Tips

• Set your rate and be CONFIDENT about it!
  • If someone asks your rate, just say "My rate is $XXX". No "but we can negotiate", no "does that work for you?"
  • Easier to go from higher to lower, than the other way around. Clients will ask to negotiate if you're too high.
• Weekend rates are expected. A general rule is 1.5x your standard rate, sometimes 2x if you really want to avoid weekend work (fair enough too!)
• It can feel very personal but it's the rate you set for your WORK, not yourself as a person
  • Your talent is EXTREMELY valuable and you shouldn't sell yourself short
  • Charging low rates also does your fellow freelancers a disservice, making it harder for everyone to get paid what they're worth
• If working for international clients, get a sense for what rates are acceptable locally and charge accordingly. They don't have to be equivalent to your Australian rate.
  • EG your US rate should AT LEAST be the same number as your AUD rate, but in USD (aka $650 AUD == $650 USD). I would personally add at least $100 USD to your US rate, they are much higher
  • Don't fall for the trap of charging lower just to get the job. There's not enough animators in the industry.
• If you're in demand, or if you don't want to work with a client, raise your rate!
• Know what you're worth and what you should be charging. If you're not sure, ask other freelancers! Get a few ideas so you know where you stand.
• You NEVER have to work for a lower rate if you don't want to. Don't let anyone pressure you or make you feel bad.
• Day rate is X amount, hourly rate should be higher than your day hourly rate.

Rush & weekend rates

from mograph slack:

"Rates are not really meant to be connected to what you are selling. Rates depend on how much demand there is for your time. If lots of people want to hire you, your rates should go up. Because you have a limited amount of time.

"Sometimes I'm working on a project and a different client asks if I'm available to work. In this case they get charged overtime right off the bat. If they come a week later it'll be back to my regular rate. Same amount/quality of work. Imagine your time being a physical good. Like a pineapple. If lots of people want it, the person who offers the most will get it."

Raising your rate

A standard yearly rate increase for existing clients is between 5-10%.

• However, if you're in huge demand, you can try raising it even higher!

from mograph slack:

"If you're working hourly or day rate you can try the new year new rate approach. "I'll be raising my rates in 2021 to $X/day. I realize I'm not giving much warning so I'm happy to work under the current rate until [month/day]. I'll also be implementing a new rush/weekend/holiday rate of $x."

"If these are project rates maybe something like: "Letting you know that my prices will be increasing a bit in 2021. For a video similar to [name of recently competed video] it will cost around $x instead of $y."

"If it's just a general sense that you've been quoting too low on past projects you could try something like: "This is completely my fault but I've been putting in a bit more quality into these videos than originally quoted. If we'll be working on similar videos in the future I'll need to increase the cost a bit to match the quality I'm executing at. Wanted to let you know now so it's not a surprise later."

General advice on pricing

from mograph slack:

"Rates are not really meant to be connected to what you are selling. Rates mainly depend on how much demand there is for your time. If lots of people want to hire you, your rates should go up. Because you have a limited amount of time."

"Sometimes I'm working on a project and a different client asks if I'm available to work. In this case they get charged over time right off the bat. If they come a week later when i don't have any other with it'll be back to my regular rate. Same amount/quality of work."

"It's not there fault, it's just the way i sell my time. Imagine your time being a physical good. Like a pineapple. If lots of people want it, the person who offers the most will get it."

"So the goal is to have as many people as possible bidding on your time. The quality/quantity of what you produce is mostly irrelevant in this case."

"If there's ever a take away its this:
Don't worry as coming across as greedy... ever... that's a sure fire way to exploited by clients.."

"ESPECIALLY over holidays, tight turn around. If you don't raise your rates, you will perpetually stuck in the cycle of not having enough time/money. Sometimes you will lose clients, but that's ok. When you grow, not everyone can come with you. ( just make sure you are growing)."

"They are a business their job is to be profitable. So is yours. Don't worry as coming across as greedy... ever... that's a sure fire way to exploited by clients.."