Why Real Writers Cost Money

WRITING | FREELANCING

Here’s why professional writers are worth the rates they charge

“She’s just a blogger.”

There’s nothing that annoys me more than people making out that if you’re writing for a blog or online publication, your writing is less worthy, less valuable or less real than if you’re writing for a major print publication. It’s less common now, but it still happens.

I think that’s plain wrong.

Like other writers, bloggers and online writers can’t imagine not writing. Like other writers, we have thousands of readers. Like other writers, we get paid to write — and we’re good at what we do.

Maybe I feel this way because of my own background in journalism, writing for a variety of trade magazines. Now that I write mostly for blogs, I use exactly the same skills that I used for writing news and feature articles. In fact, writing for blogs often means you have to be even more disciplined.

When I wrote for newspapers and magazines, we often worked a couple of months ahead for content. That gave me at least a month, sometimes two, to interview people and put an article together. I had lots of time to tweak the content too.

These days, there’s less time. When you write for blogs, especially for shorter articles, you sometimes have to produce content very quickly and revise it even quicker, while still producing quality.

It’s the same with research. Sure, most of your research sources might be online, but good writers have to know:

● where to find information and which are the best sources

● how to use that information to create something that is readable and has an original angle

● how to add the personal touch that makes readers feel you are talking directly to them

● how to avoid spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

No matter who they are writing for, good writers are voracious readers, keeping up to date with news in their niche so they know what’s going on, can keep their clients informed and can write about it when necessary.

The more topics you write about, the more important it is for you to do this. And being well informed means you can help clients tweak their content strategy.

My point is that, no matter who you are writing for, if you’re a good writer, you have the same skills and discipline as any other writer. And you have other skills too. See the video below for some of the tasks professional writers do. (If you don’t like video, the full list is in this post.)

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A professional writer can find information on anything quickly, speed read research, extract the best information, and add personal flair.

And then there’s the writing itself. A professional writer can play the written word like a finely tuned instrument, eliciting the exact response that writing clients need from their customers.

My point is: don’t let anyone tell you you’re not good enough because you’re writing for a blog or online publication. People can make a very nice living writing for blogs AND have their professional writing skills appreciated. I do.

And don’t let anyone use the fact that you are writing a blog post as an excuse to pay you less than you’re worth. If you are writing an in-depth, well-researched article, you deserve to be paid for your skill, no matter where it’s finally being published.

Remind your clients that when they hire you, they don’t just get writing skills, but a wealth of knowledge that helps you position them perfectly in their industry.

That comes at a price. But as a writer, you have to be prepared to ask for it and educate your clients about the value of good writing.

Some of them have been spoiled by going to marketplaces where people provide low quality writing for a low quality price.

You don’t have to pander to them.

Many of us do at the start, but we learn. In the past, I have undercharged for jobs that proved to take longer than I anticipated.

That doesn’t happen any more. My approach is much more “in your face” now. My guide prices are on my site so I know that when I get a message from potential clients, they have already seen them. Even if I end up charging less, the decision is mine.

The bottom line is: no-one can undervalue you if you value yourself correctly. Use the points in this article to show potential clients why you are a real writer and why it’s worth it to them to pay you well.

An earlier version of this article originally appeared on Lori Widmer’s Words on the Page blog as part of Writer’s Worth Week. Other articles in the series include:

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Sharon Hurley Hall is a professional B2B writer and blogger, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast.