Most agencies and freelancers price their work like this:

“We’ll draft a thing, you’ll give us feedback, we’ll write you a second draft, you’ll give us more feedback, then we’ll write a final version and then you’ll pay us x”

It sort-of works, and flat fees are far better than charging by the hour. For freelancers, it makes work far easier to come by, and it reduces tension in a client-agency relationship.

However, having a set number of drafts for a set cost causes problems when you’ve got a client that’s scared to commit to finishing the thing.

That fear of commitment to a final output often manifests itself as an unwillingness to sign anything off, inconsistent feedback that flip-flops between opposing ideas, and endless, endless drafts.

So instead, what if agencies and freelancers priced their work like this:

Work Total cost
One draft + final deliverable 1x
Two drafts + final deliverable 2x
Three drafts + final deliverable 3x
Four drafts + final deliverable 4x

Is it harsh? A little. Is it fair? Probably.