A while back we discussed building up and displaying your portfolio. Many of you may have noticed that my ‘portfolio’ pages have disappeared from this site. There’s a reason for that. One of my clients complained because I linked his items here on my blog and I included work on the site.
Make sure before you add a persons work to your portfolio they don’t have issues or restrictions that you need to adhere to as it could create issues for you. I’ve removed my portfolio completely and am using only generic links on my oDesk portfolio since this happened.
Another item: I also had an instance where an article that I wrote for a client was posted on a very active blog and I was assigned the ‘by line’ as the author of the work. I put it into my portfolio and when I applied for a similar job I used that link (without looking at it) to show off the work.
I received a very curt email from that potential buyer asking me why I was trying to pass off someone elses work as mine. It appears the final buyer made a few minor changes (i.e. adding hyperlinks and photos) to my original article and assigned it to another person hence resulting in my byline vanishing. I looked like an idiot (and lost the assignment) because I didn’t take two seconds to make sure the article was still active.
Use caution when making your freelance portfolio public.
There always seems to be a lot of discussion about rates that a freelance writer can or should charge. For most of us, starting out meant our rates were lower than we might like but once we gain momentum we often increase our rates incrementally based on (a) experience; (b) our portfolio and (c) the market.
How much is too little
It’s pretty difficult to set a ‘low end’ for your freelance writing based on the experience of others. I am of the opinion that each freelance writer offers a different set of skills and in addition they offer different levels of experience.
As a ‘first timer’ I took some incredibly low paying jobs – in fact I remember one job where I wrote 100 articles on a topic I literally knew nothing about and was paid $125. Of course today, those types of jobs are definitely an exception though I admit to taking a lower rate (read fixed rate) job here and there to fill in gaps.
You alone have to determine the lowest rate that you’re willing to work as a freelance writer. If you’re bidding on jobs on oDesk you can readily see what the ‘average’ rate on a job is and if you’re curious enough, you can look at individual profiles and determine from there what you’re going to bid on a job. Let’s face it, it makes no sense at all to bid on a freelance writing job at $30 per hour when the average bidder is bidding $7 per hour.
How much is too much?
Freelance writers make a wide variety of rates, from very low (3 to 4 dollars per hour) to very high (50 to 60 per hour). Personally I think a lot of this is dependent on the factors you want to make part of the package you are selling to your potential clients.
I don’t think any amount is ‘too much’. Recently I sold a 300 word article that took me slightly over 30 minutes to research and write for what was the equivalent of $80 per hour. Other jobs I have I work for $15 per hour. It’s really up to you to determine what’s right for you and more importantly what will sell to the buyer.
Finding that happy medium
As a freelance writer it’s difficult to find that ‘happy medium’ in setting your rates. The rule of thumb I like to use is really pretty simple:
1) Do I have any freelance writing jobs that are paying me my current rate? (if yes go to #2 if no go to #3)
2) Can I increase my freelance writing rate and still attract new clients?
3) Is it time to consider lowering my rate
It’s pretty simple when you think about it. If you constantly bid on freelance writing jobs at $30 per hour and you’re regularly being turned down then it’s a pretty good chance your freelance writing rates are too high (for whatever reason).
Increases are fine!
I have increased my freelance writing rate several times over the past year (my hourly rate) and I have done so successfully. But, it must be done with a few things in mind:
A) Have I added new skills to my portfolio?
B) Have I improved my writing skills?
C) Do I have a broader base of knowledge?
D) What do I bring to the table that validates my increased rate?
Increasing your freelance writing rates ‘just because’ doesn’t make a lot of sense. Make sure you’re not cutting off your nose to spite your face!
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