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Freelance writer pricing 101
A sunny day helluurrrrr to y’all,
The snow is finally melting away *does a skip dance*
And I can begin to wear all those fine spring jackets 😂
But like everything else in life, the early days of spring are messy and muddy!
Before we get into today’s topic, let me tell you a funny story.
Three days ago, I and wifey had to go take passport photos.
So, we head to Staples!
Walk into the store,
Get to the passport section and wifey asks the store associate how much it’s going to cost us to take 4 passport photos…
Store associate: That’ll be $24 + taxes.
ME:
The Nigerian in me and wifey literally went:
LOL.
We ended up paying but that was one big lesson in never convert prices here to Naira!
Now, how to price as a freelance writer
At the start of your freelance writing career, pricing can feel like a bone in a throat.
You want to get those clients in and start earning money, but you also feel like you don’t have the credibility to charge the rates you see other bandy around on LinkedIn.
Everyone has been there - that’s if they are being honest.
My first writing gig paid me $30 for 3000 words!
Did the client low-ball me?
I’ll never know!
But while doing some research for a presentation I made on ‘Content Writing as a Service’ to the folks at Comms Avenue, I came across this table:
So, I was probably paid within the range of what’s acceptable for a beginner writer.
While this table can act as a guide, here’s a 3-step framework I used to steadily raise my rates:
Find your first three clients
Your number one priority is to sign up your first 3 paying clients. At this stage, don’t worry about pricing.
What you need to build at this point are confidence and a portfolio. You can use the table above as a benchmark.
Set an hourly rate
Once you have locked in the first three clients and racked up some wins under your belt, it’s time to set an hourly rate.
Some experts advise against it.
For me, I see it as setting your ‘minimum acceptable rate.’
The key question to answer here is how much is an hour of your time worth?
You can do this by:
looking up the average annual salaries of entry-level writers on Payscale or Glassdoor and drop three zeroes from it (so if the average annual pay is $50,000, your hourly rate would be $50).
Now, multiply that rate by the amount of time you work on writing monthly and compare that to where you are at the moment. That should give you a sense of your pricing band.
Finally, put together a portfolio complete with testimonials
At this point, put together a portfolio of work you have done so far. Reach out to your current clients and ask for testimonials. Add those to your portfolio, just before the page that contains your rate card…and start pitching your services to new clients.
Using these steps, you can land your first high-paying client in no time. Don’t forget to do exceptional work all the time (well, as much as possible - no one is perfect).
All the best folks 💪🏾
Content Writing Jobs (Remote/Freelance)
All the best folks. And please share with any of your friends/colleagues who might find this useful 🙏🏾
My biggest takeaway this week 🚀
Stop saying “not all men”
We need to do better.
Happy International Women’s Day to all my female readers.
What I’m thinking about?
Lack of courage anchors more people than lack of ability.
Thanks for reading this far. I am grateful!
Stay safe & sane,
Dozie
P.S: If you like this newsletter and want to support it, please could you share on LinkedIn or forward this newsletter to a friend with an invitation to subscribe right here👇🏾