The first number I ever quoted for a script was $40. The client replied yes in ten minutes, then asked for four revisions, VO notes, and a cut list. I ended up at $6 an hour. That mistake taught me to price by a fixed package with a cap. Write down how many hours a task takes when you do it for your own video, then multiply by a floor rate you can live with.
Pick one floor. For writing a tight VO script in your niche, set a floor that covers your time plus a small buffer. If your floor is $175 for 90 seconds, do not drop below it for new clients. Your old channel time is not free.
Length is a rough guide, but format is the real driver. A talking head outline with natural pauses is easier than a technical explainer with precise terms. Count revision rounds: one round is fair, two rounds can be priced in. Count research: if you need to fact check three sources, price it in.
Write the deliverables in one line: 'Final VO script in Google Doc, with cues, delivered in 48 hours, one revision.' That single line blocks half the 'just one small tweak' messages.
A workable formula for script work: base for the format plus add-ons. Base covers structure, draft, and polish for your standard format. Add-ons: rush (24 hours), second revision pack, b-roll notes, or transcript cleanup. Quote only what the client asked for and list add-ons separately.
Never quote 'starting at'. Quote the exact package. If they need something else, quote the add-on. This keeps you honest and avoids haggling down the base.
When a DM says 'what is your rate', do not ask for budget first. Send your one package link or your one package text. If they reply 'too high', say you can adjust scope to fit, but not the base rate. If they cannot adjust scope, move on. This takes 30 seconds and saves days.
I keep a canned reply saved on my phone. It has the package, the price, and one sample line. That prevents me from writing a long explanation when I am tired.
Pay yourself the same rule. If you will not write a 60-second hook for a client at $40, stop writing yours at that rate. Track your effective hourly for one month on your uploads. The number will be humbling or clarifying. Either way, it points to the edits you need to make.
Raise slowly. A $25 bump on one package every three months is easier than a 50 percent jump once. Keep the new price for new clients first, not for existing ones unless agreed.
AdSense can cover small bills, but for most channels it falls short once production costs rise. Affiliate links, digital files, and services offer clearer paths to steady cash flow.
Shooting and scripting in blocks saves setup time, but do it wrong and every video sounds like it came off the same conveyor belt. The trick is batching the boring parts.
Uploading every week forever is a promise no one can keep by pushing harder. The fix is a smaller output you can maintain on your worst month, not your best.
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