When you shop for a book, an article of clothing, or a car, you know exactly what you’ll pay before you order the product. The retailer displays the price clearly on the website or on the store shelf so you can evaluate both quality and price before you buy. With freelance writers, however, it’s not always a given that prices are stated up front. There are reasons both for and against publishing your rates in advance. What do you need to consider to make this decision?

Setting Your Freelance Writing Rates

Before you can decide whether to make your rates public, you’ll need to determine how you’ll structure your pricing. Copywriter Brian Scott outlines two separate ways to establish your freelance writing rates: by the project or by the word. You can also charge by the hour, though that pricing structure is less common among writers.

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Deciding on your freelance writing rates might help you address the issue of transparency. If you issue per-word rates, you can publish a strict pricing schedule. Charging by the project, however, might involve more complex variables.

The Case for Publishing Your Rates

Scott recommends letting potential customers know what you charge right off the bat. He suggests creating a page on your website where you list your per-word or per-project rates for different types of jobs. For instance, you might have a different rate when you write press releases than when you write product descriptions.

When you publish your rates publicly, your potential clients know exactly what to expect when they call or email to initiate a project. You don’t have to waste time issuing a custom quote because you’ve made your expectations clear.

Not only does this allow you to qualify your leads in advance — if customers know they can’t pay your rates, they won’t bother to get in touch — but it also eliminates the need to discuss pricing in person or over the phone. You can jump right to work with everyone on the same page.

The Case for Keeping Your Rates Concealed

There’s another side of this coin, however, that might make you decide to keep your rates concealed until a potential customer contacts you for a custom quote. If you don’t publish your rates, you can issue estimates based on the customer’s specific needs.

For instance, you might charge less for a blog post that requires minimal research and time investment, but increase your rates for in-depth research or stringent requirements. It can be difficult to quantify these qualities in a strict pricing schedule, so offering custom quotes allows you to command the rates you need based on your time and energy investment.

Additionally, Jodee Redmond of Freelance Writing Gigs asserts that keeping your prices off your website will allow you to attract business by your personality, expertise, writing samples, and other qualities rather than just your price. Redmond opines that this strategy is ideal for freelance writers who want to work for major corporations.

And if you’re just starting out and building your portfolio, you may want to price your work so that you can attract specific projects that will solidify your standing in the marketplace.

There is no right or wrong answer to the issue of transparency in freelance writer rates. Choose the solution that fits your business model and personal preferences.

In discussions about freelancing, jobs like “writer, “designer” and “coder” get thrown around a lot more than most other positions. However, just about any professional can do his or her job remotely. Freelance engineers, for instance, can work for companies on the other side of the globe.

Product and Model Design

Much of today’s product and model design takes place digitally. The engineer creates a three-dimensional model using a CAD (computer-aided design) program and ships it off to his or her supervisors for evaluation and approval. While this system works perfectly well in-house, it also translates to freelance and remote-working positions.

Freelance engineers can create CAD designs and models for companies whose offices they never step foot in. Developing a good reputation for this type of work can lead to lucrative and high-profile contract opportunities, especially if the business grows in scale or reputation as a result of your hard work.

Developmental Research

If you’re a freelance engineer, you might also look for projects that allow you to research and develop custom ideas. You might conduct research into new technologies, such as 3D printing, as they relate to the employer’s needs. Your findings will fuel future developments in the industry and guide the employer’s future products and services.

Developmental research positions can range from prototyping to information gathering. If you excel at the research function, for instance, you can offer to conduct investigations into proof-of-concept issues that your employers might face. Alternatively, you can focus your efforts on the developmental phase, helping employers solve problems and find solutions that they encounter in the lab or the shop.

Software Engineering

Software engineers can find high-paying jobs through telecommuting websites and platforms. You might develop mobile applications for businesses or create new software programs for the B2B or B2C spaces. In some cases, firms need software engineers who can collaborate long-distance without ever meeting in person. They save money on personnel expenses and you gain new job opportunities.

Alternatively, you could take web development work if you’re a software engineer. Work with your employer to find new website and social media solutions, depending on the business’s needs.

