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You are here: Home / Archives for rates too low

Stop worrying about freelancers who undercharge

August 22, 2017 by Jake Poinier

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freelancers-underpricing“Freelancers who undercharge are ruining the business!” “Freelancers who work for free are undermining my prices!”

Nonsense.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Make More Money Freelancing Tagged With: best practices, Freelance Pricing, prospective clients, rants, rates too low

The need for speed [in freelance writing]

October 23, 2015 by Jake Poinier

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freelance writing speedDr. Freelance: I’ve been offered $0.10 a word, for a total of $9350, between now and December 30 to provide writing content for five different websites. No two sentences can be the same. I’m trying to decide if this is physically possible.—Karin

I’ll be honest: When I first read this, I was thinking you’d been offered a freelance writing job for 9,350 words, which is physically possible. But after our follow-up conversation, I understand that the project is actually a headier 93,500 words. I wrote a bit about writing speed in “How much time will it take to write the copy?” a while back, but let’s break your particular situation into its component parts—because it’s not just about the need for speed. It’s about math. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Make More Money Freelancing Tagged With: opportunity cost, rates too low, the need for speed, writing speed

Help! I’m underpricing my freelance rates

October 6, 2015 by Jake Poinier

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underpricing freelance ratesDr. Freelance: You have probably heard this before, but I constantly look at the going freelance rates for a project on one of the industry rate charts, add up the average per page/word costs, then think, “I can’t charge THAT!” So I end up underpricing myself and throwing in freebies such as marketing plans and so on.

I am aware of the danger of undervaluing my work, but I have really yet to find a client who understands the value in what they are receiving and are willing to pay full price. I recently lost out on an editing project, which I’d priced at $1,500 for 80 hours, to another editor who charged $400. I understand that I need to do a better job of pricing accurately, but how do I avoid losing work to someone who’s supplementing their retirement income with a few dollars?—Shooting Myself in the Foot [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Make More Money Freelancing Tagged With: estimating projects, pricing freelance jobs, rates too low, science art and voodoo

Are your freelance writing rates too low?

March 20, 2014 by Jake Poinier

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Among all the questions I receive, the most common revolve around freelance writing rates. Indeed, that was the driving force behind my desire to write The Science, Art and Voodoo of Freelance Pricing and Getting Paid.

But today, I want to share a quick anecdote about one of the unseen dangers of freelance writing rates that are too low, in the form of someone whose estimate was so cheap that I almost didn’t hire her. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Get New Freelance Clients Tagged With: Freelance Pricing, freelance writing rates, getting paid, pricing, prospective clients, rants, rates too low

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