FWJ Poll: Let’s Try This Again – What Do You Earn as Freelance Writer?
October 24, 2008 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing
In yesterday’s poll I asked what everyone feels is a fair wage. Most of the respondents checked off $100 or more. Now, I know we would all like to earn this, but my mail, the comments and the writing forums tell me most are earning otherwise.
You see, every time I wonder if we should raise the ante, for instance only post jobs over $20, we get a protest. Many writers want and need the lower paying jobs. So if most everyone polled earns between $75 – $100, where are the $10 – $25 writers who insist on us posting those gigs? Also, places like Associated Content and Demand Studios has a large arsenal of writing. Someone has to be writing for these places.
So I’m going to get slammed, but we’re going to try this again. Instead of asking what you feel is fair, I want to know how much you’re actually earning – and how. Again, it’s not that I don’t believe there are good high paying gigs out there, but because I also know there are more writers accepting the low paying gigs.
Now that we know how much every one wants to be paid, let’s see what everyone actually is getting paid for $500 words.
So here we go – What do you earn and how do you earn it:
Web Content means writing for content mills and blog networks.
Web Copy means copywriting for private clients and websites
Print means…well ….print.
Thanks for your honesty.
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@Momma-
I write for http://www.familyresource.com for some articles. They’re keywords, but mainly the titles are keywords. I get creative with the rest. I did take care of the blog but something went wonky with the server and the blog is out of commission until all the bugs are out.
Most gigs I find are on here or CL. I’ve written for an online custom publication put out by Bausch and Laumb, it was my highest paid for 500 words. The people who put it together are 2E Creative, nice folks.
My first print work appeared in Western New York Family Magazine, the others were in Baton Rouge Family. Both pay fairly, though WNY Family more so. Baton Rouge took a bit to pay up, editor turned out to be out on injury.
I get revenue from a few articles on eHow and AC. More from eHow. I like the freedom to write something and get a bit in paypal each month for short, quick articles.
Some people do not share because of confidentiality. Others do not want the competition. It just depends on the writer, really.
@ Deb,
I know you might be polled out by now, but is there any way you would consider taking a poll of what freelancers make on an annual basis? I’m curious to see where I fit in.
Confidentiality is an issue for some. Many of the major companies I blog for don’t use my name, and I’m credited as “staff” or some other corporate ghostwriting term. Others I’m reluctant to mention because it is a fairly new partnership, and I’m testing out the trial period before committing.
I can say that anyone who wants to know where I write for regularly can email me through my website (just click on the hyperlink in my name above) or check out my current list of clients on my website. I would also be happy to share some tips. Names I can share openly of companies that I have worked for regularly (over 6 months) include Red Plum.com (owned by Valassis), Consupo.com, and I also write via a very successful revenue sharing model for Wise Bread.com and Parenting Squad.com. If anyone is interested in blogging for the latter two, I have info (or visit the killeracesmedia website for details on applying – (http://killeraces.com/) You can also look for me via LinkedIn on my homepage and see all the places I do business.
I also started pitching print mags (one I got some nice clips going), but I found that I have really helped out my reputation by trying to get some media mentions as a writer in my niches. I can also give some advice there, if anyone is interested.
There is no one way to build a successful freelance business. I’ve read all the books, and I take a little from each and design my own “game plan.” I do enjoy what I do, and it’s nice to be self-sufficient for once. Best of luck to everyone!
Linsey
What is CL?
@ Momma: CL is CraigsList.
Wow, so people actually find legit work on Craig’s List? I figured most of the stuff on there for article writing was scam type stuff!
I voted for the $100 or more for web writing because of a Craigslist gig I found through this site. My work has been primarily in print writing, where I average $1/word. I make it my goal to build more and more clients paying this rate and (hopefully quickly) phase out the clients who pay less than this, though I make exceptions for a client I’ve had a long time who guarantees me a feature every month.
Anyway, the web gig I found on this site was right up my alley (green and sustainability writing) and pays $.25 to $.50 per word, depending on sources and required research needed.
I have found several other wonderfully high paying clients through Craigslist and gotten leads on here for blogging jobs that pay around $100 for 500 word pieces. The more I work to demand higher rates, the more I see how valuable my work really is.
I think writers are often afraid to ask for a high rate, sometimes because the work comes so easily to us and is so enjoyable it doesn’t quite feel like work. But we deserve to be well paid! We have a unique gift.
I want to really support a notion LinseyK brought up a few days ago, reminding us that not all our work is billable. These rates we provide have to cover the hours each week we spend invoicing, networking, fretting, getting the mail, driving to the post office, etc. Our billable rates generally only take into account about 24 hours of our working week, with the rest spent on non-billable activities. When you think of it that way, it really puts your hourly rate into perspective.
This is a great discussion, Deb. Thanks for getting us going.
It’s like Katy read my mind.
Craiglist has had it’s share of flops. But my highest-paying long term clients came from listings there. The key is to answer early, make your reply stand out, and deliver on your promises. With all the writers competing for the same jobs, it can be tough at times. But it only takes 1 or 2 fair-paying gigs to make your freelance life.
Linsey
I calculate whether I’ll take something by the amount it pays per hour. I average $30 an hour, but the range is $20-50. When I started freelancing, my goal for average per hour was $10, and I just kept going up as I found myself saturated. One of the things I’ve often found is that people who balk at the price for keyword articles usually are thinking of something more akin to magazine writing and don’t realize how little time they take, especially when they’re about a familiar topic.
Wow, this is tricky because I’m all over the map. I’m on contract for $2500 a month for one gig, getting paid $15 an hour for another, so I guess that’s where my range is. I’m usually at about .05 cents a word although I’m hoping with my newsletter, blog, website, etc. I will get more business and be able to up my rates!
What do you all mean when you say “keyword” articles?
I’m in the Demand Studios category for most of my stuff, but I do have private clients who pay more. I have raised my prices since the last post on this topic. Some individual clients don’t mind, others negotiate for a lower price; overall it has been working out for me.
The majority of my items are in that $15 range, which explains my answer. That said, I knock out at least two DS articles in an hour, even if they require research, so I have been trying not to budge from a $30/hour rate. Anything lower has to be seriously fun. At this point, I realize I shouldn’t be writing ‘fun’ articles for outlets like AC–I should be pitching these ideas to targeted niche markets.
I also realized how much I’m missing out on by not querying for print. My new goal involves earning a higher price with some magazines, and quite honestly it would make me look a lot more reputable.
Thanks to everyone that has replied to these threads. Your comments have helped me.
@Momma:
Keyword articles are per order articles written for the express purpose of being picked up by search engines.
Think of- Pregnancy, trying to conceive, how to(insert thingy here)…and so on. Anything that someone may type into a search engine to find information on.
I’m working on a file of about 4,000 of those right now. Thank the gods I don’t have a deadline.
What do you mean you’re working on a file of 4,000? Do you get paid to write keywords? (Sorry, I know I have lots of “newbie” questions!)
@Momma
Keyword articles are articles that are written around a certain keyword or keyword phrase. For example, the client might ask you to include the keyword phrase of “stay at home jobs” in the article a certain number of times. Different clients will have different rules about how and where they want these phrases to be used within the article. As Julie F mentioned, these articles are written mostly to draw in search engine traffic, so the clients often are not looking for articles that are of the highest quality. When Julie F says she is working on a file of 4,000, she probably means her client has given her a list of 4,000 keywords/keyword phrases that she needs to create articles around. Some clients will ask you to insert several different keyword phrases within one article, but it sounds as if Julie F has landed a 4,000 article gig. Congrats to her! ( :