How Much Does Copywriting Cost? 2025 Rates for Every Project Type

Q: How much does a VSL script cost?

A professional VSL (video sales letter) script costs between $7,500 and $50,000+ depending on the copywriter's track record and the scale of the offer. VSLs are among the most complex copywriting deliverables because they require the writer to manage pacing, emotional cadence, and visual direction alongside the sales argument. Top VSL writers often work on a base fee plus royalty model, earning a percentage of revenue generated.

Key Takeaways

Copywriting rates range from $500 to $50,000+ per project — but the only rate that matters is the one that delivers a measurable return on investment
Per-project pricing is the industry standard for experienced direct-response copywriters because it aligns cost with value delivered, not hours worked
The highest-ROI copywriting formats — sales pages, VSLs, and email sequences — command premium rates because small conversion improvements translate to large revenue gains
Cheap copy is the most expensive copy you will ever buy — a $500 page that does not convert wastes every dollar of traffic you send to it
Royalty and performance-based pricing models attract the best copywriters because they reward results, not just effort
The right question is never "How much does copywriting cost?" — it is "What return will this copy generate relative to the investment?"

What Do Copywriting Rates Actually Look Like?

If you have searched for copywriting rates, you have probably encountered a staggering range of numbers. Landing page quotes from $200 to $10,000. Sales page estimates from $500 to $50,000. Hourly rates from $25 to $500+. The spread is wide enough to make the numbers feel meaningless.

They are not meaningless. They reflect a market where the gap between mediocre copy and exceptional copy is enormous — and so is the gap in results. Understanding what drives copywriting pricing is the first step to making a smart investment rather than a blind gamble.

Definition

Copywriting Rates

The fees charged by professional copywriters for creating persuasive, conversion-focused content. Rates vary based on the pricing model (per project, per word, hourly, retainer, or royalty), the format (sales pages, VSLs, emails, landing pages), the copywriter's experience and track record, and the complexity of the project. In direct response, rates are best evaluated by the return on investment the copy generates, not by the sticker price alone.

I have been writing direct-response copy for more than 30 years, generating $523 million in tracked results for clients including Apple, IBM, Microsoft, and Citibank. In that time, I have seen businesses waste millions on cheap copy that failed to convert — and I have seen single pieces of well-crafted copy generate more revenue than entire marketing departments. The difference almost always comes down to understanding the relationship between what you pay for copy and what that copy produces.

Copywriting Rate Structures

Before we get into specific numbers, it is important to understand the different ways copywriters price their services. Each model has implications for both cost and quality.

Per-Project Pricing

Per-project pricing is the industry standard among experienced direct-response copywriters and across the professional copywriting services market. You pay a flat fee for a defined deliverable — a sales page, a VSL script, an email sequence — regardless of how many hours the work takes.

This model works because the value of copy is not determined by the time spent writing it. A veteran who writes a high-converting sales page in 20 hours of focused work delivers more value than a junior copywriter who takes 80 hours to produce something mediocre. Per-project pricing aligns the cost with the value of the deliverable, not the hours logged.

Per-Word Pricing

Per-word rates range from $0.10 to $2.00+ and are most common in content writing. For direct-response copywriting, per-word pricing is fundamentally flawed. It rewards wordiness and penalises concise, high-impact writing. A 500-word landing page that converts at 5% is worth more than a 5,000-word page that converts at 0.5% — but per-word pricing inverts that value equation.

If a copywriter quotes you per word for a sales page or VSL, that is a signal they are thinking like a content writer, not a conversion specialist.

Hourly Pricing

Freelance copywriter hourly rates range from $50 to $500+ depending on experience. Hourly billing is uncommon among top copywriters for a simple reason: it punishes efficiency. A copywriter with 20 years of experience can often produce better copy in less time than someone with two years of experience. Hourly billing means the better copywriter earns less — which is why the best professionals avoid it.

Hourly rates are most useful for consulting, creative direction, or small-scope tasks where the deliverable is not clearly defined in advance.

Retainer Pricing

Retainers are monthly agreements that typically range from $3,000 to $15,000+ per month. They work well for ongoing relationships where a business needs regular copy — weekly emails, monthly landing pages, rotating ad creative, and periodic campaign assets.

