June 26, 2023

Affordable Excellence: How to Hire Top Freelance Writers at Lower Rates

Every time you log into LinkedIn, you face bad news. Another marketer in your network got laid off. Those lucky enough to survive layoffs are facing budget cuts and struggling to do more with less. It’s rough out there.

image text says "how to hire top freelance writers at lower rates" with an image of a cartoon woman writing with steaming coffee in front of her and two cartoon hands exchanging money

But the businesses cutting back still want to see results. Marketing departments are still tasked with creating useful content that keeps you competitive. You’re just stuck trying to do it all with fewer people and less money.

When you have too much work and can’t afford to hire new employees, working with freelancers is a potential solution. But skilled, experienced freelance writers—people that will consistently turn in content that matches your instructions, is genuinely valuable to your audience, and requires minimal edits—charge top rates.

6 Strategies to Hire Great Freelancers More Affordably

Freelance writer rates can vary a lot, but hiring someone with an established reputation and proven record doesn’t come cheap. With the right approach, you may be able to access the talent and work ethic of well-renowned freelance writers at a more budget-friendly price.

1. Offer a retainer.

For freelancers, finding new clients and projects to take on is a big job. But that’s work that doesn’t pay—at least not directly. Clients that send steady, consistent work are therefore more valuable to a freelance business than those that hire now and then for one-off projects.

As a result, many freelancers are open to considering a discounted rate in exchange for that steady commitment. “If [a client] signs for a 3-month retainer, I give a discount off my hourly rate,” Content Marketing Consultant Erika Heald told me. “Every 3-month or longer retainer I sign is one less new client pitch I need to land,” she explained.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, under a retainer model, you pay the freelancer a set amount each month to devote a certain portion of their calendar to your business needs. It’s beneficial for both parties: the freelancer can count on consistent payment, and you know they’ll be available for projects you need their help with.

2. Handle editing in house.

Most freelance writers include a round or two of revisions in their standard rates, and some even pay a professional editor to review their pieces before passing them on to clients. While we want to make sure clients get a deliverable they’re happy with, we also have to limit how much time we spend on each piece to protect our own business interests.

Extensive edits cut into the time we spend on work for other clients or our own business. One potential way to save money is to handle more of the editing process internally. This is one of the scenarios where Freelance Writer Ashley Cummings says she’d considered negotiating her price. “If they have an excellent editor on hand, I don’t have to pay my editor to do the work twice,” she points out.

3. Handle more of the legwork.

A huge part of writing well is doing good research. If you can reduce the amount of work the writer must do in the research stage, that saves us time and effort and can reduce your overall costs. “I do charge more if they have me find sources or do research,” says Writer and Consultant Michelle Garrett, “so if they provided everything and I didn’t need to provide that, I’d charge less.”

One option to potentially gain savings when working with top freelancers is to promise strong, detailed writing briefs. A solid writing brief provides us clarity on what clients want to see in the finished product, which reduces the amount of work required in the editing process. Plus, it can give us a head start on the research process. A brief that provides suggested resources to read on the topic, recommended subject matter experts to reach out to, or main points you want the piece to cover helps writers get to the writing part of the process faster.

4. Use the writer’s byline.

In my 12 years of freelance writing, I’d estimate that fewer than 50% of the pieces I’ve written were published with my name on them. Performing work that goes up under someone else’s name (or that simply has the brand’s name on it) is a normal part of freelance writing, but it does make building a strong portfolio to share with prospects harder.

Publishing a freelance writer’s work under their own name and byline can be beneficial for their business. As such, some writers charge less for bylined pieces, and more for ghostwritten pieces that they can’t share as freely with prospects.

This will apply more in some scenarios than others—for example, if the topic is relevant to the writer’s brand. Erika offers a lower bylined rate when writing about marketing topics for clients. “[That] comes with getting in front of a new audience that overlaps with mine (which is great!)” she explains. And Michelle told me she’s more likely to reduce her rate if it’s for a publication that has a high profile. That helps her both build more authority and reach a bigger audience.

5. Be easy to work with.

Clients that are good at communicating what they want, pay on time, and are generally pleasant to interact with may be able to earn special rates from freelancers. “I think the value of working with someone you enjoy working with (who’s easy to work with) can be a reason to take less money,” says Michelle.

This is the kind of strategy that really only works with time though. You can assure freelancers upfront you’ll be a joy to work with, but clients sometimes make promises they don’t keep (as many of us learn the hard way).

But if you treat this as a long-term strategy, it can absolutely pay off. Personally, I’m much slower to raise rates on clients that are easy to work with, meaning that some of my long-term clients pay considerably less than what I charge new clients. I think of this as my “legacy rate.”

As a bonus, this strategy can keep paying off as you move into new roles over time. Once you have a relationship with a freelancer, they’ll factor that into their rates when working with you at different companies as well. “If [a content manager] is someone I really enjoyed working with previously, then I’m more open to collaborating on finding a number that works for both of us,” says Freelance Writer Kat Boogaard. “We’ve already built up some trust, familiarity, and comfort—and sometimes those things are worth compromising my rates for,” she adds.

