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Proposal · tuned for freelance copywriting proposal
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Freelance Copywriting Proposal
1. Scope of Services - Service Type Definition (Editing/Translation)
The services to be provided by under this Agreement consist of services as described below:
includes the following tasks:
Freelance copywriting services for advertising campaigns, landing pages, email sequences, or sales pages as specified in the proposal. All copy is original, conversion-focused, and optimized for the target audience. Rate and timeline are as specified in the proposal.
does NOT include:
Any services beyond the scope defined above will require a separate written agreement and additional compensation.
2. Compensation Structure - Rate Basis and Calculation Method (Editing/Translation)
RATE BASIS AND WORD COUNT METHODOLOGY
1. Compensation. will be compensated on a basis as follows:
2. Word Count Methodology. For any fee structure based on word count, the following methodology applies:
(a) Counting Tool: Word count will be calculated using (e.g., Microsoft Word's built-in word count tool, SDL Trados word count, or the CAT tool's analysis function). The parties agree that is the sole authoritative method and that counts from other tools are not binding.
(b) Character-Count Languages: For languages where character count is the standard pricing unit (including Chinese [Simplified and Traditional], Japanese, and Korean), pricing shall be based on characters (e.g., Chinese characters excluding spaces and punctuation, or total character count including spaces — specify). The character-count method and rate per unit are: .
(c) Included and Excluded Text: The following text elements ARE included in the billable count: body text, headings, subheadings, captions, footnotes, and endnotes. The following ARE NOT included: headers, footers, page numbers, embedded metadata, and hidden text (unless specifically in scope per the SOW).
(d) Tables: Text within table cells IS included in the billable word count.
3. Source vs. Target Language Count. For translation projects, word count is based on the text. If the target-language expansion ratio causes the target count to exceed the source count by more than %, Contractor shall notify Client before proceeding and the excess words are subject to the agreed per-word rate unless a fixed-fee cap applies under Section 4.
4. Floor and Ceiling for Variable-Scope Projects. For projects where the final word count or scope is variable:
(a) Minimum Fee (Floor): Regardless of final word count, the minimum fee for this engagement is , representing Contractor's fixed project costs (setup, research, project management).
(b) Maximum Fee (Ceiling): Unless Client approves in writing, Contractor's fees will not exceed for this project. If Contractor's work in progress indicates the ceiling will be reached before the deliverable is complete, Contractor shall notify Client at least % before the ceiling and await Client's written authorization to continue.
5. Payment Terms. Payment is due within 30 days of invoice date. Invoices will be issued .
3. Turnaround Time and Delivery Schedule (Editing/Translation)
TURNAROUND TIME AND DEADLINE MANAGEMENT
1. Project Schedule. The parties agree to the following schedule:
2. Automatic Extension for Client-Caused Delays. If delays provision of required materials, feedback, or approvals beyond the agreed dates, all subsequent deadlines will automatically extend as follows: for each business day of Client-caused delay, all downstream deadlines extend by one (1) business day plus a -business-day re-scheduling buffer to allow Contractor to reallocate capacity displaced by the delay. The total extension equals: (days of Client delay) + business days.
3. Written Notice Required. The automatic extension in Section 2 takes effect only if Contractor provides written notice to within 2 business days of the missed client deadline, identifying: (a) the specific material or feedback not received; (b) the original deadline; and (c) the revised downstream deadline(s) resulting from the extension. Failure to give timely notice does not waive the extension, but Client may dispute the extension calculation if notice is delayed more than 30 business days.
4. Excessive Delay — Termination Right. If 's cumulative delay in providing materials or feedback in any single project phase exceeds business days, may, on 30 business days' written notice:
(a) elect to terminate this Agreement for cause attributable to Client; and
(b) invoice for all work completed to date at the applicable rate, calculated as: (work completed as a percentage of total deliverable) × (total project fee), plus any non-refundable third-party costs incurred by Contractor in connection with the project.
