Cost Range for Contract Case Study Writers: What to Expect

Daniela Chesser · 2024-04-30T03:46:31.506Z

Hi all! What is a typical cost range ya'll are seeing for case study contract writers these days? For just the writing portion - not the customer interview/intake

12 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Valeria Gomez
·
My last contract was charging about $2k per case study (just the writing portion with 2 rounds of edits/feedback)
Daniela Chesser
·
Thanks Valeria! Was that for a 2-page story?
Valeria Gomez
·
Yes a full story
1
Mary Green
·
Shannon Howard Jacqueline Gu Rachel Ward Wendi Wolfgram Alexie Glover any thoughts on this?
Alexie Glover
·
I've got lots of thoughts 😂 the answer is: it depends! It depends on: story length, number of revision cycles, style of story, location of the writer, seniority/expertise of the writer, industry of your company, etc. My reference for this is from an agency POV as well, so I'm not intimately familiar with the going individual freelancer rates. I'd need more information to be able to provide a realistic range of just the writing. From an agency POV, my rates will generally be slightly higher than an individual contributor as you're receiving both writing and editing and the benefit of a team versus an individual contributor. Always happy to chat though!
❤️1
Mary Green
·
Alexie, can you share a rate for a 2 page story with 2 rounds of edits? If not, completely understandable, it’s hard to put a public price out there. Daniela Chesser in a recent call with the community, someone mentioned paying $1800 for the writing part of the case study. This was maybe 6 months ago and it was from a role they were in a year before, so I would expect to see an increase since everything has gone up in price in the last 2 years.
Shannon Howard
·
OK, well, I was radically undercharging to write case studies. 😂 Agree with Alexie that it depends on the length, type of story, etc. My freelancer would charge about $1K.
😂2
Alexie Glover
·
I'd prefer not to ... because without all of the information about what Daniela is looking for, I'm not sure a rate is useful information. 2 pages is pretty subjective because it depends on what the text layout looks like or what the web/PDF layout looks like. So I quote by word versus page count. It also depends on how specialized the product/industry is. My proposal/quote process also includes the flexibility of pricing based on a one-off story or a batch of stories (batches are cheaper). If I understand more about exactly what Daniela is looking for, I can try and provide a quote. My understanding of industry rates right now is you'd be looking at $1600-3500 USD, dependent on all of the factors above. And - Shannon Howard my experience with CMAers moonlighting in case study writing (especially women) is that they're drastically undercharging! Happy to chat if you'd like advice on how to price for your future freelancing projects!
Daniela Chesser
·
Thanks so much, Alexie! Super helpful for me to understand all of the different factors you consider as I start having these conversations with writers.
❤️1
Shannon Howard
·
Alexie Glover I will take you up on that!
❤️1
Mary Green
·
TY Alexie Glover that was a perfect answer. This community is so lucky to have you.
❤️1
Alexie Glover
·
Happy to help! And please feel free to reach out if any questions. I'm always happy to chat and it's never a pitch slap, promise 💚
👍1
❤️2

Valeria Gomez
·
My last contract was charging about $2k per case study (just the writing portion with 2 rounds of edits/feedback)
Daniela Chesser
·
Thanks Valeria! Was that for a 2-page story?
Valeria Gomez
·
Yes a full story
1
Mary Green
·
Shannon Howard Jacqueline Gu Rachel Ward Wendi Wolfgram Alexie Glover any thoughts on this?
Alexie Glover
·
I've got lots of thoughts 😂 the answer is: it depends! It depends on: story length, number of revision cycles, style of story, location of the writer, seniority/expertise of the writer, industry of your company, etc. My reference for this is from an agency POV as well, so I'm not intimately familiar with the going individual freelancer rates. I'd need more information to be able to provide a realistic range of just the writing. From an agency POV, my rates will generally be slightly higher than an individual contributor as you're receiving both writing and editing and the benefit of a team versus an individual contributor. Always happy to chat though!
❤️1
Mary Green
·
Alexie, can you share a rate for a 2 page story with 2 rounds of edits? If not, completely understandable, it’s hard to put a public price out there. Daniela Chesser in a recent call with the community, someone mentioned paying $1800 for the writing part of the case study. This was maybe 6 months ago and it was from a role they were in a year before, so I would expect to see an increase since everything has gone up in price in the last 2 years.
Shannon Howard
·
OK, well, I was radically undercharging to write case studies. 😂 Agree with Alexie that it depends on the length, type of story, etc. My freelancer would charge about $1K.
😂2
Alexie Glover
·
I'd prefer not to ... because without all of the information about what Daniela is looking for, I'm not sure a rate is useful information. 2 pages is pretty subjective because it depends on what the text layout looks like or what the web/PDF layout looks like. So I quote by word versus page count. It also depends on how specialized the product/industry is. My proposal/quote process also includes the flexibility of pricing based on a one-off story or a batch of stories (batches are cheaper). If I understand more about exactly what Daniela is looking for, I can try and provide a quote. My understanding of industry rates right now is you'd be looking at $1600-3500 USD, dependent on all of the factors above. And - Shannon Howard my experience with CMAers moonlighting in case study writing (especially women) is that they're drastically undercharging! Happy to chat if you'd like advice on how to price for your future freelancing projects!
Daniela Chesser
·
Thanks so much, Alexie! Super helpful for me to understand all of the different factors you consider as I start having these conversations with writers.
❤️1
Shannon Howard
·
Alexie Glover I will take you up on that!
❤️1
Mary Green
·
TY Alexie Glover that was a perfect answer. This community is so lucky to have you.
❤️1
Alexie Glover
·
Happy to help! And please feel free to reach out if any questions. I'm always happy to chat and it's never a pitch slap, promise 💚
👍1
❤️2