6. Do meaningful work (or let them do work that’s meaningful to them).

This tip’s a bit harder to work into your strategy, but still bears mentioning. If you’re providing writers with an opportunity to cover topics they care about, they may be willing to work for less (but still don’t ask them to work for free—work is still work).

Carmen Hill, the Principal Content Strategist and Writer at Chill Content told me “My rates might be negotiable for regular/retainer work or other considerations, but the main criteria = cool work with cool people.” Erika reiterated that idea: “When I have the opportunity to write about gluten-free life or SPCA volunteer work, getting to give visibility to something I love is worth the discounted rate for me,” she told me.

How to Approach Asking a Freelance Writer for a “Deal”

If you’d like a freelancer to consider giving you a lower rate, how you ask matters. Asking the right way doesn’t just impact how likely you are to get a “yes,” but also whether you burn a bridge. And insulting one freelance writer could earn you a bad reputation with their peers. Our work may be solitary, but freelance writers do talk to each other.

Before you ask a freelancer for a deal, consider first: do you have to? If you can afford their stated rate, keep in mind that money typically means more to an individual working for themselves than it does to a big company.

But if your budget is truly so limited that you need that discount to move forward, here are a few ways to ask for a deal without making a professional enemy in the process.

1. Consider your framing.

Experienced freelancers know that any client that assumes our job is easy and doesn’t require much skill will be a pain to work with. If the way you ask for a discount implies you think the freelancer’s work isn’t worth much, that will come off as a clear red flag.

“I always caution companies to frame the conversation as ‘we can’t afford you’ rather than ‘you’re too expensive.’” suggests Kat. “There’s a big difference between the two.” Telling a freelancer they’re not worth their rate is an insult to their skills and ability (plus, they probably have other clients happily paying that rate already).

“I think the best way to approach the conversation is to simply *ask* the freelancer if they have any wiggle room on their prices, rather than jumping right in with negotiation tactics,” she adds. That shows you respect their agency and won’t try to pressure them into a rate they’re not comfortable with.

2. Think about what’s in it for them.

The best way to ask for a reduced rate is to think about how to make the lower pay worth their while. What can you offer that saves them time, reduces their workload, or provides value to their business?

“Let us know what you can offer in exchange,” says Erika, “such as increased social sharing, one-time use rights being purchased only, or something else that makes it a win for both of us.” Make it clear that you’re not just trying to get more for less. If your framing demonstrates that you’re aiming for a mutually beneficial partnership, it signals to the freelancer that you respect them.

3. Reduce your ask.

The most straightforward way to work with a freelancer whose rate is higher than you’d hoped is to ask for less work. Reducing the scope of work makes it easy for them to say yes to a lower price. That could mean hiring them for fewer pieces that are each at a higher price, reducing the assigned word count per piece, or offering to perform subject-matter expert interviews yourself and provide a transcript to work from.

If your project takes up less space in their calendar, agreeing to a lower rate won’t translate to working at a loss.

4. Don’t be a jerk.

This one should go without saying. And yet, any freelancer that’s been at it for a while has encountered someone who was a jerk about our pricing.

“Don’t neg the freelancer,” says Erika (a quote that could go on a t-shirt).

If you’re patronizing or insulting, you definitely won’t get to work with that freelance writer. And—as previously mentioned—other top freelancers may well hear about it. You could be ruining your chances to work with any of the best freelancers in your field.

5. Ask for referrals.

If you don’t know many freelancers, this may be news to you, but most of us love helping each other out when the opportunity arises. I don’t see other freelance writers as competition, I see them as an indispensable resource for my business. And I’m not alone in thinking that way.

“Sometimes I have opportunities for work that I could do and do very well—but there are also people who could do that work well for less,” says Carmen. When she knows a project is a good fit for another freelancer—potentially someone earlier in their career, who’s happier at a lower price—she’s happy to send a referral their way.

If the first freelance writer you contact is outside of your price range, ask them if they can recommend someone else for the project. As long as your rate is reasonable and you’ve been respectable in your dealings with them, most freelancers will be happy to provide any relevant referrals they know.

Getting a Deal from Top Freelancers is (Sometimes) Possible

Every writer I heard from for this piece was able to name a scenario where they’d consider lowering their rate. While the answers they gave included some overlap, they weren’t the same across the board. Which reveals an important fact about working with freelancers: we’re all different.

Working for myself means figuring out the ways of working that make the most sense for me and my business. If you use a tip from this post and a freelance writer turns you down, that doesn’t mean they’re difficult. A tradeoff that’s worth a lower rate to one freelancer won’t be attractive to another. And a deal that makes sense for a freelancer today may not in six months. A lot of complicated factors go into determining the right pricing for different types of work.

The takeaway from this post should not be that you can definitely get a freelancer to agree to a lower rate and should always try. Instead, my most important recommendation is to consider how to approach discussing payment in a way that shows the freelancer you see them as a valuable resource and want the relationship to work well for both of you. Do that, and you might still get a “no,” but you’ll keep the relationship and leave the door open for a potential “yes” down the line.

