copy.
You want to give yourself the flexibility to adjust rates based on the situation (and as you go on in your career, you’ll get a pretty good sense of which clients may need more hand holding than others).
So, as with everything, it’s your copywriting business. You can absolutely include rates on your site. But before you do, weigh the pros and cons. What’s the benefit to you? Does that outweigh the potential limitations you’re placing on your business?
Watch More: How To Nail a Discovery Call
In this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, three CCA students each ask their most pressing questions. Discover what Nicki and Kate tell Lindsey about the best way to approach a discovery call.
Your Turn
Do you include prices on your copywriting website? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments below!
Last Updated on October 30, 2024
Great points, Kate! I was definitely debating on including pricing on my site, but after reading this, it solidifies the fact that copywriting gigs are just so individualized that it really wouldn’t make sense to include it – and would likely lead to more headaches more than anything. Thanks so much!!
Hi Erika,
It’s a tricky question but you’re right: In general, it leads to more headaches than it alleviates.
Thanks for commenting!
Kate
Working as an Art Director for many years, I had the opportunity on several occasions to offer coaching advise to young designers who were just starting out. I remember having a similar discussion with a very talented young illustrator who worked for me in the greeting card market many years ago. One day he approached me with question of how much I thought he should charge ‘hourly’ for his services. I told him that I very rarely quoted hourly rates to my clients and that I thought it was always best to give flat rate pricing (whenever possible) based on the full understanding of the client’s scope and scale of each project on it’s own unique and individual challenge and ultimate solution.
I remember he pushed back a bit insisting that he felt that by offering an hourly rate up front, he could win more business. I asked him what his current hourly rate was and proudly told me that he charged $150hr. He did say that he thought that he might be a lil’ outside the industry standard and wanted to get my opinion. I told him that’s pretty good and asked him how many clients he had at that rate. He said that he had a few, but I got the idea that “a few” was a little bit of a slightly padded exaggeration. He somehow got the idea that all customers operated from the “you get what you pay for” train of thought, and he believed that higher end professionals like lawyers and architects always charged much more per hour. He also told me that often times the project was so simple for him that he could have it done in less than an hour or two. I asked him if he thought his customers charged that much for their services? He said what customers… oops?
I asked the young man if he always did his work right there in front of the client? He said sometimes, but most often he worked from his home studio. I said in those cases, why would you tell the client how long it takes for you to do the work? Do you think the client really wants to pay you $150hr for a talent that comes so easy for you that you can get it done for them in a snap? Don’t you think the client would feel like they were getting a much better value if you told them that you’d get right to work on it for them, and could have their project completed for them by tomorrow or within a few days for $450, rather than charge them $450 for 3 hours work… or even worse, only be able to charge them $150 because you’ve somehow convinced them that you’re so good that it would only take you an hour to get their work done for them?
I remember telling my young friend that I really didn’t want my clients to know how much I charge per hour, how much I make or how long it takes me to do things. I told him that most people only care about the final cost and how soon they can have their product. I told him that nobody really likes paying a lawyer hundreds of dollars an hour for their expertise. People only pay that kind of rate because they somehow feel that they have no choice… and most people hate paying lawyers rates! I told him that it’s much better to leave your client feeling like they got a fair deal, that way they’re more likely to come back and be your client again. If they care how much you make by the hour, then they’re usually looking for a bargain, not necessarily an expert. Treat every project as if it’s unique and special, and make sure every client feels that way. That way they won’t care what your rates are… They’ll simply see you as the best choice to do their work.
Hi Art,
I agree: Clients care much more about the results than the exact hours, steps, etc. that got you there. They want a great tasting cake, but they don’t need to know the exact recipe!
Thanks for commenting!
Kate
Great article, Kate.
Being a new Copywriter, this is something I see conflicting advice about in many courses and articles, It is great that your points and guidance are in line with my decisions too.
Thanks for the great content!
Hi Mark,
You’re 100% right about all the conflicting advice in the field! Glad to hear this could help reaffirm your decision.
Thanks for commenting!
Kate
Agree with no price chart on website. Any copy should be treated as a specific project…and that would mean a price to suit the effort. It also leaves open a window to negotiate price based on circumstance of the client.