The advantage of a retainer is consistency. The copywriter develops deep knowledge of your brand, audience, and voice over time, which improves quality and reduces the briefing cycle on each new project. I have had retainer clients for years, and the copy gets sharper with each piece because I understand their market at a level that would be impossible on a one-off project basis.

Royalty and Performance-Based Pricing

Royalty deals involve a lower upfront fee combined with a percentage of revenue generated — typically 3–10% of net sales. This model is most common with experienced copywriters working on high-volume offers like VSLs, health supplement funnels, ClickBank offers, and information product launches.

Performance-based pricing attracts top talent because it rewards results. A copywriter who is confident in their ability to produce converting copy is willing to tie their income to performance. If a copywriter refuses to consider any form of performance-based compensation, it may signal a lack of confidence in their own work.

Copywriting Rates by Project Type

Here is a realistic breakdown of what experienced, results-driven copywriters charge across the most common project formats in 2025.

Format	Price Range	Timeline	Key Factors
Sales page	$5,000–$25,000+	2–4 weeks	Offer complexity, research depth, copywriter track record
VSL script	$7,500–$50,000+	3–5 weeks	Length, production complexity, market competitiveness
Email sequence (5–10 emails)	$3,000–$10,000	2–3 weeks	Number of emails, sequence complexity, automation setup
Landing page	$1,000–$5,000	1–2 weeks	Offer type, traffic source, testing plan
Direct mail package	$5,000–$15,000	2–4 weeks	Format, list quality, compliance requirements
Website copy (full site)	$5,000–$20,000	3–6 weeks	Number of pages, SEO requirements, brand development
Ad copy (set of variations)	$1,000–$5,000	1–2 weeks	Number of platforms, variation count, testing scope
Complete funnel build	$15,000–$50,000+	4–8 weeks	Number of stages, asset count, integration complexity

Sales Pages: $5,000–$25,000+

A sales page is the highest-stakes format in direct-response copywriting. It carries the entire persuasion burden — taking a visitor from initial curiosity to completed purchase in a single experience. The price reflects the depth of research, strategic planning, and conversion architecture required to build an argument that addresses every objection and creates enough desire to close.

At the upper end of this range, you are hiring a sales copywriter with a demonstrated track record of generating substantial revenue from their sales pages. That track record is not a luxury — it is the evidence that your investment will produce returns.

VSL Scripts: $7,500–$50,000+

VSL scripts are among the most complex and highest-value copywriting deliverables. A VSL requires the copywriter to orchestrate pacing, emotional cadence, visual direction, and persuasion architecture simultaneously. The best VSL writers understand not just what to say but how the spoken word, text overlays, and visual elements interact to build desire.

The wide price range reflects the enormous variance in VSL scope. A 15-minute VSL for a $47 product is a different project than a 60-minute VSL for a high-ticket coaching programme. The top VSL copywriters often work on base-fee-plus-royalty models because the revenue potential of a successful VSL is substantial.

Email Sequences: $3,000–$10,000

Email sequences are the revenue backbone of most online businesses. A well-crafted sequence can double or triple revenue per subscriber, making it one of the highest-ROI copywriting investments you can make.

Pricing depends on the number of emails, the complexity of the sequence logic (welcome vs. launch vs. cart abandonment vs. re-engagement), and the level of segmentation and personalisation required. A simple five-email welcome sequence sits at the lower end. A comprehensive launch sequence with multiple branches and conditional logic pushes towards the upper end.

Landing Pages: $1,000–$5,000

Landing pages are shorter than sales pages but require equally precise copy. Every word must earn its place because there is less real estate to make the argument. A landing page conversion rate improvement from 2% to 4% doubles your lead flow from the same traffic — making even a relatively modest copywriting investment highly leveraged.

Additional Formats

Direct mail packages ($5,000–$15,000), ad copy ($1,000–$5,000), and website copy ($5,000–$20,000) round out the common project types. Each has its own conversion dynamics and pricing conventions, but the principle is the same: you are paying for the copywriter's ability to generate measurable results, not for words on a page.

Factors That Affect Copywriting Rates

Several factors drive copywriting pricing beyond the basic format.

Copywriter experience and track record. A copywriter who can demonstrate $1 million+ in tracked revenue from their copy commands higher rates than one who cannot. This is not ego pricing — it is evidence-based pricing. The track record is the proof that you are buying results, not just words.

