| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | TO ADD YOUR RATE TO THIS SHEET GO TO: https://bit.ly/FreelancerPayGap | ||||||||||||||
2 | Ethnicity | Gender identity | Publication name | Assignment (EG news story/feature/op-ed/video etc) | Word count | Fee (include the currency eg $/£) | Numbers of years of experience as a journalist | Anything else? (EG did you have a pre-existing friendship with your editor/did you negotiate this rate/do you feel your rate was fair/did your editor tell you they didn't have budget to pay more?) *NB: Responses are publicly visible so don't reveal identifiable information here if you wish to remain anonymous | Timestamp | ||||||
3 | White | Female | 5280 | Digital story | ~600 words | $150 | 5 | Pre-existing relationship | 6/24/2020 17:39:26 | ||||||
4 | White | Female | 5280 | Print FOB story | 600 words | $375 | 5 | Pre-existing relationship | 6/24/2020 17:39:59 | ||||||
5 | Brown (south Asian) | CIS-gender female - straight | - | Web article | 1300-1500 | $200 | 1.5 | 6/12/2020 11:48:27 | |||||||
6 | Mixed: White British/ Black African | Cis woman | Adventure Uncovered | essay | 1000 | £100-120 depending on their Patreon | 2.5 | No relationship, cold pitch. I think the rate is fine considering it's small / Patreon funded. | 5/14/2021 15:23:25 | ||||||
7 | white | female | Aesthetica | print feature | 1750 | £100 | 7 | it was a commission , tried to negotiate fee for a while but was told that since the magazine has lots of outgoings such as a film festival that their commissioning budget is small *eye roll* | 6/12/2020 12:29:09 | ||||||
8 | Asian | Female | Al Jazeera | Feature | 1000 | $300 | 8 | Cold pitch | 6/15/2020 19:55:02 | ||||||
9 | Asian | Female | Al Jazeera | 1000 | $350 | 5 | No | 6/12/2020 14:58:24 | |||||||
10 | Mixed - white hispanic | Female | Al Jazeera | News story | 650 | $350 | 5 | pre-existing relationship - editor had increased the fee to acknowledge my work | 6/15/2020 12:02:48 | ||||||
11 | white/caucasian | female | Al Jazeera | feature | 1100 | £300 | 6 months | cold pitch, no pre-existing relationship w editor. I didn’t negotiate a rate as I felt that it was fair :) | 8/29/2020 20:55:33 | ||||||
12 | White | cis female | Al Jazeera | Feature (history) | 1100 | £300 | 6 months | cold pitch! no pre-existing relationship with editor and didn’t negotiate the rate as I felt it was fair. | 8/29/2020 20:59:02 | ||||||
13 | white | female | Al Jazeera | photo story | 500 | U$ 400 | 9 | They say it is their standard rate | 9/3/2020 16:32:45 | ||||||
14 | White | Female | Al Jazeera | Long read (2,000 words) | 2000 | $us 600 | 3 | I have to pay my own expenses and I was told there is no scope to increase as prices are fixed. | 2/3/2021 15:11:24 | ||||||
15 | White | Cis female | Al Jazeera | Feature (history) | 1100 | £300 | 6 months | Cold pitch, no pre-existing relationship. I didn’t negotiate as I felt the rate was fair! | 8/29/2020 21:00:52 | ||||||
16 | Arab | Female | Aljazeera.net | Written Features and reports | 800:1000 | 75$ | 7 | no response for the negotiation | 6/22/2021 19:35:12 | ||||||
17 | Arab | Female | Aljazeera.net | Features | 800-1000 | 75$ | 7 | this is the rates and no negotiation possible | 7/1/2021 22:19:28 | ||||||
18 | White British | Cis female | Alma | First-person essay | 1200 | $100 | 6 | I consider this a low fee but I'm happy to take less when writing for smaller publications. | 7/10/2020 8:00:44 | ||||||
