How Much Should You Charge for Blogging?

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Going Rates for Blog Posts

I saw this question on a recent post to one of the blogging Facebook groups I belong to. “What is the average price that a new blogger can charge to write a blog post for a start-up business?”

It all depends – are you talking about doing a single guest blog to help promote your brand and services, or are you talking about a freelance writing opportunity where you are working as an employee or contractor? I assumed from the way the question was worded that she was talking about blogging as a freelance writing opportunity, but I could be wrong. Let’s take a look at a couple of different scenarios.

I’m a freelance writer and have seen ads on sites like Fiverr and UpWork looking for blog posts for $20 or under. I’d run away from those opportunities. If you’re writing a short (800 words or under) lifestyle blog post, then I’d say maybe around $50 to start. If you’ve writing longer content (1,000 words or more), have been blogging for a while, and/or have a huge following on social media, then $100 – $250 or more. Also certain industries, like tech, finance and healthcare, often have bigger budgets to pay writers.

What I’ve Been Paid as a Blogger

Using myself as an example – I’ve been paid $50 for simple posts (cooking, boating) and up to $150 for a longer article on addiction treatment. The longer, more technical articles require a bit of research before you can even begin to write them. Longer blog posts and articles usually include footnotes, images or even infographics that I have helped design.

So, it’s not an easy question to answer. How much should you charge for writing a blog post depends on: length of article, industry you’re writing for, how long you’ve been writing/blogging, your social media influence, etc. There are many, many variables to consider. Also, are you just writing the article or are you reviewing a product and expected to take tons of photos? And, do they expect you to upload the article to their website, add images, links, meta descriptions, etc. – all these extra components take more time than just writing. So, it’s kind of hard to give you a specific dollar amount.

Guest Posts, Sponsored Content or Contract Blogger

Licensed Massage Therapist Rachel Ann says, “I own a small business – massage therapy – and I’ve had ghost writers charge me nothing. All I do is keep links in their content that link back to their website. It depends on whether you’re trying to create backlinks to increase your SEO or if you’re trying to make money.”

I should probably clarify. There are different types of writing/blogging scenarios I’m referring to when you’re trying to figure out how much to charge for blogging.

Scenario #1: Guest posts are almost always done for free – you are trying to get in front of a different group of followers and possibly get a link back to your blog. So guest posts are usually a one time deal for each site you are writing for, you aren’t a regular contributor to their blog/website.
Scenario #2: Blogging as a career. For example, if a business is looking to have you produce content on a regular basis, for their blog/website, then you should expect to get paid – that’s like having a part-time or even full-time job.
Scenario #3: Social media influencer. This scenario is if you have a lot of followers then you can charge $$$ to write content for brands/businesses/products and publish it to your own site – the Kardashian’s would be the ultimate example of this type of blogging. Top social media influencers probably don’t even have a blog – all their writing, promoting and marketing is done through their high-ranking social media sites.

So, my final answer to how much to charge for blogging can be from $0 to $1000 – it all depends on the variables! Also, if you’re writing full-time for a company’s blog – then don’t charge by the piece. I charge by the hour, or if it’s a full-time position have them hire you outright as an employee with benefits.

I’ve made from $37,000 per year (my first “real” corporate job as an in-house SEO Copywriter) to $40 per hour as a Communications Consultant. I always keep blogging even when I’m employed on a full-time basis. Right now I’m in-between jobs so trying to make a go at actually making money as a blogger.

I’m still small potatoes at this point, so not making huge amounts of $ doing sponsored posts. So, I am sort of looking for my next full-time, in-house career opportunity while holding my breath hoping to make enough money as an influencer so I don’t actually have to go back to corporate life – wish me luck!