Is Unit Price Everything for Freelance Writers!?

This is KOMIYAMA from Hakata.

When you're working as a freelance writer, don't you find yourself slurping ramen late at night, wondering, 'How can I make more money?'

I started as a side hustle, but once you're doing it full-time, the word 'revenue' never leaves your head.

Today, I'd like to explain how to build a system to scale that 'revenue,' focusing specifically on 'unit price'.
(Please note that while I'm talking like I'm some big shot, I'm not actually earning that much.)

The Revenue Equation

Revenue = Number of Clients × Number of Projects × Unit Price

This is simple, but the reality is quite tough.

※Please refer to the many detailed articles available regarding AI.

So, this time, I'm going all-in on talking about 'increasing unit price.' Be prepared.

What 'Unit Price' Are We Talking About?

Even when we talk about increasing unit price, the angle from which people view 'unit price' differs.
Let's start with that for a moment.

What unit price are you looking at??
・Project unit price?
・Per-character rate?
・Hourly rate?

I prioritize the 'hourly rate'.

No matter how high the per-character rate is, if research and preparation take a lot of time, the story changes.

However, to increase your unit price, you also need to step into new fields.
But doing so creates an unavoidable dilemma where your immediate unit price drops.

That's why I first divide my total revenue by the time spent, including both preparation and writing.

I look at that unit price strictly. I glare at it with a sharp gaze. I chant like a curse, 'Go up, go up.'

Jokes aside, you also need to set aside room for challenges, or your growth will stop, so I look at the average unit price as a whole.

Then, I take on projects while making it a KPI to gradually raise the overall average.

Then, strangely enough, if you keep at it for a long time, the unit price naturally settles into a '2:6:2' balance.

High unit price 2: Medium unit price 6: Low unit price 2... something like that.

It's strange, but almost everyone converges to this ratio.

That's why I think it's important to take on challenges to raise the unit price from both the top and the bottom.

Three Mechanisms to Increase Your Unit Price

From here on, I will introduce three unit-price-boosting strategies that I know (or have already implemented).

1️⃣ Use the weak yen as a weapon to enter overseas crowdsourcing

I haven't tried this myself yet, but a senior writer told me, 'Now is the time for overseas.' There are sites called 'Upwork' and 'Fiverr'.

The number of overseas crowdsourcing sites is also increasing rapidly.

And if you land projects denominated in dollars or euros, your hourly rate in Japanese yen will skyrocket given the current weak yen.

By the way, it seems there is currently a rough pay gap like this between Japan and the US.

If you use AI, you can handle communication in English to a certain extent, so maybe there's no reason to stick only to the domestic market anymore?

However, I'm a bit scared because I don't really understand the tax implications. I'm currently researching it because I think it's better to look into it thoroughly. I plan to challenge myself soon and write a 'tried it out' article on Note.

2️⃣ Dive-in sales for your specialty genres

If you have a specialty area or expert genre, it's a waste to just wait on project sites! Search for niche media yourself and directly pitch them, 'I can write articles!!'. You'd be surprised how often you get a reply through the contact form, so don't be afraid to charge in. I used this method to get a SaaS media project with a rate of 5 yen per character, and I'm still working with them continuously.

With direct sales, it might be easier to build a relationship of trust and lead to recurring projects.

3️⃣ Prepare your portfolio in categorized patterns

A freelance writer without a portfolio is like ramen without green onions.

You absolutely must make one. It's powerful to have it divided into three or more types based on project patterns, such as specialty genre, inexperienced genre, or a mix version.

The trick is to be conscious of the keywords you include and pack in as many as possible, even if you think, 'Is this a bit too much?'

Companies that are seriously struggling with a shortage of writers will surprisingly pick up on words related to your experience or hobbies, and they'll start imagining, 'Oh... if they have this experience, maybe they can handle our project!'

Just scatter those 'keywords' around. It won't hurt you, so it might be a case of 'the early bird gets the worm'.

Unit price increases should be a mechanism, not a coincidence

If you just 'happen to land a high-paying project,' you'll never be stable. It's about how to create reproducibility as a mechanism. Of course, for the adventurer type, choosing to enjoy the turmoil while intentionally dealing with fluctuating rates and thinking, 'I barely made it through this month too... hehehe (smirk),' is also an option.

However, if you want to increase your sense of stability even a little, you should try various ways to increase your unit price from different angles.