April 13, 2021

The Crucial Content Writing Step You May Be Skipping

U.S. culture (and many others) valorize hard work. We grow up steeped in the messaging that success is correlated to how hard you’re willing to work, and that developing a skill requires relentless hours of practice. And while that isn’t exactly inaccurate, it’s not the full picture.

For writers—and knowledge workers in general—the quality of your ideas and output depends on finding the right balance between work and rest. Contrary to our cultural narratives, working too hard can hurt your results. And at the same time, it can diminish your quality of life and do serious harm to your health.

This isn’t a personal opinion—it’s backed by research. Taking time for rest doesn’t make you lazy or a bad worker. It’s one of the most commonly overlooked ways to become a better writer.

5 Ways Rest Will Improve Your Content Writing

In an ideal world, knowing that rest is important for your physical and mental health would be a good enough reason to make it a priority. In the world we’re all stuck in though, rest is too often associated with personal guilt and/or accusations of laziness.

In many workplaces, managers will punish employees that take time off, and reward those who put in longer hours. But even for freelancers and business owners that work for ourselves, it’s hard to shake the idea that you’re doing something wrong when you take breaks or give yourself days off.

So, for those of you that need to hear it: rest doesn’t make you lazy. Instead, scheduling rest—being intentional about it—is a strategic move you can make to improve your business performance. And here’s why.

1. When you work too hard, your work suffers.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the more hours you work, the more you’ll get done. Actual research has proven that’s not true. Human brains and bodies have their limits. When you try to push yours past those limits, your work suffers. Not only will you produce less, but as your exhaustion increases, the work you do produce will be of lower quality.

The feelings of guilt many of us face when we take time off are illogical. Avoiding overwork isn’t the selfish, indulgent thing to do. It’s the best choice for anyone who cares about producing quality work.

2. Rest gives creativity room to grow.

If you know many creatives, then you’ve heard anecdotes about the “a ha!” moments that hit when in the shower or on a long walk. That happens for a reason. When you allow the brain periods of rest in between those of intense focus, the brain doesn’t turn off. Instead, a different part of the brain goes to work—a part that excels in creativity*.

When you’re trying so hard to make progress on a piece—staring at a blank page and just getting nowhere—sometimes the most productive move you can make is to step away and do something entirely different. A walk, exercise, a shower, cooking, playing with your pets—anything that explicitly shifts your mind away from the work.

It may feel counterintuitive, but letting your mind wander can help you accomplish more than trying to whip it into gear when you’re nearing a breaking point.

3. Rushed work gets sloppy.

When you overload your calendar, you’ll end up cramming work in when you don’t have the proper time and energy to give to it. Rushed work will be more prone to errors—from minor ones, like embarrassing typos, to bigger issues, such as pieces that lack research and get information wrong (yikes!).

If you don’t give yourself room to breath with the amount of work you schedule, the mistakes that make it into your pieces will hurt your reputation. And just as bad, they could lead your readers astray in their search for accurate, useful information.

4. Rest is required to avoid burnout.

Short periods of stress and overwork can take their toll. But once they become your norm, you face the bigger issue of burnout. And once you hit the point of burnout, not only will your health suffer, but you’ll struggle to get anything done. Work goes from feeling challenging to impossible. You go from being worn out at the end of the day, to tired all the time. And motivation will feel entirely out of reach.

In short, burnout is serious and best avoided. To keep from reaching that point and facing all the personal and career consequences that come with it, you need to start prioritizing rest before the days and weeks of overwork pile up to the point where it’s too late.

5. All work and no play makes you dull.

Unless you’re staying at a secluded, haunted hotel throughout the winter, working too hard probably won’t make you a murderer. But it does risk making you less relatable, which matters when it comes to writing. Interacting with friends and family members can produce insights you won’t get while sitting at your computer. Spending time reading books, watching movies, and following current events will keep you learning.

And the experiences you have while living life (away from work) will often come back in surprising ways that make your writing better. Maybe something that happens while walking your dog becomes the perfect anecdote to start a piece with, or a friend’s comment at a party sparks a great topic to tackle on your blog.

When all you ever do and think about is work, you lose insight into a lot of the things your audience cares about. Keeping in touch with the culture outside of your job helps you keep your writing interesting and authentic.

How to Intentionally Incorporate Rest into Your Work

Now that you have strong arguments for abolishing any guilt or hesitation you may have felt about adding more rest into your life, you need to develop specific strategies to make sure it happens.

1. Schedule in breaks.

When you’re busy (which most of us are most of the time), the idea of including a break in your day may feel impossible. But that’s why it’s important to intentionally schedule it. Treat it like a task that’s as important as any other item on your to-do list (because it is). The breaks you include in your day will make the time you spend focusing on work more productive.

And by being more intentional about the breaks you take, you’ll likely find you spend less time on unintentional breaks <cough> Twitter/Facebook/Instagram <cough>. And that means you can spend your breaks doing something you actually like. Doesn’t a walk in your neighborhood sound nicer than another twenty minutes of doomscrolling?

