How To Give Yourself a Raise As a Freelancer

As a freelancer, no one will give you a raise. No client will come along and say, “Hey, you’ve been doing a great job the past few months, here’s 10% more money.”

Why? Because their job is to keep projects under budget. 

So how do you give yourself a raise? 

The first step is perception management. The easiest thing to do here is to refresh your portfolio. If you have an outdated website with poor design, put your new projects on there and make the design feel more premium. Instantly, any new client who sees your portfolio will think of you differently. You can also add a clean client logo grid, get work published on other sites, and provide free value on your own site. Once your visual perception is where it should be, then you’re on the step two. 

The second step is to get busy. The scariest part about raising your rates is the thought that maybe people will stop hiring you. And if you only have a few clients, and you decide to stick it to all of them at once, there is a chance that they’ll all drop you and you’ll be without work. So before you give yourself a raise, make sure you have a steady stream of many clients. Being busy provides you the luxury of being able to say no to lower-paying clients without much risk. 

The third step is to pitch higher and don’t apologize. If a new client comes in the door, and you’re not afraid to let them go, pitch a high rate that would make you excited to do just about anything. If they say no, you’ve got more time, and you’re right where you were before. If they say yes, then congrats–you’ve officially given yourself a raise.

All of the steps are a gradual process that take time and consistent improvement. But if you wish you made more money, and you haven’t updated your portfolio or rates in a while, this is a great place to start.