The Difference Between a $50/Article Writer and a $250/Article Writer
By: Karolina Wilde
Tags: Freelance Writing, Freelancing, Freelancers, Writing, Freelance

Society misunderstands what it actually means to be a writer. Everyone’s in need of their services but is only happy to pay the bare minimum. Because god forbid, you’re gonna ask for more money for such a silly skill as writing… Everyone knows how to do it after all, so why do you need to get paid well for something that anyone can do?

If you go on the ProBlogger job board, which is the most recommended resource for finding freelance writing jobs, you’re going to find plenty of job ads that pay cents:

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Or:

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Or this one that pays cents for writing in the healthcare niche where you need to have extensive knowledge:

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I’ve been both writers — the one who charges $50/article and the one who charges $250. Want to know what’s the difference between the two?

Meet the $50/article writer

The $50/article writer is happy to get paid for doing what she loves — writing. She wakes up each day filled with the euphoria of being her own boss, even though she still can’t quite believe it yet.

Every morning, she makes breakfast, maybe takes her dog out for a walk if her husband hadn’t done that already before he went to work. Then, she makes a large cup of coffee and sits down at her desk to start writing. She has tons of work for the day. There are multiple clients in her inbox, all needy and eager to receive the finished product they paid for. It’s stressful, and her cortisol levels are high.

You see, it’s not easy being a successful writer, a writer that has so many clients she can barely keep track of. But they all want her because she’s affordable and good. That’s the sweet spot, right?

She’s stressed and not sure whether she’s doing it right.

So, she spends her day typing away at her keyboard, draining one cup of coffee after another, pumping out one article after another. You see, she only gets paid $50/article, which really turns out to be more like $35 once you take out the taxes, health insurance, and business expenses. And to make a decent living, she needs to write a lot of those articles. But that’s OK — she’s grateful to get the opportunity to make a living writing.

She’s overworked and tired.

During her lunch, though, she gets a moment of silence some days and spends her precious hour reading articles from other great bloggers and writers who are making six figures. They’re all an inspiration for her, and she would like to be like them one day. But she’s not sure if she will ever be good enough. They’re all mostly white cis men, and all of them are serious businessmen. And she’s nothing like that — she’s just a girl who loves to tell stories.

She doesn’t believe in herself and doesn’t respect her business.

Meet the $250/article writer

The $250/article writer wakes up every day feeling peaceful. She takes her dog for a walk, gets breakfast, and sits down at her desk to start her work.

She also has a huge cup of coffee by her side while she goes over her emails and calendar to see what tasks await her. Her inbox is filled with emails from respectful clients, who trust her for her expertise as a professional writer. Her Google Calendar shows that she has two articles to write for one of her clients today. And the rest of her day is filled with either editing articles or working on her personal brand.

She’s in control of her schedule and stress levels.

So, she spends her morning working on the first draft of the articles because she writes better in the mornings. Edits and revisions are always left for the afternoon. She is writing fast, but not because she’s in a rush, but because she’s good at what she does. She makes time for her personal brand and networking, being a guest on podcasts because she understands the importance of building a reputation. Also, by charging more for her work, she’s able to appreciate her work more — she makes enough to support herself and her partner.

She treats her writer’s job as a business.

Before she makes lunch, she quickly works out because moving your body is as important as moving your mind every day. Then, she has lunch while reading articles from other writers she admires. She soaks in their knowledge and tips like a sponge from people ahead of her in the game because she treats it as free education. If they can do it, so can she — she’s not just a girl who likes to write, she’s a businesswoman.

She’s confident and knows the importance of self-care.

Hint — you want to be the $250/article writer

Now, don’t come with pitchforks at me here for the idealistic view of how a day of a writer who charges $250/article. I like the dramatics. But the difference between those two writers is huge.

The writer who charges more has more time for her work. She can provide better quality writing because she’s not burdened with the stress of having more work than there are hours in a day. She’s also better at communication and networking because she has the confidence for it. When you’re paid well and work with good, respectable clients, you become more confident in your abilities as a writer.

You want to be that $250/writer. Because if you live your life as an underpaid writer, you’re going to become a cynic. Why do you see so many writers be disappointed in the world? Because they’re always dealing with being treated as if they’re not worthy of occupying the space with their job.

How do you go from the $50/article writer to $250/article writer?

Well, you might think that it’s easy for me to sit here and talk about being a $250/article writer. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right? Yes, you’re kind of correct.

Not everyone can do it because most people who say they want to be writers don’t actually want to be writers. They just want the lifestyle that comes with being a successful writer. The truth is that nothing in life is easy. Being a writer is no harder than being a cashier, policeman, or doctor…

So, here is what I did to take my writing business from $50/article to $250/article and what you can do too:

Write for cheap clients

Yes, I know that it might sound contradictory, but hear me out. Find cheap clients who are good mentors and give you valuable feedback. I was ghostwriting for two massive bloggers for four months. They paid me peanuts, and it was hell. But I came out a 10x better writer because I got to learn from the best.

Get published

Write under your own name and not on your own blog, where nobody reads your work but other websites. Mind Cafe founder Adrian Drew shared that he was able to increase his rates after he was published in Thrive Global. It’s a publication that anyone can write for, but not everyone can get published in.

It adds credibility — the same with Medium publications. Get your work published in The Ascent, The Writing Cooperative, and other pubs, and you’ll be able to increase your rates. Being published in big Medium’s pubs was the reason why I was able to land my dream client that pays me $250/article.

Find your specialty, but don’t limit yourself

We all know about the riches are in the niches, and that’s true. But writing on one topic only can suck your soul dry, so don’t limit yourself to one niche. Pick two or three and when you’re pitching clients, attune your cold pitch to the niche the client is in. This will allow you to dabble in a few different industries, which will improve the chances of getting high-paying clients, and it will save your soul.

Stop applying for jobs

It might be controversial, and I believe most writers will disagree with me, but stop going to Upwork, Fiver, and even ProBlogger. Go to Google, google businesses in your niche and start cold emailing. It will suck. It’s the worst fucking thing writers have to do, but only this way, you’ll find clients who are willing to pay you the $250/article.

You’re not going to be for everyone, and that’s OK

I’ve been actively looking for new clients in the sexual wellness industry this year. I’ve sent countless emails and had many conversations with brands I would love to work with.

One of those brands asked me to jump on a call with them, and after ten minutes of chatting, the conversation about my rates came up. Without hesitation, I’ve given the brand my new rates of $250/article, and I could immediately see the response on their faces: “Sorry, it’s out of our budget. Let’s try connecting by the end of summer. We might have a bigger budget then.”

I wanted to cry. I wished I didn’t give the number. I wished I asked them how much they pay before I gave the number, I wished I could have been more humble. I left the call feeling disappointed in myself because I ruined a great professional opportunity. If only I had humbled myself and said a number that was $100 lower…

A few days prior to this chat, I have given my rates to another sexual wellness brand, and I’ve been waiting for their response. I wasn’t expecting much. But a few days later, I received an email with some good news:

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The client loved the trial article I wrote for them, and we’re on to more work with them. I’m telling you this because increasing your rates is scary and charging decent money for your writing is terrifying. And some brands who are your dream brands will tell you no.

But that’s OK. You are never going to be for everyone. For everyone’s taste, budget and liking. So, don’t let the fear of rejection stop you from charging more. There is enough work to go around, and there are enough clients out there willing to pay you the $250.

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