Whether you want to start a new career in writing or you are looking for professional help, you are probably most interested in how much do freelance blog writers make. It is a complicated question and the short answer is “it depends”. Of course, it is not the kind of information you’ve come here for. So let’s have a closer look at the rates, annual income, and the factors that influence them. 

Factors Freelance Writer Rates Depend On 

Freelance is on the rise, as there are many benefits of being self-employed. First of all, let’s define how do freelance writers make money. There are three main ways they charge for services: 

• By words; 
• Per hour; 
• Flat rate by the project. 

There are little to no writers that have a steady salary that applies to any order. The main factors that influence how much do freelance blog writers make are: 

• Writer’s experience; 
• Type of writing; 
• The complexity of work; 
• Geographical location.

The first one is easy – the more experienced the professional is, the higher the price. Experience is measured in years and, of course, successfully finished projects. It doesn’t always mean specific education, as the majority of all freelancers in the USA do not have a college degree. How much money can freelance writers make depends on their level of expertise. 

The rate depends on the type of writing, such as copywriting, content creation, a technical or financial one, medical or educational. These are not all categories, but they reflect quite different costs both for providers and clients. One can buy reaction paper or a blog post for different prices. Usually, technical or medical writing is much more expensive as it requires a lot of knowledge and research. Copywriting and creation of SEO optimized texts are better paid than usual content as it is designed with a clear marketing purpose. 

The complexity of work influences the time it will take to finish. Professionals need to charge not only for writing time. It also takes some time to do research, edit the text, create graphs, or find royalty-free visuals. How much do freelance writers make per hour depends also on the level of their skill. Two professionals can charge the same amount of money per article, but one will finish it in one hour and the second one in three hours. As a result, the same rates do not mean the same income.

How Much Do Freelance Writers Make a Year: Statistic

Now let’s look at some statistics provided by reliable sources. As for May 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics defines the average annual salary for writers and authors as $63,200. The average hourly rate is $30.39 according to the same source. 

The lowest annual salary by BLS is $33,600 and the highest is $122,400. 

 How much do freelance blog writers make according to Payscale and Glassdoor? Glassdoor offers a $52,807 average annual salary for professional writers. PayScale defines the average rates for professionals with blogging skills as $24.07 per hour. 

So even comparing these three sources we can see distinctive fluctuation. How much do freelance blog writers make depends on their skills, experience, marketing, clients, and geographical location. 

If you want to start working in this field, you need to estimate your own rates. Base them on the factors named above. Also, when calculating the amount of money you want to charge per hour, consider the time you spend on taxes, communication, marketing, and search for new projects. These hours will also influence income as you do not directly earn anything during this time. Of course, as a freelancer you can save a lot on gas and other disbursements, but medical care and taxes are still on the table. 

Writing for a blog is not the most paid for job amount authors. However, it is exciting and challenging in a good way. And one can make more money by starting and monetizing their own blog while working for others. 

In Summary 

The question about how much do freelance writers make is impossible to answer in just one number. There are no industry standards on rates and the prices hugely vary. The main influencing factors are the level of experience, location, and type of project. The specialists can charge from $0.1-$1.00 per word. And there is no actual bar; it is up to one’s offer and professionalism.