19 | White | Female | Alma | Article | 600 | $100 | 0 | 7/10/2020 16:29:41 | |||||||
20 | New Zealander | Female | An australian womens magazine | Feature | 1000 | $150AUD | 12 | negotiated rate. Usual rate is less | 7/6/2020 1:18:58 | ||||||
21 | Negro | Female | Annemarie Musawale | I write novels | 50k | 0.02$ per word | 10 | cold call | 6/12/2020 12:31:32 | ||||||
22 | White British | Male | Another Man | Listicle | 1,000 | £100 | 3 | Cold pitch | 6/15/2020 18:27:44 | ||||||
23 | Mixed race (White / Black African) | Female | Apartment Therapy | feature | 700-900 | $125 | 1 | Cold pitch. I batch pitched and gave my rates. Two articles were selected at $125 each. This is only a little under my usual rate (in £) because of the exchange rate but I think it's fair with that in mind. | 5/13/2021 18:18:01 | ||||||
24 | White British | Female | Apolitical | Feature | 800 - 1000 words | £300 | 6 | First assignment for this publication | 6/12/2020 18:51:04 | ||||||
25 | British Asian | cis Female | Apple | Book review | 90-125 | $200 | 4 | 6/12/2020 12:31:01 | |||||||
26 | White | Woman | Archant | Feature | 1000 | £150 | 6 | Rates vary for different Archant publications. Some 1000 words for £100- they say the budget is very limited and can't pay more. | 6/15/2020 12:04:20 | ||||||
27 | Latina | cis female | Architectural Digest | digital feature | 600 | $300 | 4 | cold pitch, seems like the standard rate | 10/20/2020 13:44:16 | ||||||
28 | White | Female | Architectural Digest's Clever | Tips Round-up | 909 | $225 | 4 | Cold pitch, which led to future commissions. Low rate for word count but frankly I could write it really quickly so the hourly rate was great. | 10/13/2021 19:11:26 | ||||||
29 | white | cis female | Art in America | Review | 900 | $250 | 8 | friendly with editor, but never commissioned before. Negotiated up from 200 | 6/12/2020 20:50:08 | ||||||
30 | black | female | Art uk | 1000 | £100 | 1 | 6/19/2020 15:44:08 | ||||||||
31 | White | Male | ArtReview | exhibition review | 450 | 35p/word = £420 | 10 | Told standard rate across board for all writers | 6/12/2020 11:21:54 | ||||||
32 | White | Male | ArtReview | Exhibition review | 450 | 35p/word = £157.50 | 5 | Told standard rate across the board for magazine | 6/12/2020 11:23:46 | ||||||
33 | White British | CIS female | ArtReview | Op-Ed | 1,000-ish | 200 GBP | 8-9 | Previously worked with editor, article was solicited based on my area of expertise | 6/15/2021 19:02:01 | ||||||
34 | Asian | Female | ArtReview | Feature | 1200 | £420 | 6 | 6/12/2020 17:51:12 | |||||||
35 | White | Woman | Associated Press | 6 minute raw footage edit feature | N/A | £450 including expenses | 4 | Freelanced for the desk I shot for | 6/12/2020 17:47:25 | ||||||
36 | White | Woman | Atlantic | Feature | 4000 | 6000 | 2 | 6/26/2020 21:41:14 | |||||||
37 | Mixed race (white/asian) | Female | Atlas by Etihad (online) | Travel round up | 500-600 | £150 | 10 | Had existing relationship with editor, they made approach. Felt rate was fair as research based/knew topic well. | 6/15/2020 19:34:27 | ||||||
38 | white british | fe,male | Atlas Obscura | feature | 1,200 | $600 | 4 | Asked up front once there was interest in the story what the fee would be. Fixed rate, I believe. No information whether others get more or less. | 6/19/2020 17:15:37 | ||||||
