Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago · 3 min. reading time · 0 ·

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2 Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before Inviting Professionals to Speak or Write for Free

2 Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before Inviting Professionals to Speak or Write for Free


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When professionals are starting out in their careers, it may make sense for them to speak or write for free to gain experience and exposure. Everyone has to start somewhere. 


Once an individual has a lot of experience under their belt (20+ years) is it reasonable to expect them to accept free engagements? 

 

Speaking and writing for free can be a way of giving back to one's profession and the community or supporting a charity. Bloggers sometimes guest blog for or with other bloggers for a number of reasons including building their brand or getting a specific message out there. Speakers do this too, especially as a way of supporting a shared cause.


Working for Free: Shining the Light on an Abusive Practice

Unfortunately, there are many organizations that take advantage of the free labour of professionals. For example, many conference organizers expect almost everyone to speak for free and pay top dollar only to a couple of keynoters (usually male and from another country). 

There are some portals that don't pay writers or bloggers but pocket the substantial amount of revenue they generate through advertising. If it is a huge portal with a substantial reach, it may be a win-win scenario to work together. Other than that, it is actually quite disrespectful to expect experienced professionals to work for free. 

One would never think of asking a caterer to cater your corporate event or wedding for free.  This would never happen.


"Provide me with catering and when all the guests see how great your food is, they will order from you."

So why are facilitators, speakers, bloggers, and writers fair game? Is what they offer perceived as having no value?


Working for Discounts

Working for free has an equally ugly twin sister. Here name is .....working for discounts. Preston R. Bailey,  Celebrity Wedding and Event Designer Extraordinaire, addressed the perils of working for discounts so beautifully that I can't possibly top him.




Two Important Questions to Ask Yourself

free?

THINK

The next time you consider asking someone to speak or write for free, ask yourself these 2 questions:

  • Are you working for free? 

Some professional organizations host conferences where everyone is working for free, the conference planning committee, those who handle registration and check-in, and the set-up crew. 

Under any other scenario, if you aren't working for free, why do you expect other professionals to work for free?


  • Does the professional earn their livelihood through speaking or writing? 


Newsflash: Professional facilitators, speakers, and writers can't buy groceries, put gas in the car, pay rent or the mortgage by accepting free engagements.

Professionals who don't charge for business eventually go out of business.

The "do it for free for exposure" line doesn't cut it either. Unless it is a showcase, conference participants aren't in the business of talent scouting. They expect to receive value

Rarely do readers say, this free article is excellent, let me reach out to the writer and offer them a paid engagement. (In the case of writing, it does happen. It has happened to me but it is rare.)


Alternatives

Rather than expecting professional facilitators, speakers or writers to work for free, consider the following options:

  • Assess the scope of your conference or publication. It's better to offer a superb 1-day conference than to stretch it to 3 days if there are budget constraints.
  • Consider increasing the admission price. If you are expecting even 100 participants, the difference in price is not significant.
  • Re-allocate your budget. Participants come to conferences for the content and networking. They will get just as much value out of the event if you opt for a less expensive venue and more affordable menu.
  • Recruit more sponsors to underwrite facilitator, speaker, writer, and blogger fees.
  • Offer something of tangible value to speakers and writers (e.g. ads, a complimentary booth at the trade show, distribution of promotional material through snail mail or e-mail - just lining the delegate bags with brochures doesn't work as they get lost in a pile and end up in the garbage)
  • Engage executives or full-time employees to fill some spots in exchange for a listing as a sponsor. Don't overdo this as participants will perceive the conference or publication as a wall-to-wall sales pitch.
  • Reserve a couple of spots for emerging professionals and let them share their experiences and tips with other emerging professionals.


Abuse is rampant and the time is overdue to re-think speaker, blogger, and writer engagement. It is not reasonable to expect professionals to just give away expertise gained over many years and, in some cases, decades


Photo Credit: Alden, BIAU Guillaume (Flickr)


For more thoughts, also consult this post that I wrote for a client:


For Discussion:


  • Do you engage speakers or writers for free? If so what are your reactions to this article. Are you an independent speaker, facilitator or writer? 
  • What abuses have you seen and what results have you achieved by speaking or writing for free?

Anne Thornley-Brown, MBA, is the President of Executive Oasis International. She is a designer and facilitator for team building, executive retreats, and meetings. She has blogged for a number of portals including Plan Your Meetings by MPI, Cvent Blog, EventMobi Blog, Event Manager Blog, Elite Meetings, Meetings.net, and The Huffington Post.

