Latest / Freelance Careers with Fexingo: Independent Work, Consulting, and Self-Employment / How a Freelance Writer Raised Rates by Charging Per Word
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, I was looking at a freelance writer's portfolio the other day, and she had this really interesting line item on her invoice. It said, 'per word, 45 cents.' And I thought, hold on, that's not how most freelancers quote. Luna: Right, most people I know charge by project or by hour. Per word feels almost old school, like something from a copywriting guide from the 80s. Lucas: Exactly. But she told me she made the switch last year from flat project fees to per word, and her income went up about 30 percent in six months. And it wasn't just about making more money. It changed how she communicated with clients, how she scoped work, even which clients she said yes to. Luna: That's a bold claim. But before we dive deeper, I know we have a lot of listeners who are freelancers themselves, and honestly, if this show has ever helped you think through a career move or a pricing decision, we'd love it if you considered supporting us. We keep the show ad-free on purpose, and listener support is what makes that possible. There's a link at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small gesture that goes a long way. And we're back to the numbers because I think the per word model deserves a closer look. Lucas: So the writer I mentioned, her name is Rachel, and she's a technical writer. She does API documentation, user guides, white papers. For years she charged a flat fee per project, say five thousand dollars for a forty page manual. The problem was, some projects took her twice as long as others, and she was essentially penalizing herself for being efficient. Luna: Ah, so the flat fee punishes speed. If you're fast, you're making less per hour, right? Lucas: Exactly. And clients don't see that. They think they're paying for a deliverable, but they're really paying for the value of your time and expertise. Per word flips that. It says, I'm charging for the content itself, not the hours. And it rewards her for being concise, which is ironic because most clients are afraid per word will make the writer wordy. Luna: But doesn't it incentivize writers to pad their word count? I mean, if you're getting paid per word, why wouldn't you just write more? Lucas: That's the classic objection. But Rachel told me she actually writes tighter now. Because she quotes a strict word count range in the contract, and if she comes in under, she still gets paid for the agreed amount. If she goes over, she has to ask for approval first. So the incentive is to hit the target exactly, which often means cutting fluff. Luna: Hmm, so it's like a fixed-price contract based on a word range. That does sound more predictable for both sides. Lucas: And the transparency is a big deal. Clients know exactly what they're paying per unit of content. Compare that to a flat fee where they have no idea how much time goes in. Per word, they can do the math. Five hundred words at fifty cents is two fifty. That's easy to understand. Luna: But wait, how do you set the rate? I mean, I've seen rates anywhere from five cents a word to a dollar or more. That's a huge range. Lucas: Rachel started at fifty cents a word, which is on the higher end for technical writing but still competitive. She did some market research first. She looked at what other technical writers were charging, and she also considered her own experience. She has about eight years in the field, and she's specialized in a niche area, fintech API docs. That gives her leverage. Luna: So the niche really matters. I mean, a general blog post at fifty cents a word might be a hard sell, but for fintech? That's almost a bargain. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the key. Per word only works if you have a clear value proposition. Rachel knows she's saving her clients hours of developer time by writing clear docs that reduce support tickets. She can quantify that. So fifty cents a word is actually cheap compared to the cost of a confused customer. Luna: But I imagine some clients balk at the per word thing. Like, they think, what if I just need a small edit? Do I pay for every word? Lucas: That's why Rachel separates her services. She has a per word rate for new content, and she has a per hour rate for editing and revisions. She also has a minimum project fee, like two hundred dollars, so she doesn't get nickeled and dimed on tiny jobs. And she's upfront about that on her pricing page. Luna: So it's not just about the per word rate itself, it's about the whole pricing architecture around it. Lucas: Right. And that's what makes it work. She also uses a content brief that specifies the word count range, the intended audience, and the key points to cover. That way, her estimate is accurate, and the client knows exactly what they're buying. There's no scope creep because the brief defines the boundaries. Luna: Scope creep is the enemy of every freelancer. I've had projects where the client keeps asking for 'just one more section' and suddenly you're working twice the hours for the same fee. Lucas: And with per word, that doesn't happen. If they want more content, they know it's going to cost more. It's a natural conversation. 'Oh, you need an additional section? That's about six hundred words, so at fifty cents, that's an extra three hundred dollars.' It's very concrete. Luna: That's a good sales pitch. So for someone listening who wants to try this, what's the first step? Lucas: First, do your research. Look at what other freelancers with similar experience and niche are charging per word. Then, calculate your baseline. Take your annual income target, add expenses, divide by the number of billable words you can realistically produce in a year. That gives you a floor. Luna: And then add a premium for your expertise. I'd say if you're just starting with per word, you can test it on a few clients, maybe offer a trial rate, and then adjust upward. Lucas: Exactly. And don't be afraid to raise your per word rate as you gain more experience. Rachel started at forty cents a word, and she's now at fifty-five cents. She told me she plans to increase to sixty cents next year. It's not a static number. Luna: I also like that per word forces you to be honest about the value of your writing. If you're a good writer, you should be able to charge more per word than someone who's just stringing sentences together. Lucas: And the market rewards that, which is why we see such a wide range. A well-respected tech blogger might charge a dollar per word, while a general content mill might pay three cents a word. The difference is expertise and the impact of the writing. Luna: So what about clients who push back? How does Rachel handle that? Lucas: She says it's all about framing. She explains that per word is actually more cost-effective for them because she's efficient. She shows them a sample of her work, and she says, 'For a five hundred word blog post, that's two hundred fifty dollars. For a thousand word white paper, that's five hundred dollars.' It's easy to compare to other vendors. Luna: And if they still resist, is it a red flag? Lucas: Sometimes. Rachel says if a client is obsessed with the per hour rate, they might be more transactional. They might not understand the value of the content itself. She's actually turned down clients who couldn't get past the per word concept. She says those clients usually want to micromanage and are a pain to work with. Luna: So per word is also a filter for the right kind of client. That's a clever side effect. Lucas: Absolutely. It sets the tone for a professional relationship. You're saying, 'I'm not a commodity. I'm an expert providing a specific service.' And that confidence comes through in the pricing. Luna: I've also heard that some writers include a 'kill fee' in their contract, so if the project gets cancelled, they still get paid a percentage. Does Rachel do that? Lucas: Good point. Yes, she has a clause that says if the client cancels after she's started, she gets fifty percent of the total. That's a protection against wasted time. It's standard in a lot of creative fields, and it's a good practice for any freelancer. Luna: That makes sense. I think the biggest takeaway is that per word isn't just about the rate, it's about positioning yourself as a specialist who charges for output, not time. Lucas: And that's a mindset shift. Once you internalize that, you can apply it to any pricing model, whether it's per project, per hour, or per word. The key is to be confident in the value you're providing. Luna: So for our listeners who are freelancers, what's one thing they can do today to start exploring per word pricing? Lucas: Take a recent project you did on a flat fee, break down the word count, and calculate your effective per word rate. Just see what the number is. It might surprise you. If you're charging a thousand dollars for a two thousand word blog post, that's fifty cents a word. That's a solid baseline. From there, you can decide if that rate reflects your value. Luna: I love that. It's a simple exercise that can be a real eye opener. Thanks for sharing this, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. And if any listeners try it out, we'd love to hear how it goes. You can find us on social media, or just shoot us an email. We're always happy to hear from you.