2. Enforce a strict line between the workday and your personal life.

Make a rule for yourself right now: when you’re done with work for the day, you’re done. No checking email on your phone while you watch TV, or taking business calls that come in while you’re trying to have dinner with family. To truly get the benefits of rest, you need time where you’re psychologically detached from your work. And a voice in the back of your head urging you to check your work email just in case will keep you from that.

You’re a writer, not an OB-GYN with clients that could go into labor at any moment (or at least, if a client does go into labor, that’s very much not your responsibility!). This isn’t a job where time-sensitive emergencies are the norm. You don’t need to be on call to do your job well. And in fact, you’ll do your job better if you let yourself be all the way off when you’re not working.

3. Take weekends (or something comparable).

For freelancers and agency owners, the line between the workweek and weekend can get blurry. But it’s important to have full days off regularly.

If you find that you prefer to take Mondays and Thursdays off to Saturdays and Sundays, that’s fine! The particulars matter less than the idea. But don’t try to work seven days a week. Make sure you leave yourself weekends to rest, spend time with loved ones, and pursue any hobbies you’re into.

4. Commit to regular vacations.

If you’re employed, use your vacation time! Don’t feel bad using the benefit you’ve earned. And don’t feel like you need to keep an eye on your email while you’re gone.

Note: I recognize that If you have an employer that requires this, you may not have much of a choice. But to the degree possible, leave work behind completely. And if you don’t have that option now, seriously consider looking for an employer who respects the value of rest.

If you work for yourself, make scheduling vacations a priority. Something a lot of people don’t realize about freelancing until they’re in it is that somehow it becomes harder to take time off when you control your own schedule. Many freelancers fall into the trap of forgetting to take vacation, or feeling like they can’t for the first few years (hi, it me). That’s a surefire path to burnout.

Communicate with your clients in advance and schedule all your deadlines to make sure they won’t interfere with the time you’ve allotted for your vacation. It really is OK to put an out-of-office message up and leave work behind for a week or two. The alternative is the real danger to your career.

5. Get comfortable saying “no” (and “not now”).

For everything else on this list to be possible without burning bridges and disappointing people, you need to avoid overcommitting. That means getting really good at using a small and simple word that is surprisingly difficult to say: no.

Don’t feel like you have to agree to everything a boss asks you to do. Don’t think you have to take on every project a client offers. Getting comfortable with saying “I don’t have the space in my calendar for that right now” takes work, but it’s important. And saying “no” doesn’t make you unprofessional. A lot of people will respect you more for showing that you know how to schedule effectively, set realistic expectations, and communicate boundaries.

Sometimes saying “no” outright is important. Other times saying “I can’t fit that in now, but could slot it in X weeks from now” will do the trick. Get in the habit of figuring out how much you can manage without going overboard, and protecting your schedule from going beyond that.

Conclusion

The internet is packed with articles about productivity hacks. But a lot of them miss this crucial part of the equation. If you’re not taking enough breaks, getting enough sleep, and keeping portions of your life entirely work-free, your productivity will dip. Your work will suffer. And you’ll hit a wall where you just can’t keep it up any more.

For the good of your personal life, your health, and your writing—take a break.

*If you want to know all the sciency stuff behind this, you can find it in the chapter on “The Problem of Rest” in the book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. It also has sections that cover a lot of the research referenced elsewhere throughout the post. [jump back up]

August 13, 2020

Imposter Syndrome: What it Is and Tips to Overcome It

You see a job ad that sounds perfect. It’s exactly the kind of job you’ve been wanting. But then you scroll down to the list of required qualifications. It’s long. It’s intimidating. You’re starting to worry it’s not even worth trying to get this job. It’s obviously meant for someone better than you.

Or you see a conversation about rates in your favorite freelance writers’ group and marvel at the numbers other people mention. You can’t imagine ever being good enough to confidently throw out a rate that high.

These feelings come from the same place: imposter syndrome.

It’s a problem that plagues people across industries and in all kinds of roles. And it’s dangerous. It keeps people from taking opportunities they deserve, drawing reasonable boundaries, and charging the professional rates their work is worth.

I was recently a guest on the Deliberate Freelancer podcast with Melanie Padgett Powers to talk about my experiences with imposter syndrome, and tips for how to overcome it.

Listen to the full conversation here.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is the worry that you’re not good enough, without any evidence that’s the case, and often in the face of evidence to the contrary. In professional scenarios, it means doubting your abilities in areas where you actually have an impressive amount of skill and knowledge.

For freelancers, it can take the form of entering into client relationships with a feeling that you’re lucky to be hired—like the client’s doing you a favor. For employees, it can mean a fear of speaking up to voice your opinions, worrying that your contributions aren’t valuable.

Across the board, it leads to professionals failing to ask for what they’re worth financially, and leaves people vulnerable to exploitation and mistreatment by those willing to take advantage of a lack of confidence.

What Causes Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome can affect anyone, but it does tend to show up more often in those with less privilege in our society. Cultural power dynamics play a role in who feels the most comfortable taking up space and voicing opinions.

