Contract template for content writers
Content work runs on volume, so small ambiguities repeat. If a rewrite from a changed brief is free once, it is free every month. If the client can use your article anywhere, it ends up as a whitepaper, a LinkedIn series and a slide deck. The contract should define an edit versus a rewrite and say what the client may do with the pieces.
Bylines matter too. Some writers need bylined work to build a portfolio; some clients publish everything under a founder's name. Agree it up front, along with whether you can show ghostwritten work privately to prospects.
Not legal advice. This is a plain-language starting point, not a contract drafted for your situation or your country. For anything large or unusual, have a lawyer where you work read it before you sign.
Clauses specific to content writers
- Briefs. The client supplies a brief for each piece before writing starts, including topic, audience, keywords and any sources to use. Pieces written to a brief are not rewritten free of charge if the brief changes.
- Edits and rewrites. Each piece includes one edit round on the same brief. A rewrite because the topic, angle or audience changed is billed as a new piece.
- Rights. On payment the client owns the articles and may edit, republish and repurpose them. The writer may not republish them elsewhere.
- Bylines and ghostwriting. Pieces are published under the name agreed in the quote. Ghostwritten pieces may be shown privately to prospective clients but not published in the writer's public portfolio.
- Fact-checking. The writer uses reasonable care with sources and links them. The client is responsible for reviewing facts, product details and claims before publishing.
- Retainer volume. The retainer covers the monthly number of pieces in the quote. Changes to the volume need 30 days' notice. Unused pieces expire at the end of the month unless the quote says otherwise.
The clauses every freelance contract needs
- Parties. Who the agreement is between: your legal name or business, the client's legal entity, and the addresses of both.
- Scope of work. What you will deliver, in what form, and what is explicitly not included. Refer to the quote or proposal by number if it lists the details.
- Fees and payment terms. The total fee or rate, the currency, any deposit, when invoices are issued and how many days the client has to pay.
- Late payment. What happens when an invoice is late: interest or a fixed fee if you want one, and your right to pause work until the account is settled.
- Changes and revisions. How many revision rounds are included, what counts as a change of scope, and how extra work is priced and approved.
- Timeline and client delays. Key dates, and that deadlines move when the client is late with feedback, content or approvals.
- Ownership and licence. Who owns the finished work and when (usually on full payment), what the client may use it for, and what you keep, such as your tools, templates and know-how.
- Confidentiality. Both sides keep the other's non-public information private, during the project and after it.
- Cancellation. How either side can end the agreement, the notice required, and payment for work done up to that point.
- Liability. A cap on what either side can claim, often the fees paid under the agreement, and no liability for indirect losses.
- Governing law. Which country's law applies and where disputes are heard. Usually where you are based.
A plain-language sample
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and cut what doesn't apply. Shorter is fine as long as the scope, the money and the rights are clear.
1. Parties
This agreement is between [Your name or business], the content writer ("we"), and [Client legal name], the client ("you"), and starts on [date].
2. The work
We will deliver the work described in quote [number], dated [date]. Anything not listed there is outside this agreement and will be quoted separately before we start on it.
3. Briefs
The client supplies a brief for each piece before writing starts, including topic, audience, keywords and any sources to use. Pieces written to a brief are not rewritten free of charge if the brief changes.
4. Edits and rewrites
Each piece includes one edit round on the same brief. A rewrite because the topic, angle or audience changed is billed as a new piece.
5. Rights
On payment the client owns the articles and may edit, republish and repurpose them. The writer may not republish them elsewhere.
6. Bylines and ghostwriting
Pieces are published under the name agreed in the quote. Ghostwritten pieces may be shown privately to prospective clients but not published in the writer's public portfolio.
7. Fact-checking
The writer uses reasonable care with sources and links them. The client is responsible for reviewing facts, product details and claims before publishing.
8. Retainer volume
The retainer covers the monthly number of pieces in the quote. Changes to the volume need 30 days' notice. Unused pieces expire at the end of the month unless the quote says otherwise.
9. Fees and payment
The fee is [amount and currency]. We invoice [a deposit of X on signing and the balance on delivery / monthly in arrears]. Invoices are due within [14] days. If an invoice is more than [14] days late we may pause work until it is paid.
10. Changes
The quote includes [number] rounds of revisions. Further changes, or changes to work you have already approved, are charged at [rate] once you have agreed to the cost in writing.
11. Delays
Dates in the quote assume you send feedback and material on time. If you are late, the dates move by at least the same amount.
12. Confidentiality
We both keep the other's non-public information confidential, during this project and after it ends.
13. Ending the agreement
Either of us can end this agreement with [14] days' written notice. You pay for the work done up to the end date, and anything already paid for is yours to use under the terms above.
14. Liability
Neither of us is liable for indirect or consequential losses. Our total liability under this agreement is limited to the fees you have paid under it.
15. Law
This agreement is governed by the law of [country], and disputes are heard by the courts of [city or country].
Signatures
Content writer: [name, date]. Client: [name, title, date].
Questions content writers ask
Who owns a blog post written by a freelance writer?
It depends on the contract. Most content clients expect full ownership on payment so they can edit and republish freely, and writers usually price that in. If you want to keep any rights, such as republishing on your own site, write it in.
Can I use ghostwritten articles in my portfolio?
Only if the client agrees. A common compromise is private sharing with prospective clients on request, without publishing the pieces publicly under your name.
What is the difference between an edit and a rewrite?
An edit improves the piece against the same brief: tone, structure, accuracy. A rewrite starts again because the brief changed. Putting that distinction in the contract stops a new angle from being treated as a round of feedback.
Get it signed without printing it
OIO has contract templates built in (service agreement, retainer, IP assignment, NDA) that you edit to fit, sign in the Sign app and send as a PDF. The contract sits next to the project and its invoices. Free plan, no card.
Start freeAlso for content writers: invoice template and quote template. Contract templates for related trades: copywriters, SEO consultants, social media managers, translators. Or browse all contract templates.