by Rachel Smith
14 March 2018
I’m an editor and writer who’s mainly worked as an editor for many years. I’m now looking to branch more into copywriting and a contact told me about a new regional site he’s working on that will have heaps of work, and whether I need any. He asked my rates, I said I wasn’t sure (because I wasn’t!) but I told him probably between $60-70/hour, which is what I make as an editor. He looked aghast at me and said he was paying writers $30 for a 700-word post. I said, ‘You do realise how long it takes to write a good piece that’s 700 words, don’t you?’ I was so mad, I didn’t really go into it further with him. But now I’m terrified this is the kind of pay that’s out there. Please tell me it’s not. J
There are definitely sites and content mills paying this (and far worse). But it’s not across the board – there are still clients who value good writing, building strong relationships with freelancers AND paying them what they’re worth. And if you’ve already got great skills and other contacts, you have no need to accept crappy rates or darken the virtual door of a dodgy bidding site that’ll just leave you depressed, demoralised – and broke.
I know a lot of freelancers making a decent living – and like we’ve written about before, they have evolved and changed how they chase work, the kind of work they do, and the clients they take on. They’ve also upskilled to align themselves more with what the market wants – in stuff like SEO copywriting, video, social media, project management etc.
The key to getting the right clients is to be really clear about your skills and what you’re good at – and promoting yourself in the right way: with a kickarse website, being visible online, doing the right kind of networking, being active in busy writing groups. And to price yourself accordingly in a way that takes into account your expenses, what you need to earn to live and to thrive in business. This infographic nails it if you’re not sure how to calculate your hourly rate.
Good for you walking away from that contact of yours who thinks it’s ok to devalue writers to a point where they can’t even eat.
What’s the lowest rate you’ve been offered lately?