For me, being raised in a patriarchal culture as a woman contributed to the imposter syndrome I had in my early years in the professional world. My default is to be people pleasing, which too often translated to feeling guilty about drawing reasonable professional boundaries with clients, or asking for (what I now know to be) standard professional rates.

That doesn’t mean imposter syndrome is specific to any one gender, although I do believe it’s more likely to affect those marginalized in our society in some way. The line “aspire to the confidence of a mediocre white man” is an adage for a reason—those that can expect power and respect from the world around them as a given are less likely to doubt themselves. Whereas those living in a world that constantly demands they prove themselves worthy of basic respect are prone to internalize that messaging.

The root causes of imposter syndrome relate to a lot of much bigger issues in our society—capitalism, racism, patriarchy, and ableism, to name a few examples. But as individuals we can tackle our own feelings of imposter syndrome while continuing to live with the power dynamics that create it. I don’t have to personally topple the patriarchy to beat my own imposter syndrome (although that doesn’t mean I won’t try).

7 Tips for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

1. Pay more attention to the positive voices in your life than the negative.

One of the dirty tricks our minds play on us is amplifying negative feedback, while downplaying positive. Most of us could have ten people telling us we’re awesome and one saying we suck, and that one person will take up more brain space than the other ten combined. Changing that balance takes intentional work.

Learn to listen to the people that give you positive reinforcement. Trust that they know what they’re talking about.

And when you receive negative feedback, walk away from it for a bit to get some emotional distance. Once you’re past the initial gut punch, come back to it with fresh eyes. Is it constructive feedback that you can take to improve? Is it actually telling you that you suck and you’ll never make it as a respectable professional? (Hint: it’s probably not.) And if it’s not constructive—if it’s mean or patronizing—is it something you should be treating as legitimate measure of your worth? (Hint: probably not).

2. Collect and save testimonials and recommendations.

This helps with the first step. Any time you get an email with positive feedback, save it and pull it back up on the days you’re doubting yourself. When you have clients or employers that like your work, ask them to send over a few lines about it.

LinkedIn allows you to send a request to people you’ve worked with asking for a recommendation. It’s quick and easy for them to do, and gives you a collection of positive words to pull up anytime those negative thoughts creep in.

And for freelancers, testimonials do the double duty of being a confidence booster when you need it and a marketing tool you can add to your website.

3. Take stock of your experience.

Another good exercise to tackle when you’re facing imposter syndrome is to sit down and write out a list of jobs, projects, or clients you’ve managed. Similar to what you do when writing a resume (but it can be messier since it’s just for yourself), list the skills you developed and put to use, and any goals you accomplished in the process. Tally up the years you’ve spent doing a particular type of work.

If you’re new to the professional world or a particular field, the list can be about what you accomplished in school, volunteer roles, or extracurricular activities. Chances are, you’ve still built up some useful skills and knowledge that are worthy of respect. You don’t have to be an expert with decades of experience to bring value to a job or project. If you know you possess solid research skills, a willingness to learn, punctuality—whatever your list of top attributes are—put those down in writing in this step.

4. Dump toxic clients and bosses.

While you can work on giving more space to the positive voices in your life than the negative, if you have a toxic boss or client, their voice will be loud and persistent for as long as they have power over you.

If you’re a freelancer, one of the biggest benefits of working for yourself is the power to be picky about who you work with. If you have a client that’s all negativity, all the time, end things as soon as possible to open up room in your calendar for better clients.

Note: I’ve spoken on this topic before! Get some advice on how to break up with bad clients here.

If you’re in a job with a toxic boss, this is a lot harder. I get it. But make looking for new opportunities a top priority in your off hours. A toxic boss can do serious damage to your self confidence, and there’s a real epidemic of bad managers out there. Do what you can to keep their voice from piercing your self esteem for as long as you have to stick it out, and commit to getting out of there as soon as you can.

5. Build your professional network.

Personally, I know that how other people see me has an influence on how I see myself. When I realize that people I think are impressive professionals see me as smart and experienced—it’s a lot easier to see myself that way. If you’re not yet at a point in your career where you have a professional network around you that views you as an experienced and legitimate professional, get to work building one!

While in-person networking opportunities are out for the foreseeable future, you can still make professional connections with virtual opportunities. Twitter chats, virtual networking meetups, Slack communities, Facebook groups—take advantage of the online communities that exist in your field to start making more connections.

Put in the work to build those relationships and suddenly, one day, you’ll look around and realize people see you as an expert in your field. And once you know that’s what people you respect see when they look at you, it will bolster your own view of yourself.

6. Make a habit out of professional bravery.

Apply for that job with intimidating qualifications. Send over that proposal with rates so high they make you uncomfortable. Apply to be a speaker at that industry conference. Send a pitch to that publication you think is way out of your league.

You may get rejected. In fact, you’ll almost certainly get rejected some of the time. But trust me that even some of the best and most brilliant people in your field get rejections too. The more brave choices you take, the more likely you are to get a “yes” on at least one of them. And when that happens, it will definitely boost your confidence.

