The year was 2012. I was barely three months into my foray into the freelance world, and I was doing okay (or so I thought.) I hadn’t done much research before signing up to take on clients through a job board to bring in a little extra cash. As a stay-at-home mom of two girls, I wanted work I could do from home. I earned a bachelor’s degree in communications (journalism) and worked as a reporter before stepping down and staying home with my girls, so it seemed a natural fit.

My going rate at the time was $9 an hour.

When I was approached by a client who wanted a few health and fitness articles written for his company, I sent my proposal, and we agreed that I’d write a few blog posts for $50.

The same week the contract came in, we received a phone call that my husband’s grandmother had fallen and hit her head. She was being rushed to a nearby hospital, and things weren’t looking favorable. We packed up our two toddlers (and my laptop) and met up with family in the hospital waiting room. We came to the hospital for hours at a time over the next few days. My husband watched the girls and talked with his family while I pounded away at the keyboard, trying to get the articles to my client by the deadline.

There was this pit in my stomach every time I worked on my article. I knew I should be focusing on my husband and his family, but I was trying to build a freelance career so that we could support our little family.  I pushed my guilt aside long enough to get the articles finished. My husband’s grandmother passed away a few days later.

The situation itself was frustrating. Instead of being able to provide emotional and physical support during an emotional time, I was cranking out articles for practically nothing, but what happened next made the whole thing 10-times worse.

Shortly after I submitted the articles, my client ghosted. Poof. There was no response to my article submissions, no payment. Nothing. I kept sending friendly reminders (and then not-so-friendly reminders). Still nothing.

After chatting with some other writers who had also had a client vanish on them, I looked for my articles online. I found them. This client stole all my work and posted them on multiple websites under his name. The client paid a total of $5 (I had at least some foresight to request a partial payment upfront). Unfortunately, this was not the only (or most expensive) loss I’ve had in the last six years. It was, however, the trigger that pushed me into being more selective with the clients I add to my roster.

I reported the client (to oDesk, now Upwork) and showed proof that this client had stolen my work. As far as I know, the company deleted his account. I also took the time to contact the websites where my article was posted and asked them to remove the posts. I didn’t waste too much time or energy after that because I felt my time was better spent moving on to new projects.

Now, six years (and hundreds of jobs) later, I average between $75 and $100 per hour. I even landed a client that pays me more than $600 per article.

Here’s what I learned:

Create a basement price, then ask for more: What’s the least amount of money you’re willing to earn for a project? Know what you can accept, and then ask for a little more in the bidding/negotiating process. Some clients may have a pre-determined price point (usually publications), but you may be able to arrange a later deadline or faster payment. It usually doesn’t hurt to ask, just be professional in your approach.

As an additional thought: when a client asks for your rates, ask for more than you think you should. I had a client ask my rate for blog posts last month, I gave him a number that’s twice what I usually charge, and he said yes, without hesitation. Even if he’d countered with a number that was lower than my initial offer, it probably would have been higher than my lowest price point. Don’t rip off your clients, but don’t be afraid to charge a fair rate either. 

Say no:  It may seem counterintuitive, but you don’t have to say yes to every single project that comes your way. Saying no to a client that offers a rate that’s too low, frees you up to work on better-paying projects.

At first, turning down projects was hard for me. I worried that saying no meant I wouldn’t be able to find more work. However, saying no actually gave more motivation to go out and get better clients. I’ve gotten comfortable with asking for higher rates after I’ve worked with a client for a while. I even stepped away from work with an on-going client because they refused to budge on my rate after three years.

Find a niche: I don’t write for every type of client anymore. I specialize in real estate and personal finance topics, and I target those type of clients and publications. Because I have many samples in both industries, it’s easier to justify my higher rates, and clients are more willing to pay them. I still take on some work that’s outside of those areas, but not as often as I used to.

Master your pitch: This is one of the most important things you can do to land more clients. Spend time working your pitch letters. Your pitch letters should feel personalized (though having some templates to make the process quicker is a great idea too), but they shouldn’t take forever to write because:

Pitch, pitch, pitch: I try to send out at least 2 to 5 LOIs per day (about 10 to 20 per week). I don’t hear back from most of them. Half of those who do respond can’t afford my rates. Sometimes, people, I’ve sent pitches to don’t respond for weeks or months, so it’s vital to keep pitching if you want steady work.

These pitches don’t have to be complicated, but they should be personal. Here is a sample of a pitch I sent that landed me a repeat contract with a real estate agent. (It took me less than five minutes to type this up).  I found this client from a job listing and this letter led to a $2,200 job.

Bob,

Hi! My name is Angela Brown and I’m a freelance real estate and finance writer with 13 years or professional writing and editing experience.

Adding a community page to your real estate website is an excellent way to add SEO organically, it’s also a great freebie tool you can offer people that will make them more likely to bookmark your page. When I was checking out your notes about what you were looking for, I got the idea of a page with different headers and paragraphs about each topic. This would also be a great place to add links (to schools, utility companies etc.), which your readers would appreciate (and search engines too!)

I have worked with clients like Wasatch Home and Estates (see sample here: https://www.wasatchhomesandestates.com/category/blog/)

I’ve also written for FinanceBuzz (sample: https://financebuzz.com/mortgage-questions-to-ask-your-lender).

I think this sample, which I ghostwrote for a client might give you the best idea for the tone and type of writing that would work for your community pages: (https://nebula.wsimg.com/4ff34a609b7cbeef3479ec8f2eb0e0e9?AccessKeyId=DAF2EC90865FCE4DD457&disposition=0&alloworigin=1)

I’d love to chat with you a little more about your content needs. Would you be interested in jumping on a call?

Angela

Have a contract: I almost NEVER work without a contract. I did, technically, have an agreement with the client that ripped me off, but now I’m even more vigilant creating one that offers more protection.  Your contract details the type of work you will send, the deadline, and when your client must pay. Having a detailed contract also prevents your client from changing the scope of the project at the last minute.

The most important thing I’ve learned: The value of my work. There are plenty of clients that want to pay bargain basement rates, but you don’t have to work for them. It took me far too long to realize that writing is a skill and a talent, one that deserves fair pay. Protect yourself from slug clients, and don’t let setbacks stop you from pursuing a freelancing career if it’s what you want to do.

Angela J. Brown is a Salt Lake City based real eastate and finance writer. Learn more about her at angelajbrown.com