Going rate for writing a blog?

1. 77

   Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

   This is a question for anyone who blogs for other businesses or sites.
   What rate have you seen(or gotten) for writing a blog post?
   I just got offered a whopping $8 for a 400-700 word blog for a niche law firm's website.
   $8 to research and write 400-700 words?
   They are kidding, right?

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   1. 0

      Charlinexposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      If you feel you are best suited for the job, give them a counter-offer, say your minimum fee is $50. If you don't get the job, you only stand to lose $8.

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   2. 71

      livewithrichardposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      MM I post ads on Craigslist, among other places, offering my service to write SEO content for blogs.  I only offer packages of 6 at 400 words each, keywords of their choice, for $240 paid in advance with option for one revision for additional $$$. I don't accept offers for single articles.  I have been selling at least 1 package a week for the past 6 months only using my HP profile as my portfolio of samples. $40 for a 400 word article is the least I will take and what I would expect to earn off that same article over the course of a year.
      
      Believe me, corporate America is not going to purchase spun content, poorly written content, or content that uses poor grammar and English.  They want professionals who have a command of the English language and knowledgeable in SEO. 
      
      Don't settle for pennies, you do that enough here on HP!

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      1. 62

         lakeerieartistsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for this information.  And well put.  I think that I will try some of this for the upcoming year and see what happens. 

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      2. 85

         rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         nice info, thanks for sharing.
         
         this writer has some good tips also, http://freefreelancewritingtips.blogspo … rates.html

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         1. 71

            livewithrichardposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Those are some good tips in that link and almost exactly how I charge. 
            
            I'm going to kick it into high gear since I'm in my slow season for my day job.

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   3. 60

      LeeWallsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I was once told if you're willing to put up with 1 thing then you better get ready to put up with 10. I think the same goes with all aspects of life. People will throw something at you to get your reaction, if you feel it's okay then accept it, if you feel you're worth more, then tell them.
      
      Don't forget you're going to be writing something where you will use your creativity. Its not a numbers game like hubpages but the quality of what you put out.
      
      Check out writersmarket.com or get the book for your own reference. 2011 Writers' Market. You will be able to see for yourself how much to charge. Don't let anyone swindle you. You're a writer that knows your profession. And as writers we need to help each other because if we don't do it no one else will.

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2. 68

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   For a small blog like a law firm? I'd say $8.00 is on the higher side. I've only done one job like that, but it was mass quantity and I outsourced the writing and just organized everything and took my cut -- and I would never do it again. If you go onto eLance or Guru, you'll see tons of folks doing blog posts for ridiculous amounts like $3.00.
   
   In fact, unless you have proven expertise and a client with a big budget who actually wants decent writing, you'd be lucky to get $10 or more per post.

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3. 0

   Sophia Angeliqueposted 13 years ago

   They will get someone to write that blog for $8. As any decent writing takes a good few hours, and very few actually have the capacity to do it, they will soon learn their error.
   
   I've generally charged $35 per hour for blogs and take two hours to write 400 or 500 words.
   
   And, yes, I do get paid that.
   
   I got paid $100 for this one.
   
   http://www.welovedates.com/blog/2010/01 … et-dating/

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4. 67

   Bill Manningposted 13 years ago

   I have a few people who write articles for me and get more all the time. I generally pay $6.00 for a 250-300 word blog post.
   
   But that is just writing it in a word doc, not going into my blog and actually writing it in there. They also involve little research.
   
   When I use to write I charged only $3.00 for a 150 word post where I went into the blog, got a picture for the post and even put in the affiliate links. Damn that was dumb!

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   1. 0

      Sophia Angeliqueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=99310276824
      
      Yes. And you know how many people do it?
      
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE
      
      Someone asks me to write for that amount of money, I just plain refuse.

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5. 92

   habeeposted 13 years ago

   I think a lot of it depends on how fast you write. If you enjoy writing and it comes easy for you, you can earn some decent money at $6 for 250 words - provided little or no research is involved. You should be able to write 4 or so 250-word blogs an hour. You certainly won't get rich, but when you're writing for several clients, it really ads up! And you can do it from the comfort of your own home and set your own hours. Of course, sometimes you'll get a client who pays more, too, along with a bunch who are willing to pay less. On some sites, the going rate is one cent per word. That's $2.50 for 250 words. I won't write for that, and I've read some of those blogs/articles. I discovered that you often get what you pay for - many of these writers use substandard English that's riddled with all kinds of mistakes with grammar and mechanics.

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6. 85

   kerrygposted 13 years ago

   I'm not super-active on the freelance boards, but when I am, I usually charge $10-20 per 500 words, depending on how much of the work they do for me.

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7. 80

   Uninvited Writerposted 13 years ago

   I'm reading the autobiography of Mark Twain and it's funny to have him mention how much people should be paid for articles. He was saying one my Ulysses S. Grant should be paid $2,000 not the $50 he was paid. And this was in the 1890s. He was paid $40 a day for writing one newspaper column. You know he would not have stood for $8 even then.
   
   People have to start demanding living wages for good writing. They will soon learn that when they pay $1 for a 500 word article that they definitely get what they pay for.

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8. 77

   Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

   I guess my perspective is showing.
   I come from a background of marketing and PR writing where "back in the day" the strategy and skills, along with the execution, commanded beaucoup bucks.
   I'm also used to writing longer projects like entire websites for a bigger fee.
   I have gradually adjusted my hourly rate to work on sites like oDesk (which is keeping me really, really busy, btw and if you are interested I'd LOVE the referral!).
   
   Anyway, I guess I am an extremely slow writer. I cannot imagine researching and writing 4 blogs on the topic of personal injury law in an hour!
   
   If I am going to focus my blogging time in the most lucrative way, wouldn't writing more Hubs, with the opportunity for passive income, be a better use of time?

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   1. 92

      habeeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Lol, MM. No, I don't think you could write on injury law without doing some intense research! I was referring to blogs/articles that don't require research.
      
      For example, I write a lot of fishing articles for one customer. I'm a lifelong angler, so I rarely have to research his topics. Plus, I enjoy writing about fishing! Same for dogs, horses, and travel.
      
      I've been paid as much as $200 for a 500-word article about horses, but these jobs are rare.

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   2. 80

      Sufidreamerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      have to agree, MM - that is a very low rate. On oDesk and through my site, I often get offers as poor as that one. My response is usually a little abrupt, to say the least
      
      Attitudes are slowly changing - a couple of years back, things got really bad, but businesses are now realizing that good professional writers cost money.

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      1. 0

         Sophia Angeliqueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         This has been my experience. 2008 and 2009 was a nightmare. However, this past year, I've slowly seen a realization amongst those who employ writers that if one wants to pay $1.50 for 400 words, then that 400 words isn't going to be the kind of writing one wants.
         
         There has definitely been a change in the market place. I wrote about it in my article for writing trends for 2011

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   3. 63

      Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      This
      Just don't forget to do keyword research before and promote later.
      Happy New Year!

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9. 80

   Uninvited Writerposted 13 years ago

   I bet though if you did the research for an hour or two you could find 5 or 6 blog topics from that.