7. Invest in improving your skills.

If you’re genuinely concerned that your lack of self-confidence may reflect a lack of skills or knowledge, then fix that. Sign up for a course or hire a consultant in your field. Getting feedback from a proven expert should be enough to convince you that you do actually know what you’re doing and you are good enough.

If you can’t afford that, then dive into all the free resources you can find in your topic area. See if you can find free courses that provide a certification in your industry, or highly-regarded books that provide valuable insights you can learn from.

The best antidote to worrying that you don’t know your stuff is committing to learning as much as you can.

Imposter Syndrome Can Be Beat

While it took me years to get here, I’m confident now in my professional knowledge and abilities. I’m much more comfortable charging professional rates, drawing boundaries, and saying no to clients that aren’t a good fit—all things that require a level of confidence that’s hard to reach with imposter syndrome. If self doubt’s holding you back, start doing the work to overcome it. Trusting in your self worth will improve your career and your personal life.

To hear more on the subject, listen to the Deliberate Freelancer episode here.

August 7, 2020

Freelance Writer Rates: What’s Normal?

Every freelance writer faces the question at some point. And every person that plans to hire a freelance writer wonders the same thing.

What’s a reasonable rate to pay for freelance writing services?

One reason the question is so common is because the answer’s far from straightforward. A bit of research reveals a vast gulf between the low end of rates (jobs on Upwork or Problogger offering $25 for 500 words, for instance) and those on the high end (experienced writers charging $1 a word and up). That’s a 20x difference!

How can you get a sense of normal when the range is so extreme?

What’s a Fair Freelance Writer Rate? The Short Answer

What’s fair depends a lot on context, but just to provide a short and simple range for you to work with:

A fair freelance writer rate by the word: ranges between .20 cents for newbies, and $1 for experienced writers
A fair freelance writer rate by the hour: ranges from $30 for beginners to over $100 an hour for experienced writers.

For project rates, I can’t give you an easy range because it depends so much on the particulars of the project. But recent data compiled by Ashley Cummings can give you an idea at a glimpse.

The Reasons for the Disparity

Even after winnowing out rates so low as to not be reasonable, the range I provided is still vast. Some freelance writers are charging more than five times as much as others. How is that fair and reasonable? How do you decide which end of that range you should be on, whether hiring a writer or working as one?

Based on Ashley’s report combined with my twelve years of anecdotal experience, four main factors play a role here:

1. Experience

This is the biggest reason behind the differences in pricing between freelance writers. But it’s more complicated than more experience = higher rates. A number of different types of experience come into play here:

Business/professional experience

Many new freelancers don’t have a good grasp on what’s normal for freelance writers to charge. And those job ads with low rates I mentioned earlier cause a lot of confusion. On day one of launching a freelance business, a lot of writers vastly undercharge. And that’s especially a risk for those new to the professional world. Someone just starting their career will have a limited knowledge of professional norms in general, including around rates.

That’s where you get the super low rates, but what about the rates on the low end of the fair range? That’s from people still working to grow their skills, gain writing samples that prove their abilities, and build up awareness of their freelance business. The people charging $30 an hour or $.20 a word now will gain the experience they need to—little by little—join the ranks of the writers on the higher end of the range.

Experience in a specific type of work

Many freelance writers specialize in a specific type of work. In my case, I focus on content marketing writing, specifically blog posts and longform content marketing assets like guides and ebooks. Others build up specific experience in email marketing, website copywriting, or landing pages, to name a few examples. When someone spends years on a specific type of writing, they tend to get pretty good at it. And they gain successful examples of that specific type of work, which makes them a more attractive choice for clients needing that type of writing. All of that translates to higher rates.

Industry experience

The same thing goes for industry experience. When a writer dives deep into learning a specific industry and audience, especially one that’s complicated like B2B (business-to-business) technology or health care, they become more valuable to clients in that space. When a business hires a specialist in the field, you don’t have to worry about training them in the basics. And you’re less likely to receive content from them that reveals a misunderstanding of what your business does and who you’re talking to. That’s all worth more money.

Experience getting proven results

When you hear “experience,” you probably think first about time—the years spent doing something. That matters. But writers that charge on the high end of the range can usually also reveal evidence of results they’ve helped clients achieve. Whether that’s landing pages that drove sales, blog posts that reached the top spot on Google, or emails that get impressive open rates. Writers that can prove their work contributes to results will charge accordingly.

2. Attention to Detail

Someone getting paid a small amount per piece has an incentive to get it done fast. For $25 blog posts to add up to a living wage (at least in the U.S.), you have to crank out a lot of them. Trying to rush skilled work leads to sloppy results. It just does.

People trying to build a business off of low rates end up cutting corners. They skip proofreading, or they don’t bother with research and let errors in. Whatever they do to achieve speed leaves clients with writing that can’t stand on its own—at least not if your brand cares about maintaining a reputation for quality. Anecdotally, I’ve heard of businesses trying to save money via cheap writing that receive work they can’t use at all, or that has to be extensively re-written to become usable.

