Struggling with Freelance Rates?

Hellooooooo!

How are you? I’ll skip the ‘random fact/take’ with which my newsletters generally start and get straight to the point.

As promised, I sent over a bunch of questions to Asif. If you’re not familiar with him, you should be. He’s a seasoned content marketer and writer who has worked with Neil Patel Digital, Semrush, Tata, and over 100 brands.

He’s been vocal about freelance pricing and strategies, making him the perfect person to tackle beginner freelance questions, especially about pricing (which, let’s be honest, I struggle with too).

1. How much should a freelance writer charge? (Newbie, 2-3 years, 4+ years of experience)

There’s no fixed answer—expectedly.

When I had 2-3 years of experience, I was charging around INR 0.50 per word ($0.0058). With two years of experience. Insane, right?

The problem? I had no market reference. No idea what was "high" or "low." So when I doubled my rates to INR 1, it felt like progress—but in reality, INR 1 was still way too low.

Here’s my take: If you have 2-3 years of experience, don’t charge less than INR 2 per word (for Indian clients). In fact, this should be the bare minimum—even for beginners—provided your content is decent.

Now, let’s be more objective. There’s a rule I learned from Chris Do:

If three clients say “yes” to your current rate without hesitation, you’re undercharging. If two say yes easily, it's time to raise your rates.

This is why the real question isn’t “How much should I charge?” but “Should I charge more from my next client?” The answer? Yes.

2. What’s the average monthly income for freelance writers at different levels?

There’s no industry benchmark I can point to, but here’s a reality check:

If you’re working 8-hour days and still struggling with basic expenses (rent, food, utilities), you’re not charging enough. If ordering from Zomato on weekends makes you second-guess your finances, it’s time to raise your rates.

That said, I know freelancers making INR 20,000 a month. And I know others making INR 4-5 lakhs per month. That’s a massive range.

Bottom line? Find better clients, charge more, and work towards financial comfort.

3. Should freelancers niche down? Which niches pay the most?

A few things:

1. Don’t niche down too early. Experiment. Work across industries. Let expertise build organically rather than forcing a niche before you have real experience.

2. Niching has advantages, but only if done strategically. Simply calling yourself a “finance writer” won’t attract finance clients unless your portfolio, testimonials, and content actually support that claim.

3. The highest-paying niches?

   • Tech usually pays the most.

   • Finance & healthcare do well—if you land the right clients.

   • Lifestyle? The lowest.

4. Should freelancers have a rate card? What should it include?

Yes. Having a pricing document helps avoid underquoting when a client asks, “How much do you charge?”

I’m a fan of tiered pricing, but it has to be simple and easy to understand.

Some ways to use pricing to convert clients:

• Offer tiered options – Basic, Standard, Premium. Helps clients see value.

• Discounts with conditions – Bulk orders, longer TAT, referrals. Always get something in return.

• Create urgency – “I’m booking up fast. Confirm within 48 hours to lock in this rate.”

• Downsell instead of discounting – Reduce the scope, not the price.

• Payment plans for high-ticket work – Splitting payments makes it easier for clients to say yes.

Check out how SaaS companies structure their pricing—they’ve mastered tiered models.

5. How often should we increase our prices?

If you’ve heard three consecutive “yes” responses to your current rate, raise it.

Another simple rule: Increase rates once a year.

With inflation, not increasing your rates means you’re effectively earning less than last year.

6. What’s the difference between a writer charging ₹1 per word and one charging ₹6 per word?

Confidence. That’s where it starts.

7. Per word, per hour, or per project—what’s the best pricing model?

Charging per hour is the worst, in my experience.

Per word and per project both work—except for non-long-form content, where per-word pricing makes no sense.

• Long-form (blogs, ebooks): Per-word or per-project works.

• Short-form (ads, emails, sales pages): Per-project is best.

8. How much should freelance writers charge for different content types?

Think of pricing in terms of impact:

• Immediate revenue impact (sales pages, conversion copy) → Charge more.

• Delayed impact (SEO blogs, thought leadership articles) → Charge slightly less.

I also refer to AWAI’s pricing report as a reference—it’s not a rulebook, but it helps gauge industry standards.

I spoke about it in detail in one of my LinkedIn posts.

9. How do you handle discount requests? Can you negotiate without taking a big loss?

Never take a big loss.

Lowering your rates affects your work quality—you can’t afford to put in the same effort when you’re underpaid.

That said, negotiation is normal.

If a client asks for a discount:

• Adjust the project scope – If they want a lower price, extend the TAT or reduce deliverables.

• Offer alternatives – Bulk discounts, referral incentives, or additional value instead of cutting rates.

Ultimately, standing firm on rates benefits both you and the client.

There you have it!

If you have any more questions, reply to this mail, and if we have enough, we ll do a part 2 of this.

This kind if content is new to me so please let me know if you found this helpful by dropping a like (website version).

As for me,

February came and went in the blink of an eye, so I have lots of work, hope, and expectations for March.

I’ll see you next Friday!

Love,
Nikita