There’s no standard rate for copywriting. Copywriters are free to set prices that reflect their experience, profile, expertise, and results.
So we can’t tell you what copywriters should charge.
What we can offer is information from our survey of UK copywriters. The figures below are taken from the 2026 edition of our survey of 383 freelance copywriters.
The short version
Most freelance copywriters in the UK charge a day rate between £300 and £1800, with a median of £440.
Why the large range of rates?
A copywriter charging £300/day might be freshly freelance and focused on expanding their portfolio.
A copywriter charging £1800+ per day might be a leader in their field, someone with deep expertise in a sector, a professional with in-demand skills, or someone with a proven record of success.
How copywriters charge
Project fee. This is the most common approach to pricing, and usually the best for both parties. A project fee means you agree a single sum to deliver the work. You know what you’ll pay, and the copywriter knows what’s required. This requires a clear brief, because the fee is priced against a pre-determined scope (e.g. a number of pages, emails or reports).
Day rate. This is useful for work that can’t be scoped in advance: workshops, editing sessions, being embedded with a team, exploratory work.
Retainer. With a retainer you agree a monthly fee for an agreed amount of work or availability.
A monthly fee for an agreed amount of work or an agreed availability. Sensible if you have continuous need. Worth being precise about what happens to unused capacity.
Per word. Common in content mills and rare among experienced copywriters, for the good reason that it rewards length. A headline that takes two days to get right would cost almost nothing. Treat a per-word quote as a signal about the kind of work you’re commissioning.
What actually drives the price
Thinking time. The writing is often the final part of a copywriting project, and it may be the shortest part too. Before writing anything, copywriters need to understand your project inside and out. That means research, interviews, understanding your market, working out what to say and in what order: that’s where the significant time is spent. A short piece of writing, such as a prominent headline, can easily cost more than a longer piece, such as a blog post.
How much discovery is needed. If you have a clear brief, existing research and an agreed brand proposition, your copywriter might be able to just start writing. If they need to interview a selection of customers or colleagues first, then the project will take significantly longer.
Regulation and risk. Financial services, healthcare, legal and other sectors with compliance requirements take longer and carry more responsibility. Expect to pay more for that expertise.
Specialist knowledge. A writer who already understands your sector may cost more per day but take less time in total, because they’re already well acquainted with your industry.
Revisions and approvals. Two rounds of feedback from one person is a different job from five rounds across a committee. This is worth agreeing up front, and it’s the most common cause of a project going over.
Urgency. Most copywriters charge a premium for work that displaces something already booked. It’s reasonable, and it’s avoidable with notice.
Why the cheapest quote is usually the most expensive
If three quotes come back at £1000, £1200 and £250, the outlier is telling you something. It might be a writer at the beginning of their career, which could present a great opportunity. But it might be a writer who has misunderstood the scope.
The true cost of copy that doesn’t work isn’t the fee. It’s the work that goes into making it live, the missed opportunities, and the months required to put it right.
What to ask when you get a quote
Whether it’s fixed or an estimate. What’s included and what isn’t. How many rounds of revision. What happens if the scope changes. When payment is due, and whether a deposit is required. Who owns the copyright when it’s delivered.
Most experienced copywriters will cover all of this without being asked, in writing, before starting. Take it as a good sign when they do.
About these figures
They come from our annual survey of UK copywriters and reflect what our members report charging, not what we recommend. We’re a professional body rather than an agency, and we don’t take a commission on any work commissioned through our directory.