This post has been inspired by Skellie’s latest blog entry on her Top 10 Blogging Tips for Freelancers. She writes that as a freelance writer we shouldn’t accept blog posts that pay less than $50 for 500 words.
Well, in this instance I’m making an announcement. Calling ALL prospective new and existing clients who are willing to pay me $50 for 500 word blog posts.
Admittedly I’m taking the piss. Pardon my French. It’s just that getting these kind of rates are not advertised on conventional job boards. At least not were I’m looking - and I’ve scoured many in my time online.
So what does this mean? Is it possible that we are only getting noticed when we blog as a guest blogger on the bigger platforms that are available online? Could it be that because we do, big corporations take note of us and decide that we are worth this kind of money because of the exposure we gained while guest blogging?
I really don’t know and to be honest I’m a little pissed off too.
See, I’m worth $50 a blog post too, so how come nobody wants to pay me this?
Is it that they don’t see how good a writer and blogger I am, despite my omnipresence on the Internet.
It’s not that I have risen from the ashes yesterday.
I actually get a lot of offers to post for blogs through this blog. But when I send them my rates they run a mile. 
And I don’t even charge close to $50. So what is wrong with me?
I know perfectly well, there is nothing wrong with me at all, actually quite on the contrary. Plus I really don’t see the fairness of pimping my guest blogging to the world in return for my time. Why shouldn’t I get paid straight up by these very well trafficked blogs?
It’s not that they can’t afford it!
They make thousands of dollars daily so they certainly could afford the bloggers who blog for them.
After all, I have a business to run and there is no way I justify guest blogging instead of paid client work. I’m not going back to the dungeon - ever. I worked far too hard to get to this point in my life and business and it’s time that I can let off a little.
So, if you are a blog owner who needs a great, talented, witty and sometimes (just not right now) funny writer, then I’m yours - for $50/post (500 words)
You can use this contact form to hire my fantastic talent.
You are also welcome to leave your thoughts to my rant.
Monika
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Hi Monika - it’s difficult isn’t it. Yet if someone offered you as little as $50 for 500 words in an offline publication, you’d feel as though you were being ripped off.
I think you probably could earn more, if you approached blogs yourself - especially the ones that are earning enough to pay you more. And Skellie suggested some in her article, so what have you got to lose?
I’ve seen job ads on elance on other sites - they pay low, but many of the writers are low quality too. And I think you’re a good writer and you can do better than that.
@ Catherine: freelance writing has some kind of divide going on. You’ve got the low end writers who either live in a 3rd world country and are happy to work for $3/500 word article and then you have the middle class followed by the high end writers who have managed to get themselves into the right circles with the right crowd.
I guess it’s a bit like rubbing shoulders with celebrity and there is a lot of sucking up we can do to get to known them better. I see pimping my guest blogging all around the net as a sucking up notion to get better work/more traffic and my conscience (and pride) doesn’t like this at all.
I can be one hell of a stubborn person but I also like to sleep well at night without having had to brown nose my services to the more well known blogs and websites.
Like I stated in my post I should be paid for work upfront, treating this as a business relationship and nothing else. I also understand that some blog owners have a high trafficked blog, but don’t earn enough money to pay their guest bloggers and that is fine.
For example, I really liked writing for Freelance Folder because I respect Jon and appreciate the fact that I can get to know some of his readers better.
It was also interesting to write for Lifehack, but this is exactly the kind of blog owner I’m talking about. These guys make enough money to pay writers like me upfront for their services. They make it sound so good to write a guest blog there with tons of traffic and all. Well hello, I’m not sure whether 36 visitors qualify for tons of traffic, especially if this is the result from two very good blog posts.
Your tip of approaching them directly sounds like a plan that I can get used to and therefore I’ll give this a shot.
Like you say, what have I got to lose?
I’ve tried the route of these freelance writing job boards and to be frank, most are becoming a pain the butt, because like you say we are trying to compete with these ridiculous low offers and until clients see the difference in quality they are getting, nothing will change.
About guest blogging. I’ve noticed that it rarely bring you tons of traffic, but that’s not even the point in my opinion.
What matters more is that you get your name out there so that when someone sees your name again they will notice that you are the same person who wrote that great guest blog at LifeHack. And even more importantly, the people who you guest blog for will see that you are nice to work with and will then consider hiring you.
@ Jarkko: I see where you are coming from. Just for the record - I am nice to work with. ;-)I’m generally a very nice, pleasant person that enjoys life and likes to laugh a lot.
But what really ticks me off is unfairness and injustice.
Anyway, I will take on board what you were saying and factor that into my future approach.
Good for you Monika. And remember, you don’t just need to limit yourself to blogs. It might be worth pitching to the huge sites like Entrepreneur.com.
