Freelance Content Writer Charges: 5 In-Depth Things You Need To Know

It is no surprise that freelance content writing in the UAE is booming, especially now that most businesses are transitioning to the online world.

Recent research has it that e-commerce sales in the UAE are estimated to increase by approximately 23 percent per year between 2018 and 2022. This means that there are and will be more job opportunities for freelance content writers, and freelance content writer charges will improve.

Knowing everything concerning freelance content writer charges is very important, especially if you are looking to start a freelance content writer career. This is because it will help you identify and establish your own pricing strategy.

This article will be exploring ten things you need to know about freelance content writer charges in the UAE. So let’s get started, shall we?

Job Description: What Do Content Writers Do?

Before knowing anything about freelance content writer charges, it’s essential first of all to know what a content writer does. This is because it will help you craft the perfect job description for your portfolio, which will enhance your brand.

A content writer creates, writes, and edits many types of content for websites and other media kinds. Apart from writing topics clearly and comprehensively, they play a vital role in creating and writing content that drives web sales and traffic. Some of the roles of a content writer include:

• Researching and creating relevant content for blogs, websites, white papers, product descriptions, to mention a few
• Writing content is specially created to capture a particular audience’s attention
• Creating marketing content that promotes a client’s or organization’s products/services
• Managing a client’s email marketing strategy
• Examining written content performance and identify what works and what doesn’t, and where to make the necessary improvements

How Much Do Freelance Content Writers In The UAE Make?

While there are different estimations of a freelance content writer’s average salary in the UAE, your potential earnings depend on a couple of factors. Based on surveys and research, let’s look at varying estimates of how much a freelance content writer makes.

• According to a survey done by indeed, the average monthly salary of a freelance content writer in the UAE is AED 3839.
• According to Payscale, the average annual salary of a content writer in the UAE is approximately AED 59,495.
• According to salary explorer, the average monthly salary of a freelance content writer in Dubai is about AED 19500.

What are the factors that affect a freelance content writer’s charges?

Among the factors that affect freelance content writer charges include:

1. Experience

There are many bloggers out there who have written about how one can become a successful freelance content writer with no experience. While it is true, the experience still plays a vital role in determining how much you can earn in this career. This is because it helps you pitch yourself to potential clients and stand out from other freelance content writers, therefore earning more.

According to salary explorer, the highest monthly salary a freelance content writer in the UAE can earn is approximately AED 9170, the average being AED 19500, and the highest being about AED 30800 based on experience.

According to Payscale:

• A freelance content writer with less than a year of experience can earn an annual salary of about AED 35375
• A freelance content writer with between a year and five years of experience is expected to earn approximately AED 58958 per year
• A freelance content writer in Dubai with between five years and nine years of experience is likely to earn an annual salary of AED 132632.

This simply shows that a freelance content writer with experience will charge more compared to a beginner.

Practice is one of the best ways to get your feet wet, especially if you are a beginner with no content to present to prospective clients. You can create samples, offer to write content for free, to name a few. This helps you get the feeling of creating and delivering content on time and enables you to build your portfolio.

2. Your Personal Brand

How you present yourself to prospective clients out in the market significantly determines whether or not you will get the job and salary of your dreams as a freelance content writer.

Your personal brand shows how experienced, passionate, and professional you are. This sets you apart from other competitors, helps you build trust with clients, and even gets recommended to other clients, leading to more work and more earnings.

However, it’s not any brand that can do all that. Take time and invest in your brand by continually updating your bio with the new skills you have acquired, your expertise and experience, links to your blog, or published articles, to mention a few.

3. Your expertise

As a beginner freelance content writer in the UAE, it can be tempting to take any job that comes your way. Well, the truth is accepting to write for every client can mess up your career. That is why it is crucial to narrow it down to one niche.

Sure, it may force you to reject some prospective clients, but choosing a specific niche and being an expert in that field will offer you new and high-paying jobs. This is because you will market yourself by showing potential clients that you are an expert in that field, therefore get more jobs and increase your earnings.

