Words on the Page

3 Facts: Why You Lost the Freelance Gig

Posted on by lwidmer

There was a great post on LinkedIn last week that every writer should read. Go on. I’ll wait. Why this post matters to every writer: It is written by a person in a position to hire a writer. He’s telling you exactly what he wanted and where most writers who applied failed. I’ll sum up…

6 Habits of $100K Freelancers

Posted on by lwidmer

Before anyone gets all huffy, thinking this is yet another “How to make $100,000 freelance writing post” just simmer down. I don’t care if you make $100K or $100 at freelancing. What I care about is your improvement over time. That’s what this post is about. If you’ve been around this blog at all, you…

Writers Worth: This Job Not That Job

Posted on by lwidmer

The title of this post should be This Job and Definitely NOT That Job. Thanks to this post over at Filthy Dreams blog, I think the world has landed on what is possibly the worst job on the planet. I mean, everything I’ve ever shared her could not possibly touch the level of bad this one…

Freelance Files: Is This Client Worth It? #2

Posted on by lwidmer

A while back we started exploring various client scenarios to see if the offer in front of us was worth it. The reason: If you can get used to vetting them, you can certainly be able to respond accordingly — or at least have a system in place by which you can measure their offer….

Freelance Marketing Roundup: 9 Posts to Change Your Biz

Posted on by lwidmer

Side hustle. Gig worker. Ugh. What I hate about these terms – and what you should hate, too – is how they diminish what you do. These terms suggest you’re dabbling. You’re not serious. You’re hustling. You’re just part of the latest fad, that “gig” economy. Screw that. You, my freelance friend, are a business…

Winning the “Do you write this?” Freelance Interview

Posted on by lwidmer

Show of (virtual) hands — how many of you have had conversations with prospective clients that go something like this: Client: Tell me a little about yourself. You: I’ve been writing in the XYZ industry/writing ABC projects for the last eight years. My clients include 1, 2, and 3 plus a few clients whose work…

Relationship Marketing: Your Freelance Secret Weapon

Posted on by lwidmer

Quite a few years ago, one of my best friends I’ve never met said something eye-opening. “You’re not very good at marketing.” I stifled a laugh and held my tongue. The reason: She said this as she was retooling her business model to include something produced by me. And it was something I hadn’t asked…

6 Ways Freelancers Are Leaving Money on the Table

Posted on by lwidmer

I mentioned in my last post that in 2021, I left way too much money on the table. I undercharged. Given the huge amount of work I had, that was a serious oversight. No tears for me — I still had a phenomenal year. But if I’d been paying attention, I could have retired in…

The 2023 Freelancer: Building Your Value

Posted on by lwidmer

Last week we talked about where your freelance rates should be. Hopefully it has you thinking about how to raise your rates with freelance clients. Perhaps too you’ve been thinking about what you bring to the table. What are those things you do that keep clients coming back? Those things, my friend, are valuable. They…

Freelance Rates: Where Should Yours Be?

Posted on by lwidmer

It’s 2023, writer: Do you know where your rate is? If it’s still at the same level it was a few days ago in 2022, you’re cheating yourself. I mentioned this several times over the last year: I spent 2021 undercharging (and overworking) and lost a shit-ton of money as a result. In fact, had…

Jenn Mattern

“Yes!” to raising rates in the new year, especially for those who haven’t in a while.

A big problem I see with those struggling after years of freelancing is they never quite understood the difference between freelance pay and traditional salaries / hourly pay. Last time I dug into the details (accounting for the increased tax payments, benefits, etc.), you had to charge 30-40% more as a freelancer to truly earn an equivalent amount to what employers spend per-employee in the same role. And that still doesn’t account for earning more to cover new business expenses. It can be a shock to the system if they haven’t accounted for things like that.

1. Lori
  
  It’s a common mistake many freelancers make, Jenn. They are charging like an employee. However, when they realize they need to save for retirement (and there’s no company match in freelancing), lose pay on sick days and vacation time, possibly fund their own healthcare (if there’s no employee-spouse/partner), they come to realize just how little they’re charging.
  
  But they’re not doing that math and that’s a big problem. The SBA has an article up from three years ago that gives a decent overview of what employers pay. https://www.sba.gov/blog/how-much-does-employee-cost-you
2. Jenn Mattern
  
  That’s a big one. I cringe any time I see a freelancer say freelancing doesn’t have paid vacations or sick days. It’s like “you sound like an awful boss; why do you even want to work for you??” LOL It does (or should) pay for that and so much more. If it doesn’t, it’s because you made a mistake when setting your rates. Thankfully, you can always re-work that math! 🙂
  
  I haven’t looked at it in a while, but salary.com used to be good for this too. You could look up specific job titles and locations to see not just salaries but the full cost of each employee with insurance, taxes, benefits, etc. Tempted to poke around there again soon to see if that 30-40% range still holds up.
Freelance Writing Retirement | Freelance Writing Pros

[…] Would you be happier with fewer clients and charging higher freelance writing rates, and how might current clients adapt if you go that route (or will you lose them)? (For more on rates, check out Lori Widmer’s recent post on where your freelance writing rates should be.) […]

Paula Hendrickson

A couple years ago a would-be client insisted on knowing my hourly rate. I told her I prefer per-project rates, since both parties know what the total will be from the get go. I told her I tend to work quickly, so hourly rates would penalize me while rewarding slower workers. She said that couldn’t happen because they “cap” how many hours each project can take (which is another infuriating issue fro another day.)

I got the vibe that no matter how little someone charged per hour it would still be more than she wanted to pay. I had nothing to lose, right? So I pulled numbers from thin air – numbers that would be fair to almost any client but her. I think I said $125 or $150 per hour, with minimum of $250 per assignment. SILENCE. She was shocked.

She meekly said they pay $25/hour. I said that’s a modest hourly rate for an employee, but wouldn’t begin to cover my overheard, then launched into a mini-discourse on some of the points Jenn mentioned above.

I’ll need to keep that link to the SBA handy for the next time I encounter someone like this.

Worse yet: I later spoke with a freelancer who had worked for this woman’s PR company. That writer said the hours allotted per project were never enough. She managed to get their rate up to $37.50/hour, but said it still wasn’t worth the time and effort.

Now every time I see ads or social media posts from that company, I can only think of how unprofessionally they treat the freelancers who do much of their award-winning work.

1. lwidmer
  
  Hi Paula, sorry I missed this. WOW. That’s a big pay discrepancy! Even at the $37.50 the other freelancer was able to squeeze out of her, that woman will never pay enough. That’s not a job for serious freelancers. It just can’t be. You cannot make a living at those rates.
  
  That’s the part that really bugs me. How can some of these household-name companies and publications pay such garbage? They’re making money or they’re damn good at faking their success. No thanks. Give me the client who values my skills. I won’t waste time with the cheapskates.