You can find out more at Mom Blog SEO.

P.S. You can also make money promoting my book by joining the affiliate program.

Have a Base Hourly Rate

This should really be your first step, because this sets a baseline for you to consider when quoting a rate in every other area. Yes, there are times that call for moving the needle up or down. Yes, there are projects that are fun vs. projects that are quite demanding. Having a base rate first, however, will always give you a starting point.

Here are a few questions to ask to come up with this base rate:

• What is your time worth to clients? Consider experience, talent, portfolio of work, testimonials, influence and reach.
• What is your time worth to you? If you are inundated with work, your rate should reflect it. You will need to turn work away, so setting a higher rate will both demonstrate that you are in demand and naturally keep requests for work lower. On the other end, if you have no clients and are actively seeking gigs, a lower rate will encourage more contracts.
• What did you make in the workforce? This can be helpful even if you are doing freelance work in another field. If you felt it was way too low, you can take that into consideration. This was your last salary, and a good barometer of value. You should, however, multiply this amount times two or more to take into account the differences in expenses and benefits between being an employee versus a freelancer.
• How much money do you need? It doesn’t mean you will get it, but consider this when setting your rate. If you need $50 per hour to support your family and still work a reasonable amount of hours, you need to look at whether you can justify that amount. Bottom line, you need to make enough to live off of. And remember when examining this that a much larger chunk of income goes to taxes as a freelancer, not to mention health insurance and other benefits. A good way of calculating this is to figure out how many hours you have available to work. Then figure out how much you need to make per month or year. Divide the amount you need to make by the available hours for that time span.
• What are others offering similar services with similar experience levels charging?

A place to start is Salary.com. Unfortunately, many job titles that would apply to a blogger’s work are not in their database. But poke around and look for a close fit. Here, for example, is what I should make as a web writer:

Again, I would need to adjust that because this is based on salary plus benefits minus extra expenses of being a business person.

Here is what a marketing manager makes closely, probably the closest fit to social media marketing consulting:

To give you an idea of what I am referring to about the difference between employed and self-employed, this is Salary.com’s breakdown of the median salary plus benefits. And this doesn’t take into account the extra expenses of being solo or the extra tax costs:

I would also ask around, or poke around other’s web sites to see what services they offer and what they charge. If someone is a friend, they might consider sharing that information.

My hourly base rate is between $100 and $150 an hour, but it can vary wildly. For example, if you are talking about ad rates, a whole other set of considerations comes into effect: visitors, page views, PageRank, feed subscribers, what is included with the advertising, how targeted or desirable the readership is, and so on. Setting ad rates will be a post for a later date.

If it is something that will intimately connect with your brand (such as being a spokesperson), that has a premium attached to it too because that goes beyond providing advice into sharing a part of who you are.

Setting Rates for Gigs and Projects

This is where things get more complicated. You will need to decide if you always use that rate as a flat rate, or whether it changes depending on the task.

For writing I almost never work on an hourly rate. Almost no publications and sites work that way. It is more typical to have a per word (I typically charge around $1 a word, but I also have 18 years of writing experience) or per project rate. I still take into consideration what my hourly rate is when I set these. I also do a lot of writing for sites with a revenue sharing model because I love getting paid for one article for years and years. That doesn’t even allow for a rate to be set, but you can easily determine after a while that the effort isn’t paying off. It just takes some time to tell.

And when I say writing, I am referring to writing for other sites or publications.

I also once did a per project rate. I still do it on occasion (for example, my SEO Makeover). One reason I do it for that is to make it more attainable to bloggers. I also very clearly bullet out what is included. I have found when I charge per project, some clients require what is planned and expected. Some others will push the envelope, require well above the project’s original plan. Still others simply don’t clearly understand what more they will need.

For that reason, when I quote now I quote an estimate of hours and my hourly rate. It’s somewhat of a hybrid of a project based quote and an hourly quote. It will include a detailed summary of what is included in the rate, as well as a total estimate of the dollar amount. It states how many hours I anticipate the work taking.

