Picking the right amount to charge as a freelance writer can be hard. If you set your rate too low, you’ll be undervaluing your time and experience. But if your rate is too high, you’ll have a harder time finding clients.

What rate should beginner freelance writers charge? When you’re just getting started, I wouldn’t be afraid to work for content mills for 1 or 2 cents per word. After you have a few months of experience, you should be able to charge 2 or 3 cents per word. And intermediate to experienced content writers can charge 6 cents per word or more.

In this article, I’ll explain different rates that you should be able to charge at various stages of your writing career.

How Much Should Beginner Freelance Writers Charge?

When you’re just starting out as a freelance writer, it can be hard to convince clients to work with you.

So really, in the beginning you should take pretty much any job that you can get. That way you can start building some experience, and maybe get a few portfolio pieces to show to future clients.

Ultimately there isn’t a ton that differentiates a brand new freelancer from an experienced one except for how they portray themselves.

If you broadcast to clients that you’re brand new and unsure of yourself, then expect they’ll treat you accordingly. And they’ll likely try to lowball you when it comes to prices.

But if you present yourself confidently and assure potential clients that you can deliver results, you might be surprised what you can get in terms of rates as a brand new freelance writer.

Obviously you don’t want to misrepresent yourself and say that you have more experience than you do. However, there’s nothing saying you can’t just omit the fact that you’re brand new unless someone specifically asks!

Should Beginner Freelance Writers Start Off On Content Mills?

I got my start into the world of freelance writing by working on Textbroker.

It isn’t the most glamorous writing. You’ll be writing 50 word product descriptions, articles about garage doors, and random stuff that you probably don’t care about for $0.01 per word. But it’s a start!

In my opinion, content mills are a decent way for freelance writers to get started. They provide you with a semi-steady flow of work without having to pitch or apply for jobs.

Many writers out there will tell you not to write for 1 or 2 cents per word. The argument is that it both devalues yourself, and writers as a whole.

But I disagree! I think writing for content mills is a good way to get your foot in the door and gain some experience. It gives you a good 1 or 2 cent per word baseline to start from, and then you can start reaching out to find better.

There’s something very empowering about making that first dollar from your writing, or hitting that $10 payout threshold for the first time and seeing actual funds in your Paypal account as a result of your hard work.

Once you get the freelance writing bug, then you can aim higher. Content mills provide a great launching off point though.

For more information about content mills, be sure to check out my article Should You Use Content Mills Like Upwork or Textbroker?

What Rate Did I Start Off At?

My freelance writing journey started off by just writing on Textbroker in the afternoons at my regular office job when no one was looking, or in the evening when I got home.

But once I left my job, it was time to find my first real client.

I was actually pretty lucky, and got accepted for a job within the first week or so of quitting my accounting job and starting to apply for writing gigs. I credit that quick start with one of the paid freelance writing courses that I took, which taught me how to craft the perfect pitch.

My first client was based in the UK and paid me £0.04 per word. That works out to about 5 US cents or a little more than 6 Canadian cents per word. Not too shabby!

The job was recurring. And while I didn’t make a huge amount, I earned a couple hundred dollars per month for several months before the work eventually dried up.

I wouldn’t necessarily expect that your first freelance writing job will pay that kind of rate. But I’m mentioning it just to show you what’s capable of. And to let you know that you don’t necessarily need to start off writing for 1 cent per word.

Although I did take on other clients for more like 2 cents per word alongside that job for a while.

How Much Should A Beginner Freelance Writer Charge Per Word?

When you’re first starting out, your rates may fluctuate a lot.

You’re likely to take whatever jobs you can get at first. So you may end up working for quite low rates.

Other times you may get lucky and land some really well-paying clients!

I would recommend that after six months, beginner freelance writers should be charging between 2 and 4 cents per word.

With a few months of experience under your belt, it’s time to stop taking jobs that only pay 1 cent per word and competing with non-English speakers in other countries.

In my opinion, a native English speaker is worth 2 cents per word even if they’re new to the field.

Is charging by the word really the best way to go? Check out my article Should Freelance Writers Charge By The Word or The Hour? to find out!

How Much Should An Intermediate Freelance Writer Charge Per Word?

As an intermediate freelance writer, I would suggest aiming to charge between 5 and 6 cents per word.

It will probably take a year or more of working full-time before you’re able to break into this kind of pay range consistently.

Even after a year, you may find yourself taking 3 and 4 cent jobs just to make ends meet. But at this stage of your career I would stop taking 2 cent jobs or lower if at all possible.

Going Above 6 Cents Per Word

In my experience, it has been hard to find consistent writing work above 6 cents per word until you’re really established as a freelance writer.

I’ve had some jobs come along for $0.10 per word or higher. Depending on certain niches, this seems to be more common than others. But I’ve also found clients charging rates this high are more demanding and tend to want you to do a lot more in terms of outlines and revisions.

So in terms of hours worked, it may end up about the same as working for 5 or 6 cents per word.

At the end of the day, you may need to make a decision between whether you want consistent work for a lower rate, or less consistent work that you can charge higher rates for.

Conclusion

When you’re starting out as a content writer, I would embrace the fact that you’re going to be working for low rates for a while.

You want to take on any work that you can get in the first few months, just to get some experience and examples of your work under your belt.

After six months or so, you should be able to consistently charge 2 or 3 cents per word. And after a year or so, I would try to raise your rate up to 5 cents per word or higher with new clients.