Project estimating is hard and never gets easier.

"It'll probably be around $100. Or maybe a $1,000 depending on certain factors."

Few things fill a copywriter with dread more than being asked to estimate a project. No matter how long they've been in the game, every writer bristles at that one specific phrase: "How much will that cost?"

Capturing all of what copywriters do in simple dollars and cents is like trying to describe accounting using only lines from Shakespeare. There's a visceral reaction of “ugh” that exists any time we try to quantify and assign value to what it is that we do.

"How hard could it really be," you might ask. Well, quite actually.

Some of the most successful marketing writers — big industry names with book deals and wildly popular blogs — have been known to spend a lot of their project time lying on the couch, just thinking. Personally, I take a lot of what I call "thinking showers" (you can probably figure out what that is) to get my mind straight and focused on the task at hand.

Whatever a writer's process, reasonably explaining that to a client who simply wants to know how much something is going to cost is a near impossibility.

Figuratively, no one wants to know how the sausage gets made, they just want to enjoy it. And that, friends, is the rub.

The incalculable price of copywriting

Like many other disciplines copywriting is both an art and a science. Some things are formulaic (sciencey) that we can quickly and easily replicate (think: short-form copy products like emails, data sheets, social media posts, or standard length blogs), in which case estimating time and price is relatively easy.

But things get exponentially more complicated when we're pricing out long-form content that requires research, some domain expertise, and nuance. Sometimes, we even have to apply a fair amount of creativity (artsy) to deliver a great piece.

All great artists have his or her own process for creating a new piece. They draw inspiration from all sorts of places, people, or things and then get to work creating. But the time it takes to get to a finished product (is an artist's work ever truly "done?") varies as widely as the artists themselves.

Van Gogh is supposed to have painted "Starry Night" in a day or two. Picasso painted his famous "Guernica" in a matter of weeks, while Auguste Rodin’s "The Gates of Hell" reportedly took 37 years to complete. All are great works of art

Though few of us will ever enjoy fame and fortune for our copywriting work, our processes and timelines also vary widely. What could take one writer four hours to get to a first draft by slamming multiple cups of coffee in a loud cafe could take another one eight hours with nothing more than a glass of water in a room as silent as a monastery.

It all depends on the individual machinations of the writer’s brain along with their own highly specific work processes.

Beyond art and science, other challenges await

There are also practical problems like scope creep that can easily sidetrack an otherwise carefully crafted estimate. Roping the writer into phone calls and meetings they didn’t expect or asking for three or four rounds of revision despite a promise of two can easily increase time and, therefore, the cost of a project unless the writer is willing to add that extra work in pro bono (hint: we're not).

Worse, projects can often continue seemingly in perpetuity, with the client popping up every couple of weeks with more requests that eat into capacity the writer has already meted out to other work.

Client work is unpredictable because the business world is unpredictable, so a certain amount of flexibility is a must-have with contract copywriters. But it also makes it quite difficult for writers to adequately and fairly account for their time and the value of their work without offering too many annoying explanations. I can't speak for all copywriters, but pretty much all the ones I know generally dread the price quote process — particularly because most of us suck at it.

There's a larger point to be made beyond my complaining: there isn’t a writer alive who hasn’t lost big-time money on a project. So even though we hate estimating, we are acutely aware of how much our client relationships (and our bank accounts) depend on it.

How clients can make quotes and estimates easier

In many industries, the price is simply the price. You need X, so it'll cost Y. Simple. Clean. Easy.

Copywriting project estimates are a different beast because there are so many variables that come into play. But don't think that accurate estimates are the exclusive domain of the writer; the client also has some responsibility in the process.

You may not 100% understand what writers do or what their weird processes are, and that’s okay. Writers don’t understand everything you do either, which is also okay.

The important thing to remember is that time is money — for both parties. And any reputable writer is going to price their work in a way that doesn’t sell themselves short. You’re free to decline working with them if they don’t fit into your budget, as long as “You get what you pay for” is well understood.

So to help ensure best outcomes for everyone, here are a few important steps to take before asking a writer to provide a project quote or estimate (hint: they’re probably going to ask you all this stuff anyway, so have your answers ready):

Set expectations for kick-off meetings and follow-ups.

Everyone needs a different level of hand-holding. If you’re high touch, then tell the writer that you expect weekly check-ins by phone or status meetings. Conversely, if you’re low touch and perfectly happy to field questions or concerns through email or Slack chat, say that too.

Outline your feedback process. 

Decide when you can turn around feedback once drafts are delivered. Maybe your team only needs a day or two, or maybe it’s a full week. Knowing how much more time to plan for on a project once a first draft is delivered is extremely helpful to writers and essential for getting the piece you want, when you want it.

Give deadlines, even if you have to guess. 

One of the most troubling questions you can ask a writer is "when do you think you can have it done?" When writers estimate a project, they have to take into account what’s already on their plate — whether they need to make room for a rush job or can relax into a steady pace.

Deadlines keep them on schedule and able to carve up their days and weeks appropriately. So even if you don’t have a deadline in mind, give one — even if it’s a month out.

Just please don't tell us you need it "as soon as possible."

Agree to a number of revisions. 

No one likes a never-ending project (not even you). Personally, I offer most clients a first draft with two rounds of revisions. You may have to negotiate if you’re truly convinced you’ll need more rounds, but either way, there should be an agreed-upon endpoint. If more work or another phase of work is needed after the endpoint is reached, understand that you'll need to revise the estimate or draw up a new statement of work.

Define your concept of the piece. 

In your world a product sheet may be one page, a blog post 800 words, and an ebook 10 pages. But to a writer, those figures my be quite different in either direction. Be sure to clearly lay out for your writer what you expect in your world. Writers will offer their own recommendations and best practices, but getting on the same page about what you expect them to deliver will greatly help with the estimating process.

It never gets easier, just more important

After more than a decade in the writing game, working with global tech brands and innovative startups alike, I can tell you that project pricing never gets easier.

Companies in need of writing help have different sized budgets, value particular types of content differently, and have varying expectations of what constitutes "good work." But just because it's hard doesn't mean it can or should be done willy nilly.

Accurate project pricing helps to make sure we earn what our time and talents are worth. It helps our clients better manage their budget and their time, while building trust and a long-term relationship. And in the end, it helps give both parties exactly what they want and need.