why hourly billing is for amateurs
There’s a reason good copywriters don’t bill hourly.
And if we did bill hourly, our clients would have to pay even more. Because this job never really ends.
We don’t just clock in, type some words, and call it done.
Projects follow us around. Into our dreams, trips to the store, dog walks, and even nights out.
We never stop looking for a sharper angle. Or a new perspective that makes the idea click harder, connect deeper, and sell better.
Half the job is thinking (you're essentially renting a spot in our brain).
Another 25% is constantly staying sharp on the craft—newsletters, podcasts, teardown threads, mastermind groups—so we know exactly what’s working right now, and why.
I personally spend over $1K a month on paid newsletters and an ongoing mentorship with Kevin Rogers and a hand-picked group of 20 ridiculously sharp copywriters.
We trade brutal copy critiques, break down what’s working and what's next, and challenge each other constantly. Because staying great means being in the room with people who push you.
And yeah, of course, we block off time for deep work. But the banger ideas rarely hit during "work" hours.
They wake you up at 3 AM, or hit you mid-shower or dog walk (voice notes are a lifesaver).
I can already hear the work-life-balance crowd chiming in—and yeah, I get it. That stuff is important.
But this isn’t just a gig for us. As odd as it sounds, it's a lifestyle.
We live and breathe copywriting and persuasion. Most of us have read and studied hundreds of the best ads ever written—Schwartz, Ogilvy, Halbert, Kennedy—not because someone made us, but because we wanted to.
We care a lot about our clients and their businesses. Probably too much.
And that, my friends, is exactly why we don’t bill by the hour.
If you’re a copywriter, you already know.
And if you’re in some other biz, here’s your takeaway:
Stop trading hours for dollars & charge for the change you create.
Later,
Graham
P.S.
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