Comments on: How to raise your freelance copywriting rates

By: Heather Lloyd-Martin

Heather Lloyd-Martin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:40:17 +0000

@Carole – yes, it sounds like it’s time to chat with your accountant again. I love your story – thanks for sharing it!

By: Carole Seawert

Carole Seawert — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:22:08 +0000

I hadn’t raised my rates for about six years so my accountant calculated what the inflation rate had been over that period and told me what my new rate should be in order to keep pace with inflation. When I told my clients that I had not raised my prices in six years and was now doing so to keep up with inflation they were all fine with it. I couched it in terms that they had been getting a good deal for the past few years. Thinking about it, that was four years ago so probably time to get back to my accountant….

By: Erin Raub

Erin Raub — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:19:45 +0000

I think there’s a little wiggle room with certain clients. For example, if a client works in a niche that you enjoy, or that you’d like to expand your business, or that is easy for you (requires less research/effort) to produce copy, then you might be able to “afford” lower rates. Because there’s added value to that client – a mutually beneficial relationship.

I might also consider a courtesy rate for nonprofits or causes I believe in. But for everyone else, I ask what I’m worth.

By: Heather Lloyd-Martin

Heather Lloyd-Martin — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:53:18 +0000

@Damien, you bring up an interesting point. You talked about “saying goodbye to a client with whom you have a long-standing, prosperous relationship.”

But if you want to make more money – should you keep your rates low for a certain segment of your clients? Is keeping an “old” client preventing you from moving your business forward?

Just a thought…

By: Damien

Damien — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:05:52 +0000

Some great points here. I have never gotten round (i.e. had the guts) to letting existing clients know I am raising rates ( I probably should bite the bullet and do that!), but new clients get told the current “new” rate upon asking.

This ends up with charging 2 or 3 different rates for different clients, which is less than ideal…

I think you’re right that one has to be careful that small businesses can still afford the new rates, as it would be a shame to have to say goodbye to a client with whom you have a long-standing, prosperous relationship.

If you’re going to take the time to contact each client individually, I wonder if there is some scope for negotiation or sounding out?

By: Nolan Wilson

Nolan Wilson — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:01:33 +0000

Like Amy, I usually raise my rates when I add new clients and reward my long term clients by keeping rates the same. Sometimes good clients are hard to find and it is good to have the ability to count on consistent income from long term clients.

By: Amy C. Teeple

Amy C. Teeple — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:26:54 +0000

Unlike tactics used by ISPs and phone companies, I prefer to reward loyalty – not try to lure new clients with lower rates. Because of this, there have been times where I raise rates for new clients, but keep my current clients at the old rates – it’s less expensive to keep a client than to get a new one.

There have also been times where I have lost returning clients because rates had increased in their absence. In these cases, I had clients who paid me very little when I was first starting out – when I established myself and started charging rates that would allow me to sustain a business, these clients returned and wanted to pay me very low rates. I explained why my rates increased and gave them the choice to stay with the new rates or to find another writer. The ones who went elsewhere weren’t looking for GOOD content, they just wanted filler … I was fine letting them go.