Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber:

Subscriber SK asks:

"Is there a way that you can recommend to us to determine how
long any given project will take to complete?"

Yes.

When you are just starting out, you really don't know.

So just take your best guess -- which will invariably be too low
-- and double it.

Once you've been at it awhile, you will know how long different
projects (e.g., emails, blog posts) take you, and can from that
point forward estimate with better accuracy.

My best advice is to charge a flat project fee and not by the
hour.

That way, the client knows exactly what the copy is costing him
-- no surprises.

(Clients hate surprises.)

You can use the flat fees charged by other copywriters as a
starting point.

These fees are easy to find out.

Many copywriters post them on their websites.

Others email a PDF fee schedule to almost anyone who asks.

Nothing wrong with researching prices online; big companies track
their competitors' prices all the time.

Consider the fees charged by copywriters with experience, skills,
and a track record similar to yours.

Your project fees should probably be somewhere in the same price
range.

Unless there is something that makes you worth more, such as a
long string of controls or deep knowledge of your niche.

And again, I say project fees: flat, agreed-upon fee for a
well-defined project -- with client approval of your quotation
and payment of your retainer (typically half the total fee) in
hand.

Sincerely,
Bob Bly
Copywriter / Consultant
31 Cheyenne Dr.
Montville, NJ 07045
Phone 973-263-0562
Fax 973-263-0613
www.bly.com

Follow Bob:

Follow me on Twitter  View my profile on LinkedIn  Like me on Facebook  Find me on Pinterest

I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message?

What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails?

Please let me know at: rwbly@bly.com

As always, please feel free to forward this e-mail to a friend!


If you liked this essay, and want to read 75 more just like it,
get my book "Don't Wear a Cowboy Hat Unless You are a
Cowboy -- and Other Grumblings from a Cranky Curmudgeon,"
which you can order here:

www.bly.com/KindleCowboy


Disclaimer: The Direct Response Letter only recommends products
that we've either personally checked out ourselves, or that come
from people we know and trust. For doing so, we sometimes
receive a sales commission.