For the kind of attention to detail that produces work you don’t have to spend your valuable time editing and can use as is, choosing a writer that charges enough to give the project the time it deserves matters.

3. Type of Writing

This is part of what makes it so hard to generalize about rates. The time and skills involved in writing an entire website can’t be easily compared to what it takes to write a sales email. And since most freelance writers charge using project rates (another tidbit via Ashley’s report), that makes side-by-side comparisons of what’s normal difficult.

Project types that require a lot of time to complete, like websites and ebooks, cost more; as do projects that require specialized skill sets, like writing landing pages designed to convert.

4. Complexity of Subject

If your business is in a technical or complicated industry, then finding a writer that either already knows it well or will be able to do the research required to learn it is harder. That means the ones that do are worth more. Topics like health care, SaaS (Software-as-a-Service), medical devices, finance, and manufacturing are harder for freelance writers to learn and write about than, say, travel or video games. Businesses in specialized, complex industries should be prepared to pay writers more.

How Much Should You Pay for Freelance Writing?

You know what a fair range looks like, and presumably you already have a project in mind. But you still need to figure out where within the range you want to be.

If your budget is tight and you’re leaning toward the lower end of that range, then expect to hire someone that’s relatively new and inexperienced. That’s not a bad thing, everyone has to start somewhere. Just be prepared to spend a little more time working with them to help them learn. You may have to provide more specific instructions, do more edits, and allow them more time to research and get the work done.

If you don’t want to do that much work, but you’re still not quite sure about the high end of that range, then you’re looking for someone that does have experience, but is somewhere in the middle of their career. Maybe they’ve been working as a freelance writer for a couple of years, so they know the basics, but still have a lot to learn (although don’t we all). Or maybe they’re branching into a new type of writing they have less experience with and are willing to charge less to get their foot in the door and gain a new writing sample.

For the writers on the high end of that range you get:

Someone with a developed process into how they do their work, ensuring they get it done efficiently and meet deadlines.
Writing deliverables that need few to no edits.
An understanding of your specific industry and/or the type of writing you need done.
Someone with name recognition, whose association with your brand could give you a boost.

There are a few scenarios where top freelance writers may consider a reduced rates—but be careful how you ask. Considering ways to make the work easier on them or more valuable to their business is a much better strategy than directly requesting a discount.

Writing is hard work and worth paying a fair rate for, but what “fair” looks like in your case will depend on your particular needs. Figure out where you fall on this spectrum, and price out your budget for a freelance writer accordingly.

May 27, 2019

10 Tips to Find a Freelance Blog Writer Who’s a Good Fit

You know that content marketing is worth it. But boy do you find it hard to keep up with the constant, ongoing need to produce new content. And good content at that.

You’re not alone. In a survey of over 1,000 content marketers, Curata found that creating enough content on a regular basis was the second biggest challenge marketers named. Writing useful blog posts that are well researched, accurate, and substantial takes a lot of work. And internal marketing teams can quickly get overtaxed.

One possible solution is hiring a freelance blog writer. Freelance bloggers who know content marketing and SEO can deliver content that’s well written and crafted to meet your business goals. But finding a good freelance blog writer is hard. And what’s even harder—and just as important—is finding a good freelance blog writer that’s a fit for how you work.

Why Fit is So Important When Hiring a Freelance Blog Writer

In years of working as a freelancer, I’ve learned that finding and working with new clients is a bit like dating. The first few interactions, including early assignments, are often a test in compatibility. When a client and I aren’t compatible in our working styles—even if I like the business or my main contact there is really nice—it won’t be a good working experience.

Taking the time to find a content marketing writer that’s a good fit for your company’s preferences and goals, instead of just one that’s a good writer, will make your life easier in a number of ways:

The process of working with them will go more smoothly.
You’re far less likely to deal with multiple rounds of edits.
You won’t have as much stress from dealing with minor conflicts or misunderstandings.
And by getting it right from early on, you can save yourself the trouble of having to start the search all over again after a failed start.

How to Find a Good Freelance Blog Writer

Before you can find the right blogger for you, you need to figure out where to find a good freelance writer to begin with.

I get it, it’s hard. And if you’ve tried job boards like Upwork and Fiverr, you may be feeling hopeless after getting a flood of responses from writers that don’t look very good.

That’s because job sites like those are full of low-paying gigs, so experienced writers who are picky about finding good clients mostly don’t bother with them.

1. Start with referrals and recommendations.

Before you go to any online options, start asking around. Between networking events, conferences, or even past jobs, most marketers have plenty of other friends in the industry. One of them probably knows a good writer or two. Send out some emails or LinkedIn messages. If you’re in a good professional Facebook group or Slack, ask there.

If you already have a freelance blog writer you’re working with and have realized it’s time to find more, ask them as well. Freelancers often know other freelancers. And most of us like helping each other out when given the opportunity, especially if it also helps out a client.

2. Pay attention to bylines on blogs you like.

If recommendations didn’t do the trick, think about the blogs in your industry you like the most. Pull up some of the posts you like and scroll down to the bottom to see if there’s an author bio. If the writer is a freelancer, often it will say so right in the bio and it may even include a link back to their website. For example: this is what my bio looks like on one client’s site.

