From Freelancer to Unicorn: How To Charge Top Industry Rates

Imagine there’s a marketing agency that’s on-boarding an enterprise-level B2B tech client. The client has contracted the agency to create case studies, white papers, and other sales enablement content.

To handle the incoming workload, the agency seeks to hire 1 new writer so, they put out a job ad.

You are one of the freelance writers who applies.

However, because the ad simply reads: “Writer needed!” there are 9,999,999 other writers who also applied.

The agency realizes this is way too many candidates so they modify the job ad and application process to say: “Great writer needed!”

We can define great writers, in terms of how this agency vets them, to be every 1 in 1,000 writers.

Because you are a great writer, you qualify, but so do 9,999 (of the original 10 million) other writers.

Realistically, that means you’re going to have a hard time getting hired by anyone.

The Reality of Being a Great B2B Tech Writer

Now, let’s say you decide to differentiate yourself in terms of industry. That makes you a great writer who specializes in B2B tech. Surely, you are a rare gem.

The agency, out of the original pool of 10 million, first narrows it down to great writers, bringing it to 10,000 applicants, and then further narrows it down to great B2B tech writers (1 in 100 great writers), resulting in 100 candidates.

Again, and assuming you are perfectly qualified, your odds are 1 in a 100.

Stepping out of the hypothetical for a moment, this is where I was.

I had multiple clients, colleagues, and professionals literally tell me that I was a great writer. I felt confident in my ability, and I spent my time posting about B2B tech on Linkedin.

I also made sure all my samples were relevant to B2B tech and didn’t publish any on my portfolio that weren’t.

I believed I was rare and hard to find.

I was right about the first part, I was relatively rare. But I wasn’t hard to find.

What Does It Mean To Be a Unicorn?

When a mid-sized marketing agency launches efforts to hire highly qualified writers, it isn’t hard to find “great B2B tech writers” simply because there are so many out there on Linkedin, Facebook, YouTube, Medium, Substack, and other channels, all singing their own praises.

In real life, great B2B tech writers are highly replaceable, which means the application process is highly competitive, and that makes our rates highly negotiable.

Now, let’s return to our seemingly hopeless hypothetical scenario wherein we have no clients.

As a great B2B tech writer, you try once more to see if “specializing” is really worth it.

You ask yourself, “how else can I differentiate myself in a way that will increase my value to my prospective clients?”

You notice that the enterprise B2B tech client, like many others, is interested in case studies and sales enablement content. It just so happens that you have a background in sales doing door-to-door and hard-close floor sales.

You understand sales. You understand B2B tech marketing. And, you are a great writer.

For numbers, we can say that, of the 100 great B2B tech writer applicants, 1 in 100 also have a background in sales.

100/100 = 1

1 in 10 million = 🦄

You’re Replaceable or You’re Not

This entire post could be summed up by stating that you’re hard to replace, or you’re not.

The numbers may seem convenient to my hypothetical scenario, but they are there to frame and communicate a single important truth:

It doesn’t matter how rare you are in the greater scheme of things. It only matters if you’re rare enough in terms of your target client’s current needs.

That’s because, in terms of how the client values you, there is no in between.

You’re the only specialist they can find, or you’re not.

You’re the only one they want, the only one that seems cut out for their precise needs, or you’re not.

I can’t make make this point strongly enough.

You fit into an extremely narrow range of essential expertise in the client’s mind, which opens the door to all your dreams as a freelancer, or you don’t.

There is no prize for “almost.”

And when you do become a true unicorn, everything changes. Clients who wouldn’t respond to your emails are eager to book calls. In the interviews, founders and managing partners treat you with respect and value your strategic input.

But the best part is once you get hired as a much beloved unicorn, all you have to do is what you’re best at, and nothing else.

How To Charge Top Industry Rates

When you're a unicorn, both you and your client feel lucky to be together for many fields of green to come.

So, to recap on becoming an irreplaceable professional who commands top industry rates, follow these steps and publish the results in your portfolio:

1. Continuously hone your craft (primarily through practice) to become a great writer

2. Choose an industry to specialize in (one or two levels more narrow than simply “B2B”)

3. Find something in your past experience that makes you better at producing content of a certain kind, or for a highly specific audience.

Over time, whatever the type of work clients flock to you (and pay handsomely) for, becomes your niche.

For me, that’s creating long-form sales-driven content by interviewing subject-matter experts for B2B tech audiences. In other words, case studies, white papers, and in-depth educational content meant to convert.

Now that you’re a proper unicorn, it’s time to make friends. Here’s how to attract unicorn clients 👉 The Secret to Inbound Marketing For Freelancers: Single-Channel Expertise (Coming Soon)

If you've plateaued in your climb for higher monthly income, send me a message detailing your situation. From there, I can decide if I’m able to help you, and give a reply.

You can contact me directly here.