Work For Free: Is It Worth It?

“So, we’ll need you to write 4 on-brand articles per month, 2,500 words each, but there is no financial compensation. However, we reassure you'll get great exposure. Also, if we're satisfied with your work, you'll become a permanent. Keen? Happy to jump on a call if that's easier for you.”

I bet you glanced at the date, thinking it's April Fools' and this is some sort of a flippant joke. Na-ah, that's an actual job proposition that recently landed on my inbox from a Growth Director. What's worse is that the organisation he represents is neither a start-up nor a small business that couldn't afford me. They're a booming, affluent corporate giant that had the budget to pay their apprentices, interns and contributors but thought it wise not to.

So, unless you ring me to discuss my rates or negotiate an amount that offsets your spending, NO, I'm not keen. I'm not buying into the E-word, so keep exposure for yourself.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one who stockpiles such emails — so many of us with creative careers are approached by non-paying clients (NPC) to slav... ehh work for them without credit or payment, especially if you're early in the freelance industry.

Most of those NPCs completely disregard the -lance in freelance and hold onto the “free” — who wouldn't want to milk a creator from any profession out of their services and non-renewable time, energy or effort for zero money? Even under such circumstances, though, many of us still get the itch to cry out an emphatic YES to unpaid labour, but then bills, loans and mortgages slap the “carefree lifestyle” out of us.

Normally, NPCs will attempt to lure you with intangible perks in return, such as exposure and connections. Or that the prospect to showcase your work will shine in your CV and equip you with credibility and core skills in your desired sector. Or that this non-paying commitment will lead to remuneration in the future.

If you're about to take a dive in the free work pool and perform quality work without pay, here are a few things to consider before you agree to offer away.

Experience

Are you an expert in your field?

If you’ve just hanged your hard-won university certificate on the wall, you might be required to build a portfolio for prospective employers. Piecing together these samples of work from scratch are time-consuming, so you'll likely have to work for free to gain experience.

*unpaid gigs lurking in the corner waving frantically at you*

You may have read articles about the risks of unpaid internships and, sadly, they're all true. Those asking you to contribute hours of your precious time for free claim that it will benefit you long-term. Specifically, they're trying to convince you that by engaging with their audience, mentions, social media shares and referrals will broaden your professional network and boost your business.

But don't cultivate high hopes that you’ll get monetary value for your time investment. Your work may leave a great impression on others at an event, but that doesn't mean that it will generate any measurable success or a future paying role.

Producing work for exposure is not the free advertising that some people present it to be. Self-employment is still employment, so clients should be aware of your credentials and pricing before they hire you or set up a contractual arrangement after you've done pro bono work for them. If you still believe that the experience you'll gain via free work is worth the salary you’re sacrificing, ensure that at least you get on the radar of your target market instead of going for the mass marketing approach.

Doing some spec or free work can be a stepping stone as you launch your brand. However, continuing to perform work without pay could be detrimental to both you and your fellow budding entrepreneurs striving for fair compensation.

Know your market

Speak with other professionals

Have you shattered the taboo of talking about income in your workplace? Regardless if you're serving up ice-cream or you're a business analyst working at the top tier of a skyscraper, it's your right to know how much your colleagues are earning. Remaining silent will only do good to the company, as they can get away with paying their employees varying hourly rates for the same input.

How frustrating would it be if you didn't know you're entitled to overtime for an already low-paying job. Or that you've been invited to attend an event for free only to find out that other participants were paid. Wouldn't you feel fooled and exploited? Sometimes, you need to be the brave one who initiates these conversations with others in your domain. How else would you secure a salary that reflects your worth?

Instagram influencers and exposure

Does exposure pay rent?

Instagram influencers with a robust and ever-expanding social media following are go-to authorities for many brands that seek more visibility and recognition. In the face of the pandemic and its crippling effects on local businesses, Insta-famous users may reach out to them for collaborations.

How does this work? Influencers usually ask businesses to supply them with their goods for free, a gesture that will reward these brands with publicity in exchange. This can be attained via positive reviews or word-of-mouth referrals, which can get these businesses back on track or up and running.

