Rates for Freelancer

[tamimarieb]

Hi All,

This is more of a general discussion and seeing what people about this topic I saw floating around Twitter. In the freelance world there is a huge blow up on Twitter basically exposing these high ranking companies or newspaper that pay their freelancers next to nothing for their work even though the company has millions of dollars. The general thought it freelancers should be making about .50-$1 per word and companies around paying like $25 a article or $40 for a set of articles. I 100% agree with this disucssion, we should get paid a decent amount for our work espeically since most of us have degrees. Just wondering everoyne else's thoughts, how they demand to make a living wage, and the potiential to rally together to ensure we get paid fairly....we all know there are numerous clients on Upwork that was to pay $10 for a 3k article.

[prestonhunter]

Why should anyone - whether it be a wealthy company or a struggling widowed young mother living in an impoverished county - pay the same amount for writing an article to an 18-year-old kid barely out of high school, with poor writing skills, that they would pay Oprah Winfrey, for the same length article on the same topic?

If someone wants a “living wage”, but their prestige as a writer or celebrity nor their skill as a writer merits such... then maybe they should be doing something else.

Not everyone in the world deserves lots of money for their writing.

[tamimarieb]

We are talking about prestigious companies asking people with a resume full of experience and a degree to pay someone $10 for 3k words. You think that's okay? Usually bigger companies won't hire a 18-year-old off the street to write for them, they want an expereinced writer.

[versailles]

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Tami B wrote:

We are talking about prestigious companies asking people with a resume full of experience and a degree to pay someone $10 for 3k words. You think that's okay? 

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Yes, I think it's okay. What I don't think is okay is for such experienced people to even answer.

More seriously, it sucks, but both sides sucks, the companies and the freelancers who accept those rates.

[charlesmartinjr]

Pay rates are between employers and employees.  It is not my business what an employer pays you, my neighbor, or the guy in Bangladesh who is working with a company.  It is my business what that employer pays me.  If I agree to a wage, then that was my choice, not anyone else's.

Just my two cents, for what they're worth.

[robin_hyman]

Clients are paying $10 an article because there are freelancers willing to do the work for little money.  Since the cost of living varies city by city and country by country, $10 may seem like a lot to a particular freelancer.  

When I see a client putting a low budget for a project I would charge much more for, I may still apply and indicate my rate.  Sometimes I win those jobs (especially if said client has a history of paying much more for similar projects).  

You just have to be particular about the jobs you apply for, especially since we pay for connects.  

If the job isn't right for you because of price, little to no description or some other reason, just move along.  

[moonraker]

If you don't want the low pay, then don't do the job. 
By the way, not all low paid jobs are profiteering. I fill a niche selling articles of 500 words to SEOs and the like for $10 each. It's easy to see straight away that my margins mean that I can't pay much myself. I intend to move up the ladder in time but, in doing so, it will likely mean those lower down the scale face more competition from those higher up. 
It may not be a worthwhile income for you, and it certainly is not for me, but some people are very appreciative of it. 

[tlsanders]

I don't demand anything. I tell clients what my rates are and then they decide whether or not it's worth it to them to pay those rates. 

The idea that a company should pay $.50 to $1/word just because the company makes a lot of money is absurd. The work is worth what it's worth. Some writers' work is worth more than others. Some pieces are worth more to the company than others. Some require a lot more or less investment from the writer. Some require more talent or experience or background knowledge. Some require no research and others require hours of research.

Let me be clear: I don't believe any freelancer should attempt to compete on price. But, I also don't believe there is a minimum acceptable per-word rate, since there are so many variables. And, I don't believe that a company should pay more for writers just because that company has a lot of money....no more than a wealthy person walking into the grocery store pays a higher rate for a loaf of bread than a person earning minimum wage. 

[florydev]

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Tiffany S wrote:

Let me be clear: I don't believe any freelancer should attempt to compete on price. But, I also don't believe there is a minimum acceptable per-word rate, since there are so many variables. And, I don't believe that a company should pay more for writers just because that company has a lot of money....no more than a wealthy person walking into the grocery store pays a higher rate for a loaf of bread than a person earning minimum wage. 

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I agree, not for the same loaf of bread...but for local sourced, hand crafted artisan loaf they might.  A wealthy person might make a premium for that bread because they believe in that bread's qualities.

A poorer person might just decide bread is bread.

[lysis10]

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Tami B wrote:

Hi All,

This is more of a general discussion and seeing what people about this topic I saw floating around Twitter. In the freelance world there is a huge blow up on Twitter basically exposing these high ranking companies or newspaper that pay their freelancers next to nothing for their work even though the company has millions of dollars. The general thought it freelancers should be making about .50-$1 per word and companies around paying like $25 a article or $40 for a set of articles. I 100% agree with this disucssion, we should get paid a decent amount for our work espeically since most of us have degrees. Just wondering everoyne else's thoughts, how they demand to make a living wage, and the potiential to rally together to ensure we get paid fairly....we all know there are numerous clients on Upwork that was to pay $10 for a 3k article.

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dannng I wanna know how they do it cuz I wanna mentally pound someone really good into giving me great content for $10. That would be awesome! Please point me to these people cuz I'm gonna hire them.

[charlesmartinjr]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!  Nice, Jennifer!

[browersr]

Generally you get what you pay for. If business wants to pay little and someone is willing to take it, they likely will get commensurate quality. If that level is okay, then supply met demand in that instance and the end result was satisfactory for both parties. If one side or the other felt used, then they experienced a teaching moment that they can put to use the next time. The market will find its level without the need for special influence. 

[lysis10]

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Charles M wrote:

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!  Nice, Jennifer!

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well yeah, man think about it. You get someone AMAZING for $10/article. Sign me up cuz my blog sucks cuz I have no time or inclination to keep it filled with content. If I could find this unicorn person, mannnn they would have a client for life. I need to know who these people are cuz they are HIRED.

[jodypm]

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Tami B wrote:

Hi All,

This is more of a general discussion and seeing what people about this topic I saw floating around Twitter. In the freelance world there is a huge blow up on Twitter basically exposing these high ranking companies or newspaper that pay their freelancers next to nothing for their work even though the company has millions of dollars. The general thought it freelancers should be making about .50-$1 per word and companies around paying like $25 a article or $40 for a set of articles. I 100% agree with this disucssion, we should get paid a decent amount for our work espeically since most of us have degrees. Just wondering everoyne else's thoughts, how they demand to make a living wage, and the potiential to rally together to ensure we get paid fairly....we all know there are numerous clients on Upwork that was to pay $10 for a 3k article.

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Hi Tami,

I definitely understand your point of view and see that your concern is one of social and economic justice; but I must agree with what most people are saying here in response. A business should not be strong-armed into paying a writer, whether they have a degree or not, for a Web Spam article as much as they might be inclined to pay an established influencer, like Matt Cutts, for example.

Steinbeck's early life is widely known to have been full of poverty and he didn't earn that much from his first novel, but should we assume that Steinbeck's rates or wage for his early writing should have been the same as after he penned Of Mice and Men?

Best regards,

Jody PM