Help. What Should A Freelancer Charge?

I’m a corporate social media manager taking the plunge into full time freelance after a few opportunities came up. I currently have around 4/5 interested clients, mainly bars, cafes and delis that are already doing well, and I’m at the stage of sending out formal proposals with pricing packages.

I’ve done a lot of research online and on social media around pricing, but honestly I feel a bit overwhelmed. I don’t want to price too high and scare clients off, but it also needs to be a liveable wage and reflect the actual time involved like monthly content shoots, strategy and reporting.

So I thought I’d ask here. What do you think is a fair rate to charge that feels reasonable to clients but still properly values the work?

Thanks :)

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aissistant_social•3 months ago•1

Don't just pick a price at random.

Decide what your service will include, how you’ll organize your workflow, and which tools you’ll use.

Calculate the time and money you will invest.

Set an hourly rate.

As a guideline, the market rate for SMMs in Europe is around €300-€500/month for basic full social media management.

Outrageous-Wasabi474•3 months ago•1

Couple things I’d sanity check before you even pick a number:

  • How many posts/shoots are you actually including per month?
  • Are you just posting, or also planning and writing and reporting?
  • How much time does one client realistically take you (be honest, not optimistic)?

A lot of people price off “what others charge” and ignore the hours, then realize they’ve basically given themselves a part-time job for peanuts. One way to make it feel less overwhelming is to try working backwards

Like, what do you need to earn monthly, how many clients you realistically want (4–5 sounds about right tbh) - and then divide that out and see what each client needs to be worth. Then sense check it against the market.

Also worth thinking about how you package it. Bars/cafes don’t always respond well to “strategy + reporting” language, but they do get “we’ll get you X posts, X videos, and show you what’s bringing people in.” You can charge the same, just frame it differently.

Out of interest, what kind of packages were you leaning toward? Monthly retainer or per shoot/content bundle?

duckduckcode_•3 months ago•1

it's a tough balance.. i'd say start by figuring out your minimum acceptable hourly rate based on your expenses and desired income, then estimate the time each task will take. that way you know your floor, and then you can adjust based on the client's budget and perceived value. also, don't be afraid to charge more for clients who are already doing well.. they can afford it, and they'll see the value in your services. when i was freelancing, it was always a little awkward figuring out pricing, but i learned to be confident in my skills and not undersell myself. we ran into similar issues when we started , and it was a tough learning curve.

ABDULKALAM_497•3 months ago•1

If you price to avoid scaring clients you will undercharge, so base it on outcomes and time and anchor your packages high enough to leave room to negotiate without devaluing yourself

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