This is the 2017 report. The latest results are from
2026.
See the latest survey →
Copywriter Survey
› 2017
Copywriter Survey 2017
538 respondents · Fieldwork December–March · Published April 2017
What 538 UK copywriters earned and how they worked in 2017. Rates barely moved, and almost nobody wanted out.
Download the full report (PDF)Copywriter Survey
2017
538 UK commercial writers
Headline findings
£339
average freelance day rate
Day rates
Barely moved
The average freelance day rate was £339, just £2 more than in 2016. London rates averaged £392.
£337 in 2016
£41,666
average full-time income
Earnings
Full-time pay rises
Full-time copywriters earned an average of £41,666 a year. Freelancers made up 68% of respondents, up from 66%.
£39,850 in 2016
29%
average gap among full-time writers
Gender pay gap
The gap holds
Among full-time copywriters, men earned 29% more than women on average. The report set this against a UK-wide gap of 18%.
28% in 2016
0.5%
want to leave copywriting
Career
Staying put
Just 0.5% of respondents want to leave copywriting. A year earlier, 2% wanted to change careers.
2% in 2016