39 | White | Male cis | Atlas Obscura | Feature | 1500 | $500 USD | 1 | No relationship. Long edit process, months wait for response to copy, published long past when it was timely. For the effort and 8 month wait to get paid I was not that happy with the experience. | 6/12/2020 17:16:43 | ||||||
40 | White | Female | Atlas obscura | feature | 110 | $550 | 3 | Pre existing relationship | 6/12/2020 17:01:52 | ||||||
41 | White | Cis woman | Atlas Obscura | Feature | 1200 | $600 | 6 | 6/12/2020 12:45:54 | |||||||
42 | White | Cis female | Atlas Obscura | Feature | 1000 | $400 | 7 | Cold pitch | 6/30/2020 12:42:26 | ||||||
43 | White | Female | Atlas Obscura | Commissioned feature after cold pitching three ideas | 1000-ish | 450 | 9 | The story was spiked and they paid 25 percent. I wasn't happy as I believed they made a poor editorial decision about the story they initially wanted and when I attempted to write something historically accurate it wasn't quirky enough for them | 6/15/2021 17:48:24 | ||||||
44 | White | Cis woman | Autostraddle | Reported essay | 1769 | $250 | 4 | 4/8/2021 23:21:51 | |||||||
45 | NA | NA | AZo Networks | Feature | 800 words | £30 | 11 years | Rate unfair, used to to paid £85 for such a piece, but felt couldn't say no as so little work available at the moment. Was told they can't pay more, yet I know other freelancers working for the same company get between £35 and £50 per piece (also reduced from the original £85). | 6/12/2020 13:16:45 | ||||||
46 | White British | Female | Babbel Magazine | Personal essay | 1000 | €1,000 | <1 | 3/10/2021 16:44:08 | |||||||
47 | White British | Female | Backstage magazine | Feature | 1200 | $250 | 10 | 6/12/2020 13:43:34 | |||||||
48 | Latina | Female | Bandcamp | Interview | 1200 | $350 USD | 12 | 6/16/2020 14:07:38 | |||||||
49 | White | Male | Bandcamp | Interview | 700 | 325 | 4 | 8/31/2020 23:38:06 | |||||||
50 | White British | Femail | BBC | BBC The Boss (Business) | 1000 | £335 | 8 | I write regularly for them and it's a set fee | 6/12/2020 16:35:27 | ||||||
51 | British Asian | Male | BBC | Feature | 1000 | £335 | 10 | Set rate | 6/12/2020 16:39:53 | ||||||
52 | White | Female | Bbc | Feature | 1,000 | £337 | 3 | 6/19/2020 15:41:23 | |||||||
53 | Arab | Female | BBC Arabic Radio | interview coordination | invalid | 40£ | 7 | tried to negotiate but the insist this is the normal rate | 7/1/2021 21:52:47 | ||||||
54 | Arab | Female | BBC Arabic Radio | my pitch for interview a celebrity + (interview coordination) | 15 min video | 40£ | 7 | the answer is fixed rated for the Arabic Service | 7/1/2021 22:18:01 | ||||||
55 | White Caucasian | Male (he/him) | BBC Culture | Feature | 1,250 | £400 | 1 | 6/12/2020 18:45:37 | |||||||
56 | White | Female | BBC Future | Feature | 2000 | £800 | 8 | Going rate for publication | 6/15/2020 10:44:46 | ||||||
57 | White | Female | BBC Future | Feature | 2000 | £800 | 6 | 6/12/2020 18:20:05 | |||||||
58 | White | Female | BBC Future | In-depth digital feature | 1500 | £600 | 3 | Highest rate I have ever received. Timely payment | 6/15/2020 10:16:26 | ||||||
59 | Asian | Female | BBC Science Focus | Print article | 800 | £200 | 5 | Editor reached out | 8/20/2020 16:41:18 | ||||||
60 | White British | Male | BBC Travel | Feature | 1200 | $600 | 3.5 | First time pitching, no negotiation on fee, thought it was a very reasonable fee for the work. | 6/12/2020 17:58:27 | ||||||
61 | White American | Female | BBC Travel | feature | 1200 | $600 | 6 | Pre-existing relationship, assigned piece | 3/3/2021 16:20:08 | ||||||
