What should a copywriting proposal include?

The goal of the copy, who the reader is, your research step, a list of deliverables with rough lengths, revision rounds, a timeline, two or three priced options and terms covering payment and ownership.

How do copywriters charge?

Per project, per word, per hour or on a monthly retainer. Per project is the clearest for most website and sales copy, per word suits large volumes of similar pieces, and retainers suit ongoing emails, ads or social posts.

How many revisions should a copywriter include?

Pick a fixed number that matches your price. Two rounds per piece is a reasonable starting point. Define a revision as changes to the draft, and treat a new audience or offer as a new brief.

Who owns the copy, the writer or the client?

Whatever the agreement says. Commonly the client gets the copyright once the final invoice is paid. In the UK and the US a copyright transfer must be in writing and signed, so include it in the signed proposal or contract.

Should I send samples with a copywriting proposal?

Yes, one or two that match the job: a landing page for a landing page project, an email for an email project. More samples don't help if they're unrelated to what the client needs.

What's the difference between a copywriting proposal and a bid?

A bid is the short first message on a marketplace such as Freelancer.com or Upwork. The proposal is the fuller document you send once the client is interested, with the scope, pricing options and terms.

Proposal template

Copywriting proposal template

Updated 23 October 2026

Quick answer

A copywriting proposal should show you understand the reader and the action the copy must drive, then list each piece with its rough length, the research and revision rounds included, the timeline, the price and who owns the words. Copy the template below, fill every [bracket] and attach one or two samples that match the job.

The copywriting proposal template

Copywriting is easy to underprice because clients picture the words, not the research, interviews and rewrites behind them. Your proposal is where you make that work visible.

This template works for website copy, landing pages, email sequences, ads and product descriptions. Swap the deliverables list for the job in front of you and keep the brief and revision sections, because that's where most copy projects go wrong.

The filled-in example further down uses a fictional client. Its names, prices and dates are illustrations, so use your own numbers.

COPYWRITING PROPOSAL

Project: [e.g. Website copy for the new [Company] site]
Prepared for: [Client name], [Company]
Prepared by: [Your name]
Date: [Date]
Valid until: [Date]

1. Overview
[Company] sells [product or service] to [audience]. You're [launching a new site / a new product / a campaign] and the current copy [the problem, e.g. explains features but doesn't give visitors a reason to book a demo]. The goal of this project is to get more [readers / visitors / subscribers] to [the action: book, buy, sign up, reply].

2. Goals
- Speak to [audience] in the language they use, about the problems they actually have
- Make the offer and the next step clear on every page
- [Include target keywords naturally, if the copy needs to rank in search]
- Sound like [Company]: [two or three words for the tone, e.g. warm, expert, plain-spoken]

3. Scope of work
- Kick-off call ([number] minutes) and questionnaire
- Research: review of [customer reviews, sales calls, support emails, competitor sites] [and [number] short customer interviews]
- A creative brief and messaging outline for your approval before writing starts
- First drafts of every deliverable below
- [number] rounds of revisions
- Final copy delivered in [shared documents / your CMS / a copy deck], with headings [and meta titles and descriptions]
Not included unless agreed in writing: design, page building, publishing, translation, photography and pages not listed below.

4. Deliverables
- [Piece 1, e.g. Home page, about [number] words]
- [Piece 2, e.g. Three service pages, about [number] words each]
- [Piece 3, e.g. Five-email welcome sequence with subject lines]
- [Piece 4, e.g. Ad copy: [number] headline and text variations]
- A messaging document: key message, proof points and tone of voice notes you can reuse

5. Timeline
- Week 1: kick-off, research and creative brief
- Week [2]: first drafts
- Week [3]: revisions
- Week [4]: final copy
Your review time: [number] working days per round. Late feedback moves the final date by the same amount.

6. Pricing options
Option A, Core pages: [deliverables], [number] revision rounds. [price]
Option B, Core plus research: [deliverables], customer interviews and the messaging document, [number] rounds. [price]
Option C, Launch pack: everything in B plus [email sequence / ad variations]. [price]
Extra pages: [price] each. Extra revision rounds: [price] per round. Rush turnaround: [price or percentage] extra.