Client's termination under this clause does not entitle Client to a refund of any amounts already paid for completed work.
5. Client Deadline Breach — No-Fault Acknowledgment. acknowledges that delays in providing required inputs are a material breach of Client's cooperation obligations, and that the fee and timeline consequences in this clause are a reasonable and pre-agreed allocation of the resulting harm.
4. Revision Rounds and Scope of Revisions (Editing/Translation)
REVISION ROUNDS
1. Included Rounds. The fees set forth in this Agreement include 2 round(s) of revisions, subject to the terms below.
2. Definition of 'Revision' (Changes Within Scope). A 'revision' means any change to existing text within the original scope of work, including: correcting errors, adjusting tone or style, restructuring sentences or paragraphs, trimming or expanding existing content within 5% of the originally agreed word count, and incorporating Client feedback on submitted material. Multiple individual changes submitted together in a single feedback document count as one revision round.
3. Definition of 'New Work' or 'Scope Change' (Not a Revision). The following do not constitute revisions and are subject to a separate quote and statement of work:
(a) adding sections, topics, or subject matter not identified in the original brief or SOW;
(b) increasing the total deliverable word count by more than words or 20% above the originally agreed scope, whichever is less;
(c) changing the fundamental purpose, audience, or medium of the deliverable (e.g., converting a white paper to a sales email sequence);
(d) incorporating research, interviews, or source material not included in the original brief;
(e) requesting revisions after the revision window has closed (see Section 4).
4. Revision Window. Revisions must be requested within 14 days of delivery of the relevant deliverable. Revision requests submitted after this window will be treated as new work and are subject to a new quote.
5. Additional Revision Rounds. Additional revision rounds beyond the 2 included rounds may be purchased at per round, invoiced before commencement of the additional round.
6. Dispute Resolution. If the parties disagree on whether a requested change constitutes a revision or new work, either party may request a written determination from Contractor within 5 business days. If unresolved, the parties shall follow the dispute resolution procedure in Section .
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OWNERSHIP
(a) Background IP. Each party retains all right, title, and interest in its Background IP. "Background IP" means all intellectual property owned or licensed by a party prior to the Effective Date or developed independently of this Agreement. Each party grants the other a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use its Background IP solely to the extent necessary to perform or receive the Services during the term of this Agreement.
(b) Deliverables — Work-for-Hire Designation. To the extent that any Deliverable constitutes a "work made for hire" as defined in 17 U.S.C. § 101 (including as a contribution to a collective work, as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, as a translation, as a supplementary work, as a compilation, as an instructional text, as a test, as answer material for a test, or as an atlas), such Deliverable is a work made for hire for , and will be the author and owner of the copyright therein from the moment of creation.
(c) Assignment. To the extent that any Deliverable does not qualify as a work made for hire, hereby irrevocably assigns to , effective upon receipt of full payment for such Deliverable, all right, title, and interest in and to such Deliverable, including all copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights worldwide, in perpetuity.
(d) License for Partially-Paid Deliverables. If this Agreement terminates before has paid in full for a Deliverable, grants a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use that Deliverable solely for 's internal purposes until the outstanding balance is paid, at which point the assignment in Section (c) becomes effective.
(e) Agency Portfolio License. grants a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to display the Deliverables (excluding any Confidential Information) in 's portfolio, case studies, and marketing materials, unless notifies in writing that a specific Deliverable is subject to confidentiality restrictions.
(f) Third-Party Content. will obtain all necessary licenses for third-party content (stock images, fonts, music, software) incorporated into Deliverables, and will disclose to any third-party license restrictions that limit 's use of the Deliverables.
(g) Moral Rights. To the extent permitted by applicable law, waives all moral rights in the Deliverables in favor of .
(h) Agency Tools & Methodologies. Notwithstanding the foregoing, retains all right, title, and interest in its proprietary tools, templates, methodologies, know-how, and general processes used to create the Deliverables. 's rights are limited to the Deliverables themselves.