Technical Support

No matter your engineering specialty or education, you can find a technical support position that fits it. As a technical support agent or representative, you’ll help people resolve problems from a remote location. You’ll walk them through the steps they need to take to accomplish a goal or reverse an issue that is preventing them from doing their jobs.

Engineers are particularly well-suited for technical support because this position requires advanced technical skills and a meticulous mind. Your tendencies toward meticulousness and attention to detail will serve you well as a freelance engineer.

It’s Saturday, September 26th. It’s a long weekend. There’s a highly popular noontime TV program on the air. And a lingering typhoon is posing a threat nearby. Nonetheless, over 200 freelancers, digital marketers, developers, and entrepreneurs from all over Metro Cebu ignored these obstacles and converged at the Quest Hotel and Convention Center to participate in the Payoneer Forum in Cebu. This was the first big Payoneer event in the Philippines outside of Manila. The huge turnout demonstrated that there is a large group of online professionals in other parts of the Philippines who are in need of a reliable, safe, cost-effective, and convenient payment service provider. This forum was the perfect venue for Payoneer to connect with these professionals and to present solutions for their needs.

Contributing to the event’s big success were the speakers invited to share their experiences and expertise with the audience who were able to take away a wealth of information, regardless of their experience or skills. The guest speakers included:

1. Ruben Licera, Jr., award-winning blogger, social media advocate, and Managing Director of RLCOMM International. Ruben shared with the audience the “Secrets to a Successful and Sustainable Freelancing Life.”

2. Gay Dumaguing, a multi-talented SEO specialist, social media manager, and active blogger in ExoticPhilippines.info, BloggersTech.com, and MediaWirePH.com. She discussed with the audience how “Blogging Can Boost One’s Career.”

3. Rinewalt Del Corro, freelance designer, developer and Co-Moderator of Cebu Upwork Freelancers. Rinewalt shared his experiences of skyrocketing his career “From Freelancer to Start-Up.”

4.  Fleire Castro, Principal Consultant of Third Team Media, a Cebu-based start-up social media and digital agency, who described how to create “Brand Love Through Social Media.”

The highly receptive audience actively engaged in tweeting and posting about the event, with many participants sharing that they learned a lot from the panel of guest speakers. As holding company events in Cebu is fairly rare, it was wonderful for Payoneer to join this meetup which brought together so many freelancers and other professionals. In the event raffle, one lucky participant won a brand new iPad Mini 3. During the event, many participants eagerly lined up at the online kiosks to register for a Payoneer account. Many more are already asking when the next Cebu forum will be held!

Payoneer has certainly been gaining ground in the Philippines since it started organizing different events, initiatives, and partnerships with the active participation of various local and national groups and communities. More importantly, the Payoneer Forum has helped empower individuals, companies, and communities to be successful, proving that anybody can be a winner when we work hand in hand.

I recently posted about an update to the Request A Payment service, which allows professionals and small businesses around the world to receive bank transfers from international companies. You can easily request a payment to any company you are working with and the payer can easily send a payment via credit card or their local bank. These recent updates have greatly improved global commerce by eliminating the obstacles of doing business internationally.

One of the first Payoneer account holders to take advantage of the new  Payment Request service is Rifat, an affiliate marketer and consultant from Bangladesh. Beginning his career as an affiliate marketer, Rifat now spends the majority of his time helping other affiliate marketers set up their own campaigns and earn lifetime commissions on their sales. Rifat runs a successful Facebook group with over 40,000 members where he posts free training videos and tips on how to succeed in affiliate marketing.  You can also check out his personal blog for more tips and tricks.

As an active Payoneer account holder himself, Rifat had some great tips on how to leverage Payoneer’s global payment solutions to work online, get paid, and increase profits.

How did you hear about Payoneer?

I signed up with Payoneer back in 2009 to withdraw funds from oDesk.  Now I’m using the US payment service to run my business and to manage clients in a more prestigious way. I decided on Payoneer as it was the fastest and simplest way to get paid. It allows me to get paid at the lowest rate out there (only 1%) and it is FREE for clients to pay me. Also it allows me to purchase things online using the Payoneer card.