I rarely go over that amount, but that is protection in case a client needs much more work done. I don’t agonize over hours or care if I am a little over. If I am getting way over because of multiple revisions, calls, add-ons, I let them know and then it reverts to the hourly rate.

Variables in Setting Freelance Rates

There are so many variables in setting rates that it’s hard to nail them down. So I will talk about some general guidelines. Don’t be afraid to take every gig on a case by case basis, consider your hourly rate, and consider any number of factors for that job before you finalize your rate.

For example, you might consider charging less for a fellow small business person or mom. You might charge more for a task that you are qualified to do, but that is very grueling.

You might charge less for a non-profit. I would say that is always great to do, but also do your homework before you do that. Non-profit does not always equal no money. A great way to research first is to visit GuideStar and examine a non-profit’s IRS 990 form. When you dig down into one, they are required to list all sorts of details about their finances. Find the page with the salaries of their top five employees. If you see six figures there, I would absolutely treat them the same as a company.

So setting a rate obviously isn’t easy. You might find you tweak it or modify it as you go. But I hope this helps give you an idea of how to get started setting a rate.

I would love to hear any suggestions from those of you who have rates set about how you went about it, or any questions from those of you who want to set a freelance rate.

There is also an excellent freelance hourly rate calculator to help you set a rate, or at least see a list of things to consider when calculating it.

_{Photo of money, © Zsuzsanna Kilian}

Many mom bloggers I know are brilliant. They know the ins and outs of social media, Twitter, Facebook and blogging far better than many other so-called gurus do. They are connected, and they are influential. They have a following of loyal and devoted readers, subscribers and social network friends.

Yet they get asked to work for free. They are free spokesbloggers. They get asked to promote companies without pay, or for products or for coupons or for trips.

It’s insulting.

Look, here’s the deal. Mom bloggers do not need companies to not make money. We can do that all on our own. Really. If you are approaching a blogger, asking her to promote your company for free is wrong. It’s as simple as that. If you can say with a straight face that your paycheck is paid in your company’s or client’s products, then please. Call me on this.

We get asked constantly if people can “pick our brains.” No! Our brains are our commodity. They ARE our service. That is called consulting. And moms, if you find you are on the end of this, figure out your hourly rate. Figure out what it is worth to take time away from your work, your blogging, your children and your husband.

When you get asked to have your brain picked, quote your hourly rate for that service.

Now I do understand that many times it is tempting. You see an opportunity to work with a major brand. You think working for free will lead to more work. I do understand that. But it is a slippery slope. Why should someone pay you (or anyone for that matter) for work you are doing for free?

Accepting an item to do a review (if you really want to do that review and it serves your readers) is fine. I would just recommend having a policy of including both pros and cons in all reviews. A review should serve readers first and foremost. Any company that doesn’t understand that? Well, I wouldn’t work with that company. Believe me. They are not insisting traditional journalists do positive reviews. Mom bloggers can and should write reviews that show both the negative and positive about products.

And ladies, I am here to say something else. We have to behave like professionals. If we want to be treated as small business women, which is what we are, we should act like entrepreneurs. No more attacks and back-stabbing. We are adults here.

That includes not judging and condemning fellow mom bloggers. Yes, even those who accept products and trips. They are not bad people. Let’s stop jumping down their throats about it. Because the bottom line is surely every mom blogger would work for pay if there were ethical ways to do it, it did not compromise their readers and they actually wanted to do the work involved. But first, companies have to offer it as a standard mode of doing business with mom bloggers.

