How to Figure Out Your Rates as a New Freelance Writer

Elna Cain
7 min readMar 5, 2020
Photo from Kaboompics

Today I am tackling freelance writing rates, and I am not going to lie.

Freelance rates are all over the place and can be super touchy for some. My goal is to help all writers, especially the new ones figure out their rate.

When I first started, I quoted $.04/word! Can you believe that?

Luckily, my first real freelance writing gig paid me $.10/word! Phew

What Is a Good Rate for Freelance Writers?

A quick way is to look at what the industry’s standard is and also get input from other websites, but a good freelance rate is one that is fair to you.

If you truly want to write for $50 an hour, then I am not going to tell you that you need to charge more.

However, if you do want to charge in a way that is consistent with other successful freelancers, then I suggest your starting rate is between $50–100 an article.

This is very beginning rate. I don’t want you lingering in the beginning rate for long. Build up a few clients at this rate and then move on to greener pastures.

A good intermediate rate is $125–200 per article.

For experts, $250+ per article is better. For articles that require a lot of research, interviews, and are longer, you need to charge $500 and up.

As I mentioned I started on the low end but I made $400 that first month as a new freelance writer. The next month? Over $1k!

With a few “easy” writing gigs under your belt, you’ll have the confidence to charge more and gain better clients for you!

Why Should I Charge More as a Freelance Writer?

Photo from Kaboompics

A common mistake I see with new writers is that they want to replace their work pay with freelance writing work.

The problem is that if they get $20 per hour in an office, then they are over the moon charging that for their writing. There are so many issues with that rate though.

Elna Cain

SaaS freelance writer & mom with real-world marketing experience. Mentors writers on her blog https://elnacain.com. Need a writer? elna@elnacain.com