I've got your price list and everything looks good to me. I'll send over the creative brief tomorrow. Can you send me your invoice so I can get that started?
A new client said this to me after a discovery chat. But it's not what I heard early in my technical copywriting career.
Many times people would say, "You're too expensive." Or ask, "Can you lower your fee at all?"
Even back then I would say, "no," because I'm not your average copywriter. I'm a technical copywriter with 20+ years of professional writing experience. And that experience & expertise costs.
If you're working with a high-quality professional copywriter with decades of B2B technology industry experience, you're gonna have to pay. And most of my clients have no issue doing so.
The only things I tend to quibble on with my clients these days is the payment method and scheduling, but that's it.
My clients rarely ask for a lower price because they know what I bring to the table. They're willing to invest in my skills and experience because they know they won't have to redo all my work or explain every little technical detail so I can get the project done.
Yes, cost is important but it's not the first thing my clients look for when hiring a technical copywriter.
Why be transparent in my pricing?
The reason I publish my fee ranges on my website is to be as transparent as possible with clients and prospective clients. I got that after reading Marcus Sheridan's great book, They Ask, You Answer.
In his book, Sheridan explains that by hiding your pricing, you immediately create an obstacle for your clients. They'll want to know what you're hiding, or else they'll go with another vendor.
Pricing is a mind game
A well-thought out and visible pricing strategy lets people know you're not trying to trick them into a sale. They see you're trying to remove as much friction from the user experience as possible. After all, you don't want to waste their time if you're out of their price range, right? Likewise, you don't want to waste time creating a proposal for someone who will never sign on the dotted line.
By publishing my prices, even a price range, enables site visitors to do their own vendor research and qualify (or disqualify) themselves from working with me. - all before we even speak to each other.
...discussing cost and price is not about affordability, it's about psychology. It's about trust..." - They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan
It's about trust
And that’s what it all comes down to. Trust.
If you don’t trust me based on my website, you’re not going to trust me to do any copywriting for you. Simple as that.
When you see the pricing on my Services page, you’ll know exactly what it’ll cost to have me write for your B2B tech or SaaS company. You’ll know immediately whether my fees fit within your budget and can decide whether or not to get in touch.
So, what DOES technical copywriting cost?
My prices for technical copywriting projects reflect the scope of past projects. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, so I know how long it takes me to produce the copy B2B tech & SaaS companies need.
Depending on the audience for your project, I know the type of words and phrases that resonate best with them, as well as the format that engages them to share more often online. We may start with a discussion for a short white paper and end up with a 5-post blog series instead.
Project scope may start with one content type and after a discussion with me, we may change things up; or go with your original idea.
The point is, based on your needs and my expertise, we’ll land on the right content & copy project that’s right for your B2B tech or SaaS company. My copywriting experience and content marketing savvy may uncover levels of value in your message and ideas that you might not have initially been aware of. In these cases, your value-investment increases in the project.
This is why I’ve priced my projects the way I have. Each price is a value-based number and work that ensures you receive fair market value for your investment.
And I consider it that way, an investment. After all, you’re hiring me to achieve significant business outcomes for your B2B tech or SaaS company.
I work with clients in 1 of 3 ways:
- Copywriting
- Repurposing content & copy
- Strategy kit development
These are the ones my clients keep coming back to me for, so that's what I offer.