Hi
I have done a number of projects for this type of publication and I understand fully about your not wanting to sound seedy or vulgar.
However I do have to query one thing, and that is the length of the articles. I am assuming these articles are partly call to action and partly SEO orientated, so I have to say I have never written such a word count for idividual topics.
I cannot imagine finding muchmore than 200 words to say about sex toy btteries and certainly how you would talk about blindfolds for 1,000 words seems somewhat impractical.
I, and many clients, have agreed that for items to be sold, then 100 wordfs usually suffices, and as you also want to engage the reader, then I would be inclined to say 200 words or 300 for a topic that can easily be written about.
Please think carefully as once you start padding out articles and using generic phrases, you will lose the interest of the reader and undo all the good work you have done in getting them to your website.
I have a rate of $7.50/1000 words for quality, 100% original web copy with SEO and targeted calls to action in the text. However, to sum my work up, I write for peole, not search engines, so the style is engaging and readable rather than just dull information and telling someone they musy buy the product.
I tend to work on a maximum of 2% - 3% density for SEO though if it can be less, then it is preferred to use keywords more naturally three or four times in an article.
Happy to talk further.
David