Set Client Rates That Actually Reflect the Talented Content Writer You Are

IIt is true that having a freelance writing career can be rewarding for many reasons. After all, you can work from your bed, still in your pajamas, at the neighborhood coffee shop while people-watching, or from a far-flung beach in an exotic corner of the planet, and it will never matter. It is also fulfilling because you have the innate flexibility to work on your own schedule, as long as you hit all the necessary deadlines.

But, more than any other factor, the business can be overwhelmingly gratifying simply because you are your own boss, and you make all the final decisions. You can turn down projects that are not in your wheelhouse, leave you feeling creatively empty, or are just too complicated to take on at the moment. You have the last say on what goes and what doesn’t, and this is one of the top reasons many freelance content and copy writers cite for choosing such a risky career path.

So, why is it that these fiercely independent writers insist on working on projects that pay less than minimum wage when measured by just how long they will take to complete?

One of the most critical decisions that you can make when it comes to starting a freelance writing company is setting reasonable professional rates for your work, which should take both your talent and your time into consideration. You will need to appreciate and respect yourself enough to know your worth. Low-ball offers undermine your value, and they are insulting.

Please listen to me! You should never entertain these types of clients, even if you are starving! You will always be better off getting yourself a part-time job bagging groceries or waiting tables. There is no shame in an honest day’s labor. However, if you accept a pittance for your writing, you should be embarrassed. It’s the so-called freelancers that kowtow to these abusive customers that lower wages for all independent writers across the board. You see, they will feel it is ok to ask for pennies if contractors are willing to humor them.

You deserve a fair income for your efforts. Remember, in many situations when a client is asking you to write something for him or her, whether it is a blog post, website copy, an ebook, or a white paper, you are providing value to that person. He or she is going to take your content and make money with it. You deserve to be paid a sizable portion of the profits that your copy will bring him or her.

Let’s take a look at the best practices for determining your freelance rates. Remember, you are worth a decent living, and you shouldn’t think that just because you are doing something that you enjoy that you shouldn’t be getting paid for your talent and hard work.

1. Take the Time to Really Appreciate your Value

If you are an experienced writer, or a new writer with a vast amount of expertise in a particular subject, then you are a unicorn these days! Many freelance writers today have hung their shingles out as recently as the pandemic because they were desperate to try anything to make ends meet. And, niche experts are even rarer! The majority of freelance content writers that came up in the last ten years, in the wake of the overwhelming need for SEO content, are generalist Jacks and Janes of all trades. But, you know what that means… they are the masters of none.

Each industry does have a standard base rate, but remember, there are intelligent, hard-working people, like doctors and scientists, that will write on specialty websites for pennies, and there are also clients that will overcompensate you to write a listicle of celebrities’ loudest public farts. So, you can’t judge how much a project will pay based on the reputation of its publisher. Regardless of the job, don’t ever write for exposure or status. Be sure that you are getting paid, and paid well.

Here is another matter that I hear about constantly: Apparently, our extraordinarily-talented brothers and sisters of the laptop, out in India, and other lovely countries with lower costs of living than the U.S. and Canada, are getting paid less than North American natives by companies based in the west. This is disgusting, racist, xenophobic, and least of all — cheap! If you are located in an area where the cost of living is lower than the cost of living where the client is located, what bearing does that have on the quality of the work that you will provide? They are getting the same results from the copy they paid for, so why would they pay their contractor less? Where he or she lives is no business of the client’s.

To drive this point home, it is well-known that, in the U.S., where I live, there is a huge disparity in the cost of living in different sections of the country. I live in affordable, laid-back New Orleans, where the minimum wage is less than $8 an hour and rent hovers around $800 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. I charge the same rates as I did when I lived in Connecticut, possibly the wealthiest state in the union per capita and one of the most expensive states to live in. My work didn’t change, so my value didn’t decrease, and neither should my going rates.

2. Remember that you have Business Expenses to Account for

As freelance content writers, we don’t seem to have that much to pay for in overhead. After all, we don’t have inventory, we don’t have to worry about expensive manufacturing equipment, and we really don’t even need a separate physical location for our business. We don’t require an office, warehouse, or a brick-and-mortar storefront. However, there still are expenses that are not necessarily hidden, but largely forgotten about by those desperate to make sales.

For example, since we are not technically employed by anyone but ourselves, we must pay all of our taxes for the previous year every January. That can be extremely expensive, and, for many, not even really feasible without putting money aside in a special savings account all year.

Another issue is health insurance. Costs for health insurance premiums are typically split between employees and their employers, since groups are given discounts and employers use benefits to secure labor. However, as your own employee, you have to pay your full premiums out of pocket or pay cash for every doctor visit. This is another cost that must be factored into your base rate if you want to sustain your health.

Also, internet services, hardware, software, and various devices become must-haves when you are depending on them to make money. These components are luxuries that we can live without in the case of an emergency, but when they are pertinent to your livelihood, they are necessities that must be maintained and replaced as needed. That is another cost to consider when deciding on rates.

3. Know When to Walk Away

Sometimes it is just best to cut your losses.

If you are asked to churn out pages and pages of content and you are only going to be seeing pennies per word for your dedication, then turn the job down flat before you even start. As I have already said, it is much more dignifying to take a minimum wage job to pay your bills than to lower yourself by under-pricing your work.

This is especially true if your content is expected to be written at an expert level or requires intense research or personal interviews. Other times, your per-word rate may be decent, but excessive revisions may drive your hourly rate down far too low, while also taking time away from other projects.

Remember, don’t let the promises of getting your byline out there or receiving more money in the future persuade you to lower yourself in such a way. Your long-term financial stability is at stake, as well as your professional integrity and personal pride.

And, in addition to straining your purse-strings, and bulldozing your self-esteem, accepting low-paying gigs can lead to health issues. Just think, you will need to work sometimes as much as ten times as hard to make a decent wage, and that can lead to feelings of burnout, a condition in which you will feel exhausted and unable to produce until you have fully rested and recovered. Work-life balance should always be your priority as a business owner. You are your number one asset, over all else.

In conclusion, I just want other writers to know that it is not selfish to charge what you and your talent and hard work are worth. You, yourself, must believe in your business before the decent clients, who pay sustainable rates, will also believe in your business.