#freelance-gigs
For posting freelance opportunities. Plz post freelance gigs here → <https://airtable.com/shrnaj45n9yge6xOt> (If you want to post that you're looking for work, post in <#C02RGHQ4HK7|hire-me>)
Thread
hi freelance friends! what are some of you charging for white papers these days?
for context, I pitched $4k for a research-heavy white paper for a niche legal audience (with an option to go up to $6k if they wanted me to do the prep work for them: nail down the topic/angle, write the brief, create an outline, etc.) and that felt low to me—but the client told me I was significantly underbid by other writers within the niche. what gives?
@Bani Kaur
@Jenna Thomas I would have quoted much less
@Jenna Thomas Your pricing seems fair considering the industry and level of research.
all white papers are research-heavy and it also depends on the word count... for a 5,000w paper I would have quoted about $3,500US and that's what my clients typically pay me (I also do all the prep work)... I'd say discount a little but that guarantees a constant flow of work
100% I think your pricing is fair. I think some writers are seriously underpricing themselves which doesn't do anyone (themselves or anyone else in the industry) any good.
100% agree @Carissa Tham To be honest, even the 10c-a-word minimum Superpath requires for work callouts on this channel is a very low starting point. 10c per word should also come with an explanation of the type of work/experience level expected for 10c a word.
It would probably be some multiple (3-6x) of £1200 depending on length.
The average price for a white paper like 10 years ago was $4500 for 3000 words, so some of these fees sound distressingly low to me.
I can't give feedback on pricing as I usually don't pitch white papers and only do them as part of a larger scope of fractional marketing jobs, but I can say that many clients do not know what at white paper is or they imagine it more like a short ebook, and not like what we've come to know as a whitepaper from the last decade. I'm not saying this is what's happening here. They most likely have lots of low ball offers. But the last two "case studies" I quoted were just one page landing pages with a few customer testimonials that they provided and not at all the case study format I think most writers are familiar with. There is also some inconsistency in the market on what people think they are getting for the price (i.e. a 2-page ad versus a lengthy 20-page paper with original research, stats, and thought leadership.)
@Heather this is terrible but also in line with why I left journalism. The same magazines that paid me $1.50 per word in 2013 now pay $250 per article and want rights for print and digital in perpetuity. Not good.
@Linsey Knerl exactly. These gigs are supposed to pay more! White papers also don’t exactly have the cachet of glossy mags either.
💯 agree on all the above. Don't get me started on companies who expect 2000+ words at $200 or less. Maybe just use Chat GPT then? 😅 (They don't deserve an experienced Ai editor at that price either)
I charge $1.25 per word for white papers. But I only write white papers in a niche I know really well or one I do an SME interview with so they're never research heavy. That seems fair.
@Amanda Henry that's a fair point. SME interviews save a lot of time and effort if it's a niche you already know well.
Exactly! Also, I do a lot of work with an IT consultancy so they want control over the thought leadership since thought and strategy is their product.
Hello All Commentors, I love your prices. Where do you find these that agree to pay $6k and 4k?
I charge $2500, but for shorter 3000K pieces (1-2 interviews)