Hold up! We got an updated piece on this: Click on the link to read, The South African freelancer conundrum: How much do I charge? — a 2023 update

Congratulations — you’re a freelancer! Master of your own fate and the CEO of your own, personal enterprise …

So once you’ve actually found someone willing to pay you for your work, the real question is: How much do I charge for my work?

Luckily, the South African Freelancers’ Association (SAFREA) has put out a report that offers the recommended rates for South African freelancers.

media update’s Aisling McCarthy has compiled some of the most important stats to come out of the 2018/2019 SA Freelancer media industry and rates report.

Let's take a look:

Writing and content development

  • Magazine writing: R3 to R4 per word / R400 to R500 per hour.
  • Newspaper writing: R2 to R 3 per word / R400 to R500 per hour.
  • Corporate content: R2 to R4 per word / R400 to R600 per hour.
  • Technical/specialist content: R2 to R4 per word / R400 to R700 per hour.
  • Annual reports:  R2 to R 3 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.
  • Government documents: R2 to R 3 per word / R450 to R650 per hour.
  • Textbooks: R1.50 to R2 per word / R350 to R500 per hour.
  • Novels/books: R0.50 to R2 per word / R300 to R 400 per hour.
  • Ghost writing: R4.50 to R7.50 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.

Advertising

  • Marketing material (brochures, adverts, etc.): R2 to R3 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.
  • Advertorial: R3 to R4 per word / R500 to R550 per hour.
  • Copywriting: R3 to R4 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.

Public relations and communications

  • Press release writing: R2 to R3 per word / R450 to R550 per hour / R1 500 to R2 000 flat rate.
  • Strategy development: R3 to R4 per word / R550 to R1 200 per hour.
  • Speech writing: R3 to R4 per word / R500 to R600 per hour / R1 500 to R2 000 flat rate.
  • Media relations: R3 to R3.50 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.

Online content

  • Website content: R1.50 to R3.50 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.
  • Online consumer content: R2 to R2.50 per word / R400 to R500 per hour.
  • SEO content: R1.50 to R3.50 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.
  • Consumer/journalism blog content: R2.50 to R3 per word / R400 to R500 per hour.
  • Content marketing: R2.50 to R3 per word / R R450 to R550 per hour.
  • Web-based content: R2.50 to R3 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.
  • Email marketing content: R2.50 to R 3 per word / R450 to R550 per hour.

Social media

  • Social media content creation: R200 to R350 per post / R2.50 to R3 per word / R350 to R450 per hour.
  • Social media management/coordination: R400 to R500 per hour.
  • Social media strategy development: R500 to R550 per hour.

Editing

General editing

  • Light copy editing: R0.20 to R1.20 per word / R50 to R100 per page / R350 to R550 per hour.
  • Medium copy editing: R0.20 to R1.50 per word / R50 to R100 per page / R350 to R550 per hour.
  • Heavy copy editing: R0.40 to R2 per word / R50 to R150 per page / R350 to R550 per hour.
  • Substantive/structural editing: R0.35 to R2 per word / R150 to R200 per page / R400 to R600 per hour.
  • Developmental editing: R0.50 to R1 per word / R150 to R200 per page / R350 to R750 per hour.
  • Proofreading: R0.20 to R0.55 per word / R30 to R170 per page / R300 to R500 per hour.
  • Copy/sub-editing: R0.20 to R1.80 per word / R90 to R120 per page / R350 to R550 per hour.
  • Reference checking: R75 to R225 per page / R300 to R400 per hour.

Specific editing

  • Magazines: R0.20 to R1.50 per word / R45 to R65 per page / R350 to R450 per hour.
  • Newspapers: R0.50 to R1 per word / R50 to R100 per page / R300 to R400 per hour.
  • Academic theses: R0.20 to R1.50 per word / R45 to R65 per page / R200 to R600 per hour.
  • Corporate content: R3 to R5 per word / R150 to R200 per page / R450 to R550 per hour.
  • Technical/specialist content: R0.20 to R1.50 per word / R35 to R150 per page / R450 to R550 per hour.
  • Government documents: R0.40 to R1.50 per word / R100 to R200 per page / R400 to R500 per hour.
  • Textbooks: R0.20 to R0.50 per word / R50 to R100 per page / R350 to R550 per hour.
  • Fiction: R0.20 to R0.50 per word / R50 to R100 per page / R300 to R500 per hour.

“We aim to not only raise the standard of freelancing in the media and communications industry but raise the level of pay for all. [This is] so that highly skilled, experienced freelancers throughout Southern Africa are paid fairly for the excellent standard of work they deliver,” concludes the report.

What are some of the struggles of working as a freelancer? How have you overcome these issues? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

Want to stay up to date with the latest news? Subscribe to our newsletter.

Thinking of ditching your ‘9 to 5’ job to go fully-freelance? You might need these Four tips to survive the South African gig economy.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy