How much you should be charging per word as a freelance writer? The majority of newbie freelance writers are baffled by this concept. Many freelance writers don’t even know that they should be charging per word leading to overrun articles and undercharging clients.

A freelance writer tends to quote anywhere from £0.02 to £0.30 per word depending on experience and knowledge in a specific area. It is essential to understand how to arrive at your optimum figure. This article helps identify areas in which you can grow your profits and clientele.

Photo by Dariusz Sankowski 

Become a Freelance Writer Today!

The advice associated with this article is directed at freelance bloggers. To determine your writing fees for blogging it is important to understand that as a freelance writer there are other avenues such as technical writing, content creation and commercial campaigns all of which will have their unique pricing structure.

Being a freelance writer requires a lot of determination and skill. Here are three options for pricing your freelance writing services:

1. Per word (Recommended).
2. Per hour.
3. Per project.

Are you a freelance writer newbie? Be careful not to make the mistake of charging per hour or set up a contract per project. It is possible to charge in both these ways; however, you should go down the route of calculating your rate per word first as this will cover any excess that is required for the project.

You can determine your hourly rate by charging per word, and it is a far more transparent creating a simple framework for both yourself as a freelance writer and your client to work from. A structure enables you too:

• Develop your freelance talent.
• Write faster and in more detail.
• Increase the quality of the work.

Ideally, you want to achieve the best results in the shortest amount of time to achieve maximum ROI on your project. Using the Pomodoro technique will also assist with making a maximum return.  

There is a broad range as previously stated anywhere between £0.02 - £0.30 per word. For a visual interpretation here is a loose estimate of how the break down might look. By no means is this a strict set of rules as you can customise your price accordingly.

Freelance writing rates:

Level	Fee Per Word	Est. Per Hour (500 Words)
Entry Level	.02-.06	£10-£30
Intermediate	.07-.12	£35-£60
Experienced	.13-.20	£65-£100
Top Talent (Expert)	.21-.30	£105-£150

If you know an enormous amount about a particular topic doesn’t get to het-up about your low word charge. The reason being you will be fluent in your specific area which will create on average a tremendous hourly rate for yourself unlike a technical document which you do not necessarily know much about causing you to perform hours of research, consequently fetching a higher fee per word, however, your hourly rate is likely to be reduced. Bear these two tips in mind:

1. Know your topic well and be a specialist in your chosen area.
2. Try not to get involved with projects that will cause you to perform hours of research.

If you can outline, write and edit in two hours or less your hourly rate should work out to be very profitable!

As a freelance writer, you should now have a good feel for what you should be charging depending on your expertise. The best part you can complete freelance writer jobs from home!

Being armed with the right knowledge and resources allows you to set your rates appropriately and increases the chance for keeping the process of defining your worth a lot smoother.

1. Set a reasonable rate related to your experience.

Having your expertise in freelance writing will form your niche in the marketplace. Furthermore, to enhance your revenue create goals that are easy to achieve by following these steps:

• Establish the level of income you are comfortable with monthly that realistically you can make; this could be £1,000.
• Get a rough understanding of how many hours you are going to write per week; this could be 10 hours.
• Divide the income by the hours in this case 40 hours divided by £1,000.
• Discover the per word fee, in this case, £0.04 per word.

Welcome to your maximum rate! If the price is on track with your current experience that will be very beneficial; however, if the rate is slightly off why not set a target to aim towards for future projects.

2. Keep your clients happy by marketing at a reasonable rate.

You have now established your price range and the goal you are working towards, it is now time to find where you are best suited in your particular field. Firstly, establish your skill level and current level of education to identify the ideal balance in making your clients happy while delivering a project at a reasonable price.

The most suited clients come from relationship building. Having a secure connection with your clients opens the door to the longevity of freelance work and a solid long-term plan for sourcing clients. When you are a newbie to freelance writing you will most certainly find it tough to get started; best practice is to search job boards and sites like Skillbox to help you gain work.

In summary:

1. Build up your ratings on platforms such as Skillbox as it is easy to direct clients there and this also presents your client with a secure method of payment.
2. Are you getting started? Find work on job boards and search platforms for job postings as you might pick up projects that pay above average.

You are now more equipped with detailed insight into the world of freelance writing and how-to better price your work take your time and select projects that you feel comfortable completing. It is not always an easy run as a freelance writer; however, it is worthwhile if you are looking to leave your regular job behind.

Are you looking for new opportunities? Learn more about Skillbox and join the freelance marketplace that will broaden your horizon and deliver fantastic opportunities.