How Much Does It Cost to Hire A Copywriter In Singapore?

May 27, 2020 | Sean Foo

Whether you are a marketer looking to power-up your landing page conversions or a big brand looking for professional website copywriting – you might be wondering:

“How much exactly does good copywriting cost?”

Well, it depends on your end goal – maybe it’s generating leads or perhaps it is driving targeted traffic to your website.

And of course, the skill level of your copywriter!

Anyone can string a few sentences together but a good copywriter will have a good understanding of your industry, the buyer psychology as well as years of experience to know what works and what doesn’t.

But before we go into the pricing, it’s smart to dive a little deeper into the types of copywriting out there in the Singapore market.

Understanding The Different Types Of Copywriting

Just as there are medical specialists such as brain surgeons, there are different types of copywriters that you should be aware of.

Good copywriters are usually great at only one or two types of copy and it will be rare to find one that is skilled in all 5 types of copy.

Direct Response Copywriting

When people mention copywriting, the first thing that comes to mind is direct response or sales copywriting

Direct response copywriting inspires immediate action (e.g. buying from you, leaving an enquiry), directly after reading your copy. They are the type of copy found in:

Sales landing pages
E-mail opt-in popups
Free trial offer pages

In fact, such copywriting needs to not just showcase your product’s value; it needs to answer any questions, and address any fears your leads might have too.

It targets and appeals to people’s emotions (and reason) and is the primary type of copy you want if you are running a landing page for conversions.

Direct Response Copywriting Is About Getting The Reader To Take Action

Website Copywriting

Website copywriting is one of the most popular types of copy that will be written – especially if you are establishing your web presence or undergoing a rebrand.

Quality website copy helps you connect with your audience so that you can convert them to leads and eventually to red hot piping sales!

They can come in the form of:

Home page
About page
Product/service pages
Contact Us page

Be it through paid or organic search traffic – your web copy is critical to your online business success – it will determine if your reader trusts you, or turns away from you.

From persuasive copy to factual information and storytelling, website copywriting can take many forms.

Content Copywriting

Also known as ‘content marketing’, well-written content builds readers’ trust in you.

It does so by providing readers insights, which makes them see you as a credible authority figure. It can be in the form of:

Blog posts/articles
White Papers
E-Books & Guides

Besides building your readers’ trust, great content also helps you rank higher in Google searches.

75% of all search traffic goes to the first 5 results. This means you get more organic traffic, hence high-quality leads to convert to sales too!

This one blogpost brought mint.com more than 8,300 monthly visitors to the website!

Brand Copywriting

From brand naming to snappy taglines, brand (or creative) copywriting is meant to inspire a feeling in your reader and showcase what your business values are all about.

Brand copywriting sets you apart from your competitors by giving it a unique persona and value proposition.

They are usually in the form of:

Brand naming
Brand story crafting
Tagline crafting

Brand copy builds your brand equity.

As compared to direct response, this is more suitable if you are a high-growth or established business.

Learn more about choosing brand vs direct response copywriting here.

A compelling brand story adds depth to your business

E-mail Copywriting

E-mail marketing helps you nurture relationships with your leads so that they are eventually converted into sales!

A well-written e-mail sequence slowly warms your leads, by giving them valuable content and adding value.

Over time, this builds their desire and trust, so that it’s easier for you to generate sales when you ask.

E-mail copywriting can also come in the form of cold e-mail outreach when the other person does not know you. This helps when you want to prospect for sales or build partnerships!

E-mail newsletters can constantly remind your audience of your business.

How Much Do Singapore Copywriters Charge?

Okay, so by now you probably know what kind of copywriting you’ll need.

How much does it cost for you to hire the right copywriter then?

There are 3 main ways copywriters charge for their work.

Cost Per Project

Charging by a per-project basis is the most common method used by highly-qualified copywriters.

After all, these copywriters have experience – so they can churn out great copy in less time. Which means it does not make sense for them to charge by time.

Here are the general rates.

Copywriting Type	Cost Per Project
Direct Response (Sales Letter)	$600 to $1,200
Website Copywriting (Per Page)	$200 to $500
Website Copywriting (Per Website)	$2,000 to $4,000
Article (1,000 words, general)	$200 to $500
Article (1,500 words, specialised research)	$600 to $1,200
Brand Copywriting	$1,000 to $30,000
E-Mail Newsletter (Per e-Mail)	$300 to $500

Cost Per Hour

Charging by the hour is more commonly used on freelancing platforms, to account for the time taken by the writer for research.

It’s usually not recommended, unless solely for consultation purposes.

