The 2026 ProCopywriters Annual Survey is out today – our tenth annual survey of the copywriting profession. 573 people answered the call and told us about their work, their income, their attitudes to AI, and how they are building a copywriting career.
The AI stats might be the strongest signals in the report, but they aren’t the only story. Here’s a snapshot.
AI use is up. AI enthusiasm is down. 74% of respondents now use generative AI tools in their work, up from 59% two years ago. 35% are obliged to use AI by a client, colleague or employer, nearly double last year’s figure. And 64% told us that if a button existed to erase generative AI from the world, they would press it. That figure was 45% in 2025. A 19-point swing in twelve months is unusual for any survey question, and it suggests the profession’s relationship with AI has soured even as its use has grown.
We don’t know why 64% of respondents would neutralise AI. Their objections might be rooted in environmental, ethical or cultural concerns. Whatever their motive, it’s surprising that so many professionals, having had time to work with AI, would still love to live without it.
The freelance market has structural problems that predate AI. The gender day rate gap has widened from zero in 2023 to 17% this year on a median basis. 51% of freelance respondents had at least one client pay an invoice late in the past twelve months. 43% told us they don’t feel they charge enough. Training spend has stayed flat across three years, with three-quarters of respondents spending under £500 a year on their own development. These are separate findings but they add up to a familiar picture: a community without much slack, being asked to absorb more pressure.
Employed copywriters are quietly doing better. The median in-house income is £48,000 against £33,000 for freelancers, and employed copywriters rate their workplaces as broadly respectful of the skill (mean 7.06 out of 10). Two-thirds are looking for some kind of role change in the next year, mostly promotion. What’s changed is that only 5% are considering going freelance, a sharp drop from earlier surveys, where freelancing was the natural next move for a dissatisfied employee. The freelance pull isn’t what it used to be.
We also asked some new questions this year: about credentials and formal recognition, written contracts, ethical pushback, and writing for vulnerable audiences. 13% of respondents had been asked to write misleading or unethical copy in the past year, and 23% of those wrote it anyway. 36% of respondents who frequently write for vulnerable audiences had received specific training for it.
Beyond the questions, we’ve tried to slice the data in new ways to reveal new truths. Specifically, we’ve isolated the impact of part-time work on the gender pay gap, and identified a correlation between income and markers of professionalism (insurance, raising rates, pricing confidence, training investment).
The report runs to 60 pages and includes commentary from working copywriters alongside the data. Thanks to everyone who gave their time to complete the survey, and thanks to our sponsors.
Read the full report: ProCopywriters Survey 2026