You’re probably wondering how to identify which niche you specialize in and how to become an expert. Here are some tips that could help you.

• Find out what you are passionate about. There is nothing more enjoyable and rewarding than specializing in a niche you love and are passionate about.
• Research the niche’s market value. How much do clients pay for tasks in this niche? But don’t let the statistics influence your decision. You can easily convince a client to increase the rate, especially if you prove that you are an expert by providing quality content.
• Be in the know. Research and know the past and current trends in that niche, identify and understand the challenges, gaps, and needs of that niche.

4. Time management

Although being a freelance content writer means being your own boss, how you manage your time can have a significant impact on your charges and potential income.

So, it is vital to plan how you will spend your day and the amount of time spent on different tasks like pitching, writing, to mention a few.

This will enable you to spend adequate time to work on tasks and deliver top-notch quality work, enabling you to enhance your reputation, receive more work from clients, and confidently raise your freelance content writer charges.

5. How complex the task is

As a freelance content writer in the UAE, you can also increase your charges based on how sophisticated a task is. However, it is crucial to understand that you will be increasing the rates based on the efforts you have put into that job in terms of research and not based on how long you have taken to complete the assignment. This is because you can take all the time you want to complete a task but not meet the client’s expectations, so you have to make sure that you deliver more than what they expect.

 What are the types of freelance content writing charging rates?

Normally, there are five ways in which freelance content writers in the UAE charge clients:

• Rate per hour
• Rate per word
• Rate per project
• Rate for ongoing tasks
• Rate per page

Let’s go ahead and explore each of these methods, shall we?

1. How much should a freelance content writer in the UAE charge per hour?

Although it is not common, technical, business, and marketing clients are more likely to pay per hour because they require a lot of content. However, you can adopt this method of charging regardless of your niche. According to Salary Explorer, a freelance content writer in Dubai is likely to earn AED 110 per hour.

The good thing about this type of charging is that you can easily identify and achieve your income goals. You can do so by setting your salary goal either per week or per month, then identifying how many hours you would have to work to achieve that goal, and then calculate your hourly rate. However, this requires you to have time management skills, be fast, and deliver high-quality content.

However, the downside of this type of charging is that clients may feel that you are overcharging them and may need a clear and detailed explanation of how much time you spend writing content. If you are not fast enough and unable to meet the client’s expectations, you may not get more work and good pay.

2. How much should a freelance content writer in the UAE charge per word?

This is actually the best charging method, especially if you are a beginner. Since you may not have an attractive portfolio, charging per word may convince prospective clients that they pay for your performance.

It is also an ideal method compared to the rate per hour, especially if you deal with a client who does not realize or understand the true value of a freelancer’s time. Also, you can still earn as much as you would if you charge per hour, simply by identifying how many words you can write in an hour and then base your rate on that.

According to most experts, this type of charging can be very rewarding, especially if you have specialized in one niche. Many publications like newspapers and magazines pay well per word, provided you deliver quality work. So, the more of an expert you are in your niche, the more you are likely to earn.

Of course, this method also has its disadvantages. For starters, you may end up being underpaid. This is because you may charge the same for a simple task and a complex one that needs you to do a lot of research. That is why you should have flexible per-word rates that can change depending on the task’s complexity.

You may also focus too much on writing many words and end up not delivering quality work, which may lead to clients rethink re-hiring you.

3. How much should a freelance content writer in the UAE charge per project?

Another standard charging method among freelancers is the pay-per-project method, also known as the flat fee. This is basically providing the client with the entire cost before beginning a task.

This can earn you lucrative earnings once you analyze and identify how much time it will take you to create content, then come up with a flat fee that will earn you just as much or even more than the hourly rate. However, you better be fast and efficient to achieve this.

It is also an ideal charging option, especially if you are dealing with different clients who require different content types. By charging per project, you will ensure that you are paid for what you worked for.