Copywriting Type	Cost Per Hour
Direct Response (Sales Letter)	$30 to $150
Article (1,000 words, general)	$20 to $40
Article (1,500 words, specialised research)	$40 to $80
Brand Copywriting	$150 to $300

Cost Per Word

Another common method used, here are the rates.

We do not recommend this too, as higher word count does not always lead to more traffic or sales.

Copywriting Type	Cost Per Word
Direct Response (Sales Letter)	$0.50 to $3
Website Copywriting (Per Page)	$0.50 to $1
Article (1,000 words, general)	$0.20 to $0.40
Article (1,500 words, specialised research)	$0.50 to $1.50

How Do You Evaluate Credible Copywriters In Singapore?

So now, you know how much it costs to hire the type of copywriter you need. Even for each type, there are many copywriters in the market.

Picking the right copywriter can save you time and hassle re-writing poorly written copies, and money to hire additional ones.

Remember, never invest in poor copywriting or content – the consequences can be disastrous!

How do you evaluate credible copywriters that can help you then?

Know the Tangible Qualities of a Credible Copywriter

A credible copywriter usually has past work samples to showcase his experience.

He might have worked with bigger brands before, and have a structured process for how he gets the project done!

Here is a list of questions you can ask to figure out if the copywriter you have at hand is a professional.

Compare your Deliverables and Gauge Them From Their Past Work

If you work in the logistics field, ideally you want your copywriter to have experience in your industry too!

You might also want to ask for the results he delivered for past clients.

Looking for traffic – focus on understanding how much visitors his work has generated for his clients.

If conversions are what you are looking for, ask for the number of leads and sales generated.

Recognise the Pricing of a Credible Copywriter

Some copywriters in Singapore might charge higher or lower, depending on their reputation, skills and experience.

More importantly, do not haggle over the pricing when you hire a copywriter! Good copywriters naturally charge higher because they can deliver better results.

Even if you manage to lower their pricing, they might not be happy and deliver you sub-par writing!

This means you eventually have to pay for it – by time wasted fixing their copy, or money hiring yet another copywriter again.

Need More Help? Here Are Two In-Depth Guides On Hiring The Right Writer

1. How to hire a credible blog writer

2. 8 Situations to hire a professional copywriter

Where Can You Hire Credible Copywriters?

There are a few ways you can hire copywriters you can trust.

Ask for Referral

A great way is to ask your network for referrals.

These copywriters have usually passed the test for trustworthiness and results, for them to be recommended to you!

Besides messaging your immediate professional network, a few ways to do so is to ask friends on your Facebook or LinkedIn page as well.

Hire An Agency

An agency with a good track record might cost more – but what you will get is quality work as well as strategic insight as well.

Agencies are staffed with a range of copywriters (from website to blog writers) and will match the best writers to your unique needs.

Hire from Freelancing Platforms

There are many freelancing platforms you can hire copywriters from, like Upwork or Fiverr. These platforms allow you to choose from many copywriters out there, to get your work done.

A good thing about these platforms is that you can get your work done cheaply. A typical 500 to 1,000-word article can even be done for S$10 or less!

However, as these are highly saturated markets, the low-rates Singapore freelancers here usually may not deliver the quality you want.

They are largely here to gain experience and to build their portfolio.

Should You Hire A Full-Time, In-House Copywriter?

Let’s say that you want to start doing consistent content marketing. You want to save costs from hiring external help. Should you hire an in-house copywriter?

Here are some rates to consider.

Position	Years of Experience	Monthly Salary
Junior Copywriter	1 to 2	$2,000 to $3,000
Mid-Level Copywriter	2 to 5	$3,000 to $5,000
Senior Level Copywriter	5+	$5,000 to $8,000

Pros of Hiring In-House Copywriter

By hiring an in-house copywriter, you get consistent turnaround time for your work.

You also get consistent work quality.

You might not get these when hiring an external freelancer as they usually have to juggle your work with other clients’ too.

That’s why they might have longer turnaround times, and may not be able to accept your work at times.

Which means you’ll have to hire other copywriters, which you risk getting lower quality work!

An in-house copywriter helps you avoid all that.

Sounds good, right?

Hold up, there are some negatives to putting a full-time Singapore copywriter on your payroll.

Cons of Hiring In-House Copywriter

Unless you have a marketing department, hired copywriters are usually underused!

You might not have enough workload to fill them up from 9 to 6.

Also, every copywriter usually has their own specialization.

This means if they are good at content copywriting, they might not be good at sales copywriting.

This limits the work scope you can carry out.

If you want to scale your marketing efforts, you will have to take more time to hire more copywriters too.

Hiring an in-house copywriter is also a long-term cost commitment. If you do not have a marketing department yet, it might not be the best idea.

Ready To Hire Your Copywriter?

Looking for professional help and need to drive results in a timely fashion?

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