How Much Does Freelance Writing Pay?

If you're thinking about becoming a freelance writer, I think you'll find this information interesting.

I'm thinking about offering up my services as a freelance writer for websites and social media sites. This got me to thinking about how much I should charge. I have a creative communications and journalism background and have experience working in public relations and marketing. I believe I can be considered to have been a writer about two years, although I think I've been a writer most of my life.

After doing some research, I found that the answer to this question varies.

• You can charge by the hour, just a flat rate. A nice starting rate for this is $12 an hour. This is actually a really good rate.
• You can charge a paragraph rate. This can become somewhat lucrative, unless there's a limit to how many times you can write/post. A good starting rate for this is about $5 a paragraph.
• You can charge per word. If you want to charge this way, an average pay is about .01 per word, sometimes a bit better. However, some places only pay .005 per word. If you're a fast writer you can make a decent amount this way. This rate can go up as you work longer.

If you're or have been a freelance writer, please offer up your advice or how you've been compensated in the past. Let us know how it has worked for you.