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Home > Survey

Rates have shifted. A lot.

And it’s been a while since we last conducted our pay rates survey.

Your responses shape our pay rates report (already downloaded thousands of times by freelancers and the people who hire them). This time we’re especially keen to explore what’s happening with rates and AI.

This survey takes around 5–15 minutes depending on your services. You can skip any questions that don’t apply, and all responses are anonymous (but you CAN leave your email if you want to go into the draw to win one of 5 $50 gift cards).

Thanks so much for your time and helping us make this a truly valuable resource.

Cheers,
Rachel

Pay rates survey 2026

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

- Step 1 of 7

SECTION 1: About You

1. How long have you been freelancing? *

I’m still studying
Less than 2 years
2–5 years
6–10 years
11–15 years
16–20 years
20+ years
Other

2. How do you describe what you do?

Journalist
Copywriter
Editor, sub or proofreader
Writer / content creator
Content strategist
Comms consultant
PR consultant
Podcaster
Other

3. What kinds of projects do you take on? [Tick all that apply] *

Ads, slogans, campaigns
Academic editing / journals
Annual reports
Book editing / ghostwriting
Blog posts / content writing
Brochures / printed marketing materials
Case studies
Copywriting
Content strategy / audits
Corporate communications
eBooks
Email marketing / newsletters
Government work
Grant writing
Graphic design
Journalism / reporting / features
Landing pages
LinkedIn content / personal branding
Podcast production / scripting
Press releases
Product descriptions
SEO content
Social media
Technical writing
Training / teaching
UX writing
Video / short-form scripts (Reels, TikTok)
Website copy
White papers
AI editing / rewriting AI content
Other

4. Which industries do you mainly work in? [Tick all that apply]

Arts / media / publishing
AI
Business
Education
Environment
Finance
Food and wine
Health / medical / wellness
Lifestyle
Motoring
Not for profit / charities
Property / real estate
Software / tech / SaaS
Startups / scaleups
Personal brands / creators
Travel
Other

SECTION 2: Finding Work

5. How do you find work? [Tick all that apply] *

Editors / clients offering me work
Referrals / word of mouth
Existing clients / repeat work
Freelance job boards
Online communities (FB groups, Slack etc.)
LinkedIn content / personal brand
Pitching / cold outreach
Other freelancers passing on work
Clients find me in search

6. What is your main source of clients?

Advertising agencies
Content agencies
Corporate clients
Educational organisations
Government departments
Magazines and newspapers
Not-for-profits
Small to medium business clients
Startups / scaleups
SaaS companies
Personal brands / creators
Other

SECTION 3: AI + Industry Changes

7. Do you use AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) in your work? *

Yes — regularly
Yes — occasionally
Rarely
Not at all

8. What do you use AI for?

Research
Outlines / structuring
First drafts
Editing / rewriting
SEO optimisation
Idea generation
Client-facing work
As an 'advisor' in my business
Internally in my client's business

Other:

9. Has AI affected your rates?

I charge more now
I charge less now
No change
It depends on the project

10. Has AI affected your workload?

I’m doing more work
I’m doing less work
No major change

10. Do you think AI has changed the type of work you're getting / not getting?

Yes
No
Other

11. Have clients asked you to use AI to reduce costs?

Yes — often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

12. Have you lost work due to AI?

Yes — significantly
Yes — occasionally
No
Not sure

13. Have you introduced new services in the past 2–3 years?

13a. Which new services have you introduced? [Tick all that apply]

AI-assisted writing / editing
Prompt writing / AI strategy
Editing AI-generated content
Content strategy
Training / consulting / AI workshops
Building content systems / workflows
Other

SECTION 4: Pricing + Income

14. How do you usually charge? *

By the word
Hourly
Per project
Value-based pricing
Retainers / monthly packages

15. Have you changed your pricing in the past 12–18 months?

Yes — increased rates
Yes — decreased rates
No major change

16. Do you offer retainers?

16a. Your average monthly retainer is:

