How Much Are Copywriters Paid: Copywriting is an uncommon but highly sought-after skill set that pays well. It usually involves writing words that get people to take some form of action- action here could either be to buy a product, subscribe to an email, take a survey, subscribe to a service etc.
Copywriting is the glue that binds everything together in a comprehensive digital marketing plan, which includes design, content marketing, SEO, and growth hacking. Copy gives your design meaning and lays the foundation for content marketing and other forms of advertising.
There are no limits to one’s growth in the copywriting industry if you can use your skillset to convey a fascinating story while still convincing your audience that they need your product. The actual question, though, is how much money can one earn as a copywriter? Well, keep reading to find out.
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Who’s a copywriter?
Copywriters are those who are paid to write copy- materials that entice readers to take action. A copywriter provides written content for a company or organization with the goal of selling or promoting a product, service, or brand. When you read a book, you are reading an author’s work. On the other hand, when you read any form of written content from a company, organization, or brand, that’s the work of a copywriter.
The content written by a copywriter is usually for advertising or other forms of marketing and it includes materials like:
a. Sales pages
b. Blog posts/articles
c. Social media posts
d. White papers
e. Advertisements (both print and digital)
f. Video scripts
g. Email funnels
h. Landing pages
i. Case studies etc.
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How Much Do Copywriters Make?
According to Glassdoor, the median pay of a Copywriter in the United States is $58,269 per year, with a projected total pay of $72,048 annually as of 2022. The expected extra remuneration might include a cash bonus, tips, profit sharing and commission. This is however for writers who work in-house or for a well-known agency.
On the other hand, As per salary explorer, a CopyWriter in Nigeria makes roughly 233,000 naira per month on average with salaries varying from 114,000 naira to 363,000 naira (lowest to highest). This is the monthly average pay, which includes housing, transportation, and other benefits.
Regardless of the above figures, I’d like to add that one can also make six figures as a copywriter but attaining such a level hinges on a lot of things. Writers are fortunate in that their wages are highly susceptible to clever wordplay that can capture the attention of potential clients. But beyond the mere act of writing, it is important to state that the pay scale for copywriters varies greatly depending on some factors which may range from the level of experience to the career path, location etc.
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Career Path
There are two main settings that one can work in as a copywriter:
Agency: In this scenario, the copywriter works for an agency (marketing, advertising or other creative agencies).
In-house: In this scenario, the copywriter is working for a company or non-agency.
Freelance: In this scenario, one works as a freelance copywriter (you are own boss).
Content marketing agencies, in general, regard copywriting as a cost of products sold rather than a value proposition.
In order words, to them and their clients, writing is writing- a somewhat marketable item. It is viewed as something that will happen regardless of who does it, therefore whomever it is, it should be inexpensive since cheap implies bigger profits. As a result, agency copywriters’ remuneration tends to be low, but for in-house copywriters that is those who are employed and work directly for a company, they are viewed as a member of the team and so are compensated accordingly.
The average pay amount as stated by most surveys, on the other hand, excludes freelance copywriters. This is especially true for freelancers whose pay is a bit more difficult to ascertain because what they earn is largely dependent on the copywriter’s desire to network, build up a business, and hustle for writing gigs.
As a freelance copywriter, you might earn a lot more (or a lot less) depending on how much work you take on. When it comes to earning potential as a freelance copywriter, the sky is the limit, and sustained six-figure salaries are not unusual. Ultimately, the amount one makes in copywriting is dependent on one’s career path whether you are in-house, on a contract, or into freelancing.
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Level of Experience
One’s level of experience is a recurring component that impacts an individual’s pay in any field of employment. A copywriter’s earnings are also largely determined by his or her level of expertise. Naturally, the more years of experience you have, the more money you will earn.
According to Glassdoor, the typical senior copywriter earns $80,000. This means that gaining experience and remaining around long enough to achieve a senior title (you’ve got to request it in performance evaluations) can help you earn more money.
Location
The pay structure of a Copywriter is also influenced by location. Your clients’ perceptions of you may be influenced by where you reside as well as the cost of living in that area.
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Industry: Tech Companies Tend To Pay More
Newspapers, periodicals, and online publications are all striving to make a profit and must consider their margins carefully. They’re ad-supported, and the media industry is competitive. As a result, media firms and the agencies that feed them must maintain tight profit margins. Writing is an expenditure to them.
On the other hand, paying a copywriter to produce outstanding work without contemplating the return is second nature to tech corporations like Google, which earns 70% of its income from those advertisements and uses that money to support all sorts of entertaining, long-term, civic-minded, and moonshot initiatives.
Not every firm can compete with Google. However, most IT companies pay more than non-tech companies because they value writing differently as well. So, if you’re a technical writer or have a background in technology, earning up to $200,000 a year isn’t out of the question.
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Niche: Niche Writers Out-Earn Generalists
Developing an area of specialization is perhaps one of the most effective ways to boost your earnings out of all the factors already highlighted. In a full-time job, capitalizing on a niche as a copywriter could be very challenging, but the idea remains the same. Companies are willing to pay more for someone who requires less training (perhaps not four times more, but something close).
Onboarding and training a new employee costs thousands of dollars, and most employees aren’t completely productive for at least six months. If you can demonstrate that you’ll be productive from day one, you’ll have a significant edge over other candidates and will likely command a higher wage.
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Conclusion
Regardless of everything that has been mentioned in this article, the bottom line remains: to take advantage of the aforementioned factors, you must first understand that your work must be of top quality.
Quality is a difficult concept to define, but it is in the eye of the employer; does your writing wow them and their clients? If it does, then you are in a strong position. But if it doesn’t, you’ll find yourself with a lot less clout. As a copywriter, while you should aim for the best feasible salary based on your location, industry and employer, the ideal long-term strategy is to excel at your craft, which will naturally convert to higher pay over time.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC, is a Law Student and a Certified Mediator/Conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a Developer with knowledge in HTML, CSS, JS, PHP and React Native. Samuel is bent on changing the legal profession by building Web and Mobile Apps that will make legal research a lot easier.