What Goes Into a $500 Article? The Answer Might Surprise You
Upwork and LinkedIn are flooded with $10-a-pop articles—the same rate I saw when I started freelancing 10 years ago. You’d think prices would rise with inflation, but if anything, the standards have only dropped.
Meanwhile, the $500 article feels more elusive than ever. But for the past few years, that’s exactly what I’ve charged. Sometimes less, sometimes more—depending on the deliverables.
Why am I telling you this? To show that those rates ARE out this — even during the Age of AI.
But here’s the thing: clients paying premium prices expect way more than just wordsmithing. So if you’re looking for a checklist of what goes into commanding a $500+ per article (so you can leave the .10c a word behind!), let’s get started.
Word Count
Most of the $500+ blog-post writing gigs are for posts of 1,000 words and up. Many are for 1,500-2,000-word posts.
Topic & Niche
Some companies have topics so sophisticated, they need specialists and have the budget to hire them. Here are some sectors that pay more for content:
HR
SaaS
Edtech
Martech
B2B sales
Healthcare
Magazines like these
Research, research, research
Similar to the point above, the reason why these topics and niches pay more per article – or why writers charge more to write them – is mainly due to the research involved.
$500+ articles typically require in-depth research via:
Sourcing studies via .edu or .org sites
Coordinating & interviewing SMEs
Take these two posts I’ve written, for example: “10 Simple Ways to Keep Your Skin Hydrated During the Summer” and “Inflammaging: What It Is and Why You Should Care.” They’re both related to skincare, but they’ll have much different needs.
The former was researched via Google. I took a few ideas from top beauty magazines like Vogue and a few non-competitor sites, citing my references where needed.
I also added in simple habits that any skincare-obsessed person (such as myself) would know, tweaking it to be more relevant to the company’s product line.
The latter example demanded much more from me. I conducted a one-hour interview with the founder of the company as we discussed inflammation and oxidation. She then sent me follow-up research (studies) that I had to sift through. All this needed to be turned into something consumable and engaging for her audience.
Actual thought leadership needs to produce ideas that aren’t as easily consumed online.
Being a marketer – NOT just a writer
Writers that earn $500 per piece understand the power of content marketing to drive more sales in business. Because at the end of the day, clients aren’t paying for words, they’re paying for results.
The conversion funnel for content marketing can be simplified by breaking it into three parts:
The Top of the Funnel (ToFu)
The Middle of the Funnel (MoFu)
The Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu)
I find this to be content marketing jargon. Nothing wrong with this at all, it’s just not part of my day-to-day.
As a copywriter, I prefer chatting about the user journey and the stages of awareness.
What this means for you, the writer
TOFU content is all about engagement, visibility, and trust. It’s meant to be helpful.
BOFU is meant to be more detailed and promotional.
Let’s say you’re assigned “Later vs. Meta: Which One Is Right for You?”— a classic BOFU piece.
If you start with a synopsis of what Instagram is, you’re missing the mark. Readers at this stage already know the basics—they’re here to make a buying decision.
Misaligning your content with the right stage of awareness isn’t just ineffective—it’s something your editor would (probably) be very unhappy to pay $500 for.
“Navigating a new industry alone can be a bit daunting. Kaleena helped me build assertiveness back into my work by talking through my doubts. ”
Additional needs: SEO, interlinking, publishing, etc.
Even after the piece is polished, there’s so much more to do.
A larger $500 piece could include:
Creating a header image in Canva
Sourcing photos or GIFs for the content
Taking product screenshots and cropping them
Adding internal links in the correct places
Uploading & formatting the article in their CMS
SEO-optimization in a tool like Surfer (this sometimes takes ages!)
Plus, this ONE point not many people talk about: Professionalism
I believe there is one cardinal rule to freelance writing: You must meet the deadline. Yes, emergencies come up. People catch the flu. Things get in the way.
Professional writers are very good at communication. If you absolutely can’t make the deadline, you need to let editors know ASAP – not on the due date.
Professional writers may also suggest ideas for graphics or changes to outlines based on their research, among other things, to improve a piece.
Professional writers are reliable. They invoice on time, have availability, and never just bail.
It’s exhausting to constantly vet new writers, so having a roster of professionals who have availability, can meet deadlines, AND produce great work is the ultimate goal.
Timeline
Speaking of deadlines, what does that look like?
Here’s my ideal writing time for engaging, well-strategized, proofread content.
Day 1: Create an outline & add in research/data points.
Day 2: Write the first draft.
Day 3: Do nothing. Let it rest.
Day 4: Make edits and complete the piece.
Day 5: Proofread & submit.
In reality, it looks more like this:
Day 1: Create an outline, research, write a half-draft.
Day 2: Finish the draft.
Day 3: Edit, proofread, submit.
Many days, it looks like this:
Day 1: Create an outline, research, write a draft.
Day 2: Edit, proofread, submit.
You’ll see that leaving a day between finishing a draft and editing a piece down to a complete version is a crucial step in any of my timelines. This “marination” period helps you come back to a piece with fresh eyes, rested and ready to sift away the bad sentences from the good and edit with precision and speed.
Side note:
We are definitely doing other tasks on these days, okay? Creative output tends to plummet at around 4 hours a day. Sometimes a writer can write for 5. So what I try to do is write a piece for half of the day, if needed, and edit a different piece in the afternoon or work on more monotonous (non-creative) tasks.
Same-Day Turnaround
There are instances where companies need to run a tight ship — content calendars churning out daily SEO needs, breaking news, and PR-related topics, for example.
I totally understand needing a lightning-fast writer to get ‘er done. I don’t work in these industries, but I’m no stranger to hopping online at 10 PM to help a client with a last-minute change.
There are instances of in-house writers creating content for their brands same-day. In my experience, those are typically 500-750 words and repeat a lot of the same information they have across other posts or sales pages. Writing every day for the same brand makes this process a lot faster.
I wrote this one in a couple of hours while on retainer, this one while in-house. I write all my own blog pieces within hours. It’s not magic. It’s experience.
But then… there are unrealistic expectations (little understanding of what goes into writing), lack of planning, or acceptance of low standards.
In my mid-20s, I was almost exclusively writing low-standard content. Product reviews and zero-research blog posts based on surface level topics. I got paid something like $.10 a word. To be honest, I was happy; I was happy to be paid to write! We all start somewhere!
But I believe staying in this cycle of churning out thousands of words a day is what leads most freelance writers to creative burnout.
Then they seek higher paying clients.
And even then, they seek other revenue streams.
Good writing should not be rushed. It should be prepared, formulated, and refined.
If you’re a writer aiming for $500+ per article, know this: it’s not just about being a great writer—it’s about being a marketer, researcher, strategist, and problem-solver. Clients pay for expertise, not just words.
What that means for you, the editor (or client)
And if you’re an editor or client wondering why a high-level piece costs this much—that’s completely understandable. Not every budget allows for it. But now that you see what goes into a premium article, know that deliverables can always be adjusted.
For example, you could:
Provide an outline with key points and references.
Brain-dump your expertise into a rough draft to reduce research time.
Refine the scope—sometimes a leaner, well-targeted piece is more effective than a longer one.
The goal isn’t just to hit a word count—it’s to create content that delivers real value. And that’s something that can be tailored to fit different needs and budgets.
Want to brain-dump your thoughts into a messaging guide, thought leadership article, and more?
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