$1,000–3,000
$3,001–5,000
$5,001–10,000
$10,000+

17. What is your annual freelance income (before tax)? *

Less than $30k
$31,000–50,000
$51,000–75,000
$76,000–99,000
$100,000–125,000
$126,000–150,000
$151,000–200,000
$201,000–300,000
$300,000+
Prefer not to say

18. Compared to 2023, your income is: *

Higher
About the same
Lower

SECTION 5: Core Rates

19. What is your internal hourly rate for copywriting (5+ years’ experience)? This may be the rate you use to quote a project fee, but you wouldn’t necessarily share it with the client.

$70–120
$121–180
$181–250
$251–350
$350+
I don’t charge hourly

20. Have you got a day rate for copywriting?

$400–600
$601–800
$801–1,000
$1,001–1,500
$1,500+
Not applicable
Other

21. How do you typically price website copy projects?

Per page
Per project
Strategy + copy package
Value-based
Other

22. If you price website copy per page, what do you typically charge?

$200–400
$401–600
$601–800
$801–1,000
$1,001–1,500
$1,500+
Not applicable

23. How do you price blog / content work?

Per piece
Retainer / ongoing package
Part of a broader strategy
Value-based
I rarely / never price it as standalone
Other

24. What is a typical price for a standalone blog post (600–800 words)?

$100–300
$301–600
$601–900
$901–1,200
$1,200+
Not applicable

25. When pricing blog / content work, what do you typically include or charge extra for?

Strategy / topic ideation
Interviews
Research (beyond basic desk research)
SEO (keyword research, optimisation) and GEO (AI search optimisation)
Metadata (meta titles/descriptions)
Uploading / publishing in CMS
Image sourcing or creation
Social media assets / captions
Content repurposing
Revisions beyond scope
Analytics / performance tracking

26. How do you usually handle these extras?

Included in my base price
Charged as add-ons
Bundled into packages / retainers
Depends on the client / project

27. If you do content strategy, how do you charge for it?

Hourly rate
Project rate
Retainer
Value-based
Other

28. Hourly rate for content strategy?

$100-150
$151-200
$201-300
$301-500
Other

29. If you typically charge a monthly retainer, can you share some details on that?

30. Corporate comms: How do you price your work?

Hourly
Per project
Retainer
Value based
Other

31. If hourly, what do you charge for corporate comms?

$100-150
$151-200
$201-300
$301-500
Other

32. PR: How do you price your work?

Hourly
Per project
Retainer
Value based
Other

33. If hourly, what do you charge for PR?

$100-150
$151-200
$201-300
$301-500
Other

34. What's the average PR retainer you offer clients?

$1000-2000
$2001-3000
$3001-4000
$4001-5000
$5001-10000
Other

35. Journalists: How do you typically price your work?

Per word
Per story
Day rate
Retainer
Other

36. If you charge per word, what's your typical rate?

50c / word
60c / word
70c / word
80c / word
90c / word
$1 / word
$1.50 / word
$2+ / word
Not applicable

37. Ghostwriting: what is your typical fee for a 90,000-word book?

$15,000–25,000
$25,001–40,000
$40,001–60,000
$60,001–100,000
$100,000+
Not applicable

SECTION 6: Social Media (Optional)

38. Do you offer social media services?

39. How do you usually price social media work? [Tick all that apply]

Per post
Package (e.g. monthly content bundle)
Retainer
Hourly
Included as part of a broader project

40. If you offer social media packages, what is a typical monthly price point?

$300–800
$801–1,500
$1,501–3,000
$3,000+
Not applicable

41. Have clients increasingly asked you to include social media in your scope?

Yes — often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

SECTION 8: Final Thoughts (Optional)

42. Anything else you’d like to share about rates, pricing, or anything else?

SECTION 9: Optional Prize Draw

43. Leave your email to enter the prize draw (1 of 5 x $50 gift cards) *

All responses are anonymous. Your email will only be used for the prize draw.

Checkboxes

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