7. What I need from you
- Existing copy, brand or tone of voice guidelines, and [analytics access, if available]
- Contact details for [number] customers willing to talk for 15 minutes, or access to reviews and support emails
- Accurate product details, prices and any claims you can prove
- One person to give consolidated feedback and final approval

8. Terms
Payment: [50]% to start, [50]% on delivery of the final copy. Invoices are due within [number] days.
Revisions: [number] rounds per piece. A revision is a change to the draft; a change of audience, offer or angle is a new brief and is quoted separately.
Accuracy: you confirm that product claims, prices and legal statements are correct before publishing.
Ownership: copyright in the final copy transfers to [Company] when the final invoice is paid. Drafts and research notes stay with me.
Originality: the copy will be original and written for you.
Cancellation: if you cancel after writing starts, you pay [percentage]% of the project fee or for the work completed, whichever is higher.
Portfolio: I may show the published work as a sample unless you ask me not to.

9. Next steps
1. Choose an option and reply to confirm.
2. I'll send the agreement, the deposit invoice and the kick-off questionnaire.
3. We book the kick-off call for [date].

[Your name]
[Email] | [Writing samples link]

Replace every [bracket] with your own details. Want a version written for a specific client brief? Paste it into the free proposal generator.

What to include in a copywriting proposal

The client wants to know three things: that you understand their customer, exactly what they'll get, and that the copy will sound like their business rather than yours.

The goal of the copy in one line: the action the reader should take, such as booking a call, starting a trial or buying.
Who the reader is and what they worry about before they act.
A deliverables list with page counts and rough word counts.
Your research step: customer interviews, reviews, support emails, sales calls and competitor pages.
Revision rounds, how feedback is given and what counts as a revision.
Price, timeline, usage rights and what's out of scope, such as design, page building and publishing.

Research and the creative brief: the part most proposals skip

Good copy comes from the customer's own words. Say in the proposal how you'll gather them: a kick-off call, a questionnaire, reading reviews and support emails, listening to sales calls or interviewing a few customers.

Then agree a short creative brief before you write a single headline. Getting sign-off on the brief stops the "this isn't what we meant" conversation at draft stage, because the strategy has already been approved.

Audience: who they are and the main problem they want solved.
Offer: what's being sold and why it's better than the alternatives.
Proof: results, reviews and credentials the client can back up.
Tone of voice, with two or three example phrases that sound right and wrong.
Call to action: the one next step for the reader.
Search keywords, if the copy needs to rank.

How to price copywriting

Copywriters price per project, per word, per hour or on a monthly retainer. Per project pricing is usually the clearest for clients, and it protects you when a short piece needs a lot of thinking, such as a tagline, a headline or an ad. Per word pricing suits large volumes of similar content, like product descriptions. Retainers suit ongoing work such as weekly emails, ads or social posts.

What drives the price: the depth of research, the commercial value of the copy (a sales page that receives paid traffic matters more than an About page), the number of revision rounds, the turnaround time and how widely the copy will be used, for example in one market or many.

Price short, high-stakes pieces by the project, never by the word.
Quote customer interviews and research as a visible line item, so the client sees what they're paying for.
Add a rate for extra pages and extra revision rounds.

Revisions, approvals and usage rights

Say how many rounds of revisions you include and what counts as a revision. Changes to wording are revisions; a new angle, a new offer or a new audience is a new brief.

State who owns the copy and when. Many copywriters transfer the rights once the final invoice is paid. In the UK and the US a transfer of copyright has to be in writing and signed, so put it in the signed proposal or contract. If you want to show the work in your portfolio, ask for that in the same clause. This is general information, so speak to a lawyer for anything unusual.

Kill fee: what the client pays if they cancel after writing has started.
Accuracy: the client confirms that product claims, prices and legal statements are correct.
Originality: you confirm the copy is original and written for this client.

Copywriting proposal example

Illustration only: a fictional client with made-up prices and dates.

COPYWRITING PROPOSAL: Brightdesk landing page and email sequence
Prepared for: Omar Haddad, Brightdesk
Prepared by: Ellie Carter

Overview
Brightdesk sells appointment software to dental practices. Your current landing page lists features, but visitors from your ads leave without booking a demo. The goal is more demo bookings from the traffic you already pay for.

