NUJ Rate for the Job:
Words, per 1000 / pr
Updated: 20 December 2017
These rates have been reported by members of the National Union of Journalists and others, and printed in the Freelance, newsletter of London Freelance Branch. They are sorted by publisher/publication, then by date (most recent first). TIP: Use the "Find in page" command under your browser's "Edit" menu to be sure of finding all occurrences of a publication/publisher. AND do note the year in which the rate was reported! See also the Freelance Fees Guide, which gives general recommendations. And read the disclaimer and the key to exactly what the entries mean.
Writing for Public Relations should attract much higher rates than reporting. There's the 'selling your soul' aspect... But, practically, there's the time it takes. PR clients love meetings. Lots of them. Long ones. Meetings are what they do. (Also try Words, per 1000 / other.) |
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Publication / Programme - details & terms | Group | Year | ![]() |
Basic fee | Extras |
GR |
XXXX |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Herald 1-page advertorial | _NQ | 2006 | ![]() |
170 | XX |
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Omnibus (Northern Ireland Office) | 1994 | ![]() |
150 | - | |||
Signature (Signature Media) | 2014 | ![]() |
300 | ||||
Signature (Signature Media) | 2014 | ![]() |
300 | ||||
Trust straightforward feature | 2017 | ![]() |
700 | GR | O |
||
Zone BA World Cargo magazine - writing FBS | 2001 | ![]() |
350 | ||||
Agency Fish Ltd inflight mags etc | _Fish | 2013 | ![]() |
300 | |||
AlbanDigital Advertising online for blog post ghostwriters, demand 3 years' experience - work not pursued when it turns out they pay | 2016 | ![]() |
100 | ||||
Album sleevenote | 1997 | ![]() |
420 | - | |||
Anon engineering co. 3 press releases, total 1000 words all rights | 2004 | ![]() |
650 | ||||
Anon PR co. Case study of engineering project, including sourcing images - the first all rights | 2004 | ![]() |
800 | ||||
Anon PR co. Case studies of engineering projects, including sourcing images - subsequent all rights | 2004 | ![]() |
700 | ||||
Anonymous blue-chip corporate mag | 1995 | ![]() |
400 | - | |||
Army online mag | _HMG | 2012 | ![]() |
437.50 | O |
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Boutique record label sleeve notes | 2007 | ![]() |
100 | ||||
Brussels Airline inflight mag | _Ink | 2009 | ![]() |
300 | O |
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BT Denmark | 1999 | ![]() |
400 | - | |||
Capital Radio promotional mag | _Gcap | 1993 | ![]() |
600 | - | ||
Creation Records | 1998 | ![]() |
250 | - | |||
Dairy Council of Northern Ireland | 1994 | ![]() |
500 | - | |||
East-West Records (PR biog) | 1992 | ![]() |
250 | - | |||
Energy corporate (Russian) feature all rights | 2016 | ![]() |
1750 | O |
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Established independent record label sleeve notes | 2007 | ![]() |
180 | ||||
Finnish record label PR biog for Finnish record label - 800 words @ £300, one shot email all rights nevertheless | 2017 | ![]() |
375 | ||||
Gemalto (computer security company - PR?) | 2012 | ![]() |
300 | X |
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Independent record company, sleeve notes | 2007 | ![]() |
140 | ||||
Larger independent record label sleeve notes | 2007 | ![]() |
200 | ||||
Liner notes for album on Norwegian label Record and CD | 2017 | ![]() |
250 | ||||
Major label record company sleeve notes | 2007 | ![]() |
300 | ||||
Major record label sleeve notes | 2007 | ![]() |
250 | ||||
Phonogram record sleeve note (250 for 300 words) | 1996 | ![]() |
833 | - | |||
Phonogram Records PR biog | 1993 | ![]() |
200 | - | |||
Post-graduate education foundation PR writing | 2007 | ![]() |
700 | O |
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PR Agency By-lined article, written up from interview | 2007 | ![]() |
350 | GR | |||
Press releases 550-word press release for a gallery @ €108 no terms discussed | 2013 | ![]() |
196 | GR | |||
Redwood Publishing | _Redwood | 1993 | ![]() |
250 | - | ||
Royal Mail presentation pack | _HMG | 2006 | ![]() |
1000 | |||
Shandwick PR | 1994 | ![]() |
400 | - | |||
Thomas Cook | 2012 | ![]() |
85 | XXX |
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Universal Records PR 'biog' of superstar no licence specified | 2001 | ![]() |
1000 | O |
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Website and marketing copywriting case studies | 2016 | ![]() |
600 | ||||
The above are the rates for Words, per 1000 / pr notified by members up to 20 December 2017. |
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Key to the rates, by column: |
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1 Publication / Programme, any details of work and licence | |||||||
2 Owner at the time the rate was reported, where known | Group | ||||||
3 The year in which the rate was reported | Year |
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4 Currency: either ![]() ![]() | ![]() |
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5 Amount paid for basic licence - e.g. first use in print: | Basic fee |
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6 Paid for extra licences - web use, database resale... (no data pre Jun 2000) | ... | Extras |
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7 "Going Rate" according to experienced NUJ members - do try to better it: | ... | ... | GR |
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or Minimum rate set out in NUJ House Agreement (more will be made soon): | ... | ... | HA |
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8 Underpaid, in the fallible opinion of the Freelance editor: | ![]() | 50 | 0 | X |
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or Just sometimes we're pleasantly surprised: | ![]() | 1500 | 300 | O |
Other rates:
Type of work: | In the "sector": (click or tap below!) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Words, per 1000 | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
Words, other | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
Photography | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
Broadcasting | News | Local | Other including podcasting | ||||
Shifts | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
Other: | Cartoons | Crosswords | Illustration | Punditry | Retainer | Teaching | Tip-off | Translation | ||||||
Recently reported rates | all from the past few months |



