FAQs about Increasing Your Rates as a Freelance Writer

Working as a freelance writer has a lot of advantages—you get to enjoy a flexible schedule, you can work from anywhere you’d like, and you get to set your own rates. However, that last benefit can sometimes feel like a burden. Knowing how high to set your rates and when to increase them is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a freelancer. After all, if your rates are too low, potential employers may assume you don’t have the skills they need and you may struggle to make ends meet. On the other hand, if you set your rates too high, you may have trouble finding clients and securing regular work. This blog offers a few tips to help you navigate the particularly tricky path of raising your existing rates as a freelance writer.

What warrants a rate increase?

There are many factors that might prompt a freelancer writer to raise his or her rates. For example, if you’ve recently moved to a higher cost of living area, you may want to evaluate your current rates and consider whether you will need to increase them to continue working as a freelancer. If you’ve recently acquired a new skill by completing a class or earning a certification, then it is certainly time to examine your rates and consider increasing them to match the greater value you bring to each job.

Another reason why you may need to raise your freelancing rates is because you underpriced your work initially. While clients may be aggravated if you raise the price immediately after you begin working with them, if you’ve been working as a freelancer for a few months and realize that what you are charging is not enough when compared with the amount of time each assignment takes, it’s time to increase your rates. In addition, you may want to raise your rates by a small amount—such as 2 or 3%—every year simply to keep up with inflation and cost of living increases.

How much should I increase my rates by?

The answer to this question will come down to the reason for the rate increase. Regular cost of living increases should be fairly low, but if you’ve recently had a major change in your skill set and resume, such as completing a degree, then you may want to raise your rates more substantially. If you need to increase your rates because you are not making enough now—either because you set your rates too low initially or because you’ve recently experienced a change in your life—then do some research to determine what the going rate for freelancers with similar skills and experience is in your area.

Should I raise my rates for every client?

Setting freelance rates isn’t always a clear cut business—in fact, you may actually work for different rates depending on the client and the project. You may be tempted to increase your rates across the board for every client at the same time, but you might have better success retaining clients if you have a “grandfathering” process—all new clients are charged your new rates, but existing clients are “grandfathered in” and get to keep the lower rates for a set amount of time.

If you are raising your rates as a result of developing a new skill, then consider whether that skill is relevant to every project. For instance, if you’ve recently earned Google AdWords Certification, then it makes sense to raise your rates for writing and managing paid search ads. However, since this new certification has little to do with social media marketing, clients may be baffled if you notify them that their rates are increasing for organic search posts due to your new certification.

How should I notify clients of rate increases?

Be polite, upfront, and prompt about notifying clients of rate increases. If you have a client that you work with on a regular basis, let them know at least a month in advance that you’ll be raising your freelancing rate. For clients you work with sporadically, you can send a notification at the time of your rate increase so that they will know the price for any future projects. If you have clients you haven’t heard from in quite some time, you can let them know about your new rates if they get into contact with you about a new project.

What if my client sets the rate?

You may find that some businesses that hire freelancers have a set rate that they want to pay for particular projects. This does not mean that you can’t negotiate a higher rate, especially after you’ve proven your value as a writer. If you do a good job, in many cases, businesses will be willing to increase your pay rate to retain you as a freelance writer. If a client is unwilling to pay your requested rate, then you’ll need to evaluate the work and decide if it’s worth it for you to continue writing for them.

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