Scope
A kick-off call, a review of your customer reviews and three recorded sales calls, then a one-page brief for your approval before I write.

Deliverables
- Landing page, about 900 words, with two headline options to test
- Five-email sequence for people who start booking a demo but don't finish
- Messaging document with key benefits and proof points

Timeline
Brief in 3 working days, first drafts 5 working days after the brief is approved, two revision rounds.

Pricing options
Option A, landing page only: $900
Option B, landing page and email sequence: $1,500
Option C, Option B plus four short customer interviews: $1,900

Terms
50% to start, 50% on final copy. Copyright transfers to Brightdesk on full payment. Brightdesk confirms all product claims before publishing.

Use your own real work, numbers and prices in yours.

Short copywriting bid for Freelancer.com or Upwork

Marketplace clients read short bids, not documents. Send this first, and the full proposal once they reply.

Hi [client name],

You need [the copy, e.g. a sales page] that gets [the reader] to [the action], and right now [the problem you spotted, e.g. the page talks about features before it explains the result].

Here's how I'd approach it:
1. Read your reviews, current pages and [competitors] to find the words your customers actually use
2. Send a one-page brief and outline for your approval before I write
3. Write the [deliverables], with [number] revision rounds included

[Proof: a similar piece you wrote, what it was for and a link]

Quick question: who's the one customer you most want this copy to win over?

I can deliver in [timeline] for [price].

[Your name]

More on bids in our Freelancer proposal template and how to bid on Freelancer.

Mistakes that lose copywriting clients

Quoting per word for short, high-stakes pieces such as headlines, taglines or ads, where the thinking matters far more than the length.
Skipping the brief and going straight to drafts, which turns every revision into a debate about strategy.
Not limiting revision rounds, or not defining what a revision is.
Writing claims the client can't back up. Ask for proof and make accuracy part of the client's sign-off.
Forgetting to say who owns the copy and whether you can use it as a sample.
Leaving out what's not included, so you end up uploading pages, finding images or writing extra sections for free.

More proposal templates

Frequently asked questions

What should a copywriting proposal include?: The goal of the copy, who the reader is, your research step, a list of deliverables with rough lengths, revision rounds, a timeline, two or three priced options and terms covering payment and ownership.
How do copywriters charge?: Per project, per word, per hour or on a monthly retainer. Per project is the clearest for most website and sales copy, per word suits large volumes of similar pieces, and retainers suit ongoing emails, ads or social posts.
How many revisions should a copywriter include?: Pick a fixed number that matches your price. Two rounds per piece is a reasonable starting point. Define a revision as changes to the draft, and treat a new audience or offer as a new brief.
Who owns the copy, the writer or the client?: Whatever the agreement says. Commonly the client gets the copyright once the final invoice is paid. In the UK and the US a copyright transfer must be in writing and signed, so include it in the signed proposal or contract.
Should I send samples with a copywriting proposal?: Yes, one or two that match the job: a landing page for a landing page project, an email for an email project. More samples don't help if they're unrelated to what the client needs.
What's the difference between a copywriting proposal and a bid?: A bid is the short first message on a marketplace such as Freelancer.com or Upwork. The proposal is the fuller document you send once the client is interested, with the scope, pricing options and terms.

MoreGigs is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Freelancer.com. You're responsible for how you use your Freelancer account and for following Freelancer's own terms.

Proposal template

Copywriting proposal template

Updated 23 October 2026

Quick answer

The copywriting proposal template

Copywriting is easy to underprice because clients picture the words, not the research, interviews and rewrites behind them. Your proposal is where you make that work visible.

The filled-in example further down uses a fictional client. Its names, prices and dates are illustrations, so use your own numbers.

COPYWRITING PROPOSAL

Project: [e.g. Website copy for the new [Company] site]
Prepared for: [Client name], [Company]
Prepared by: [Your name]
Date: [Date]
Valid until: [Date]

1. Overview
[Company] sells [product or service] to [audience]. You're [launching a new site / a new product / a campaign] and the current copy [the problem, e.g. explains features but doesn't give visitors a reason to book a demo]. The goal of this project is to get more [readers / visitors / subscribers] to [the action: book, buy, sign up, reply].

