Raising Rates Without Raising Ire

Freelancing is a tough gig – on your own, no security, no safety net. But it’s also a reality for more and more journalists. Getting in is hard, getting a few good clients is hard, but once you do, how do you keep growing your revenues?

Over at FreelanceSwitch, James Clear has three quick tips on how to raise your rates. Your costs are going to climb over time, either due to material and equipment costs or due to your own greedy desire to, you know, make more money.

I’ll ad a 2.b suggestion to Clear’s ideas. By scheduling your rate increases, you can also push some reluctant clients into booking you earlier. It’s mid-August now, when you go to bid on a job tell them that this bid is the current cost, but that on October 1, there will be a (insert prime number here) percentage increase. That gives them a little incentive to book you now and also lets them know that prices are going to go up in a few months.