Industry complexity. Financial copywriting requires compliance knowledge. Health supplement copywriting requires regulatory awareness. SaaS copywriting requires technical fluency. Specialised industry knowledge adds value and increases rates.

Project scope and research requirements. A sales page for a well-known product in a familiar market requires less original research than a page for a novel offer in an unfamiliar niche. The more research required, the higher the investment.

Competitive intensity. Writing copy for a market with sophisticated competitors requires more strategic differentiation than writing for a market with weak competition. The copywriter needs to find angles that have not been exhausted.

Revenue potential. Copywriters who work on royalty or performance-based models factor the revenue potential of the offer into their pricing. A VSL for an offer with $10 million per year in potential revenue warrants a different investment than one for a niche product with $100,000 in potential.

Why Cheap Copy Is the Most Expensive Copy

I want to address the temptation to save money by going with the lowest quote, because I have watched this decision destroy marketing budgets for three decades.

A $500 sales page is not saving you $14,500 compared to a $15,000 page. It is costing you every dollar of revenue the better page would have generated. Run the numbers: if you send 10,000 visitors per month to a page selling a $97 product, a 0.5% conversion rate (typical of cheap copy) produces $4,850 per month. A 3% conversion rate (achievable with professional copy) produces $29,100 per month. That is a $24,250 monthly difference — $291,000 per year — from a single asset.

Now consider that you are also spending money to acquire those visitors. Every visitor who lands on a weak page and leaves is a wasted acquisition cost. The cheap copy does not just underperform — it actively destroys the ROI of every other dollar in your marketing budget.

This is not hypothetical. This is the math I have seen play out across hundreds of projects and $523 million in tracked results. The pattern is consistent: businesses that invest in experienced copywriting generate more revenue at lower cost-per-acquisition than those that cut corners on copy.

How to Evaluate Copywriting ROI

The right framework for evaluating copywriting cost is not "How much does the copywriter charge?" It is "What return does this investment generate?"

A $15,000 sales page that generates $500,000 in revenue delivers a 33x return on the copywriting investment. That is an exceptional ROI by any business standard. A $1,500 sales page that generates $3,000 in revenue delivers a 2x return — and when you factor in the traffic costs to generate those visits, you may actually be losing money.

The metrics that matter when evaluating copywriting ROI are:

Conversion rate — the percentage of visitors who take the desired action
Revenue per visitor — total revenue divided by total visitors
Cost per acquisition — how much you spend to acquire each customer, including both traffic and copywriting costs
Lifetime value impact — how the copy affects not just the initial sale but downstream purchases and retention

When you hire a copywriter, ask for specific performance data from previous projects. A copywriter who can tell you "My last sales page converted at 3.2% and generated $180,000 in the first 60 days" is giving you a basis for projecting your own ROI. A copywriter who says "My clients love my work" is giving you nothing to calculate against.

When to Invest in Professional Copywriting

Not every situation demands a $15,000 sales page. But there are clear signals that professional copy will pay for itself many times over.

Invest in professional copy when:

You are spending $5,000+ per month on paid traffic and need to maximise the conversion rate of that investment
You are launching a new offer and need to get the positioning, messaging, and persuasion right from day one
Your current copy was written by someone without direct-response training and your conversion rates are below industry benchmarks
You are in a competitive market where small conversion differences translate to large revenue differences
Your offer is high-ticket or high-volume, meaning even a fractional conversion improvement generates significant revenue

Consider lower-cost options when:

You are in the earliest stages of validating an offer and need a minimum viable sales page to test the concept
Your traffic volume is too low for conversion rate differences to be meaningful
Your budget is better allocated to product development or traffic acquisition at this stage

The goal is not to spend the most on copywriting. The goal is to invest at a level that matches the revenue opportunity. A small business selling a $27 product with 500 visitors per month has a different optimal investment than an established brand spending $100,000 per month on traffic for a $997 offer.

Getting Started

If you are evaluating copywriting rates and trying to determine the right investment for your business, the most valuable next step is a conversation about your specific situation. The right copywriting investment depends on your offer, your traffic, your competitive landscape, and your revenue goals — not on industry averages.