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10. 77

    Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

    Ok, here comes my rant.
    It really dismays me to see what corporate American will (or technically will NOT) pay anymore. Writing has truly become a commodity, with the lower end providers setting the bar in terms of price. It really pisses me off to see American companies posting projects that involve creative skills -- like designing a logo, writing a company tagline, a brochure, etc. -- and offering a fixed fee of $35. WTF? That's called BRANDING you a-holes.
    But as long as there are contractors willing to work for that, why should the buyers pay more?
    Personally, I think it's high time for a revolt.
    So I am hereby chaining myself to my laptop and refuse to write until someone is willing to pay me a $1 million.
    Seriously, thanks to all for your guidance on this.
    Happy and PROSPEROUS New Year to all Hubbers!
    MM

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    1. 0

       Sophia Angeliqueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Join.
       Writers Get paid Appropriately!
       http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=99310276824
       
       And listen to Harlan Ellison going off about the same thing!
       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE
       
       A while ago, if one of one's articles got accepted for a good magazine, one would be paid $700 for 350 words. I've been paid $450 for 90 minutes work. One used to be able to earn a living. Employers used to take into consideration that one pondered the use of one word over another, played around with commas for the ambiance and the rhythm of the piece, and that one had to check facts for publication. One couldn't always rely on memory.
       
       I have kept hearing over the past few years that if one knows the topic, it only takes minutes to write. That is true. However, most writers do not have knowledge of every single topic, and so the trend has been to hire the specialists to write. Only the specialists can't write... So the standards have dropped lower and lower...
       
       Excuse me while I rant...

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11. 0

    Go Writerposted 13 years ago

    F%*k no!
    
    You should be getting paid at $20.

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12. 64

    mickshaw555posted 13 years ago

    I see freelance sites have a profusion of writers who are willing to write at $2 for 500 words!

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13. 68

    lrohnerposted 13 years ago

    I will say though that blog posts (which is what started this thread) tend to earn less in general than other types of articles. I think people see them as "throw aways," hence the lower pay rate. That's why I just don't do them.

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    1. 80

       Sufidreamerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       That's true - Blogs are often seen as 'Not Proper Writing,' partly because people perceive that they are often little more than link farms.
       
       I think that this unfair view is changing, as businesses start to realize the potential of using a professional as a blog writer. A good blog can rapidly build a loyal following

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14. 77

    Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

    The experts have spoken!
    I do hope the trend is going to reverse in 2011 whereby employers appreciate the difference between down and dirty, poorly written blog posts (which seem to be the new catchphrase for "newsletter" in the corporate world) and articles.
    
    Thanks all for your advice.
    In the meantime, if anyone does want to check out oDesk email me and I will send you an invitation... MM

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15. 77

    Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

    Hey livewithrichard!  did you know you won the 2010 Celebrity Dead Pool? Certainly that accolade will beef up your resume and increase your hourly rate by about, oh... $.02.
    Still, it's a feather in your Hub Pages cap!
    Congrats!!!
    MM

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    1. 71

       livewithrichardposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       LOL no I didn't know and I'm not sure if that's good or bad.  I don't even remember who I chose so I'm going to go check it out now.

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16. 52

    Angie Johnstonposted 13 years ago

    Oh my gosh, Mighty Mom, that's a garbage rate!  I think you already know that, but I just had to chime in.
    
    I know I'm late to the party here - had to create an account so I could comment...
    
    Do not, do not, do not - and this goes for anyone who respects their own writing talent and this profession - ever take such a pathetic excuse for 'pay.'
    
    I'm not saying you should charge hundreds of dollars per post (although there are writers who do).  I AM saying that rate is disgusting and when someone offers it to you, use all the self-respect and respect for other freelance writers you have and tell them to get lost.  Let 'em know they offended you, too.
    
    (As a qualifier, that's my blog someone referenced up there with the fee calculator.)

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17. 43

    Mikeydoesposted 13 years ago

    Sounds to me like I am much better off making a hub on something I want, rather than spending my time on that. I would imagine being able to pull way more $$ than that in.
    
    Say no and make them drive up the prices!!! If we get them 1 client They'll be making a lot more than $8.

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18. 72

    yenajeonposted 13 years ago

    I am a hired blog poster, (for a fashion site); I make $10 a post. It's not amazing, but, it literally takes me 15-20 minutes to write a fashion post, so overall not bad!
    You just have to compare the time it takes to make the money and what you could've done with that time instead.

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