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Short Answer to “How Much You Should Pay per 1,000 words?

• $60 per 1,000 words
• Why that much?
• Because it’s what I pay.
• Correct answer: It depends.

The Range

• Lowest rate for something workable:  $27 per 1,000 words ($.027 per word)
• Will likely require editing.
• Where? Textbroker
• Limited research
• BUT can build up a list of decent writers to improve quality for the same rate.
• What about spending less?
• I did once and it was atrocious. Don’t count on it unless you really luck out with a hire.

Diminishing Returns

• On the flip side, spending $250 per 1,000 words for general content is overkill UNLESS you’re:
• looking for conversions.
• in a highly technical niche that requires high-level expertise such as law or medicine.
• creating a link-bait piece of content.
• have more money than you know what to do with and want to publish the best-written site on the planet.

The Sweet Spot is...

• $40 to $80 per 1,000 words.
• I primarily use WriterAccess plus a couple in-house writers and that’s the range I pay.
• I pay $40 per 1,000 words for simple.  Includes a little research.
• I pay $60 per 1,000 words for the lion’s share.  Includes finding images and research.
• I pay $80+ per 1,000 words for more technical work when I seek out a writer with credentials.

If I was forced to pick ONE rate it would be:

• $60 per 1,000 words.
• This seems to strike the best balance among quality and ROI.
• I’ve paid $27 to $350 and everything in between.
• TIP: Hire writers directly to save.
• Since I use a content agency, the agency takes a chunk.
• You can hire writers directly at Problogger and Craigslist.

Don’t forget that you can reduce average cost of content by

• Writing some of it yourself.
• Outsourcing is not either/or.  
• You can do both.
• I started writing everything.
• I then outsourced a little.
• I now outsource a lot but still write for my niche sites.

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