I don’t know if you’re a member already, but Writers Digest has an online monthly membership system and they include websites on there too. It shows you who to write to, what they’re looking for and what rates they pay.
I can understand what you mean about guest blogging for free. I read a post by one blogger who said he wanted guest posts, but not to waste his time sending in suggestions.
He was expecting people to waste their time writing the full post first, just incase he might feel like accepting it. And the biggest joke is, his guest posts are his only decent content.
I just can’t understand anyone wanting to write for someone like him.
@ Catherine: yes I couldn’t either. There are actually a lot of blog owners who do this. I have come across a few since I have been online and think it is an absolute joke. They stipulate all these kind or rules upfront in return for us giving them our valuable time and then you don’t even know whether the post will get taken.
I am currently not a member of Writers Digest but promise to look into it. Even if I try it for a couple of month and see where that leads to. Thanks for mentioning it.
I’ve never attempted paid blogging before, but I wonder if it’s similar to lawyer pricing.
“This guy charges $150 an hour. That’s way too much…Oh, look at this guy! He charges $500 an hour! He must be awesome!”
@ Hunter: You could be right actually. Maybe I should raise my rates.
But seriously, it is a lot to do with perception and who do we know to make the right connections.
Like with everything else in life, people seem to have a revered fascination with popularity and fame and they suck up to it like a suckerfish to the glass panel of the aquarium.
But at the same time don’t undervalue yourself if you think you are worth more.
I seriously believe things have changed for freelance writers and the value of writing articles for your own online publications should not be forgotten.
Write a piece for another website and they pay you once, write a piece for your own website and whilst you might not get paid there and then, with associated advertising it will earn money today, tomorrow and every day whilst your ads are running around it.
And even if you don’t run ads use your piece to promote yourself and make it easy for people to hire you.
The rate you charge can be much higher when someone finds you can supply an answer to their question, they are already warm you might say.
Look beyond living off the crumbs offered by other website editors.
All the best
Craig
@ Craig: I so agree with you. However, there is a slight problem with the undervaluation. If I was to only accept job offers that pay me what I’m worth right now, I would be out of a job.
It’s a simple as that. I have been raising my rates ever since I started 7 month ago as a freelance writer and client by client I managed to up them bit by bit.
But then I also have clients who’s salary I have well and truly outgrown, so what do I do with them? Since I appreciate them giving me work I can’t just up and run looking for the proverbial gold.
So I keep writing for them knowing too well that when the right opportunity comes along I will finally be able to cut back on the lower paying jobs.
Until then I have to keep going, otherwise I’ll end up back in the kitchen which is NOT were I want to be.
@ Craig: you know, that is exactly what I’m going to do from now. I think having grown as a freelance writer and realizing now that I’m worth a lot more than I get paid, my rates will be adjusted accordingly.
The last two days have been an interesting journey in terms of having some in debt discussions with some of you which made me realize that I myself have undervalued me as a writer.
I just assumed that getting paid these kind of rates are industry standard and that I wasn’t doing too bad. But now that I know there is so much more, I will be raising my services and rates to adjust to this.
Thank you for being one of these persons who have helped me to see beyond my current horizon.
Hi Monika,
Here are my 2 cents.
(1) You have to be very clear how much your time is worth. Although we DO believe we are worth more, our confidence (or desperation) often betrays us because we need the jobs so badly that writers will work for peanuts to just to pay the bills. This brings us to the 2nd point…
(2) ‘Advertise’ as though you don’t need the jobs so desperately. Just take a look at doctors, they don’t carry themselves as though they are salesman. Rather, people approach them and listen to every word they say because the doctor is perceived as an EXPERT! They need the doctor more than the doctor needs them…
(3) Learn to diversify your income. If your sole income is derived from one (or a few clients), you are putting all your eggs in one basket. It is very dangerous and once again, your posture will betray you. Learn new skills within the writing niche like copywriting, profile writing and other skills related to product creation (besides just blogging for others).
@ Khai: you are so right and after our chat yesterday I am going to do just that, so thanks again for your very interesting insight.
I’m already diversifying but everything kind of runs along with my blogging so it is early days yet.
But then there is the old “opportunity cost” where you might miss something new because your nose is stuck to the grind stone!
It is important to work well with existing clients, but if they need you more than you need them this allows you to increase your rates a little.
Also look to work with existing “creative” companies, not many website coders can write effective copy for an internet audience, the same goes for online marketing/PR firms.
And I might sound like a bust record, but look hard at producing your own online publications with relevant advertising.
You’ve got the most difficult skill in such a venture already, and that’s an ability to write and a news sense - these are much harder to master than how to tweak CSS or format an HTML link correctly.