6. Draft Review, Approval Process, and Deemed Acceptance
DRAFT REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS
6.1 Delivery of Drafts. Provider will deliver drafts of the work in accordance with the milestone schedule set forth in Section [payment-terms] or, if no milestone schedule is specified, Provider will deliver one (1) initial draft for Client review within the turnaround time specified in Section [turnaround-delivery-schedule].
6.2 Client Review Period. Client will review each draft and provide written feedback, comments, or approval within 5 business days of Provider's delivery of the draft ("Review Period").
6.3 Feedback Requirements. Client's written feedback must:
(a) Be specific, clear, and actionable;
(b) Identify particular passages, sections, or elements requiring revision;
(c) Explain the desired changes and the rationale (e.g., "Revise Section 2 to emphasize cost savings rather than features"); and
(d) Be consistent with the original project brief, scope, and specifications.
6.4 Approval. If Client approves the draft in writing (via email or other written communication stating "approved," "accepted," or similar clear language), the draft becomes the final deliverable for purposes of this Agreement and no further revisions are included unless Client purchases additional revision rounds under Section [revisions].
6.5 Deemed Acceptance. If Client does not provide written feedback, comments, objections, or requests for revisions within the Review Period, the draft is deemed accepted and approved by Client as of the last day of the Review Period. Deemed acceptance has the same effect as express written approval: the draft becomes the final deliverable, and Provider is entitled to final payment in accordance with Section [payment-terms].
6.6 Late Feedback. If Client provides feedback after the Review Period has expired, Provider may, in Provider's sole discretion: (a) decline to make revisions and treat the work as complete per the deemed acceptance rule; (b) accept Client's late feedback and incorporate revisions within the scope of the included revision rounds under Section [revisions]; or (c) accept Client's late feedback and charge for revisions as an out-of-scope change order at /hour or per revision round.
6.7 Silence Does Not Equal Disapproval. Client's failure to respond during the Review Period does not entitle Client to withhold payment, demand additional revisions, or claim that the work is unsatisfactory. Silence is acceptance.
6.8 Dispute Resolution. If Client timely objects to a draft and asserts that the work does not conform to the project brief or specifications, but Provider disagrees, the parties will follow the dispute resolution process set forth in Section [dispute-resolution]. During the dispute resolution process, Client remains obligated to pay Provider for all work completed to date, less any amounts reasonably in dispute.
6.9 Final Deliverable. Once a draft is approved (expressly or by deemed acceptance), Provider will deliver the final work in the format(s) specified in Section [deliverables-specification] within 5 business days.
7. Entire Agreement (Integration)
7.1 Integration. This Agreement, together with all SOWs, Change Orders, and exhibits executed hereunder, constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to its subject matter and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, negotiations, representations, warranties, and understandings, whether written or oral, relating to the same subject matter.
7.2 No Oral Modifications. No oral statement, prior course of dealing, trade usage, or conduct will be used to supplement, interpret, or contradict the written terms of this Agreement.
7.3 Purchase Orders. Any terms set forth in Customer's purchase orders, vendor registration forms, or similar documents are of no force or effect and do not modify this Agreement unless expressly incorporated into a signed SOW or Change Order.
7.4 Results Representations. Customer acknowledges that no employee, agent, or representative of Provider has authority to guarantee specific results or outcomes, and that any such representation made outside this Agreement is not binding on Provider.
8. Rush Fee and Expedited Delivery Terms
RUSH FEE AND EXPEDITED DELIVERY
8.1 Standard Turnaround. The standard turnaround time for deliverables under this Agreement is 5 business days from the later of: (a) receipt of all source materials required from Client; or (b) receipt of any deposit or advance payment due.
8.2 Rush Delivery Request. Client may request expedited delivery by providing written notice to Provider at the time of engagement or, for ongoing projects, with reasonable advance notice. Rush delivery is subject to Provider's availability and acceptance.
