by Robyn Keet

A topic that has been controversial in creative circles for years. When asking this question to any creative doing paid work — “Do you do work for exposure?” - you will likely be met with a flurry of different answers. Some negative and some positive.

Here are some examples of what you can expect.

Negative:

Exposure doesn’t pay the rent
Free work leads to more free work
Exposure is a con for cheap business owners to get things for free

Positive:

I started my career and my business by doing free work, I still do it occasionally… it gives so many awesome recommendations
You can do free/accessible work, grow your portfolio, and move on
Need to be used wisely, paired with consistency it’s a great combo to generate good results

I’ve had mixed results from doing free work. I have been burnt badly, and I have been fortunate to do free work that has led to growing a new product. I suspect it all has to do with why you are really going to do this work in the first place. To dive deeper into this topic of free exchange, I headed to our Creative Connection core group for some answers. We started by defining what a free exchange is. Simply put, the free exchange is developing a mutually benefiting partnership for all parties involved. Free doesn’t need to be a curse, it can be a blessing. In some cases, it can help you level up.

Reflecting on my own experience, I realized that I didn’t set up the boundaries, expectations, and scope for what I was offering for exposure. I simply, assumed that I would get the same value if not more for all my hard work. Boy, was I wrong! A single tweet to an audience that won’t ever buy from me normally, wasn’t a fair exchange. Sadly, I didn’t know that at the time.

Is doing free work for exposure a good strategy? There is no definitive yes or no to this question. Frankly, it all depends on Creative. But, there is a way that you can determine if doing work for exposure is a good idea for you.

Firstly ask yourself, am I doing this as a gift or do I want something in return? If you answered with the latter, the next four qualifying questions can help you decide if exposure is worth it. Approach as you would a paid client.

Question 1: Is this work aligned to my core business?

Your time is valuable and therefore what you invest in free work should align with what you do in your business. We recommend that approaching free work as you would a paid one. Understand all the components of what the work would entitle and write up a project plan. This can be a one-pager. At a later stage, you can use this project to attract potential paying customers to your business.

Question 2: Am I doing this work for my ideal customer or someone who can reach my ideal customers?

Doing work that matters is important for all big heart creatives especially for people that will appreciate the craftsmanship it took to create it. When looking at doing free work, make sure that you are doing it for your ideal customers. This work can be used as a research tool to get more information about your ideal customers. What they like or dislike, what they will pay for or not pay for, and most importantly, are you making the impact you intended to?

Question 3: Will the cost of marketing my work through this partnership give me the return of investment that I would not get if I did this myself?

Exposure is another name for marketing. Like all marketing, you need to weigh up the cost and the potential return of doing that activity. What is your reach and what will the potential engagement look like? What processes or strategies can I put in place to convert interested social scroller to paying customers? If you can reach more of your ideal customer from doing this work then you would in marketing it yourself — organically or paid. Then it’s a win.

Question 4: What is the exposure distribution strategy?

Expanding from question 3, before you start working you need to know what their exposure distribution strategy is. Understand what platforms will be used, when and by whom. Does this client have the right numbers of followers to engaged users? Can they show you proof of previous successes from using a free exchange — work for exposure? This question will help you quantify the value you will receive when doing this exchange.

Doing work for exposure or a free exchange needs to be a strategic decision. Your business needs you to advocate for its survival and therefore requires you to take the time it needs to make a decision that will not put it in jeopardy but rather help it grow.

Now I would love to know from you — Is doing work for exposure a good strategy?

Robyn Keet is the founder of Inner Voice Creative. We stand for you, the Creative Entrepreneur. Inner Voice Creative is an agency focused on awaking the Creatives voice in each one of us. We aim to empower Creatives through one-on-one coaching and strategy session, group discussions and DIY Plug-in programs.
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