Raising your rate with an existing client is not bad news. It only reads that way if you write it like an apology. The client does not need to be talked into the increase; they need to be told, clearly, once, and given time to plan around it.
Lead with the change, not the preamble
Do not spend three sentences warming up before you get to the point. Say what is changing and when, near the top of the message. Everything else, the appreciation, the reason if you give one, the notice period, supports that one fact. It does not need to come before it.
State it once, do not defend it
If you have a reason, give it in a single sentence and move on. Stacking two or three justifications, or restating the reason later in the message, makes the increase look shaky, like you are still convincing yourself. Confidence reads as one clean statement, not a case being built.
Give real notice, then invite questions
Use the effective date you have actually decided on and make sure there is a sensible gap between telling them and the new rate starting, so it reads as planned rather than sprung on them. Close by inviting them to ask anything, rather than pre-empting objections they have not raised. If they have concerns, let them bring those to you.
Example
Common mistakes
- Opening with an apology, which invites the client to talk you out of it.
- Giving no notice, so the new rate feels sprung on them rather than planned.
- Over-explaining the reason, which makes a confident decision look like a negotiation.