How can companies ethically pay mom bloggers? Here are some simple options:

• Pay them for content on your site, not theirs. In response to this issue, I recently launched Momtent. It is geared at connecting companies with mom bloggers. I am not a fan of paid posts (although with full disclosure, it is a personal choice and I don’t like people telling moms the right way to blog). Momtent’s model is for companies to pay bloggers to write on the company blog. But with or without Momtent, why not hire a mom to write for your blog? Or build it for you? Or tell you how you’re blogging wrong?
• Advertise. Quit looking at blog advertising the same way you look at traditional advertising. It isn’t the 1990s. They aren’t the same, and never will be. Besides, all those metrics that make you feel all warm and fuzzy about traditional media? They are a smoke screen. Traditional advertising metrics like viewers and circulation mean nothing. Who is seeing your ad? Who cares about it when they see it? Who ACTS on it? And treat blogs with some degree of respect. For traditional media, companies pursue two prongs: they hope to get PR coverage but know it’s a toss-up, and they do media buys. On blogs, they just want free coverage. Watch for a future post about the less tangible benefits of advertising on blogs.
• Hire her as a spokesblogger. This certainly isn’t a new concept. Celebrities have been doing this for years. Hire a mom blogger to promote your company with transparency, and to clearly state she is a spokesblogger. Pay her as you would any spokesperson. The same rules apply for moms here as celebrities: don’t endorse something (even for pay) that you don’t already love.
• Hire her as a social media consultant. Mom bloggers know so much more than the average person (or company) about the social web. Hire a mom to walk you through the ins and outs, to have conference calls with your staff, to do training, to run your social media campaigns, to develop your social media strategy. Believe me, doing it wrong can have dreadful repercussions.

I have become increasingly concerned about all of these issues. So many mom bloggers are influence-rich but cash-poor. That is a disturbing disparity. It’s also one destined to blow up as moms get increasingly frustrated while getting increasingly influential.

Let’s all do the right thing here. Companies (and the agencies that represent them), if you want to show your support of the mom blogosphere and engage those of us who control the purse strings, put your money where your mouth is. Bloggers, if you want to be taken seriously act like a business person. And the next time you get a pitch and you are agonizing over whether it even interests your readers, send them your ad rates.

_{Image of Rosie the Blogger, © Michael Licht}

I really would welcome your thoughts on this topic. What do you think? If you have worked for a company without pay, why? Was it because you thought it would lead to paid work down the road?  Did it? Have you had any luck responding to companies with an invitation to advertise when they pitch you? Companies and agencies, have you been paying bloggers and have some good examples of projects?

• Provide professional training such as business advice on things like setting up a company, registering for a trademark, etc.
• Have a group health plan to make insurance more affordable and accessible to WAHMs who blog.
• Have sample contracts as well as a lawyer who can review contracts for members (certainly some lawyer would consider doing it pro bono in exchange for massive mom blogger buzz).
• Establish minimum rates for paying bloggers for content, spokesperson roles, advertising, etc. (I am thinking an extensive survey of members could produce great information for that)
• Establish some basic standards and ethics (again, community-driven).
• Have job listings to match bloggers with paying gigs.
• Perhaps some day have a lobbyist in Washington to represent the blogger perspective when issues such as the FTC regulations surface.

I think it’s very important to have people both on the corporate side who work with bloggers as well as bloggers involved. I am even thinking there could be two types of memberships with different benefits for bloggers and companies.

Bottom line: there needs to be a voice for mom bloggers.

Of course, it is very important that the guild be representative of the community and that some of the brightest minds involved in the mom blogosphere help guide the guild. I am forming an advisory board. I have some wonderful inquiries already but want to be sure as many people hear about this as possible before the board is selected. If you are interested, please fill out the form below. Yes, company representatives who work heavily with mom bloggers are welcome to apply (and yes, men too).

_{Graphic of women copyright Hilde Vanstraelen.}

• There is the need for influential mom bloggers to, like, make money or something
• Companies want to work with mom bloggers because they have authenticity and their followers/readers listen to them

I came up with something that some companies and bloggers are doing already, but this would be a way to simplify the process.

Here is the description of Momtent:

Companies want to connect with mom bloggers to have authentic voices in an ethical manner. Mom bloggers are struggling for a way to earn the money they deserve for their hard work. Momtent is designed to overcome the hurdles facing both sides, creating a fair way for both sides to win. Companies get quality content, and mom bloggers get paid for their writing.

