How much should you pay for content?

A guide for those new to hiring writers.

There are certain nuances that you can only get with a pro writer. Someone inexperienced just can’t cut the mustard. Though we all need to try and fail to learn, you don’t really want a new writer trying and failing on you when your brand is at stake. I’m a great believer in giving everyone a chance, but I caution you well: in the world of online content creation, you get what you pay for.

There are far too many of us that will opt for the cheaper version, go for the bargain to save on expenditure. But whether it’s your business of your personal pages, this method is both false economy and damaging. Let’s explore.

Online content is Cutthroat

Like any other career, a writer deserves to be paid a fair wage. When I first started in this game, I was working with people who were taking advantage of my inexperience to seriously underpay me what the content was worth. Now, I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t slaved away for a couple of bucks an hour for a few months. Nowadays, I caution businesses who are using these services on the grounds of ethics.

If you are paying an agency $5 for a 500 word article, you can bet money that the writer is making less than half of that. A new writer might take an hour on a 500 word piece. Would you want to work for $2 an hour? Nobody does. It’s exploitation. Think about it… If one writer comes forward and says that they used to write for your brand and only made $2 an hour, who is it that looks bad? Do you want that kind of reputation? Worse than this is that you might not even know you are doing it. You paid that agency $5 for your 500+ words. You assumed the writer got most of that payment. They did not. Don’t get me wrong: there are agencies I work with that offer much better rates. Choose those.

Online content writing is cutthroat, but you get what you pay for. $5 will buy you an article (usually) written by a machine or by a non-native English speaker. While sometimes this turns out fine, you’re more likely to lose your money than with any other rate. Besides this, the quality of writing will be mediocre at best. There will be no understanding of SEO, and few links or references. Take my advice, spend the extra ten bucks, and buy evergreen content that’s been SEO perfected and reflects your brand in a positive light.

How Much Should You Spend on a Content Writer?

Expect to pay at minimum $0.03 cents per word, which works out at $3 per 100 words[i]. For a thousand word document, this translates to $30 – and that’s at the cheaper end of the spectrum. With enough speed and enough work, a writer like me can make a happy living writing for your business. Anything less than that is a beginner’s rate, and anything more than $80 for 1000 words of basic landing page and blog work is a bit of a rip off. I would expect to hire a professional writer who is also an expert in a certain field for that amount.

The point in all this is that online content writers are worth the extra expense. They will funnel more traffic to your website and earn you better profits by making your business SERP compliant. The difference between the beginner and the pro writer is in both the depth of the work and the research it takes to complete.

What it all comes down to is choice. Do you want to be the brand who exploits the gig economy for your own benefits, knowing it might come back to bite you one day? Or do you want to be honest, transparent, and that little bit easier to find through Google? It’s entirely up to you.

Do you need to hire a writer?

If you need to hire a writer you can email me at macmillan.katriona@gmail.com or find me on social media for prices.

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[i] https://www.upwork.com/hire/content-writers/cost/

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You can support your favourite writers by following them on social media. Sure, we love it if you buy a book, but not everyone has that kind of cash. Find Katriona Macmillan (@KatrionaWrites) on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for free work that may or may not tickle your soul. Support your local creatives to help us keep filling the world with poetic nonsense and art. Without it, life would be duller than 2pm on a Sunday.