2. Goals
- Speak to [audience] in the language they use, about the problems they actually have
- Make the offer and the next step clear on every page
- [Include target keywords naturally, if the copy needs to rank in search]
- Sound like [Company]: [two or three words for the tone, e.g. warm, expert, plain-spoken]

3. Scope of work
- Kick-off call ([number] minutes) and questionnaire
- Research: review of [customer reviews, sales calls, support emails, competitor sites] [and [number] short customer interviews]
- A creative brief and messaging outline for your approval before writing starts
- First drafts of every deliverable below
- [number] rounds of revisions
- Final copy delivered in [shared documents / your CMS / a copy deck], with headings [and meta titles and descriptions]
Not included unless agreed in writing: design, page building, publishing, translation, photography and pages not listed below.

4. Deliverables
- [Piece 1, e.g. Home page, about [number] words]
- [Piece 2, e.g. Three service pages, about [number] words each]
- [Piece 3, e.g. Five-email welcome sequence with subject lines]
- [Piece 4, e.g. Ad copy: [number] headline and text variations]
- A messaging document: key message, proof points and tone of voice notes you can reuse

5. Timeline
- Week 1: kick-off, research and creative brief
- Week [2]: first drafts
- Week [3]: revisions
- Week [4]: final copy
Your review time: [number] working days per round. Late feedback moves the final date by the same amount.

6. Pricing options
Option A, Core pages: [deliverables], [number] revision rounds. [price]
Option B, Core plus research: [deliverables], customer interviews and the messaging document, [number] rounds. [price]
Option C, Launch pack: everything in B plus [email sequence / ad variations]. [price]
Extra pages: [price] each. Extra revision rounds: [price] per round. Rush turnaround: [price or percentage] extra.

7. What I need from you
- Existing copy, brand or tone of voice guidelines, and [analytics access, if available]
- Contact details for [number] customers willing to talk for 15 minutes, or access to reviews and support emails
- Accurate product details, prices and any claims you can prove
- One person to give consolidated feedback and final approval

8. Terms
Payment: [50]% to start, [50]% on delivery of the final copy. Invoices are due within [number] days.
Revisions: [number] rounds per piece. A revision is a change to the draft; a change of audience, offer or angle is a new brief and is quoted separately.
Accuracy: you confirm that product claims, prices and legal statements are correct before publishing.
Ownership: copyright in the final copy transfers to [Company] when the final invoice is paid. Drafts and research notes stay with me.
Originality: the copy will be original and written for you.
Cancellation: if you cancel after writing starts, you pay [percentage]% of the project fee or for the work completed, whichever is higher.
Portfolio: I may show the published work as a sample unless you ask me not to.

9. Next steps
1. Choose an option and reply to confirm.
2. I'll send the agreement, the deposit invoice and the kick-off questionnaire.
3. We book the kick-off call for [date].

[Your name]
[Email] | [Writing samples link]

Replace every [bracket] with your own details. Want a version written for a specific client brief? Paste it into the free proposal generator.

What to include in a copywriting proposal

The client wants to know three things: that you understand their customer, exactly what they'll get, and that the copy will sound like their business rather than yours.

The goal of the copy in one line: the action the reader should take, such as booking a call, starting a trial or buying.
Who the reader is and what they worry about before they act.
A deliverables list with page counts and rough word counts.
Your research step: customer interviews, reviews, support emails, sales calls and competitor pages.
Revision rounds, how feedback is given and what counts as a revision.
Price, timeline, usage rights and what's out of scope, such as design, page building and publishing.

Research and the creative brief: the part most proposals skip

Audience: who they are and the main problem they want solved.
Offer: what's being sold and why it's better than the alternatives.
Proof: results, reviews and credentials the client can back up.
Tone of voice, with two or three example phrases that sound right and wrong.
Call to action: the one next step for the reader.
Search keywords, if the copy needs to rank.

How to price copywriting

Price short, high-stakes pieces by the project, never by the word.
Quote customer interviews and research as a visible line item, so the client sees what they're paying for.
Add a rate for extra pages and extra revision rounds.