62 | White | Cis woman | BBC Travel | News story | 1725 | $300 | 4 | 4/8/2021 23:25:46 | |||||||
63 | caucasian | female | BBC Travel | Feature | 1200 | $600 (+$25 per photo published) | 10 | cold e-mail pitch. (editor responded after 2 weeks. but they responded!) | 9/15/2021 13:32:11 | ||||||
64 | White | Cis woman | BBC Worklife | Feature | 800 - 1200 | $600 | 6 | 6/12/2020 12:43:21 | |||||||
65 | white | cisgender female | BBC Worklife | news feature | assigned at 1000, with edits ~1400 | 450 GBP | 5 | first time writing for this vertical (Worklife) so didn’t ask for rate increase for extra wc (should have) | 6/12/2020 12:26:27 | ||||||
66 | White | Female | BBC, ITV, ITN | Entertainment packs | N/A - broadcast video packs | £170 (per day) | 4 | 6/15/2020 16:54:18 | |||||||
67 | White | Male | BBC.com | Feature | 1400 | $600 | 30 | I think the rate is fair. | 6/13/2020 14:35:23 | ||||||
68 | White | Male | Beatportal | Feature | 2000 | £300 | 3 | No existing friendship but professionally acquainted, thought the rate was fair yeah | 6/12/2020 11:32:07 | ||||||
69 | White | Cis woman | Bella Caledonia | News story | 887 | $117 | 4 | 4/8/2021 23:33:22 | |||||||
70 | White | Female | Bevvy | Intro + roundup | 1000 | $200 | 4 | Rate given upfront. Really nice editor and good communication. Paid quickly. | 2/10/2021 20:24:02 | ||||||
71 | White | Female | Billboard | Written feature | N/A (depended on the story) | $250 USD | 7 | The original rate was 150 per feature, but I got it up after negotiating over several years. Asked to be put on payroll/benefits due to how popular and frequent my work was that they brought me on as a permalancer but was told higher ups couldn’t find the budget. | 6/16/2020 13:52:06 | ||||||
72 | White | Female | Billboard | Reporting news story | 200 | $400 | 10 | 6/12/2020 12:59:56 | |||||||
73 | White | Female | Bitch | feature | 1,400 | $150 | 1 | cold-pitch, productive editing process | 8/24/2020 15:55:11 | ||||||
74 | White | Woman | Bitch | digital essay | 1300 | $150 | 4 | first contact from a social media call for pitches | 8/2/2021 20:33:44 | ||||||
75 | white | woman | Bitch | cultural criticism | 1,100 | $250 | 4 | had previously written for the publication | 8/2/2021 20:37:13 | ||||||
76 | Asian | Female | Bloomberg | Feature | 1600 | USD $600 | 10 | Bloomberg told me their standard online rate is $400 but they would hike it up to $600 bc of "everything going on" (with covid) - still felt like $600 for a reported feature is insanely low!!! | 6/15/2020 20:56:54 | ||||||
77 | White | Male | Bloomberg Businessweek | Feature | 3000 | $6,000 | 5 | Cold pitch, first time writing for them | 6/12/2020 12:02:18 | ||||||
78 | White | Male | Bloomberg Businessweek | Feature | 3,750 | $11,250 | 13 | 7/14/2020 14:56:50 | |||||||
79 | Latina | cis female | Bon Appetit | personal essay | 400 | $250 | 4 | cold pitch | 10/20/2020 13:46:20 | ||||||
80 | White | Female | Bon Appetit (digital) | Reported essay | 800 words | $450 | 5 | Pre-existing relationship with editor, was originally offered $400 because their digital rates start at $.50/word but received an additional $50 for scope of piece/# of interviews | 2/10/2021 17:25:50 | ||||||
81 | South Asian | Female | Bon Appetit (web) | Personal essay | 1000 words | $1/word | 8-9 years | No preexisting relationship -- they made it sound like a dollar a word was standard for web, and higher for print. | 6/15/2020 17:56:23 | ||||||