Essentially, this deal expects you to provide a product for free to someone with 10K followers on their social networks, so that people can see their post and purchase your promoted product. It’s a wager that pays off for some brands, maximising their sales and reinforcing their customer base.

However, exposure alone doesn’t pay your rent and other expenses. You can partake in a couple of free gigs to make a household name for yourself, but it's not sustainable. Eventually, the costs of being a full-time business owner will need to be covered with revenue from paying clients.

Volunteering VS Unpaid work

Let's make the distinction

Unpaid work is not for everybody, but it can be for those looking to advance into a senior role, diversify their career spectrum with extracurricular activities, or seize opportunities to propel themselves ahead in their professional path.

Now, volunteering is intimately linked with a cause and mission one believes or is passionate about. Volunteers provide their services

for public service, religious or humanitarian objectives

without the expectation of any kind of compensation. Fundamentally, volunteer opportunities are selfless, unconditional acts that aim to benefit others rather than the volunteer. On the other hand, unpaid work can be carried out within the context of a non-profit organisation which is compensated through experience, training and the prospect for a future profitable job.

ELI Abroad clarifies that,

In general terms, volunteering is simply the act of ‘voluntarily’ giving your time and energy to help a cause. On the other hand, an internship is work that we take on in order to learn more about a given profession.

Jessica's Hische has a flowchart, called Should I Work For Free, under her sleeve to whip out and knock some financial sense into you.

Is that any clearer to you now? Your goal may be to gain experience and portfolio work while tracking new customers through visibility from your free gigs. Okay? Okay. But if that's not an option, I've compiled some alternatives for you.

Offer 'strategically free' work

Do the Swap Test

It's not all doom and gloom with unpaid labour when you can take the upper hand and ask for bonuses. My version of providing strategically free work is what I name “Swap Testing”. (Not the swab tests that detect Covid-19, you silly billy!).

If the client cannot fully pay you or set up a royalty agreement in which you'll be granted a percentage of the sales profit, below are what I believe to be some win-win situations for creatives:

• Bloggers can create free content and be included as contributors on websites or be linked to social handles to enhance their reputation in the right audience.

• Graphic designers and illustrators may agree to unpaid design work if their name and contact details are added in sales funnels or other marketing material.

• Photographers may do a free photoshoot for a costume designer in return for free costume props they can leverage in other photoshoots with paying customers.

• Artists may liaise with local businesses by offering free artwork to secure free display space to sell out other pieces.

• Coaches can ask clients to serve as a case study or reference, even to write a testimonials at the end of their partnership for future clients. They can also name the brand as a client or approve their using the work in their portfolio.

• Regardless of your industry, you can always attach an invoice alongside the end product with the total amounting to 0. Even if the client didn't pay a single penny, this demonstrates your capabilities and professionalism. It also suggests that the recipient has a project of value available and not something that sits dormant on their hard drive, making the digital equivalent of rotting away material.

Don't work for free. Work for cheap

Charge a small fee and gradually increase

If you're a starter or an entry-level professional that wants to get their foot in the door and kick off your career, request a low fee that's attuned to your overall experience and skillset is a good start. Of course, you can raise your rate incrementally as you go along — once you've developed your portfolio and cemented your reputation.

Remember that when you don't charge anything, your work isn't valued, and thus you're missing out on learning the ins-and-outs of business. Part of belonging in the world of self-employment is working out how to charge clients and make profit. It's just as crucial as the work you do, so get used to adopting a business-driven mindset and reasonably charge for your services.

Final Thoughts

Being a freelancer or entrepreneur is a killer, believe me! You work your bum off to secure lasting clients and have revenue from your business. So, the ability to brand yourself and handle requests to work for free should be cultivated from the get-go. There are some companies that will ask favours and rip off valuable work from you by disguising unpaid work as opportunities for new skills, a mouth-dropping portfolio, credibility and new contacts. Just bear in mind that all these on their own won’t always provide a tangible outcome for creative professionals.

Only YOU can ultimately decide what your time and value is worth. But I urge you not to waste them without some sort of compensation.

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