Momtent works like this:

• A company seeks a mom blogger to write content for the company’s site. They set their budget,  and the topics to be covered. They state their desired Twitter followers, experience level, and whether they require that the blogger include a badge or widget in their sidebar, tweet about their posts, and so on. This allows a company to get high quality, search-engine optimized content for their own blog or site, and to leverage the reach and readership of the blogger.
• Momtent turns to our pool of quality writers to find the best match (or matches for companies seeking a team of bloggers). The writers get paid to create quality content for the company.
• Momtent will also edit the content so it arrives clean and error-free, and we deliver it in the format requested (Word, coded html, etc.).

It’s as simple as that. Companies get real mom voices, and moms get paid for their work.

I’d love to hear what you think…. also, if you are a company or a mom blogger, be sure to submit the forms for either to get more information (as a company) or to get into the mom blogger database to get assignments.

The reason I can offer tips? I spent 15 years in newspapers. Writer’s block was not a luxury that could be afforded when you have multiple stories some days that have to be written or they are no longer timely. In that business, you have to feed the beast. And it is hungry.

Here are a few ways to break past it:

• Step away from the computer. Grab a notebook or journal, head outside on your deck or porch with a cup of coffee, and try blogging old school. Sometimes a simple change of scenery is all you need. Our brain needs new stimulus to be, well, stimulated.
• Read blogs. Spend a day in which you vow to do nothing but poke around fellow bloggers’ feeds. Vow there will be no chatting, no Twitter (OK, limited Twitter…), just consuming blogs. You are bound to be inspired or get a few ideas sparked. Grab that same notebook and write down any blog headlines you think up. There’s no need to get fancy, just make a list of potential post ideas.
• Brainstorm ideas. The SEO on me loves a way to break blogger’s block and do some site optimization at the same time. Yes, SEO can be creative. (I keep saying that and people look at me like I am crazy). Here’s how: go into your stats program. See which keyword phrases are sending you the most traffic. See which posts get the most clicks from Twitter. Now start from there, and brainstorm ideas for similar posts or posts that expand on your original one. Don’t fret over whether the ideas are excellent, just freewrite. You don’t have to do them all. You just want a list of ideas to consult when you are blocked. The great part? When you write them, you can link to your original post and go to your original post to link to the new content. That will make your blog stickier.
• Walk away. Sometimes what our brain needs is a break. Get outside. Do something fun. Visit a local attraction. Hey, you have to do something to have material for the blog anyway, right? Your mind might just need a reboot.
• Forget the distractions. Blogging is so much more than writing. That can be good, and that can be bad. The bad side is that it can become easy getting so caught up in the tasks of being a publisher (that is really what bloggers are) that we forget the reason we are doing this to begin with: we enjoy it! Don’t look at your stats. Don’t worry about what your readers like. Write for you and just for the joy of it. And odds are? You’ll get the traffic and your readers will love it.

I hope some of this is helpful. I would love to hear what works for you when your brain just won’t blog. How do you break blogger’s block?

Photo of frustrated blogger, copyright channah at sxc.hu

Here are some details about the conference:

Type-A Mom Conference is a unique mom blogging conference designed to help you take it to the next level. The conference will feature some of the most influential, admired and insightful mom bloggers talking about topics like power social networking, branding, blogging, finding your voice, and turning your passion for blogging into a real paycheck.

When? Sept. 24-27

Where? Asheville, NC

Find out more at the official Type-A Mom Conference site.

And be sure to register before 11:55 p.m. July 1st. The current Super Early Bird rate of $100 is half the full price, and it ends (and bumps up $50) in mere hours.

_{Photo © National Rural account on Flickr, used via Creative Commons license.}

So needless to say, I was thrilled when she asked to interview me for TravelingMamas.com (which, if you haven’t checked out yet, you definitely should.. the four traveling mamas there know their stuff!).