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Comments
Exactly.
#23
An example might help. I was very active in the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS). In fact, I was on the board of their Toronto Chapter. They would have a conference once a year and once a year a speaker's school for emerging professionals. Everyone who worked on those events worked for free. It was a collaborative effort. So, the organizing committee, those who did set-up and logistics, and all of the speakers and facilitators donated their services. It was a way of giving back to the profession. The hotel was paid and they didn't pick expensive downtown luxury hotels. They picked affordable but nice hotels with ample meetings space usually near the airport. They also paid for AV and catering. I have no issue with that. Ditto when bloggers get together and do a collaborative piece of writers and bloggers guest blog for each other. Where I do have concerns is when someone is getting paid to plan an event at a top luxury property or the most expensive convention centre in Toronto and they expect people to work for free. Then they turn around may fly in a speaker from the USA (always male) to talk about his bungee jumping adventures in the Himalayas. They pay him top dollar. How is that even relevant to the day-to-day experiences of the participants? That is where I have a problem.
#21
Individuals who are in other businesses and professions are not the focus of this blog post or discussion. Tarran Dean also made it clear that when she was a full-time employee generating an income, she spoke for free. I did too. My income was already taken care of and speaking, facilitating breakouts, or serving as a member of a panel was of benefit to my employer. I hope you didn't get the impression that I was speaking about you when I wrote this.Not at all. You never even entered my mind. I had no issue with you inviting me to blog on John's blog. It was a pleasure and a win-win scenario for all concerned. That fits into the category of " Bloggers sometimes guest blog for or with other bloggers for a number of reasons including building their brand or getting a specific message out there." No, I was thinking of some recent events in Toronto where they have flown in people from overseas, put them up at top hotels and then expected the local speakers to speak for free. Also, I have had a number of requests from people who are selling compilations of articles approach me and expect me to write for free when they will be generating revenue from it. I received one too many of those and wrote this post. As you can see, it really gets my goat. In my case, I make the services I offer really, really clear on all of my profiles. Not sure why people are bombarding me with requests to work for free. Perhaps they think I am independently wealthy or that I don't need to pay rent, put food on the table, and fill up my car. Trust me my landlord, the grocers, and gas stations aren't giving me any freebies or credit for work that is done for free. Some other time I should do a post about people who ask professionals to "pay" to speak, write, or appear on their TV shows. That is the ugly triplet in this scenario. I have been getting a lot of requests for those lately too.
#18
With respect to the question of working for free, everyone volunteers sometimes. That is not the focus of this article or discussion. The whole universe is not up for grabs here. I wrote the post and started this discussion with a very specific focus: professionals who earn their livelihood by speaking and writing. So with that in mind am I to take it that in all of these instances when event organizers are asking professional speakers to speak for free they are also working for free? Is that what you are saying? I know for a fact that this is not the case. It is abusive and exploitative to expect professional speakers and writers to work for free unless everyone involved in the endeavour is working for free.Tarran Dean was on point with her post. If anyone knows her, please invite her to join us. Given the fact that so many seem to think that this type of exploitation is okay, it is going to take lobbying by professional associations for legislation to put a stop to this. I hope that this post and conversation have made my feelings on this matter clear and that I will no longer be bombarded with requests to speak and write for free. It is totally out of hand.
#18
I am not ignoring your point. It has been addressed many times including in the original post at length. "The "do it for free for exposure" line doesn't cut it either. Unless it is a showcase, conference participants aren't in the business of talent scouting. They expect to receive value. Rarely do readers say, this free article is excellent, let me reach out to the writer and offer them a paid engagement. (In the case of writing, it does happen. It has happened to me but it is rare.)"
#15
You are missing the point Sandra Smith but that's okay, let's leave it at that. By the way, do you work for free?
Anyone know Tarran Dean? I could kiss her for this great post. Check it out: http://www.corporatecinderella.com.au/2013/01/understanding-speaker-fees Short Excerpt: In this blog I wanted to help ease the awkwardness that can emerge when people on both sides, Speakers & prospective clients, don’t have a clear understanding of why Speakers charge a fee. I’ve been there myself. I used to speak ‘for free’, as part of the many roles I’ve held throughout the past 25 years. All this with the blessing of my past employers over the years. Keynotes at conferences, seminar presentations, facilitating workshops, mentoring sector colleagues, well it was all part of the senior management position. Getting paid or the company being ‘reimbursed’ was never discussed. Professional Speaking Isn’t a Hobby It’s a whole different ball game, when you do this for a living! As a Professional Speaker we needed to give ourselves permission to be valued for our intellectual property. We live and breathe increasing knowledge, statistics, world events, economic factors, case studies, marketing, online development and the list goes on. Professional speaking isn’t a hobby. Speakers as InfoPreneurs, EntrePreneurs & Small Business Owners Speakers are entrepreneurs and small business owners. When you ask a speaker to speak for free it’s like (A) going into your local butcher and ordering the best cuts, letting them wrap it and handover it over you without paying. Seriously! Too much? Try this one then (B) it’s like asking your staff to come into the office and work for free AND often pay their own resources AND give you the IP they’ve developed over the years for FREE.
Sandra Smith no we are not going to agree. If the margins are so thin, why are the organizers opting for the most expensive venues and catering? Shame on the organizers for booking "influencers" who deliver canned speeches and paying them top dollar. You are dealing with several different scenarios: - a professional with a product or service unrelated to speaking who uses speaking to promote it - that would fall into the same category my 6th point under Alternatives - company expose - again, if the margins are so thin why are the companies using expensive venues - professional facilitators or speakers Seems like people want to find every excuse to justify not paying people. It is abuse and a lack of respect for other professionals. There is legislation to protect interns from this type of abuse. Perhaps the professional associations for speakers need to lobby for similar legislation.
Sandra Smith We are not going to agree on this. I have worked on both sides of the desk and I see the amount of money that goes into paying for top of the line venues and expensive catering by the same planners who turn around and expect people to work for free. By opting for less expensive venues and menus, the budget for speakers and facilitators would be bigger. It is a misconception that speakers just show up and deliver 50 minutes. It takes years to build up expertise and hone one's craft. Also, any professional speaker worth his or her salt would not just show up and deliver a canned speech that they have delivered before. That is what amateurs do and it shows. Customization is key to the success of any speech, blog post, or article.

