How to Get Paid as a Creative Professional

Making a living as a creative professional isn’t just about talent—it’s about knowing how to get paid and making sure clients respect your work.

I’ve been in the media business for almost a decade. I’ve worked every role—actor, production assistant, camera operator, director, producer. I’ve been the creative professional and the business owner. I’ve seen both sides. I know why clients hesitate to pay, and I know where creatives screw themselves over.

So if you’re trying to make a full-time living as a freelancer, photographer, videographer, or any other creative, here’s how to actually get paid—without chasing clients, working for exposure, or getting screwed over.

Your First Year: Flat Rates, No Hourly Pay

If you’re new to freelancing, stop thinking like an employee. You’re not getting paid for your time—you’re getting paid for a result.

How to Charge in Your First Year

• Set a half-day rate and a full-day rate.
• No hourly pay. Ever.
• Example: If you made $100/day working at McDonald’s, that’s now your half-day rate for four hours. Your full-day rate is $200 for up to 10 hours.

Clients don’t care how many hours you work. They care about what they get. And in your first year, you’re going to work harder than you ever have while making less money. But it’s not about the money yet—it’s about getting better, faster, and more confident.

Every 2-3 months, raise your rates.

• Start at $100 per half-day.
• Then $200.
• Then $300.
• Then $500+.

Within a year, you should be charging $1,000+ per job.

Year Two: Charge for Specific Results

After you’ve been working for a while, you’ll notice something:

You get faster.

A real estate shoot that took you 2 hours? Now it takes 30 minutes. So what do you do? Charge based on the result, not the time spent.

Example: Real Estate Photography

• Year 1: You charge $200 for a half-day because it took you 2 hours per house.
• Year 2: You can now shoot a house in 30 minutes.
• Instead of charging less, you charge $150 per house.
• Now you shoot 5 houses in a day and make $750 instead of $200.

This is when you stop trading time for money.

How to Actually Get Paid (Without Getting Screwed)

If you don’t get paid upfront, you’re setting yourself up for a nightmare.

Worst Ways to Get Paid (Avoid These)

❌ “I’ll pay you at the end of the shoot.” → Clients always delay.
❌ “Send us an invoice, and we’ll process it.” → You’ll wait 30-90 days for your money.
❌ Corporate payment policies (net30, net60, net90). → They will milk you for free work as long as possible.

The Right Way to Get Paid

✅ 100% upfront – Best case scenario. You do the job with zero stress.
✅ 50% deposit, 50% after the shoot – Minimum you should accept.
✅ No final payment = No final product. – No edits, no files, no media until you’re paid in full.

Why You Should Never Work for Free (or “Exposure”)

Ever tried paying rent with exposure? Didn’t think so.

Clients who say, “We don’t have a budget, but this is a great opportunity for you,” don’t value your work. If it mattered, they’d find the money. Period.

Even huge brands and influencers pull this trick. If they can afford a $10,000 marketing campaign, they can afford to pay you. If they don’t? Walk away.

You’re not in business to “get experience”—you’re in business to get paid.

Year Three and Beyond: Creating Bigger Value Offers

Once you’ve built experience and raised your prices, the next step is creating value-driven offers that go beyond just photography, videography, or design.

Here’s the difference:

Basic Service (Low-Paying Work):

📸 “I’ll take photos of your restaurant.”

Value-Based Offer (High-Paying Work):

📈 “Your restaurant photos are dark and unappealing. If we reshoot and improve them, I guarantee your online orders will increase.”

The second approach? That’s business talk. That’s where clients see ROI.

When you stop selling a service and start selling a transformation, you double or triple your rates overnight.

Final Thoughts: Pay Your People, Expect the Same

If you’re a creative professional, stand your ground.

• Never work for free.
• Never accept late payments.
• Always charge based on value, not time.

And if you’re a business owner hiring freelancers? Pay your people. The better you treat them, the better they’ll perform for you.

Creatives are not charities. They’re professionals. Start treating them like it.

Now go get paid.