Your proposal is a writing sample the client did not ask for — so a copywriting proposal should be short, lead with the business result, and price per deliverable rather than per word or per hour. If the proposal itself is bloated, the client quietly concludes the copy will be too.
The proposal is the audition
A web designer can send an ugly proposal and still get hired; a copywriter cannot send a wordy one. Keep it to a page. Open with the outcome in the client's language — more demo signups, a launch email sequence that actually sells, product pages that stop reading like a spec sheet. Cut every sentence that is about you rather than about them. The restraint is the pitch.
Never price per word
Per-word pricing tells the client your value is volume, which is the opposite of the truth — a five-word headline can be worth more than a thousand words of body copy, and tight copy takes longer than long copy. Price per deliverable:
- Homepage copy (headline, subheads, body, CTAs) — one price
- Email sequence — priced per sequence, with the number of emails stated
- Sales page or landing page — one price, research included
- Blog or article work — per piece at a defined length range, not per word
State what research is included — a stakeholder interview, a review of existing analytics or customer feedback — because that invisible work is where the copy actually comes from, and clients should see it on the page.
Define a revision round, because "tweaks" are where fees die
Copy invites opinions in a way code and design do not: everyone on the client's team can type, so everyone edits. The classic failure is copy-by-committee — five stakeholders each rewriting a different paragraph until the voice is gone and you are on revision nine. Your proposal needs two clauses:
- Two revision rounds, each a single consolidated set of feedback from one designated point of contact
- A stated rate for additional rounds or for feedback arriving after approval
The single-point-of-contact line is the one copywriters skip most and regret most.
Handle the "we could write this ourselves" objection
Unlike design or development, every client believes they can do your job — they write emails daily, after all. Do not argue the point in the proposal; reframe it. They are not paying you to type; they are paying for positioning, message hierarchy, and an outside reading of their customer. One line does it: the draft is the last step of the work, not the work itself.
Say who owns the copy — and when
Keep it simple and client-friendly: the client owns the final approved copy once the final invoice is paid. Reserve two things for yourself in writing: the right to show the work in your portfolio (unless they pay for confidentiality) and ownership of unused drafts and rejected concepts — those headlines are yours to resell elsewhere. Clients almost never object, but only if it was written down before delivery.
Close with a deposit, not a maybe
Copywriting projects are small enough that clients defer them endlessly — there is always a "next quarter." A deposit converts intent into a start date. Fifty percent up front is standard for project work; full prepayment is normal for anything under a few hundred dollars. Make paying it the same action as saying yes. With Tendrly, you answer five questions about the project and send a branded proposal with a one-click Stripe payment link — so the client who loved your pitch on Tuesday has paid before their Wednesday meetings bury it.
FAQ
Should copywriters include spec copy in a proposal?
No. Link your portfolio instead. Writing sample headlines for free trains clients to expect free work, and your proposal itself already demonstrates how you write.
How many revision rounds are standard for copywriting?
Two rounds, each a single consolidated set of feedback from one point of contact. Additional rounds or post-approval changes are billed at a stated rate.
What should a copywriter charge a deposit for small projects?
Fifty percent up front is the norm for projects; for small jobs under a few hundred dollars, full payment before starting is reasonable and widely accepted.