There’s numerous dialogue on-line about writing charges. What’s one of the simplest ways to bid a venture? By the phrase? By the hour? By the venture?
All of them have their makes use of, particularly since some publications and companies are type of within the behavior of utilizing one or the opposite of those strategies for deciding what they’ll pay.
Which writing price is one of the simplest ways to cost jobs?
To my thoughts, it’s by the hour.
Time is your most treasured useful resource. You solely have so many work hours within the yr, so it’s worthwhile to make as a lot per hour as you’ll be able to. Which leads me to my one essential rule of pricing jobs:
Regardless of the way you value the job, observe your hours and work out your hourly price
As a result of for those who don’t know your hourly price, how are you going to work on elevating it? How will you evaluate purchasers and know which to maintain and which to drop?
Now, for those who’re working for an ongoing copywriting shopper, I personally imagine bidding by the venture is finest. Your shopper is completely happy as a result of they know precisely what they’re going to pay, and you may price range for the quantity you’ll earn.
The trick to selecting the most effective writing price is making a flat charge for that venture that gives you what you need
You possibly can solely try this by getting some expertise with how lengthy it takes you to do issues. Clearly, this setup rewards effectivity. If you happen to’re unusually quick, you’ll be able to bid on a par with different writers, however find yourself with a greater hourly price, and earn extra over the course of the yr.
Earlier than the downturn, I assumed excessive per-article charges have been the reply to maximizing earnings. However I’ve realized that’s not at all times true. After I was scrambling round for just a few new purchasers in late 2008/early 2009, I acquired a proposal from an outdated editor good friend to write down some fast articles for $100 apiece, simply primarily based on my information of enterprise matters, supplemented with a bit on-line analysis. (Hey, it’s above my $50 an project restrict, individuals!)
At first I used to be appalled. Previous to this time interval, concerning the very lowest article price I took was $300. Then I assumed what the heck, and gave them a strive.
I discovered I might write them in an hour to 90 minutes. Just a little fast math and hmmm…that’s $70-$100 an hour. Not too shabby. I’ve saved this work pretty much as good occasional filler tasks . A fast scan of my payments confirmed I picked up $1,700 this fashion in 2010 in perhaps 20 to 22 hours. So the lesson is: Any work that earns a excessive hourly price is sweet writing work.
After all, getting a shopper the place they’ll allow you to merely invoice for nonetheless many hours you’re spending on their tasks every month is the perfect. Then you realize you’re getting paid for each hour you’re employed. I had a shopper like that at $95 an hour for greater than a yr, sending me work each month. I believe proper now, these jobs are tougher to return by.
However billing hourly protects you towards the evil that’s scope creep: the scenario the place you bid a flat venture charge, however then the parameters of the venture continue to grow, as does your time spent. Been a number of dialogue of deal with this sticky downside on LinkedIn.
Most publications are likely to assign a value per phrase or give a flat article value. During which case, you might have to work in your effectivity to ensure your price stays pretty much as good as attainable.
However you’ll be able to at all times ask for extra money. I’ve gotten corporations so as to add $50-$200 to an article project or extra in the event that they ended up wanting sidebars, or an extended size, or I knew they have been a gradual payer.
What do you favor? Billing by the venture, the hour or the phrase?
Picture by way of Flickr consumer zoutedrop