It is also an excellent charging method, especially for clients who think the hourly rate is too high.

However, it can be a hassle to figure out the right flat fee, especially if you are a beginner. Also, spending more time than expected working on a project may be a disadvantage, especially if the client is unwilling to increase the pay.

4. How much should a freelance content writer in the UAE charge for ongoing tasks? (Retainer fee)

A retainer fee is basically a contractual agreement between a freelance content writer and a client, stating that the content writer will be paid a monthly flat fee for the number of hours they have worked during that month. It’s important to note the difference between the per-project method and the retainer fee method.

While the per-project charging method means you will be paid once you complete a task, the retainer fee means you will be paid for work done in a month or even a week.

Most freelance content writers in the UAE swear by this charging method for a couple of reasons. For starters, it is reliable. According to most freelance content writers, this charging method is the closest you can get to a reliable income and regular work while still being your boss. This means you are guaranteed to receive your paycheck and a constant flow of work while still working in the comfort of your home.

Another advantage is that this charging method helps you get and keep premium clients. The truth is, entering a retainer agreement requires a lot of trust from both parties. While you are guaranteed to receive your payment, clients also need to be convinced that you are an expert and that you will deliver beyond their expectations for them to continue giving you work. This means that you will be working for a smaller group of high-paying clients and achieve your income goals quicker and easier.

However, since you and your client have signed a contract, the client might assume that they control you. This may lead to conflicts, especially if you do not meet their deadlines, which change from time to time, and if you are not at their beck and call. So it’s essential to set some boundaries from the get-go.

5. How much should a freelance content writer in the UAE charge per page?

This method of charging mainly applies to long projects like manuals and ebooks. Like all the other charging methods we have explored, it is essential to analyze and calculate the appropriate rate to avoid being undercharged or overcharge a client. This could be based on the amount of time you spend working on the project, how complex the job is, to mention a few. But it’s important to remember to show the potential client that you know what you are doing for them to accept your rates.

Tips to help you determine the appropriate charging method

1. Set a clear and realistic income goal

Before you decide which type of freelance content writing rate is ideal for you, you have to set an income goal first. How much money do you want to make by the end of the week or month? This will help you calculate how much you should make in an hour and then use it to set the perfect rate. It’s important to keep in mind that you do not necessarily have to charge per hour. You can use any of the other charging methods, as long as you know how much you will earn on a particular project, based on your rate, then know how fast you can work to achieve your income goal.

2. Manage your time well.

This plays a key role in your success as a freelance content writer in the UAE. Of course, part of having good time management skills is planning how you will spend your time. When planning a time schedule, most freelance content writers only consider the time they will spend writing the task. However, it would help if you also considered the time you would spend on researching, editing, and revising the assignment. This will help you know how to charge the client and how fast you will work on projects in a single day to achieve your income goals.

It is also important to learn how to allocate less time to non-billable tasks like invoicing, emailing, following up on a client, pitching to name a few. This will help you know how much more work you can handle depending on your income goals and then set your charging rates. It also helps you spend enough time working on projects and deliver top-notch quality work to keep clients coming back.

3. Always strive to deliver quality work

We have seen how delivering quality work gives you an edge over other freelance content writers and allows you to raise your rates accordingly.

Of course, this depends on factors like your experience and expertise. So having more experience and being an expert in a particular niche can enhance your appeal to prospective clients even if you charge a little more because they are willing to invest in a writer who knows what they are doing.

Conclusion

It is important to know the vital things when it comes to freelance content writer charges. This is because they will help you identify and establish the ideal pricing strategy that will enhance your success as a freelance content writer in the UAE.

Lastly, if you are a writer and looking for avenues to get writing gigs, there are several marketplaces online for you.

from Bawabba Blog https://blog.bawabba.com/freelance-content-writer/freelance-content-writer-charges-5-in-depth-things-you-need-to-know/