Here’s an answer to some friends who are still in the dark about what price to give their eager clients. Regardless of the network (whether you work at GAF or Elance), you should have How much should freelancers charge per article? I’ve been asked this a lot of times and this is how I’ve always answered:
If you live in Canada and USA, you can charge higher than 10 dollars per article (500 words). If you live elsewhere, you have to keep your rates competitive (less than 10 dollars).
I don’t qualify as a native English speaker so I have had to pitch my services in a more creative manner.
- First of all, I point out to clients that I am cheaper than most.
- Secondly, I have been blogging about my favorite niches for a looong time now and I probably know more about the niches than your average blogger.
- I have internet connection at home (yes, clients want to know)
- I own several blogs; a fact that stabilizes my presence online (for some reason this is important to clients)
Of course, if you’re going to put up a really good price tag, you must invest on something to improve your skills or at least enable you to accommodate more projects . I knew that, and I had a few choices
1. Study again. Maybe another foreign language, or advanced French (translation services are in demand)
2. Get an article writing tool. Mine’s whitesmoke (done!). Another option is to hire a proofreader (this will cut on the per article price, but you want to impress the client, so go for it!
3. Outsource or sub-contract. If you can take control of a HUGE project, you can do this. The profits will add up over time, even if you start with a competitive price tag (4 dollars per article). You just have to recruit able individuals who will work for that much.
The last option is the most expensive, but it’s a good option if there is a possibility that the project will continue for months to come (like most projects in GAF). More than one freelance writer has moved from being a writer to a project middleman. In fact, some of these “re-outsourcers” have tried to recruit my services. You never know what nice ventures will crop up in the freelance world eh?
The problem is, you will be cutting the set price in half (usually in favor of the freelance writer); but then you will have less things to do and you can blog more (if that’s a bigger addiction).
