Would you ever work for free? In today’s episode, I’m continuing my mindset series and diving into the strategy around unpaid work. I’ll be breaking down the power of setting clear expectations and boundaries, turning unpaid opportunities into income, and my mindset around trading work for exposure. 

On Quianna Marie Weekly, we’re chatting about business growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating wins of all sizes through the lens of a photographer at heart. Sprinkled throughout stories and interviews with past clients, photographers and other business owners this podcast is designed to help you step into your purpose and to truly create a life you’re proud of, a life worth photographing and sharing.

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Today’s episode is brought to you by The Green House, my resource garden for photographers! Let me help you AMPLIFY your heart online and in real life to turn bridesmaids into future brides through templates, workshops, and freebies!

Review The Show Notes:

I’ve Seen It All While Working For Free (3:08)

Exposure Horror Stories (4:30)

Making Free Opportunities Work For Me (5:36)

Questions To Ask Yourself (8:38)

Trade Non-Negotiables (10:50)

Opportunities That Made Working For Free Feel Worth It (17:15)
How My Business Benefits From Unpaid Work (21:15) 

Turning An Unpaid Speaking Opportunity Into High-Ticket Sales (24:33)

Is It Worth It? (30:27)

Quick Take-Aways (32:53)

Mentioned In This Episode:

Nuuly: nuuly.com

Quianna’s Favorite Contracts: quiannamarie.com/contracts

The Greenhouse Resource Garden: quiannamarie.com/shop

Episode 56 Creating A Legally Legit Business: quiannamarieblog.com/2022/10/17/creating-a-legally-legit-business

Review the Transcript:

Have you ever been asked to photograph something for free? Now we all know business is business here on the podcast, so please feel free to join this conversation. Even if you’re not a photographer. I can almost guarantee that in some point in your career someone has tried to bamboozle you into trading your services for some sort of exchange.

A trade for anything, but a paycheck. There’s always some sort of glittery fools gold exchange included, like exposure, priceless opportunities, new connections, and some sort of social gain. By being in the room and getting your name out there, photographers a service-based providers and creatives, this is a frustration that drives us all crazy.

Unfortunately, we can’t pay our mortgage with exposure or check out at Trader Joe’s with a shout out on Instagram. If only I was paid a dollar for every time someone asked me to photograph something for exposure, oh my gosh. We would all be living the life if that was true, right? Like I would have the boat, I would have the mountain house, and you’d be able to visit anytime you wanted.

This episode absolutely needs to be added to the mindset series because it’s a conversation, and let’s be honest, a headache that I see business owners from beginners to seasoned pros and industry leaders still facing today. I’ll be breaking down the frustration of why exposure doesn’t equal income.

Red flags to be aware of when we’re asked to do something that looks too good to be true, because it probably isn’t that great of a deal on your end of the bargain. The power of setting boundaries, and I’m even sharing my mindset around exposure and how I can get free work, work for me and my business in the long haul.

Plus, if you know me personally, I’m always looking for the silver lining in every single situation. I’ll be turning this rant into a mindset shift that can empower you to help your business grow, build authority, and set yourself up for even more paid and appreciated opportunities. If these swaps trades expose, your opportunities are done well with your best interest at heart.

It may actually second guess the phrase that you never do anything for free anymore. Let’s break it all down together and help navigate the difference between getting taken advantage of by cheapos and letting our business take advantage and maximize these opportunities that builds our network and our net worth.

Ooh, it’s gonna get a little spicy, and I’m so thankful you’re here so we don’t have to tackle these tough situations and decisions alone. Ready? Let’s get this party started. Let’s go. Welcome to Keana Marie Weekly, a podcast for creatives who love to celebrate wins bigger, small by dancing in the kitchen.

Photographers who are excited to serve their clients and friends who are ready to chase. Really, really big dreams. You can find all of the resources mentioned in this episode@kianamarie.com slash podcast. Join me as I share weekly motivation, chat about growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating your wins through the lens of a photographer at heart.

Come join me for a dance party. Ready? Let’s go.

Exposure Doesn’t Pay The Bills

Working for free without a plan can lead to missed. Paid opportunities, burnout and crossed boundaries. No thank you to energy sucks and demanding clients that want stuff for free and zero ROI, which for us, that means you are a return on time, energy, and any out-of-pocket expenses for your efforts. It’s just not fair with over 20 plus years of experience as a photographer.

I’ve seen it all. I’ve been in situations that I was completely taken advantage of and not only wasted my time and energy, but the business I was trading with made money off of my images and tried to bamboozle me into thinking that that was fine and that was part of the plan. No, I’ve also put myself in rooms and brought my camera knowing I wasn’t going to be compensated for my images.

But it led to divine friendships and business relationships that still bring in hot leads, clients that pay in full and genuine connections today. I’ve stepped into rooms with my camera and booked weddings. I’ve invested in my business to attend events and was introduced to key players that asked me to speak at future events.

