Here’s a freelance fact that may be somewhat unpopular (though no less true): Your freelance career outcomes are more important than your hourly rate. That’s right. I’m saying that while what you charge matters, it matters equal to what you’re getting out of that client relationship. Confused yet? Let me explain myself. Suppose your lowest-paying…
Payment & Rates
How to Drop Excuses Out of Your Freelancing
“Yes, the rates are low, but they’re better than content mills.” That was a response I got recently to pointing out that a job listing had abysmal rates. The person responding knew, as I did, that neither of us would ever be accepting the pitiful pay that was stated in the job listing. But where…
Freelance Files: Why We Fear Pricing
There’s a custom kitchen installer in our area that we’d been considering. The work they do is absolutely beautiful. More to the point, it’s timeless. We were at a party, and we were admiring the hostess’s kitchen. She’d used this particular company. I commented on how great it looked and asked how long ago it…
Protecting Your Freelance Writing Rate
Saw a discussion online a while back among writers wanting to raise their rates. At one point, someone suggested that writers make sure to negotiate a raise with their clients. Couple of things wrong with that thinking. You’re not an employee; you are not talking to your employer. Your rates are yours to set. They’re…
What’s Your Best Freelance Writing Rate?
That title alone probably causes more than a little agita for freelance writers. It still does for me. In fact, I’d say most freelancers struggle on occasion with what to charge a client. That’s normal. What isn’t normal is what I’ve seen online when writers ask each other the “What should I charge?” question. Some…
The Secret to Selling Your Freelance Writing Rate
Quick! Your client prospect just asked what your rate is. What do you do? You know your rate (or you should by now). That’s not the problem. There are actually two problems here — First, you probably shouldn’t be telling them your rate in that initial conversation (Jennifer Gregory has a great post by Elizabeth…
How to Remove Freelance Payment Problems
F*ck You. Pay Me. It was, and remains, one of my favorite videos talking about freelance payment problems. Mike Monteiro, design director and co-founder of Mule Design Studio, took the internet by storm back in 2011 when his talk from Creative Mornings Creative Guild went viral. As well it should have. Monteiro started his nearly…
Fair Pricing and the Freelance Writer
Lately, I’ve been enjoying Walt Kania’s posts over at The Freelancery blog. Maybe it’s because Walt has been focused on pricing recently, which is a perennial concern for writers. His most recent post delves into what a “fair price” may be. It’s a question I ask myself quite a lot. I bet you do, too….
A Freelancer’s Guide to Setting Your Damn Price Already
What I’m listening to: Closer by The Chainsmokers I was reading through some LinkedIn posts the other day when it dawned on me yet again: Freelance writers have no idea how to set rates. No, they really don’t know how to set rates. In a few cases, the questions revolved around “How much should I…
How Corporate Pay Bands Can Help Freelance Writers Earn More
What I’m listening to: Keep On by Portugal. The Man I was reading an article about how freelancers can stop undervaluing themselves (a subject after my own heart) when it occurred to me that corporations don’t have this problem. Let me rephrase — they don’t have a problem determining the value of each position. That…