Freelance Writing Rates: Should You List Them On Your Website, or Not?

Aug. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- Many freelance writers struggle with what to put on their website. I’ve been a freelancer since 1993, and here I’ll list four things that should definitely be included – in my opinion. One of the questions I receive a lot though on this subject is, “Should I list my freelance writing rates on my website?” 

Following is the biggest pro and con of doing so. 

Pro: You get rid of tirekickers. If your rates are $50 per 300-word blog post, but a prospect is only looking to pay $5, then if you have your rates listed on your site, that person knows up front that they can’t afford you. 

As with any business, time is money, so when you list your rates and you have a scenario like this, it saves you time from dealing with low-ballers and tirekickers. 

Con: You scare off potential clients. Now, let’s say you have a prospect whose budget is $40 per 300-word post, but they see your $50 rate. BUT . . . for bulk jobs (eg, 5 posts or more ordered at one time), you might be willing to go down to $40 per post. For you, it just all depends. 

In this situation, you might scare off a good prospect who’ll think that they can’t afford you. 

I always err on the side of listing my freelance writing rates. The main reason is, I like to give potential clients all the info they need up front to make a decision about hiring me. 

If you decide to go this route, create a very thorough page that lists, for example, any bulk discounts you may give. This way don’t alienate those who maybe can afford you. 

Now, as for those things you should list on your website. 

4 Things You Should Put on Your Freelance Writing Website 

(i) Writing samples: How many? Three to five is sufficient. These should be in the niche you’re targeting, eg, if you specialize in health content, then write about health-related issues. Make them 400 to 700 words long. 

(ii) A short bio (About page): Even though a lot of freelance writing is done online these days, people still like to deal with people. And this is why a professional bio is important; it humanizes you. 

(iii) Services offered:List all the services you offer (eg, blog posts, ebook writing, web articles, social media account management, etc.); and 

(iv) Contact info: List all the ways you can be contacted, eg, phone, email, Skype, social media accounts, etc. 

Whether or not you list your freelance writing rates (http://inkwelleditorial.com/freelance-writing-rates-4-truths) on your website, these four things should be included.
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About the Author: Yuwanda Black (http://plus.google.com/112339798837672719495?rel=author) heads New Media Words, an SEO writing company, and is the publisher of Inkwell Editorial, a blog devoted to helping others start successful freelance writing businesses. She's also the author of over 50 ebooks, most of which cover some aspect of freelancing. They can be found on major outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Get everything you need to start a highly profitable online writing business (http://inkwelleditorial.com/seo-content-writing-package) you can operate from the comfort of home.