If there’s a name, but not a bio, do a few minutes of sleuthing to see if you can find the writer on Google or social media. Freelancers usually have both a website and a social presence, and provide information that makes getting in touch easy. And if the person you contact says they’re overbooked or isn’t interested in the type of project you offer, you can go back to #1 and ask them if they have any colleagues they can recommend.

3. Search on LinkedIn.

This is one of the exact things the professional social media networking site is for. When you search the site for freelance bloggers, you’ll see writers who are connected to people you know first. That means you can vet them by seeing who you know in common and checking with your shared connection to see what they think of the writer.

Their LinkedIn profile will share some information about their qualifications and experience, and may even include some writing samples. I recommend also looking for a link to their website and reviewing the information there before contacting them.

4. Try good ‘ol Google.

If those steps haven’t yielded the results you want, time to turn to the main place we all go to solve our problems. But here’s the thing to know about using Google to find a freelance blog writer: you may have to do some digging to find the websites of freelancers.

If you do a search for terms like “freelance copywriter” or “freelance blog writer,” you’ll find a lot of results that are either the aforementioned low-quality job boards, or resources on how to become a freelance writer. There are two main ways to get past this issue:

Be willing to do some scrolling and clicking to the next page to find writers’ websites (they are there eventually).
Get more specific in your search terms. If you search by niche (“B2B tech freelance copywriter” or “ freelance finance blogger”), or narrow it to locals (“austin copywriter”), sometimes you’ll get to writer pages faster.

One benefit of this method is that you can trust any writer that shows up in your search knows something about content marketing and SEO. Another is that it gets you straight to the writer’s website, where you can start checking out their samples and qualifications.

5. If all else fails, create a job ad on a high-quality site.

All the other tactics on this list will help you find writers that already have an established reputation, which is why I put this one last. This one puts you in the position of having writers come to you, which means you have to do more work in going through the applications you get and vetting each one.

But while I warned you away from a few job sites earlier, there are some that are a few notches above Upwork and Fiverr for finding qualified professionals. Most of these will charge either a one-time fee for the posting, or a subscription cost for joining the platform.

If you’re local to Austin, Freelance Austin has a job board to consider as well.

If you go this route, take some time to write a job ad that provides information about the type of work you need a writer to do and the budget you have in mind. Providing project details will save you time from fielding writers that specialize in a different type of work. And with so many freelance job ads that pay pennies, making it clear you have a real budget will affect the quality of applicants you get.

How to Vet Freelance Blog Writers for Compatibility

Hopefully, you now have a number of freelance content writers to consider. Now you need to figure out which of them is a good fit for your business needs.

1. Clarify your process first.

Before you can find out if they’re a good fit for how you work, you need to know how you work. If your team is new to hiring freelancers, then take some time to work out what your ideal working situation looks like. What are your typical processes for planning, creating, and publishing content now? What would be the most seamless, natural way for someone new to fit into them?

If you come to your search with a good idea of what you’re looking for, both in terms of skill and working style, you’ll know the right questions to ask to determine fit.

2. Review their samples.

Don’t skip this step! Before you hire a writer, confirm that you actually like the way they write. That seems obvious, but if you have a big list of names, it could get lost in the shuffle. Look at the writing samples on their website. Make sure you check samples from a couple different clients, so you can better see which aspects of their style and skill are theirs versus that of an editor they work with.

3. Pay attention to what their website says about how they work.

Freelance copywriters don’t want to spend a lot of time fielding clients that aren’t a great fit either, so often they’ll provide some information upfront about how they work and the kind of clients they’re looking for. See if there’s anything on their website that conflicts with the process and preferences you outlined in step one. If so, better to move on to the next person on your list.

4. Come to your first call with questions.

Once you know what you want in the relationship and have taken time to learn what you can about them, set up an interview call. Come prepared with a list of questions you have about how they work. Some of the questions in my list for copywriters will work just as well for those looking to hire writers.

Preparation will make your calls more efficient and make sure you cover all the bases you want to in the time you have. One thing to be aware of: it’s OK to ask about price on a call, but many freelancers will avoid answering straight away and instead send a proposal in writing after the fact. That’s normal, and helps us avoid misspeaking off the cuff before we have a chance to think through the details of the project. Don’t be put off by it.

5. Treat the initial project as a trial.

Even if you do all this right, there still may be compatibility issues that come out during your first assignment or two. For that reason, it’s often best not to start with a long-term commitment, but instead to stick with a first assignment before deciding what the ongoing relationship will look like.

Be aware that the freelance content writer you hire will probably be doing the same thing though. Don’t treat it merely as a chance for them to to prove themselves to you. If you like their work, you need to prove yourself to them as well. A good freelance relationship is a partnership with a fellow professional, and things will go better if you approach it that way.

If you need a freelance blog writer right now…

You just happen to be on the website of one. Take a look at my writing samples and some details on how I work, and get in touch if you think we might be a good fit.