I’ve been trolling the freelance writing job boards practically every day for the past five years. All of them. I read Craigslist, use the Indeed search engine, and visit a variety of other job boards and networks including Journalism Jobs and Media Bistro. As noted in another post, even if I wasn’t looking to place leads here, I still like to check the job boards because it indicates the nature of freelance writing. I can see trends in who is hiring and who is paying.
I’d love to share some of those trends with you here.
Rates are going up for Web and Blog Gigs: When I began writing, there were many sites and individuals paying $1 to $5 per article. In fact, it was rare to find blogging gigs earning more than $5. While there are still plenty of clunkers out there, I’m noticing a trend in higher blog post and web content rates. Now, the lowest rate I see for most web content is $10 and I’m seeing plenty of $45 and above payers. For blogs, I’m seeing the bottom rate as being $25 to $50 per post. This was almost unheard of when I was starting out and these type of web writing gigs were very desirable. Plus, when I began freelancing, web type jobs for $100 or more were practically unheard of. Now I find at least a couple of these each day.Private clients are still the way to go for the highest paying freelance writing jobs. They’re advertising for a variety of projects, many paying well over $250.
If there’s one area in which I’m finding a downturn it’s with resume writing. While many resume writers claim to bring in $200 for a single resume and $500 for a resume/cover letter “package,” those who are looking on the job boards to hire resume writers only seem to want to pay about $50.
More businesses are hiring freelance writers: I’m seeing more and more big name brand businesses looking for freelancers as opposed to full timers. This tells me they’re feeling a budget crunch and don’t want to pay the overhead for a full time staff writer. This, of course, is good news for us. Something to keep in mind is how many businesses are looking for writers to work on site, full time, without offering the benefits of a full time opportunity. If that’s you’re thing, cool. However since freelancers are looking for flexibility the full time, on site gigs don’t really afford that.
More clients are asking for a rate quote: One of the reasons so many newer freelancers aren’t sure how to quote a rate, is because plenty of potential clients are dictating what they want to pay in their ad, and there’s no negotiation. The clients are setting the rate. Lately I’m seeing more clients who are asking for a quote. This can be the case for a variety of reasons. For example, they might be looking for the lowest bid. Also, they might not be sure of what to pay freelancers. I find that many private clients are willing to pay for quality, so freelance writers shouldn’t be afraid to quote what they feel they deserve.
More businesses are looking into social media: I’m finding more gigs for bloggers, community mangers, social media evangelists and more. Businesses are beginning to embrace social media as a marketing tool. Get in while the getting is good.
More job board spam: You know you’re as frustrated about this as the rest of us. More places are advertising in every single city in every single state on every single job board. Lordy. I’m good with a few strategically placed ads each week, but please, the feeds? They have to go.
Tell us…
What are some of the trends you’re noticing for freelance writing and freelance writing jobs?
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Yep!
I’ve observed the same thing regarding rates going up, although I haven’t drilled down into this level of detail.
It’s a good thing to notice, Laura.
Like this post!
Thanks Allena. It’s so hopeful, isn’t it?
Very interesting article and very useful. I’ve done a little bit of freelance work here and there and deciding what to charge has always been my challenge. The range is so wide, it was hard to even know what a median rate was. This is good news though, seeing that people are still willing to pay for quality and that rates have gone up on things like blog posts.
Thanks for this.
That’s such a good point. I always get a little annoyed when I see someone talking about the “going rate” because there is no going rate. Some people blame that on the web but 25 years ago rates were all over the place too. It’s nice to see certain types of writing going up.
Great news! I am just jumping back into the freelance work world. Thanks for this great post.
.-= Wendy Kelly´s last blog ..Staying Mindful =-.
Welcome, Wendy. You’re so very welcome. I hope I see you here more often and good luck. Let us know if you need anything or have any questions.
That’s good news! I know that I’m keeping really busy these days. I’m a copywriter and write for an online marketing company, and they are hopping with new clients. I’m also in negotiations with other web design companies. There is a lot of opportunity out there right now – just get out there and pound the pavement.
Best of luck to my fellow freelancers! 
Hi Therese,
Sounds like you have a good thing going. I’d love to talk to you about doing a series on copywriting and landing those copywriting gigs. Let me know if you’re interested.
Rates do need to go up for Web writing. A trend I notice is that clients expect you to go beyond “just writing” and include services like SEO, getting it listed on social bookmarking spaces, Tweeting the content, and so on. While it is all wonderful for driving traffic — it takes time to do these tasks. With lower rate articles your time spent on doing these things is not being configured in.
.-= AuroraGG´s last blog ..Five Tips for Soliciting Product Reviews =-.
You’re right, Aurora. One thing I always tell new writers is to make sure to include all the extras in their quote. It’s one thing to accept a flat rate for a quick web article. It’s quite another to have to promote the article too.
I feel a blog post coming on…
I had come across so many head hunters who were willing to pay not more than $4 for 500 words. And looking at this post, it’s sure a shellshocker that there are writing opportunities which pay more than $50 for a single post. That’s huge sum and a very good chance to squeeze the skills.
Thanks for writing this.
.-= Suneel´s last blog ..Why Bloggers Do Not Wish to Choose Other Ad Networks Compared to Google Adsense =-.
Thank you for this positive news, it is reassuring to know.
On a separate note, in the paragraph quoted below, did you mean managers?
“More businesses are looking into social media: I’m finding more gigs for bloggers, community mangers, social media evangelists and more.”
.-= PageWrite´s last blog ..Is Valentine’s Day overrated? Why or why not? =-.
Rate are going up? Great news! I’ve always been discouraged by places (usually overseas) that charge a few dollars for writing, so it’s good to see that some businesses are willing to pay a decent price for quality content.
.-= Richard Moldovanyi´s last blog ..What is SEO Web Content? =-.