Expert vs. Entry Level Freelancers: When to Work with an Expert
When I began freelancing, my rate was $20/hour. That’s the rate I consider worth my time and expertise: I was new to freelance writing, and had yet to work with long-term clients. I was still honing my skills, building my portfolio, and I was freelancing on the side when I wasn’t doing my assistant work.
Now, my rates are $350/hour and I’m a full-time writer. That rate is more than worth my five years of experience as a freelance writer. In that time I:
Wrote my first episode of produced TV for CONDOR, season two (MGM/Skydance/Epix).
Took Google SEO courses and used my knowledge to get this blog ranked on the first page of Google for my target keywords of “memoir ghostwriter.”
Became a six-figure freelancer and established a proven track record of success with my clients.
Created and scaled my own businesses using my content marketing skills and knowledge.
Honed my own artistic and storytelling skills with my scripted podcasts at Kingdom of Pavement.
Ran countless “in the field” experiments to hone my street smarts when it comes to my areas of interest in digital marketing and branding.
Cemented my knowledge by teaching and mentoring other writers.
Traveled the world, working remotely and improving my skills while experiencing the richness of other cultures.
It’s been a wild ride, hasn’t it? 🙂
The Real Cost of Entry-Level Freelancers — From Experience
I hire freelancers all the time, both for my own businesses as well as for complex projects I work on for clients. I’ve lost quite a bit of money on “cheap” freelancers who ended up creating costly messes over the course of months. The opportunity cost and sunken financial cost was far more than the rates expert freelancers had quoted us for those projects we thought were “too high” when we started.
This was especially poignant for all of the creative producing I’ve done at my podcast company Kingdom of Pavement. I learned fast that even when we paid entry-level freelancers more as an incentive to learn more quickly, we still had the same results: lots of mistakes and sloppy work that halted production numerous times.
There are exceptions to this rule, though. If you have a rote, volume-heavy job that needs a human touch — i.e., writing 1,000 product descriptions for Amazon — then an entry-level freelancer can help you do a lot of heavy lifting. However, newer freelancers — or those who don’t value their time and have to overcommit to projects to pay bills — are more likely to miss smaller details.
The freelancers I’ve spent serious money on are the ones who have actually moved the needle on my business. Take the example of this website: Gertrude and her team at Design Kick created the hell out of this beautiful space I call my website, and all of the changes she made to optimize my site pushed it to the front page of Google on several major keywords. I’ve also won jobs because of all of my new branding, and I’ve already seen my investment in the new design pay-off tenfold.
The adage you get what you pay for rings true across all parts of this equation, so don’t skimp on opportunities to invest in your own success.
When to Work with an Expert Freelance Writer
When I’m on discovery calls with new clients, I steer them to other freelancers when it’s clear they need to work with a more junior writer for their project. It’s not always a good time to work with an expert, and if you’re a Mom-and-Pop shop with $400 to spend on web copy, you may need to work with someone with less experience so you can get off the ground under a reasonable budget.
However, if you’re launching a complex, risky endeavor — like writing a memoir or launching a startup! — you don’t have time or money to waste. Even if you’re bootstrapping, you need to identify the holes in your knowledge and hire accordingly. And not just hire, but hire well.
Here’s why: for every hour of work I complete, I’m not only bringing my expertise as a storyteller. I’m also adding a new perspective and insight to your project or company that only a freelancer, TV writer, and entrepreneur with my hard-won experience could.
Think about it this way: if you’re hiring a plumber to fix a leak in your sink that’s been flooding your kitchen, you want the job done right the first time. Not only that, but you want the plumber who will look beyond the leak and tell you that your garbage disposal hose was improperly installed by the last person you tried to hire. Their expertise not only stopped the leak, but also diagnosed a new issue you weren’t aware of.
Often, startups that come to me to help them redo their copy and brand story are dealing with the same leak they’ve tried to fix with other hires. But they’re losing potential customers, not water. And their company will sink if they’re not careful.
I’m able to not only diagnose what’s wrong with their copy and find a fix, but I’m also able to apply my skills to illuminate deeper issues that would have just waited silently in the dark to kill their startup when the time was right.
What Does it Cost to Hire an Expert Freelance Writer?
As I mentioned earlier, my rates are $350/hour. As you can tell from my Upwork profile, I’ve got the track record to back up what I’m charging. I’m a Top Rated Plus freelancer, meaning I’m in the top 3% of freelancers on Upwork, and I’ve got rave reviews from past clients. When you work with me, you’re paying for the peace of mind knowing your project will be done right, and I’ll save you the time of working with writers who just don’t get it. (And one of the priceless things we can never get back in this life? Time.)
That’s not to say you can’t find value at different prices: it all depends on what type of writer you’re looking for, and how much experience you want them to have. If you’re not looking for a storyteller with hands-on experience in content creation and digital marketing, then I might not be your gal. And that’s okay! There’s plenty of fish in the proverbial sea.
If you are looking to work with me, let’s talk! I’m fairly picky with what I take on, but if I’m not the right fit for you I’d be happy to send you towards a writing solution that’s a better fit for you.
Want to hire me as a freelance copywriter/storyteller for your project? Check out my website here. Want to read more of my resources for clients and founders? Check out my blog category here.