Here is an excerpt of the interview:

One pleasant consequence of being a travel writer deep into Web 2.0 and new media, is the interesting people I “meet” along the way: These are the fellow writers and technophiles with whom I have extended online relationships, but only occasionally meet. One of my longer online professional relationships is with Kelby Carr.

Read the rest of the interview…

Tomorrow, newspapers will sell out because they will be a collector’s item. The newspapers featuring big front page spreads of Obama’s inauguration will catch the eye of people walking past newstands and newspaper boxes. They will grab them to save for their children and grandchildren. They will be momentos for pocket change.

Which brings me to a point I have made over and over again (OK, maybe not hear, but I do say this). The newspaper’s future is as the specialty publication. The demographic of readers will be dying. The ones who still read papers were alienated by most newspapers doing repeated redesigns to appeal more to young readers (who aren’t reading newspapers, and don’t plan to) and appeal less and elss to its core customers, the 40-somethings, 50-something, 60-something and 70-somethings.

In the end, the newspaper never appealed to the young readers and it rejected its loyal readers. Newspapers still are reluctant to accept that print is dying and online is the real business model they should have developed. But there is still hope:

Newspaper as specialty publication.

Here are just a few examples where it could work:

• Major events such as the inauguration. Newspapers should consider not just having one print run, but having a few runs (how do you like the idea of getting people to buy not just one, but four, newspapers from a set?). All a newspaper would have to do is create content and reset the front page, maybe a jump page, and redo the print runs.
• Specialty newspapers in large print. Obviously, it would be cost prohibitive to do this daily, but a condensed version of the week’s news in large print is one way to woo back those alienated older readers. It’s also a whole new advertising product to sell to local companies who have that customer base.
• Specialty newspapers by interest or neighborhood. Now, this is one area where I think many newspapers have done well. I think they need to revamp the approach a little, however. Many times, specialty publications by interest become big ads with a dash of copy from unenthusiastic, overworked journalists who consider that type of reporting a joke. Neighborhood specialty publications tend to be treated like rags. Take pride in these specialty publications! Up the level of integrity and journalism. Farm the work out to freelancers or bloggers who are enthusiastic about the topics or neighborhoods.
• Create the future of newspapet boxes, where a reader can select five topics that interest them (maybe travel, sports, stock quotes, their local small town, and editorials), swipe their card or drop in a couple quarters, and a pdf custom newspaper prints. collated and stapled.

One day, the online news will be the primary product. I hate to say this because I know it will upset many journalists, but there really is no reason to be upset if your employers would just get it. But since they don’t, I will say it again.

Your product is the news. It is not the newspaper.

Journalism will always be needed, important, and valuable.

_{Photo of newspaper © Sanja Gjenero}

What really clinched it, for me, was when I heard that my fellow Type-A Mom editor, Amy Lupold Bair, was already planning to visit Disney World the exact same week we were considering it. (You may have seen Amy at her wonderful Resourceful Mommy blog, or as the Type-A Mom Suburban Moms editor.) It was clearly fate!

So… soon you can follow us:

• 2 Type-A moms
• 2 dads
• 5 kids
• 3 grandparents
• 2 birthdays (ish… my daughters is soon after)
• 1 flight
• 1 roadtrip via Type-A Mom-mobile

If you follow the #magicmoms tag at Twitter or visit Type-A Mom from Friday, Nov. 28 through Saturday, December 6, you’ll find live Twitpic pictures, Qik videos, Utterli audio, blog posts, and more about our experiences at the most Magical Place on Earth at what I (at least) consider the Most Magical Time of the Year (a time of year I’ve considered even more significant since my first child spent her first Christmas in the NICU).

On a side note, I really think micro blogging and the many social tools out there are so well-suited to travel writing. Besides breaking news, I can hardly think of writing better served by the immediately to provide your audience with pictures, video, audio and just random thoughts in real-time. I love me some Web 2.0.

You can also customize the widget below with you’re preferred size and color if you’d like to follow us on your desktop or put it on your blog.