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Thank you all so much for filling in the survey, it really means a lot. Thank you! Here are the key results:
52% of you are already freelancing
70% of you read the newsletter each week because of the combination of original articles, job listings and good reads
It’s great to know that the format I’ve created works for you all. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll put together another survey focusing on what topics you’d like to read about. Now onto this week’s article.
How to give yourself a pay rise
It’s probably one of the most daunting things to do as a freelancer, second in line to cold pitching: giving yourself a pay rise. But no one else is going to do it for you (with the exception of some really awesome editors), so it’s gotta be done.
It’s actually a pretty straight forward process. Once you’ve done 6 to 12 months work for a client, you’ve built a good relationship with them (i.e. never missed a deadline, always delivered quality work) and they’re happy with you, email them a month ahead of time to say your rates are going up.
This is what that email could look like:
Hi [insert name],
I hope you’re having a good week?
I just wanted to give you a heads up that my rates will be going up on [insert date]. My new rate will be [insert rate].
I’ve really enjoyed working with you over the past [insert time frame], delivering quality content on time. Thanks for the great support so far.
Warm regards,
[Insert name]
Not too difficult right? Don’t jump your rates by an unreasonable amount, but think about inflation as well as a percentage increase and base your pay rise on that. The hardest part is the wait once you’ve sent that email. But don’t stress about it too much. In my experience, editors will often agree to your rates increase without negotiating it, if they’re happy with your work and want to continue the relationship.
I hear you ask, what about COVID and the effect it’s having on the economy worldwide? Will I scare clients away? The long and short of it is, it depends on the client. But no one can get around the fact that rates at the bare minimum need to increase with inflation, and on top of that, you’ve worked your butt off and deserve a raise! You never know until you try. Go get 'em!
Like what you’re reading?
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This week’s great reads
I think it’s important to read widely, so you can expect to find a broad range of topics in this list every week:
Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash
Freelance/contracting jobs opportunities
Cold pitching companies and publications you’d love to write for is a great way to grow your confidence and your network, but if you’re keen on “warmer” leads - here are a few opportunities I found.
Note: I try to only include opportunities that are decent and well-paid. However, more often than not rates, unfortunately, aren’t discussed in the call for pitches/writers. You can check Who Pays Writers? or Contently’s freelance rates database to see if the publication or organisation is listed and what they tend to pay.
That’s it for this week’s WordCount! If you’ve enjoyed reading this edition, please feel free to share it with fellow freelance writers. Or have a look at last week’s newsletter.