@ Craig: thank you for the vote of confidence. You know, I’m slowly starting to understand the power of outsourcing and JV’ing. Your tip has just opened another door I’m going to explore.
It’s great getting all your insights, as this actually widens my mind to more and better opportunities.
[...] What Is My Worth? [...]
[...] Like this blogging and readers appreciation: there’s no unique way to get to it. Indeed, you can read guides on how to become an authority in your niche, you can assimilate the knowledge and the insights they give you, you can find original ways to know your readers better, and yet, when it comes to real life, you are faced with the reality of not getting the attention you’re worth. [...]
[...] the average freelance writer. As Monika points out in this article, it’s difficult to find writing gigs on the Internet that pay a decent amount of money. And [...]
I have hugely mixed feelings about the advice being tossed around, especially from those who don’t write for a living or who don’t have to face the issues that we writers do.
It’s very easy to sit back and say, “Charge more! Charge what you’re worth!” when you don’t have to wear your fingertips off every day to support your family.
Charge more, and as Monika says, you may find yourself out of work. Charge fairly, and you might earn a damned decent living. Charge low, and you starve. It’s as simple as that.
Writers are not lawyers. We’re not skilled like these people, or accountants or social workers or pychologists. We (in my opinion) don’t justify rates of $150 an hour or more.
I’m also not keen on people who turn their nose up at $50 for 500 words - last time I checked, the Canadian minimum wage was $8.50 an hour and the US one was around 5.
That’s a $45 difference, people. Per hour. Less if you know your shit and type fast and write well. What is the problem with this?
Also, charging what you’re worth is actually a form of putting a price tag on your value as a person. Are you selling yourself or a service? And what happens when someone says, “Why so low? You must not value yourself much” or, “Why so high? Who do you think you are?”
The topic isn’t an easy one with easy fast answers. I have a post going up on the 10th that addresses all these and more.
[...] What Is My Worth? [...]
Um… I wrote a small novel for this post. Did it get stuck in spam? Or killed in moderation?
@ James: Nah, it was due to my mod. You are good to go from now on. Not sure whether I’m over reacting but I still have the moderation set to approve two comments before they show regardless.
As for your “novel” comment, thanks and you are spot on as usual I’d say.
What you said about the price tag makes sense. I guess when it comes to freelancing there is some kind of divide going on that is often instigated by borders.
As your hourly rates in Canada might pay for your lifestyle, we would get nowhere here in Australia with that.
This is directly reflected in the job market when business owners look for our services and see the difference in rates being advertised on the market.
As we all want to save money, the natural progression of them would be to choose the lower rate freelancer thinking “that will have to do, I can’t afford more”.
In the end, quality is what matters most and clients who have been burned before might pay a little more next time. Perception manipulates reality!
I do freelance writing and it pays north of the dollar figure mentioned here. The gigs I have gotten fell into my lap to some degree. I had to write for my blog for quite a while.
I imagine that it might be possible to command the rate that Skellie suggested to start, but you might have to submit 3 great writing samples. You also are going to need to submit to a blog that has the budget to support $50/post. My gigs have come from corporations with some money in the bank.
[...] are a game of Russian roulette. You could charge what you feel you’re worth and end up with no work at all. You could charge a lower rate and feel like you’re shooting [...]
I have accepted the fact that I will never make a full time living just blogging. Most of us won’t. Blogging is a great way to brand yourself. But if your only income comes from a few blogs and no other source, you will be hard pressed for money.
Very few people, in the grand scheme of online writing, are making six figures. Is it possible? For some. There are so many more factors than just good writing that go into making this much money from writing online.
Look at top bloggers. They admit they have multiple streams of income in order to achieve their six-figures. They are a very small percentage.
@ Sandra: well said. I totally agree with you and it is important to diversify in any business, that is why I don’t just rely on my writing income either.
[...] is why I have a problem with people who state that you should be paid $50/article/blog post when you first start [...]
I’d suggest going for marketing communications writing - Web site copy, press releases, FAQs, brochures, and the like.
Clients usually understand that they need these texts, and they’re willing to pay well for documents that sell. I charge $40/hr, and most prospects don’t balk at such a figure.
The other nice thing is that you’re not cranking out 500-word posts like a madman/woman, trying to make a minimum amount per hour, and avoiding burnout. The majority of the work for me involves client contact, thinking, brainstorming, research and editing - writing is only a part of it.
Best of luck,
Jonathan
@ Jonathan: thanks for the heads up. I see where you are coming from with this and it does make sense. I want to go into a direction that involves some of these things but for now I’m flat chat as I am.
LOL, loved your mad woman statement. But you are so right. It would be easy to get burned out in this job if it wasn’t for the passion I have for it. Maybe that does make me mad.