How long should it take to write an original, good quality article?

[ErnieRomero]

When I get an assignment it mostly takes me about 1 hour to write a good quality article. If I know the subject it takes less but if I need research it takes more sometimes.

Is this good time? How long does it take others to write original, good quality article?

[SARubin]

That’s a good question, Ernie.

I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all answer. As you said yourself, if it takes more research then it takes longer to write the article.

Someone with intimate knowledge of the subject might pump out a good quality, 1000 word article in under half an hour. If it’s an unfamiliar topic; Then between research, first draft, proof reading and editing… it could take well over an hour to finish.

I personally don’t write much content these days, except for my own websites. That’s because I deal primarily with sales copy (which can sometimes take days of research before the first word ever hits the page).

When it comes to content writing for my own sites, I usually pump out the first draft in under an hour (my first draft is usually just a brain dump, with no censoring, just to get my thoughts on the page), but then I put it down and walk away for a day or two.

I have multiple articles sitting on my desktop right now, so I can open any one of them and begin the editing process (rearranging the sentences for better flow, taking the machete of deletion to it and cutting out all the unnecessary words and phrases, etc.)


I guess that’s my long winded way of saying “Sorry, I don’t have a good answer for your question” . Maybe someone else can give you a better answer?

Or perhaps I can offer you a slightly different question to ask…

How much do you get paid for your articles, and is it worth it to you? (does writing provide you with an acceptable lifestyle?)

[Franklin]

When I get an assignment it mostly takes me about 1 hour to write a good quality article. If I know the subject it takes less but if I need research it takes more sometimes.

Is this good time? How long does it take others to write original, good quality article?

How long of an article? A 500 word article takes less time than a 2000 word article.

I’m not a super fast typer, but for me an average 1000 word article, when I’m at least somewhat familiar with the subject, takes me about 1 to 2 hours from start to finish.

[WordyWordpecker]

One hour is a good average depending on the topic.

[ErnieRomero]

OK yes, thank you. I guess 1 hour is a good average

How much do you get paid for your articles, and is it worth it to you? (does writing provide you with an acceptable lifestyle?)

Thank you @SARubin. I charge mostly 3 cents per word, so 500 word article is $15. It’s OK when steady work comes in. I will start to charge 4 cents starting with the new year.

Another question I now have is how much do others charge per word for writing? What is a good rate for someone with over 2 years experience?

[SARubin]

Another question I now have is how much do others charge per word for writing? What is a good rate for someone with over 2 years experience?

Yeah, that’s another tough question Ernie. Again, there really is no one-size-fits-all answer.

It partly depends on the platform you’re selling from. If your work is primarily coming from a low end site like fiverr. com or freelancer. com, then a couple pennies per word is the going rate for a writer. And with all the low priced competition on those sites it’s difficult to charge much more than that.


Last week, another member of this forum, Mike (aka. @MikeyWrites) said textbroker. com paid him 3.7 cents per word for the last few articles he wrote for them. And that was for well though out articles with fairly strict guidelines.


So the price you can charge depends a lot on the platform you’re advertising on, plus your reputation for creating quality content.


The good news is that once you get a few steady clients, and a solid reputation, you can leave the low end platforms behind, and charge a bit more for your work.

I know a lady in Florida who stays pretty busy charging 10 cents a word for her writing. Of course she’s been writing for a lot of years and she gives her clients more than just a simple article.

She also asks questions about the tone and voice the client wants, and if she goes over the word count she doesn’t charge extra. (If someone pays for 1000 words and the article ends up being 1050 or 1100 they still only pay for 1000) And her work is top-notch.

So her clients are paying for the words, but they’re also paying for the security of knowing that they’ll get high quality content, and 1st class service.


Anyway, I think you’re off to a good start my friend. And raising your price to 4 cents seems like a reasonable thing to do.

And then you can continue to incrementally raise your rates over time, because ultimately the marketplace will tell you how much you can charge for your work.