Payment & Rates | Words on the Page

Free Advice Friday: The Freelance (Under)Sell

Posted on January 26, 2018January 25, 2018 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Caledonia by Dougie MacLean It’s a Robert Burns kind of weekend — time for poems written by the bard, whisky tasting, and haggis. (Take my advice — skip the haggis.) Hence the link to the song by Dougie MacLean, who was homesick for his native “Caledonia” when he wrote what has…

Why Freelance Pricing Guides Aren’t Helping You

Posted on December 12, 2017December 13, 2017 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Wrong by The Airborne Toxic Event We’ve all done it. We’ve asked the question: “How much should I charge for …?” While there’s nothing inherently wrong with asking other writers “How much do you charge for…?”, by asking how much we should be charging, we are, once again, putting control of our businesses…

6 Traits of a Non-paying Client (and how to spot them ahead of time)

Posted on October 31, 2017October 30, 2017 by lwidmer

This is one of those really odd weeks for me lately — I have free time in my day. Actual free time. Three projects are in progress. Three others are ongoing work. One is completed. The occasional projects were completed last week, as well. Two others are on the way. So yes, free time. After…

The Freelance Writing Location Myth

Posted on June 19, 2017June 16, 2017 by lwidmer

I was on Twitter last week when I noticed a study by HubStaff that talked about freelancers and earnings. Some interesting things in there, and not all of them I agree with. Here’s one that stood out: The rates that freelancers charge are highly dependent on location, discipline, and experience, so it’s impossible to provide average…

The Freelance Money Flow

Posted on June 12, 2017June 9, 2017 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Show Me The Way by Peter Frampton I was reading a conversation recently among newer writers talking about waiting for that next check to show up. Boy, do I remember those days. And on rare occasion, I still have that same feeling. It’s uncommon though, amen. It’s also one of the…

Your Freelance Writing Rate: One Fact You Need to Know

Posted on February 28, 2017February 27, 2017 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Incomplete by James Bay It happened again. Another forum discussion on rates, another person asking about rates. This time, the writer was reviewing the various pricing guides and thinking it was either time to raise rates or use those extremely general price ranges to show clients the bargain they’re getting. I get…

Wednesday Take: Who Determines Your Freelance Rate?

Posted on November 16, 2016November 16, 2016 by lwidmer

An interesting week so far. One project ended, another began, and a newer client keeps me busy with plenty of neat projects. Checks too are coming in, just in time for the holidays. On a forum recently, there was a discussion about rates, which also touched on worth. If you’ve read this blog at all,…

5 Reasons Why Increasing Your Freelance Writing Rates Matters

Posted on August 22, 2016August 22, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Where the Streets Have No Name by U2 Oh, joy. A long-term project I just started a few months ago may be coming to a close, and about three months shy of when it was due to end. Ouch. There goes about $9K in earnings. However, as one door closes, another…

Anne Wayman

August 22, 2016

Your experience mirrors mine, Lori. Raising rates seems to be good for everyone… except maybe those left behind – but maybe not them… who knows.

1. lwidmer
  
  August 22, 2016
  
  Anne, it was years ago when you first mentioned it that I thought “Huh. That’s just crazy enough to try.”
Paula Hendrickson

August 22, 2016

I’m going through one of the blog vs copy writing issues right now. A client I’ve been writing blog posts for now wants me to write some web content. From what he’s said so far it sounds like landing pages for various areas of the website. He seems to think using the word “articles” for the blog posts and the content somehow makes them equal. Um…nope. Unless he wants me to knock the content out as quickly as the lower-paying blog posts.

What was it Leon Sterling used to say? Fast, cheap, or good. Pick two.

1. lwidmer
  
  August 22, 2016
  
  It was Leon. Man, I miss him.
  
  I agree with you, Paula. That’s a different beast from a blog post, and it requires a good bit more skill and possibly keyword integration. I guess it’s easy for clients to assume it’s the same thing, but I would take far more time on a landing page — where your clients are going to get a first impression of your business — than I would on a blog post on a particular topic.
Jake Poinier

August 22, 2016

So, so important for your sanity and financial viability. My philosophy is that if I haven’t been rejected on price in a while, my prices aren’t high enough. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but I don’t think enough freelancers realize that prices aren’t just about what they get paid, but about signalling their value to the market.