What benefits has the US Payment Request service provided you?

My business image has truly improved.  I can now offer them my US bank details, which is far better and comfortable to my buyers, and for me it’s only 1% fee with no limits.  It’s just the BEST & Cheapest way to get paid from companies and a very enjoyable process for me.

Has it changed or improved your ability to work online?

Yes, it increased my earnings by 9% without doing anything.  The US bank transfer is free for my clients and some clients started paying me the extra 10% which they were been charged to pay me at freelance marketplaces.  Now I am working in a corporate manner, with large companies and they are paying me to my bank account weekly, just as they would with local workers. It brought a lot ease on the business and a complete professionalism. 

What tips can you provide to others looking to work and get paid online?

I’d suggest working with US clients and start taking the “long term business concept” seriously. I see tons of guys continuously searching for new jobs everyday on several online marketplaces, where they already have a job running! To them – Stop looking for new clients and start caring for your current clients to build a long term business relationship. If you start doing this today – you won’t have to search for new jobs everyday as you’ll be able to grow a strong client base who will keep you overloaded with work 24×7.

And about get paid online – I’d honestly suggest using Payoneer’s new “US Payment Request” service. I’ve been using this for a while now, and it is completely amazing! Clients get a strong impression about me when I give them my “Bank of America” bank details (which is actually the Payoneer US Payment Service) and clients can transfer funds for completely free. I have to pay only 1% to receive funds from them. The absolute best part – NO LIMIT on loading! I’m just loving it, and I’d suggest everyone to start using Payoneer USPS – the best way to get paid.

Would you also like to share your experience with our new US Payment Request service, or do you have an interesting story you’d like to share with the Payoneer community? We’d love to hear about it – let us know by sending an e-mail to community@payoneer.com, or post your comment below!

There are more that 4 million professional and amateur photographers producing and uploading tens of millions of stock images to online markets. In fact, since the first ever photo was taken more than 180 year ago, there have been over 3.5 trillion photos taken!

Stock photography allows photographers to expand their business and increase their profits, by providing much needed photography and stock images to individuals, companies, and organizations worldwide. If you are making a living from photography, or are considering getting into it, one of the most vital tasks you will take on is finding the perfect marketplace for your portfolio. There is an infinite number of agencies providing photographers with opportunities to market their material.

For amateur photographers, or those that are just getting started, I recommend you look into sites such as Dreamstime, Lori and 123ref. If you are more advanced you can submit your portfolio for approval on sites such as Getty Images, Stocksy, IstockPhotography, or Pond5. After signing up with the agency that suits you best, make sure to go over the requirements regarding the photographs you can upload to have your submission approved. Make sure to read the description in detail to find out what kind of artists and work the agency is looking for before uploading your material.

Another main aspect you want to consider is the market relevance of your portfolio. Stock photography is always at a high demand, and the more industries your content is relevant for, the higher chance you have for it to be purchased. While it may certainly be beneficial to create content specific for a certain industry or organization, you’ll also want your portfolio to include content that can be applied to a range of different projects.

A great way to promote your portfolio is social media. You should definitely go for photo sharing channels such as Tumblr, Pinterest and Google+. Even though the latter is often thought to be less popular, there are many advantages to having your portfolio on Google+. You can read more about the many benefits of Google+ here.

My final tip would be to stay up to date on global trends. Currently the rise of mobile photography is exploding, with social media networks such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook leading the way. This great infographic presented by Overgram shows the evolution of photography, and the tremendous rise of mobile photography:

Are you a stock photographer and have additional tips on how to succeed? Let us know in the comments!

Good luck!

We’re happy to announce a new promotion we’ve created with one of our partners, Writerbay!

Right now and until December 23rd, Writerbay will offer free card activation for a Payoneer card and free bank transfers (ACH and Local Transfers) for those who wish to sign up for the GBT service and not the card!

To join the special offer log in to your Writerbay account and choose Payoneer and your preferred payment method (card or GBT).

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