I have been trying to write an article like this for a long long long long long time now, but I have not been able to find the information until now. I have been looking for hourly rates for freelance writers, when I should have been looking for rates for content developers. The jobs are the same, but the keywords are totally different. If that doesn’t show you the importance of using keywords, I don’t know what will.
Without further delay, I now present you with some wage statistics for freelance writers, which should show you what you are supposed to make by the hour if you work in this career.
Hourly Rates by Years of Experience
As you gain experience, clients are more likely to hire you because they know you know what you are doing. My highest paying client at the moment actually found me because of my experience online. I didn’t have to apply for the job at all. You may experience the same if you stick with this profession long enough. Common hourly rates by years of experience include:
- Less than 1 year of experience: $8.21 – $16.11 per year
- 1-4 years of experience: $9.89 – $20.65 per year
- 5-9 years of experience: $10.07 – $48.94 per year
- 10-19 years of experience: $9.90 – $44.38 per year
- 20 years or more of experience: $34.39 – $51.39 per year
Hourly Rates by Industry
There are many sectors of the job market that you can work in as a freelance writer. These sectors all have different needs and different pay rates. If you know a lot about one industry in particular, you may make an effort to work in it. That could lead to the best pay for you overall. Common hourly rates by industry include:
- Internet and New Media: $10.28 – $19.65 per year
- Marketing Communications: $15.00 – $70.00 per year
- Marketing, Advertising & Media Management: $10.78 – $24.57 per year
- Retail/Wholesale Distribution: $13.11 – $15.77 per year
- Web Development: $12.28 – $15.57 per year
Hourly Rates by Employer Type
Most freelance writers work for themselves, but some find employers to work under full-time. If you have been debating about what you should do, you might want to learn about the pay you could get with each option. Common hourly rates by employer include:
- Company: $9.91 – $25.13 per year
- Self-Employed: $9.70 – $51.95 per year
- Contract: $12.21 – $34.82 per year
- Private Practice/Firm: $12.37 – $29.75 per year
Hourly Rates by Specialty
What can you do with an English degree? Make more money as a freelance writer. Indeed, there are many specialties in freelance writing that are best suited for English degree grads, so you may want to think about getting an education before you jump into this career full-time. Common hourly rates by specialty include:
- Technical Writing: $10.68 – $17.48 per year
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): $10.74 – $22.50 per year
- Press Releases: $10.52 – $15.65 per year
- Proofreading: $11.23 – $18.98 per year
- Copywriting : $14.34 – $19.22 per year
Well, there you have it folks. You now know what you should be making based on your work as a freelance writer. Compare the rates above to whatever you are getting paid now, and hopefully you will end up on top.
To put it simply, technical writers create documents for the web and for print that target a specific audience, subject, and level of understanding. Their writing is not generic. It focuses on a certain topic of interest, like 