When you go to the doctor, do you expect to be treated for free? Do you expect a farmer to plant his crops, fertilize and otherwise nurture them, and then send the food to market without getting paid for the time and money it took? Or how about when you visit a financial advisor?
I'll get back to this one later...
What I am really wondering is why do so many people think writers will be happy to work for free? I write because I love words and have always had a way of putting them together. I'm good at what I do, but so too are many people who take up professions for which they get paid. Yet, when I research my next writing gig, there are numerous advertisements from people who offer no pay or very little pay
Most of these ads are upfront and honest, informing applicants if they pay based on royalties, or don't pay at all for that matter. Some free jobs may even lead to other work. In fact, the manager of this blog was very upfront when I first approached him, saying that payment would be on a revenue sharing basis, but he also added something that I liked. He said that by blogging on the site, I could increase my exposure online and further my freelance writing career.
By writing for "free" I was really creating a space where I could showcase my work. I was, in essence, advertising. And it's paid off for me to a certain extent, even in the short time I have been writing for this blog.
So... if you're a professional of any sort, providing advice without asking for payment can be a way of attracting new customers and thus increasing income. In this day and age, for example, starting a blog on financial matters would be a great way to bring in potential clientele for a financial advisor, just as blogging about health would be for a doctor, or blogging on writing would be for a writer.
(Originally published at The Creating Wealth Blog on 2/6/09)
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