How Long Does It Take a Copywriter to Write 1000 Words?
Every brand needs content that truly speaks to their audience. But if it’s been a while since you were at uni, you’ve probably forgotten how long it takes to research, write, and plan a high quality draft. With the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, it’s even easier to overlook just how much goes into developing real, impactful copy.
As a business owner, I can understand why it might be tempting (and admittedly certainly cheaper) to write up a simple prompt, and publish AI content for speed and convenience. But expertly-crafted human content will always resonate best with audiences – and for that to materialise, you need to know what it’s going to take to get there.
So, I’ve broken down each key development step for drafting effective copy, how long each takes on average, and the practical requirements of each checkpoint. Expert-led tips for writers on how to pland and execute a draft; and guidance for potential clients wanting to understand what goes into each piece of work.
Let’s have a look...
How do you plan for 1000 words?
Before the pen ever hits the page, you’ll need a clear and well-developed plan. This includes processing the content brief, designing your project outline, and gathering essential sources or information.
This part of the writing cycle usually takes me around 2 hours for a 1000-word draft.
Breaking down the brief – 30 minutes
Before literally anything else as a writer, you need to break down the content brief. This means considering the specific requirements, intended target audience, precise timelines and deadlines, and any unique potential challenges.
This shouldn’t take too long, around 15-30 minutes, and a well-considered brief from the project manager can help streamline writing the process significantly.
If you’re providing a brief to a copywriter, always include:
- Objectives and deliverables
- Target audience and industry details
- Context, background, intentions
- Targets and deadlines
- Optional: competitor or example content
Take it from me, as someone on the receiving end. A solid brief makes all the difference when it comes to producing real quality content.
Initial outline planning – 30 minutes
When you’ve worked out the requirements and key points, you’ll need to put together a content outline and overview. This is never really fully set in stone, and it’s likely to adapt and change throughout the drafting process. But your initial outline is an essential jumping off point when it comes to the actual content writing.
Pull together headings and subheadings, SEO keywords and the core points of whatever it is you’re writing. The structure will depend on the type of content, as well as the target audience and relevant industry standards or trends.
I usually conduct keyword research first using AnswerThePublic, then draft subheadings and keyword sheets optimised for the most recent search engine trends. Then fill this in with short bullet points outlining the core points, information, and statistics, ready to expand on later when I’m writing.
Gathering key sources – 45 minutes to 1 hour
At this point, it might be tempting to start writing your content. Instead, I’d recommend spending around an hour researching, reviewing and compiling some essential sources of information. Great copy provides the reader with real value or insight. And this starts with quality sources.
The kinds of sources used will vary widely depending on the type of content you’re going to write. A blog post might require news articles, journals or books, or think tank pieces; whereas a product landing page will likely rely more on internal company documentation and reports, as well as customer surveys, testimonials, or even example competitor content.
How to draft 1000 words of copy?
Alright, so it’s been a couple of hours and you’ve not started writing yet. But now you’ve got solid foundations, most of the work is done. With a detailed plan and essential sources in place, the actual writing process will be much easier.
Drafting main content body – 2.5 hours
A competent copywriter with a solid outline should be able to get this done in a few hours, or less. I personally aim for around 300-500 words per hour, but this will naturally vary quite a bit from writer-to-writer.
Work through your content outline by expanding each of your key point bullets, using the sources you gathered earlier. Currently the best performing content is that which weaves together expert insights with key industry information, using ideally natural (human-style) language. Most people like to feel they’re being directly spoken to.
This part of the process is, of course, the core element – the actual copywriting. And it’s the part I honestly find the easiest and most enjoyable (when everything else is done well).
Pro tip: Remember your initial outline isn’t static. If you notice a way to improve, implement it; if something is missing or needs removing, fix it.
Crafting anchors and CTAs – 20 minutes
Whatever content you’re producing will have a specific goal or intended outcome. This is going to inform the style of anchors and CTAs, alongside the client’s brand voice.
Whether it’s filtering readers from your social media to a blog post, encouraging prospective clients to book a demo, collecting emails for a campaign, or converting viewers into customers. CTAs and anchors should be relevant and impactful; specifically tailored to the purpose, brand, and audience.
Once the rest of the content is drafted, they should almost write themselves.
Post-drafting tasks for copywriting
You’ve got your draft; now it’s time to perfect it. Admittedly, it’s a bit harder to predict how long this should take so try to stay flexible and allot plenty of time.
Editing and optimising – 30 minutes
Your first round of proofreading and edits should focus on clarity, flow, and structure. Tighten your arguments, sharpen your phrasing, and review the overall pacing and readability of the copy. Trim anything that feels like it drags or repeats.
This pass happens before the client ever sees it – and ideally, with fresh eyes. I always step away from the draft for at least a few hours (ideally a full day if possible) and then return, ready to refine. Refresh yourself of the project's brief, and work try to test the copy by the specific outline requirements.
Pro tip: Read it out loud! If something feels clunky or unnatural, it probably is.
Building in reviews and feedback
Once you’ve sent off the draft, you’ll need to allow time for client reviews and revisions. Most projects go through at least one round of feedback, sometimes two.
This is up to the writer and the client, and how many rounds you’re aiming for with the project should be specified with the initial content brief. I usually try to remain open-minded for if a draft needs additional feedback rounds or edits. It can be hard to predict for larger projects, or if brief requirements change.
Speak to your audience, person to person…
Your brand voice needs to resonate if it’s going to convert, even when you can’t be face-to-face with your customers. While AI tools can churn out low-quality copy at an unprecedented speed, a truly authentic voice can only be human.
Get impactful, human-crafted copy that always keeps your audience at its heart.