573 commercial writers tell their stories

ProCopywriters Survey 2026

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What's it like to be a copywriter?

Download the full report to learn how copywriters:

use AI tools
tackle projects
develop their careers
charge for their time

And loads more.

Thanks to the 573 copywriters who gave up their time to complete our wide-ranging survey, and to the sponsors who make this report possible.

AI adoption

Use and concern climb together

Almost three-quarters of copywriters now use generative AI tools. But the share rating their concern about AI at 7 or more out of 10 has nearly doubled in two years — adoption and anxiety rising in step.

Day rates

Freelance day rates keep climbing

The median freelance day rate rose to £440 — a 10% climb in two years. A striking move given the pressure from generative AI, and perhaps a sign of the copywriter’s increasingly strategic role.

AI sentiment

Most would switch AI off

Handed a hypothetical button to erase generative AI from the world, 64% of copywriters said they’d press it — up sharply from 45% just a year earlier.

Gender pay gap

The widest pay gap we’ve recorded

The median gender pay gap widened to 31% in favour of men — the largest on a like-for-like basis in the survey’s history. Only copywriters who mix freelance and employed work closed it.