Clients often underestimate copywriting because the output looks short. A homepage might be 600 words. The work behind it is reading everything the business has published, interviewing the founder and two customers, finding the one sentence that explains why anyone should care, and then defending that sentence against a committee that wants to say everything at once.
This template makes the work behind the words visible, so the price makes sense. It lists each piece with an approximate length, says how much research and how many interviews are included, sets the number of drafts and edit rounds, and settles usage rights before you start typing.
TL;DR
The copywriting proposal template scopes a writing project piece by piece: deliverables with approximate word counts, research and interviews, voice and SEO requirements, a first draft plus two edit rounds, one approver, timeline, project fee and usage rights on final payment. Send it after a briefing call. The key practice is pricing by piece rather than by word, and treating a changed brief after first draft as new work.
What's inside
- Project summary: what the copy must achieve and for whom.
- Deliverables table: each piece, its purpose, approximate length and format.
- Research and interviews: what you read, who you talk to, and how long.
- Voice and SEO: brand voice source, keyword handling and on-page elements.
- Drafting and edits: drafts, edit rounds and what counts as a round.
- Inputs and approvals: what the client supplies and who signs off.
- Timeline, fee and payment: dates, piece-by-piece fee and deposit.
- Usage rights and acceptance: when the client owns the copy, portfolio use, signatures.
When to use it
Use it for defined writing projects: website copy, a landing or sales page, an email sequence, a product description set, a case study series, brochure copy or a brand messaging document.
Use another template when:
- The client needs a steady flow of blog posts or newsletters each month. That is retainer work, better handled with a content SOW.
- You are writing copy as part of a site build you are also designing. Put copy as a line item inside the web design proposal instead.
- The client needs strategy and channel management as well as words. A marketing retainer proposal fits better.
Pricing copy by the piece, not the word
Per-word pricing punishes good editing. The best version of a sales page is often shorter than the first draft, and a per-word rate pays you less for making it better. Per-project or per-piece pricing reflects what the client is actually buying: a page that does a job.
To price a piece, estimate the time for each stage:
- Research: reading existing material, competitor pages, reviews and support tickets.
- Interviews: preparation, the call, and turning the transcript into notes. A 45-minute interview often costs two hours of total time.
- Structure and first draft: outline, headlines, draft.
- Edits: two rounds, including calls to resolve conflicting feedback.
- Project management: emails, approvals and loading copy into a document or CMS if included.
Then set a price per piece and show the total. Approximate word counts belong in the table to set expectations, but describe them as ranges, for example "homepage, 500 to 800 words."
The edit-round clause that saves projects
The most common copywriting dispute is endless revision driven by several reviewers. Three rules prevent most of it:
- One approver. Feedback is collected by one named person and sent as one consolidated set.
- Defined round. A round is a single set of comments on a draft. Comments arriving after the round closes go into the next round.
- Brief changes are new work. If, after the first draft, the client changes the audience, offer or main message, that is a new brief and is quoted separately.
Write a short line on SEO too. If keyword targets are needed, the client either supplies them or you include keyword research as a priced line. Copy written for search without agreed keywords tends to satisfy nobody.
Customize it in your COLO workspace
In COLO Proposals you can set each piece up as a line item with a rate or hours, add a discount for a bundle, set an expiry date, and save the structure as a proposal template for your next client. The client accepts in the client portal, where they can also upload brand voice files and background documents to the project.
Track time on interviews and edits even when the fee is fixed, so you can see which pieces you are underpricing.
Common mistakes
- Starting without a brief. Use a copywriting brief before you quote.
- Unlimited stakeholders. Five reviewers give five directions.
- No interview limits. Each extra interview is two hours or more.
- Releasing copy before payment. Usage rights pass on the final invoice.
- Ignoring formatting. Say whether you deliver in a document or load copy into the CMS.
FAQ
Q: What should a copywriting proposal include?
The pieces you will write with approximate word counts, the research and interviews included, how many drafts and edit rounds, who approves, how SEO and keywords are handled, delivery format, timeline, fee and usage rights.
Q: Should copywriters charge per word, per hour or per project?
Per-project pricing is common for defined pieces such as a website or a sales page, because it rewards clarity rather than length. Per-word rates still appear in publishing and bulk content. Hourly is useful for editing and consulting.
Q: How many revisions should a copywriter include?
Two rounds of edits on each piece is a common standard. Define a round as consolidated feedback from one approver, and treat a change of brief after the first draft as new work.
Q: Who owns the copy after delivery?
Usually the client, once the final invoice is paid. Some copywriters keep the right to show the work in a portfolio and state that drafts and unused ideas stay with them.
Q: What do I need from the client before I start writing?
A brief, access to subject-matter experts for interviews, brand voice guidance if it exists, examples of copy they like and dislike, keyword targets if SEO matters, and a named approver. See solutions for copywriters.