That stinks about the early-eject project!

1. lwidmer
  
  August 22, 2016
  
  Keep preaching, Jake. It’s a message all freelancers — writers and otherwise — need to tattoo into their being. This line in particular is a memorable one: “….prices aren’t just about what they get paid, but about signalling their value to the market.”
Yuwanda Black

August 24, 2016

EXCELLENT post Lori.

I don’t tolerate much from any client — high-paying or low-paying, but I have to say, a problem I don’t see with higher paying clients nearly as much as I see with lower-paying ones is “scope creep.” This will make me drop a client like a hot potato!

You soon learn that if you don’t value your time, no one else will. 🙂

1. lwidmer
  
  August 24, 2016
  
  Amen, Yuwanda! That problem disappeared when the rate went up.
  
  You’re right — we have to be the first ones to value our own time, or it’s pointless.
Weekly translation favorites (Sep 2-8)

September 9, 2016

[…] Types of Content You Can Use to Promote Your Product, Service, Business, or Self 5 Reasons Why Increasing Your Freelance Writing Rates Matters Five Analog To-Do List Systems for Better […]

Gabriella F.

September 22, 2016

Hi Lori.

Been crazy busy, and I haven’t been able to check into your blog lately. But I got your email with the summary of recent topics and am checking back in. Love the new look!

On this rate thing, man, I wish I could get up to $100 or $150 an hour. I finally–finally!–got all my clients up to $75 an hour. The last remaining holdout, who was paying $50 an hour, I simply told, “Look, I love working with you, but you’re way below every other client’s rate. I need $75. I understand if you can’t do it, but if not, I’ve got to move on. No hard feelings.” The next day, it was approved.

Now, my next task is upping that. Do you recommend I do an incremental increase, like starting in January, I charge $85 an hour, doing that for a year and then moving to $100 the next January? Or do you recommend this January, I jump to $100 without fanfare?

And by the way, I used to have a client who was paying me $55 an hour. I pushed and pushed for an increased rate, and the manager there just kept complaining about budget. The last time I brought it up, she said, “We can raise you to $57.50 per hour.” I took it for that current project we were working on and haven’t accepted a project with her since. Wonder if she realizes she shot herself in the foot by nickel-and-diming me?

1. lwidmer
  
  September 28, 2016
  
  Hi Gabriella! Great to have you back!
  
  Here’s what I’d do — I ‘d keep the current clients at $75 for now. New clients are charged $100 per hour. Also, I’d start quoting per project and not per hour. People see that hourly rate and suddenly, you’re on the clock.
  
  Once you get more clients paying you at $100/hr., you can raise the rates on the established clients. If you lose them, it won’t hurt so badly as you’ve replaced the income already.
  
  And I doubt your former client realizes her mistake. The people focused on the money will always focus on the money.
2. Gabriella F.
  
  September 28, 2016
  
  Thanks, Lori. That’s a solid plan, but with one glitch particular to my business. I have lots of long-term clients. It’s rare that I add a new client. And when I do, it’s like this: I’m consulting managing editor for a trade magazine for litigators, and say my contact is Sue. Sue manages another magazine at the trade association, this time for estate planning lawyers, and asks me to take it on, too. So I’m getting new business, but not really new clients. Given that, I fear it’ll take forever to up my rates again without just biting the bullet and upping them some amount. I think I just have to bounce to $85 in January and see the pushback I get…. On the other hand, if I’m doing that, maybe I go for broke and go to $100, expecting to be negotiated down to $85 or $90. This is hard!
3. lwidmer
  
  September 29, 2016
  
  Gabriella, that is a glitch, for sure.
  
  Why $85? I’d inch it up further — $95. It’s closer to what you need to be making, and you’re still a bargain, if you ask me. You concentrate in the legal field, right? Hell, you’re an attorney from what I recall. You should be commanding at least $150 an hour.
  
  It’s never easy to raise rates, particularly with current clients. I’d say if it worries you, switch to per-project rates. A little more work on your end, but a set rate for a client is usually easier on their blood pressure anyway.