8.3 Rush Fee. If Provider accepts a rush delivery request, Client will pay a rush fee calculated as follows:
(a) Turnaround reduced by up to 25%: % surcharge on the base project fee.
(b) Turnaround reduced by 26-50%: % surcharge on the base project fee.
(c) Turnaround reduced by more than 50%: % surcharge on the base project fee, or as otherwise agreed in writing.
8.4 Same-Day or 24-Hour Rush. Same-day or 24-hour turnaround requests require Provider's express written acceptance and are subject to a minimum rush fee of or % of the base project fee, whichever is greater.
8.5 No Guarantee. Rush delivery requests do not guarantee acceptance. Provider reserves the right to decline rush requests that would compromise quality, disrupt workflow for other clients, or require unreasonable working hours.
8.6 Payment Terms. Rush fees are due and payable in full before Provider commences work on the rush project, in addition to any deposit or advance payment required under Section [payment-terms].
8.7 Quality Standard. Acceptance of a rush project does not diminish Provider's obligation to deliver work that meets the quality standard specified in this Agreement, subject to the time constraints mutually agreed upon.
9. Word Count Variance and Overage Fees
WORD COUNT VARIANCE AND OVERAGE FEES
9.1 Estimated Word Count. The parties agree that the estimated word count for the deliverable(s) under this Agreement is words, as specified in the applicable Statement of Work or project brief.
9.2 Permitted Variance. Provider will deliver work within 10% of the estimated word count (i.e., between and words) at no additional charge. Minor variance within this range is expected and does not trigger overage fees.
9.3 Overage Fees. If the final deliverable exceeds words due to:
(a) Client-requested changes, additions, or expanded scope after project commencement;
(b) Client-supplied source materials, outlines, or interview transcripts yielding greater content than originally estimated; or
(c) Client approval of a longer draft during the revision process,
then Client will pay an overage fee of per word for all words exceeding , calculated based on the final delivered word count.
9.4 Provider-Initiated Overage. If Provider delivers work exceeding words without Client's prior written approval and not due to any Client-requested change or expansion, Provider may not charge an overage fee, and Client may request that Provider edit the work down to the agreed maximum word count at no additional charge.
9.5 Word Count Methodology. Word count will be calculated using the standard word count function in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, counting body text only and excluding titles, headings, captions, footnotes, and reference lists, unless otherwise specified.
9.6 Approval and Payment. Provider will notify Client in writing if Provider anticipates the final deliverable will exceed the permitted variance. Client may: (a) approve the overage and agree to pay the overage fee; (b) request that Provider reduce the scope to stay within the original estimate; or (c) renegotiate the scope and fee. Overage fees are due upon delivery of the final work and are payable in addition to the base project fee.
9.7 Underage. If the final deliverable is less than words and Client accepts the shortened deliverable as satisfying the project requirements, Client remains obligated to pay the full base project fee unless the parties agree otherwise in writing.
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Copywriters Who Need a Proposal That Moves the Project Forward
A pasted email or blank quote document does not look like a business. A proper copywriting proposal, with a stated goal, a clear scope, a revision count, and a line-item price, signals that you are a professional who delivers. Clients sign faster when the proposal is specific about what they are buying.
ContractMaker formats the proposal for you. You fill in the brief, the deliverables, the number of revision rounds, and the fee. The output is a finished, branded document you can send as a PDF or share a direct link with the client the same day.
What Your Copywriting Proposal Includes
Each section maps to a real buying question your client is already asking.
Your name and the client or company name
Project headline and the core goal or problem being solved
Approach: research, drafting, revisions, and deliverable format
Specific deliverables such as word count, number of pages, or asset list
Pricing options or a single flat fee with a clear valid-until date
Timeline from kickoff to final delivery
Next step so the client knows exactly how to say yes
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