82 | White | Male/Queer | Brightest Young Things | Essay | 1200 | $75 | Under One | No pre-existing relationship. | 6/16/2020 10:41:06 | ||||||
83 | White | Female | British Vogue | Feature | 700-800 | 150 | Less than 1 | 6/12/2020 12:22:09 | |||||||
84 | Indian | female | British Vogue | interview | 800 words | £250 | 3 | The website rate is 200£, I Negotiated to 250 | 7/21/2020 13:55:48 | ||||||
85 | White | Female | British Vogue (vogue.co.uk) | interview | 800 | £150 | 3 | Told no budget to pay more. Commissioned at 500 words, but piece clearly needed to be longer. | 6/23/2020 17:46:58 | ||||||
86 | White | Female | Business Insider | Op-ed for the commentary section | Approx 800-1,000 | $450.00 - 500.00 per piece | 6 | I know the editor well | 6/15/2020 12:18:56 | ||||||
87 | Asian-American | Female | Business Insider | Buyer's Guide (I researched and wrote about top picks for specific products) | 2400 | $USD250.00 | 5 | I was told by Business Insider that their rate for a Buyer's Guide is $250.00 | 6/19/2020 19:04:53 | ||||||
88 | Asian (Bangladeshi) | Male | Business Insider | Feature | 1,200 | £150 | 7 years | Pre existing relationship with editor from previous workplace. Would not usually take such a low fee but work had dried up in the industry because of coronavirus and needed the work! | 6/12/2020 13:02:43 | ||||||
89 | Asian / white | Female | Business Insider | Feature | 1,500 | £150 | 8 | 6/15/2020 16:52:28 | |||||||
90 | White | Female | Business Insider | Review article | 1000 | $100 | 5 | 6/30/2020 17:11:06 | |||||||
91 | Latina | cis female | Business Insider | personal narative | 800 | $400 | 4 | assignment | 10/20/2020 13:44:54 | ||||||
92 | White | Cis Female | Business Insider | Personal narrative | 1000 | $300 | 4 | Editor asked my rate and I quoted $300 and that worked. I've seen the same editor post call for pitches and list their rate as $250. | 10/22/2020 21:38:17 | ||||||
93 | Latina | cis female | Bustle | personal essay | 800 | 400 | 4 | assignment, was eventually killed. 25% kill fee. | 10/20/2020 13:47:16 | ||||||
94 | White British | Female | Bustle UK | Feature | 900 | £120 | Five | Had worked with the editor at a previous job | 6/18/2020 19:25:51 | ||||||
95 | White | Female | Bustle UK | Online shift day rate | Around 4 pieces a day | $135 (around £107) | 5 | Original rate was $125, negotiated up after a year of work | 6/12/2020 16:23:47 | ||||||
96 | White | Female | BuzzFeed Books | List | 3500 | $300 | 3 | 7/11/2020 2:06:13 | |||||||
97 | White | Cis female | Caitlin Farrell | Short opinion article | 800 | £120 | 2 | No, I got this article through a lucky pitch, I didn’t know the editors or negotiate the rate. I felt the rate was fair, and it was the highest I’ve ever been paid for an article | 7/11/2020 9:29:56 | ||||||
98 | White | Cis female | Canvas8 Library | Report | 2,000 | £400 | 4 | Pre-existing friendship with editor. Regular gig. Often pays on time, though has a 30+ day payment stipulation. | 6/25/2020 23:37:31 | ||||||
99 | White | Cis female | Canvas8 Library | Case study | Commissioned 1,000. 1,400 final. | £150 | 4 | Regular gig. This rate always feels too low to me, given the amount of work it involves. | 6/25/2020 23:40:05 | ||||||
100 | Other white (non-British) | F | ChannelPro.co.uk | Feature (specialist B2B) | 800 | £200 | 22 | I had written for them in previous years, for another editor, so it was 'within my network'. | 6/22/2020 12:07:33 | ||||||