I offer a free strategy call to discuss your project and provide an honest assessment of where professional copy can have the biggest impact on your results. After 30+ years and $523M+ in tracked results, I can tell you quickly whether your situation warrants a premium copywriting investment or whether your money is better spent elsewhere first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does copywriting cost per word?

Per-word copywriting rates range from $0.10 to $2.00+ depending on the writer's experience and the type of copy. Content writing sits at the lower end ($0.10–$0.50 per word), while direct-response sales copy commands $0.50–$2.00+ per word. However, per-word pricing is a poor model for conversion-focused copy because it penalises concise, high-impact writing and rewards padding. Most experienced copywriters charge per project instead.

How much does a freelance copywriter charge per hour?

Freelance copywriter hourly rates range from $50 to $500+ per hour depending on experience and specialisation. Junior copywriters charge $50–$100 per hour, mid-level copywriters charge $100–$250, and senior direct-response specialists charge $250–$500+. That said, hourly billing is uncommon among experienced copywriters because it punishes efficiency — a veteran who writes a high-converting page in 10 hours should not earn less than a junior who takes 40 hours.

How much does a sales page cost?

A professionally written sales page costs between $5,000 and $25,000+ depending on the copywriter's experience, the complexity of the offer, and the amount of research required. Top-tier direct-response copywriters with proven track records may charge $25,000–$50,000+ for high-stakes sales pages, sometimes with a royalty on sales. The investment reflects the research, strategy, and persuasion architecture required to build a page that converts.

How much does a VSL script cost?

A professional VSL script costs between $7,500 and $50,000+ depending on the copywriter's track record and the scale of the offer. VSLs are among the most complex copywriting deliverables because they require the writer to manage pacing, emotional cadence, and visual direction alongside the sales argument. Top VSL writers often work on a base fee plus royalty model, earning a percentage of revenue generated.

Are cheap copywriting rates worth it?

Cheap copywriting is almost always the most expensive option in the long run. A $500 sales page that converts at 0.5% will cost you far more in lost revenue than a $15,000 page that converts at 3%. If you send 10,000 visitors to a $97 offer, the cheap page generates $4,850 while the professional page generates $29,100. The real cost of copywriting is not what you pay the writer — it is the revenue you lose from copy that does not convert.

What is a copywriting retainer and how much does it cost?

A copywriting retainer is a monthly agreement where a copywriter provides ongoing services — emails, landing pages, ad copy, and other assets — for a fixed monthly fee. Retainers typically range from $3,000 to $15,000+ per month depending on the scope and the copywriter's experience. Retainers benefit both parties: the client gets priority access and consistent quality, and the copywriter gets predictable income and deeper knowledge of the business.

What is a royalty deal in copywriting?

A royalty deal means the copywriter accepts a lower upfront fee in exchange for a percentage of the revenue their copy generates — typically 3–10% of net sales. This model aligns incentives because the copywriter earns more when the copy performs well. Royalty deals are most common with experienced copywriters working on high-volume offers like VSLs, supplement funnels, and information product launches. They attract top talent because they reward results.

Why do some copywriters charge so much more than others?

The price difference between copywriters reflects the difference in results, not just the difference in writing quality. An experienced direct-response copywriter who has generated millions in tracked revenue brings strategic thinking, tested frameworks, deep market knowledge, and conversion architecture that a junior writer simply does not have. Paying $15,000 for copy that generates $500,000 is dramatically cheaper than paying $1,500 for copy that generates nothing.

How do I know if I am paying too much for copywriting?

You are paying too much if the copy does not generate a positive return on investment. A $25,000 sales page that generates $1 million in revenue is a bargain. A $500 landing page that generates no leads is overpriced. The right way to evaluate copywriting cost is not by comparing it to other quotes — it is by measuring the revenue or leads the copy produces relative to what you paid. Always ask the copywriter what results they have generated for previous clients.

Should I hire a copywriter or use AI for my copy?

AI can generate serviceable draft copy and assist with research, but it cannot replace an experienced copywriter for high-stakes conversion assets. AI lacks the strategic judgment to position offers, the emotional intelligence to craft persuasive narratives, and the testing experience to know what actually converts in specific markets. For blog posts and basic content, AI may be sufficient. For sales pages, VSLs, and email sequences where conversion rate directly impacts revenue, invest in a proven human copywriter.