On paying by the word for web copy.

taxi meter

Your taxi meter’s running.

For all the posturing we make about being casual and transparent online, web copywriters don’t always make their pricing clear. We’ve had good reasons to keep our rates a trade secret. Post how much you charge per word, and you’re suddenly playing a commodity game. That’s bad for both writers and their clients.

Focus too much on what you’re paying per word, and you could easily lose sight of your content strategy and the quality of what you’re delivering. I can hire some pretty decent novice writers for about 5 cents per word, but that doesn’t mean what they’ll deliver fits the tone or style of your business, or engages readers in a way that creates demand for your company.

Pay per word for business blogging or web copywriting, and you’re also setting yourself up for hassles when it’s time to update or revise your text. Budgeting this way can expose you to risk when an inexperienced, cheap copywriter requires you to pay again for a rewrite or a significant revision. Even if you manage to find a great web writer who charges by the word, you’re probably still missing the benefit of a coherent content strategy.

Instead, 2820 Press launched with three simple packages that reflect the needs of most small business owners who want to get started with a serious content strategy. The “starter” package gives you just enough to schedule blog updates 2-3 times a week, a frequency we know will help improve your social sharing and your search engine results.

The “standard” package bundles in a white paper and a press release, enabling you to extend a more serious content marketing approach for your audience. Our “premium” package bumps the frequency of your updates so you’ve got something new to tell your customers and your prospects most weekdays. Our flat, monthly rate removes nasty surprises from your promotion budget, and includes value-added services like WordPress installation and maintenance.

Our monthly service gives me and my team the ability to understand you and your business thoroughly. We’re not trying to sell you on word count. Sometimes, the right message will take just 350 carefully edited words. Sometimes, you may have more to say. We shouldn’t penalize you for that. We strive to take you from reactive communication to a more strategic place. Each piece of copy we produce includes one full set of revisions off the bat, so you should never worry about asking for clarification or adding some extra insight to your articles.

Not every business owner will want to work with us on this. That’s fine. Our whole business model hinges on the fact that we’re a boutique operation, capable of serving only about a dozen active clients at a time. However, if you land on my client roster, I’ll market and promote your company like it’s my own.

Contact me today or sign up for our current offer to lock in today’s new client package rates.

https://joetaylorjr.com

Joe Taylor Jr. has produced stories about media, technology, entertainment, and personal finance for over 25 years. His work has been featured on NPR, CNBC, Financial Times Television, and ABC News. After launching one of public radio's first successful digital platforms, Joe helped dozens of client companies launch or migrate their online content libraries. Today, Joe serves as a user experience consultant for a variety of Fortune 500 and Inc. 5000 businesses. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram