The main difference between a Fiverr freelancer who writes $5-dollar articles and an independent freelancer who charges $100 for an article is how much you value your skills and talents.

If you believe in yourself and how good you are as a writer, your expertise in a field, and your experience, you will always put more value in your services.

Of course, you can start charging ridiculous prices from the beginning. You need to work for it. You need to accumulate that experience and skill before you can demand value.

First, let’s address one of the most common questions I get—Should you charge by the hour or have a fixed price?

The answer is simple. If you’re a copywriter who does work like writing copy for websites, products, and ad campaigns, then you should charge by the hour.

That type of work requires more thinking and less writing, so it makes sense for you to charge for the time you spend on that project.

However, if you’re an article writer like me, you should have a fixed rate. Or charge by the project.

You can either have a fixed price per word. Or you can directly have a price per article.

For example, if the client doesn’t have a minimum word count requirement, you can say that you charge 0.5 cents per word.

If the client asks you to write 1,000-word articles, you can have a fixed price per article, like $100.

If you’re working on a big project like an eBook, you can charge by the project. Calculate how much work you have to put in to finish the entire book and then ask for a flat rate.

To come up with the right rate for your services, you need to consider what the job requires. It’s totally okay to price services according to each job.

Writing different types of articles will require different levels of research and effort. You should also be mindful of the scope and complexity of each project.

Think about how much research will you have to do for the project. Will you have to read books, take courses to improve your skills, or do lots of revisions for the project?

Take all these factors into consideration when you price your services.

You should not come up with prices on your own. That’s a surefire way to send away clients.

Go and research the freelance market to see what other writers are charging for jobs similar to what you do.

Browsing reputable freelance job boards like ProBlogger Jobs is a good way to figure out the best rates for writing services. Most of the job postings on the site will mention the rates the clients are offering for each project.

Or you can always reach out to another freelance writer and ask them. Or join a group on Facebook and ask for advice. You can even post a poll on Reddit to see what others are charging.

Of course, no matter what price you come up with, most clients will ask for a discount. Or they will try to give a lowball offer for the project. This is something you will have to anticipate. There are two ways to handle this.

The first method is to ask for a slightly higher price than your actual price. When the clients ask for a discount, give them your actual price.

The second method is to stick to your price, no matter what. But kindly and patiently explain to the client why you are worth the price.