Ideal hourly rate for writers

[madbanditroy]

I've been thinking about this, since I have a top rated status. If someone who has that, should they charge more per hour? I have $100 per hour, by the way.

[prestonhunter]

There is no such thing as an ideal hourly rate for writers.

It depends on who the writer is.

[tlbp]

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Preston H wrote:

There is no such thing as an ideal hourly rate for writers.

It depends on who the writer is.

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And what they can write about. 

[robin_hyman · Accepted solution]

If clients are willing to pay $100 for your work, charge $100/hour.  I started here at $40 and increased it every few new clients.  Now I'm at $90.  Most don't question since they just look at my portfolio.  

[tlsanders]

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Leroy P wrote:
I've been thinking about this, since I have a top rated status. If someone who has that, should they charge more per hour? I have $100 per hour, by the way.

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Being top rated means almost nothing. If you search for writers and just start paging through the options, you'll see that more than 80% of those listed in the first several pages are top rated. The lowest rate I saw for a top-rated writer was $4/hour and the highest was $99, though I personally know writers here who charge more than $100/hour. The norm in those first several pages seemed to be in the $35-60 range. 

Your value as a writer is determined by a variety of factors, such as your writing skills, your customer service, your subject matter knowledge, and your other relevant skills (such as conversion strategy and SEO). 

[bizwriterjohn]

Prospective clients will usually focus in on you portfolio, read the reviews, then consider the physical rating.  At least, I do.

Ah, another writer.  Kindred spirit. 

I keep my rate at $75.   As best I can tell, that is low-middle average for writers in my category and with commensurate skill sets.  Perhaps it even qualifies as 'under-priced'.  I simply decided to use economics as a competitive advantage and have more prospective clients to choose from than I can serve.  Then, I am in control of whom I work with and not the other way around.

Boomer, who loves ice cream.