How much to charge for PR and Comms consultancy

[NuclearStandoff]

I am setting myself up as a freelance PR & Comms consultant, targeting SMEs in a fairly specialised field.

I'm at quite a senior level - very experienced former journalist and was Head of PR for a company that is well-known in its field.

I have no idea how much to charge per hour/per day.

Was thinking c £50 an hour - can anyone advise me if that is the right ballpark?

Very grateful for any advice. Thanks.

I do the same thing -- hopefully not in exactly the same field!

£50 an hour is OK. I charge £70, but have lost jobs because I'm viewed as too expensive. Having said that, they've often been jobs I don't really want to do! If it's an interesting job I'll lower my rates -- flexibility is key as long as you don't under-price yourself.

An agency would charge you out at £900 -- £1000 a day, so you are comfortably undercutting them.

Good luck.

£350 a day sounds low to me tbh. But of course it all depends what your market will pay.

As a rule of thumb, you need to look at the salary you want to earn, add in what you need to cover holidays etc and your business development time. So if you want to earn 100k a year you have to go: 100,000/260 (number of working days in a year), which works out at £384 a day. Sounds fantastic and achievable on your proposed rate BUT that assumes no holidays, no days when no-one wants to hire you, and no time spent on the phone/chasing leads/going to meetings for projects that don't go anywhere/networking.

Of course, if you only want to earn 50k a year it starts to look a bit more manageable. But I find that's a helpful way of looking at your rates and setting your objectives.

Thank you both for your helpful advice.

I am going to start at £60 an hour, and see how that goes in my market.

Not registered for VAT, so think that makes me quite competitive.