Revisions, approvals and usage rights

Say how many rounds of revisions you include and what counts as a revision. Changes to wording are revisions; a new angle, a new offer or a new audience is a new brief.

Kill fee: what the client pays if they cancel after writing has started.
Accuracy: the client confirms that product claims, prices and legal statements are correct.
Originality: you confirm the copy is original and written for this client.

Copywriting proposal example

Illustration only: a fictional client with made-up prices and dates.

COPYWRITING PROPOSAL: Brightdesk landing page and email sequence
Prepared for: Omar Haddad, Brightdesk
Prepared by: Ellie Carter

Overview
Brightdesk sells appointment software to dental practices. Your current landing page lists features, but visitors from your ads leave without booking a demo. The goal is more demo bookings from the traffic you already pay for.

Scope
A kick-off call, a review of your customer reviews and three recorded sales calls, then a one-page brief for your approval before I write.

Deliverables
- Landing page, about 900 words, with two headline options to test
- Five-email sequence for people who start booking a demo but don't finish
- Messaging document with key benefits and proof points

Timeline
Brief in 3 working days, first drafts 5 working days after the brief is approved, two revision rounds.

Pricing options
Option A, landing page only: $900
Option B, landing page and email sequence: $1,500
Option C, Option B plus four short customer interviews: $1,900

Terms
50% to start, 50% on final copy. Copyright transfers to Brightdesk on full payment. Brightdesk confirms all product claims before publishing.

Use your own real work, numbers and prices in yours.

Short copywriting bid for Freelancer.com or Upwork

Marketplace clients read short bids, not documents. Send this first, and the full proposal once they reply.

Hi [client name],

You need [the copy, e.g. a sales page] that gets [the reader] to [the action], and right now [the problem you spotted, e.g. the page talks about features before it explains the result].

Here's how I'd approach it:
1. Read your reviews, current pages and [competitors] to find the words your customers actually use
2. Send a one-page brief and outline for your approval before I write
3. Write the [deliverables], with [number] revision rounds included

[Proof: a similar piece you wrote, what it was for and a link]

Quick question: who's the one customer you most want this copy to win over?

I can deliver in [timeline] for [price].

[Your name]

More on bids in our Freelancer proposal template and how to bid on Freelancer.

Mistakes that lose copywriting clients

Quoting per word for short, high-stakes pieces such as headlines, taglines or ads, where the thinking matters far more than the length.
Skipping the brief and going straight to drafts, which turns every revision into a debate about strategy.
Not limiting revision rounds, or not defining what a revision is.
Writing claims the client can't back up. Ask for proof and make accuracy part of the client's sign-off.
Forgetting to say who owns the copy and whether you can use it as a sample.
Leaving out what's not included, so you end up uploading pages, finding images or writing extra sections for free.

More proposal templates

Frequently asked questions

What should a copywriting proposal include?: The goal of the copy, who the reader is, your research step, a list of deliverables with rough lengths, revision rounds, a timeline, two or three priced options and terms covering payment and ownership.
How do copywriters charge?: Per project, per word, per hour or on a monthly retainer. Per project is the clearest for most website and sales copy, per word suits large volumes of similar pieces, and retainers suit ongoing emails, ads or social posts.
How many revisions should a copywriter include?: Pick a fixed number that matches your price. Two rounds per piece is a reasonable starting point. Define a revision as changes to the draft, and treat a new audience or offer as a new brief.
Who owns the copy, the writer or the client?: Whatever the agreement says. Commonly the client gets the copyright once the final invoice is paid. In the UK and the US a copyright transfer must be in writing and signed, so include it in the signed proposal or contract.
Should I send samples with a copywriting proposal?: Yes, one or two that match the job: a landing page for a landing page project, an email for an email project. More samples don't help if they're unrelated to what the client needs.
What's the difference between a copywriting proposal and a bid?: A bid is the short first message on a marketplace such as Freelancer.com or Upwork. The proposal is the fuller document you send once the client is interested, with the scope, pricing options and terms.

MoreGigs is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Freelancer.com. You're responsible for how you use your Freelancer account and for following Freelancer's own terms.