How I Respond to the "How much do you charge?" Question

Today, I want to talk to you about how I respond to the ever popular question: “How much do you charge?”.

Putting a price tag on your own work is weird territory. I have had countless prospective clients reach out to me asking: “What do you charge for a video? Social media designs? Ghost writing?” all before we even had a single conversation about the project and what they were actually looking for.

My problem with this question is that there isn't one right answer. If you operate within a packaging or rate sheet system, maybe it is easier, but I do not. My work varies too much for that to be effective. No two of my projects are ever the same on account of production value, design or animation complexity, location, hours, set design, graphics, music, deadlines, file dimensions, etc. I can imagine many other creative professionals encounter this too.

When I get this question, I simply reply with: “Thank you for your interest. Pricing works in one of two ways. The first option would be you, the client, have a concept for what you have in mind for your deliverable(s). If you can please share that with me, I can get back to you with a quote. The alternative, if you’re not sure exactly what you’re looking for but have an identified budget, is for me to provide several concept ideas with corresponding prices within your budget."

A solid pricing approach caters to either a preexisting concept or a budget. This way, clients can understand that budgeting for creative work is like budgeting for anything else in life. You either have to know what you want and financially plan accordingly or you need to find out what you can get based on what you’re willing to spend.

Some people may find the conversations of pricing and negotiation awkward or uncomfortable, but I actually welcome the conversation as an opportunity to educate about the value of working together, confidently price out projects, and ultimately discuss how I can best tell my clients’ stories. Because at the end of the day I define success not by how much money I make, but by the impact that I am making on the world.