by Rachel Smith
28 May 2014
I’m starting to do a lot more copywriting and content writing and it’s different from print, where you’re basically told what the word rate is. I have a copywriting rate I charge that for the most part seems to be well-received. However, how do I handle those clients who bawk at it and try to bargain me down? Should I negotiate if it means getting the work? W
Short answer? No. I think this is always going to be a problem with some clients, no matter how experienced you are, but when I was new to freelancing I was often ‘bargained down’ on copywriting jobs. Looking back, it felt like a very fine line between having my rates accepted, and the client nicking off and finding someone who would work to the their (often miniscule) budget.
Panic often made me give in but I quickly learned that wasn’t good. I’d agree to a basement price that suited the client, but actually ended up as a rather poor deal for me. Sure, I’d get the job, but I’d have to work a lot more hours than I’d quoted for in order to get it done. The plus side was, I often had a great client on my portfolio. They were happy with the rate and the work I produced. The downside? I felt duped, overworked and resentful.
When you have enough work, the question of whether or not to negotiate doesn’t come up – it’s much easier to stick to your guns. And, I find four out of five clients (real companies, I’m not talking about those charlatans that try to get you to write 500 word blog posts for $5 a pop) respect you more when you’re clear about what you’re worth. That one client who walks? It happens. It happened to me last month actually with an amazing homewares client I would’ve loved to work with. It’s a bummer, but get used to talking about money openly and honestly, tell them you’re sorry it hasn’t worked out that time and you hope they’ll keep you in mind for a future project. I have had clients come back to me when they had a bigger budget on an alternate project, so keep in touch and you never know where that contact will lead (or who they’ll recommend you to).
What you CAN do if you’re desperate for the work and a client asks you to reduce your rate is to see if they’re open to reducing the work in the estimate – so if they want a 10 percent reduction on the rate, negotiate on the scope of the brief. You can reduce your fee by 10 percent but you’ll be producing 10 percent less content, for example. More often than not, they’ll agree to pay the full rate to get the whole job done rather than having to pay you less and run around like headless chickens finding someone else to do the other 10 percent for nix or for less than what you quoted. People are busy and it’s not worth their time to do that – so the more professional you are about your rate and what you’re worth, the more likely it is you’ll pick up clients who are respectful of that.
Listees: do you ever negotiate on rate? How do you keep a client who demands you fit in with their budget?
If you’re serious about being a professional writer you need to figure out how much you’re worth per hour (use whatever formula you need to get there: salary breakdown, going rate, peer comparison) and set a minimum ‘must not go below this’ rate. Then ask for more than that according to:
—How easy you think the job will be
—How nice/easy to work with the clients are
—How quickly they pay you
—Whether the work is interesting
—Whether the work can be salvaged for other purposes (sometimes research/interviews can be repackaged for another market)
You should only hit your bottom rate if you’re desperate for jobs, though I find if you stick at it long enough you’ll find someone willing to pay your preferred rate.
I get stiffed on low hourly rates because I work quite fast so I like commissions that are per project, which can get me $300+ per hour.
I have found it is VERY hard to raise your rates after you’ve set them so make sure whatever you’re quoting is a little ‘futureproof’, ie good for the next few years.
I am a copywriter and I agree with everything said here. Adeline’s comment about being prepared to be paid less if the work is interesting resonates with me. You should also consider if the client’s brand would be a good addition to your portfolio. If the client is new, don’t think you can do the first job for a low rate then raise it for subsequent projects: once they have accepted a rate, that rate is what they will expect for years to come. I have a range of hourly rates for different types of copy writing based on their complexity. I also work for a project fee if there is a clear brief, which keeps everyone happy. I try to stick to my rates as it’s hard to produce good copy when you feel resentful. As someone once said to me, the client’s not paying you for that hour: they’re paying you for the 20 years of experience that goes into that hour.
This is fantastic advice. Thanks all
I was lucky to receive the advice to reduce the scope of the work, not your rate, early on as a freelancer. When I’ve done this I’ve tried to find a solution that will still get the outcome the client needs.
However, I agree there are some good reasons to lower your rates as mentioned here. Another might be when you believe in the value of the work the client does and you want to play a part in that.