I have seen a majority of Asian and western clients, asking for writers at ‘affordable rates’. For obvious reasons, rates are a major concern for small and medium start-up business owners running on limited budgets.

Rates are also a concern for ‘middle-man’ agencies and bidders trying to increase their profit margins by hiring cheap writers in a second-level outsourcing model. So, with the writing communities flooded with a shocking influx of new writers, every client demands for writers at ‘affordable rates’.

A Website Landing Page for $5?

Well, “affordable” is a relative term. While some clients consider $25/ 500 Words a great bargain, most of them find a measly $5/500 Words an affordable option. Honestly, I have personally met writers who are willing to work for a shameful $1/500 Words. Question is, are they capable of producing articles that the client can finally use, without having to spend hours on endless reviews and revisions? The dismal outcome from such low value contracts, infuriate clients. And they quickly and conveniently accuse freelancers as “scams”, “unprofessional” and “bull shit”.

Sorry, but you cannot blatantly accuse the freelancing community for the substandard deliveries. Even the most basic Subway sandwich costs more than $5 bucks. And you expect the landing page of your business website to be written for $5 remuneration? The landing page is arguably the most important entry point to the business sales funnel. The content has to be captivating, informative and impactful enough to evoke curiosity. The landing page is what draws organic traffic and triggers customer acquisition. You cannot hire inexperienced writers at dirt-cheap “affordable rates” to do that. If you have high expectations, prepare to pay an honorable rate.

Prove Before you Charge

On the contrary, there are writers who charge obnoxiously high rates. And yes, the world still has humble souls who believe in people. Freelancers mislead these good clients with sky-kissing promises and charge them high rates. Well, shortcuts to success doesn’t last long. The fizz runs out and the harsh reality is soon exposed. Spending $500 for a pile load of crap content isn’t a great feeling. Frankly, I don’t care a cent for such dishonest freelancers. But the irreversible damage such experience does to a client and the freelancing fraternity at large worries me.

As a freelancer, you are entitled to a premium rate only when you manage to showcase certain credibility. Luckily, most freelancing platforms have profile dashboards displaying a consolidated ‘success score’ derived from number of projects completed, hours worked, payments received, ratings, feedbacks and even disputes. Clients should spend a few minutes browsing through the dashboard before offering high-dollar rates.

As a writer, it takes years of perseverance, patience and effort to build up reputation. Likewise, the contracting rates proportionally increase. A great piece of content can strengthen SEO, increase page rank, empower the sales funnel and improve conversion rates. A well-written 200 word Facebook campaign can turn viral and dramatically boost your social footprints. Good writing is a profound skill that has shaped generations and created histories. There’s nothing called “Affordable rates”. You get what you pay for!!