Jerry Fletcher

6 years ago #7

Anne, I agree. I'm pretty picky about appearing for free. I try to get a handle on who is really attending and avoid second tier management events. I've found that the best pickings come in small groups of CEOs, Presidents and sometimes COOs. I'm also fond of gatherings of Mid Market consultants. ON the writing side I offer reworks of my previous columns, articles and blogs but if they want fresh insights and research I have to be paid.
Jerry Fletcher It does happen and it has happened to me....but rarely. If decision makers are present in the audience, it can work. For example, after a luncheon, I facilitated an interactive session for a group of corporate board secretaries. When it was over, a VP approached me and invited me to facilitate a team building session for her entire team. Unfortunately, far too often, participants are not in a position to make decisions and engage the services of the speakers present. They attend conferences to get value, not to scout for speakers or facilitators. If the goal is to gain exposure in order to generate business, speaking for free is not a strategy that is likely to work unless the participants are senior executives. Same story with readers of blogs and publications. Occasionally, an editor may read your work and invite you to write for them. That has happened to me a number of times. The majority of readers are trying to pick up actionable tips and strategies that they can use immediately. They are not in a position to engage writers or bloggers.

Jerry Fletcher

6 years ago #5

Anne, I've been a professional speaker for over a quarter of a century. The first question meeting planners ask is "what is your fee?" That is unless they want you to appear for free. One of the things we teach in our Local NSA chapter's Speaker Academy is how to respond to the fee question. The best answer is another question, " Can you tell me what you are trying to accomplish and what kind of budget you have? If I can't help you I'll try to find someone who can." Real meeting planners assume/know that fees are negotiable. Part timers tend to believe they are doing you a favor. When the discussion starts I always think: "You can pay me now or you can pay me later but if we engage you can pay me now and later." Have I appeared for free (not including expenses)? Yes. Will I do it again? Yes. But I'm going to get paid one way or another. Usually it is by providing the organization with added services under the same contract, having attendees purchase products or services and/or extended retainer agreements. For example, I presented part of 30 Second Marketing at no cost for a Chamber of Commerce. I netted two retainer clients from that appearance. One of them referred me to an association. Presented there. Attendee (a CEO) and I agreed to train his company executives. Presented a phased proposal for full fee on training and full fee for the two follow-up trainings leading to an ongoing retainer agreement. That engagement led to two referrals and engagements based on a similar phased proposal. In short, one free appearance was directly linked to six figures of income.

Phil Friedman

6 years ago #4

#4
Anne \ud83d\udc1d Thornley-Brown, MBA, I have no doubt that it is frustrating. Sometimes, though, it is the result of too high a profile on social media, when the ethos of "giving and sharing" nominally holds sway. And many people who claim to be in business don't have a clue what it's really about. On LinkedIn, I once had a shipyard naval architect who was being paid to do his job ask me to review a set of his plans (for which he was being paid) for free. And he seemed miffed when I declined, for after all, this was social media where we're all supposed to help each other. But asking for free work comes in many forms. One of the chapters in my upcoming book on operating a small business is titled "The Devil Often Wears Entrepreneur". Watch for it to appear next week on beBee and LinkedIn. Cheers!
That's the rub Phil. Some people do get huffy. While they put a lot of value on their own services, they put little value on the services of others. It is somewhat frustrating when someone who earns their livelihood through speaking or training to receive request after request for free or heavily discounted services.

Phil Friedman

6 years ago #2

Preston Bailey's video is terrific, both in form and in substance. Thank you Anne \ud83d\udc1d Thornley-Brown, MBA, for sharing it. I agree in principle with your views on working for free, but I differ on whether to put the burden on those who ask. There seems to me not to be anything wrong with asking for free work or for a discount -- just don't get huffy when the answer is no. Nobody is entitled to receive work for free or at a discount. It is a market transaction. This is what A wants to have done. And this is what B wants to receive in order to perform the work. If they agree, good. If not, there is no obligation to enter into an agreement. Cheers!

Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris

6 years ago #1

In my experience, any event that is free, has an agenda behind it (usually marketing related). Esp. in a technical field like Data Science.

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