I’ve also been completely taken advantage of and stepped on. I. Without bashing everyone that’s taken advantage of me and my business. I know we can all relate to trades or exposure opportunities that got icky, awkward, and felt depleting. I’ve been burned by friends, local businesses, and even some big names in our industry.

In fact, I just did a quick Instagram poll and a handful of these responses makes my heart so sad for these horror stories about empty exposure exchanges. Kylie from San Francisco shared that she’s done trades for work, for exposure in the past, only to find that they ask for so much extra and they’re difficult to work with, making more work for her, more than what her happy paying clients were expecting.

Right. So, ah, I’m just so sorry about hearing that, Kylie. Amber from Dallas shared that she was never tagged or shared photo credit like they promised, so there was no follow through. She did all this work and then there was no tagging or no promotion like she was promised. Natalie from San Jose mentioned that a trade was booked on the calendar months in advance, only to be canceled last minute.

Oh, she turned down paying clients for that date and was furious about the trade fizzling out, leaving a date on her calendar in her pockets empty from that one opportunity. Ooh, that sucks. And I’m so sorry. Ah, those are just the worst. These are just a handful of responses from that poll and I’m sure you can relate to, I wanna start with the mindset shift that helped me do things for free, but I made those opportunities work for me.

If I’m approached with a trade or exposure opportunity, these are the quick gut punches or maybe just a checklist that I run through my mind and even write out on paper. Sometimes it helps to like write out the pros and cons before moving forward. If I’m approached to do something for exposure, here’s what I’m thinking and I wanna roll out these ways that will actually make it worth my time and create any opportunity that I’m working for free.

Actually pay off. So the first thing I’m looking for is, is this a portfolio building passion project? Does this sound fun? Is this going to align with my creativity, with my creative direction? How much creative direction do I have in this opportunity? What does that look like? Are there strategic collaborations with aligned business owners and creators?

So this is something that you’re gonna wanna think about too, right? Is looking at this opportunity for unpaid work or maybe trade and thinking, hey. Are the people that I will be collaborating with in alignment with my morals, my values, and my business practices. So, for example, speaking to my wedding photographers, if you are doing a styled shoot, are you working with other vendors that also lead with heart-centered businesses that are within, I would say, similar budgets, um, that you are trying to, to book for your future couples?

Right? Like, what does that look like, right. We don’t want to be offering free unpaid work for, for really audiences that just don’t align. That’s what I’m trying to trying to say, right? We wanna make sure that we’re on the same page across the board for everyone that’s collaborating. Next, I wanna chat about what is the real marketing exposure.

What’s happening? Like what is that agreement? Right? Where’s the exposure being shared? Is it on social media for your email subscribers, YouTube podcast ads, signage at the event, printed logos for programs and booklets? Where exactly will my name and business be exposed for this event or collaboration?

For the audience and any of these opportunities, right? Like where is it actually showing up? And I would get so nitty gritty about, let’s say for example, my name is shared as a, a speaker for an event, am I getting an individual post? Like, are each of the speakers and special guests getting a post to highlight that I am a speaker?

Right? What does that look like if I am shared and like shared to a story? Is my name actually tag, like clickable. Like is my username handle actually in big font letters, easy to see, easy for people to click over to my page? Or am I just in super uber tiny font on the announcement page, right? Like I wanna know all the details and what exactly I’m getting myself into, and I want you to ask yourself.

So those are kind of like my little checkpoints to see, hmm, I’m still kind of like weighing these options, seeing if it’s a good idea. And I want you to ask yourself. Is this opportunity aligned with my current season and my goals and are the clients or the audience I’m forecasting in the future? So this is a perfect example.

If you are a photographer and you have done weddings, you’ve done families for a long time, you. And now you are really hoping to get into more branding sessions. Would it make sense for you to book a styled shoot right now that showcases weddings? I don’t know if that’s something that is still on your radar and you’re accepting booking weddings, then yes, of course, build those relationships, build those friendships with vendors.

But if you’re on your way out of the wedding scene, for example, and you are trying to book more lifestyle branding. More business and brands, then maybe that doesn’t make sense, right? So I want you to really ask yourself, where are you now and where are you going? And is this aligned with that current season?

Another thing to ask yourself is, will this lead to bookings, referrals, or portfolio growth? So think about it, right? I mean, you are putting yourself in these rooms, you are accepting this trade of some kind. And what does that actually look for the future? Are you gonna be put in front of potential clients or is this just so your name?

I do. Air quotes just gets out there, right? Like, who are you actually targeting with this trade? And then one of the last things I ask myself, even though you know there’s a million questions, but I really wanna ask myself, am I excited? Does this sound fun? Or does it feel a little guilted? Like, do I feel a little guilty like my old time, like Catholic guilt?

Like do I feel that as I approach these. Asks or these opportunities, right? Maybe do you owe somebody a favor? You know, maybe are you doing something? You know, I try not to ever lead with if I do something nice, I’m gonna get nice, something nice in return. That’s not what I’m trying to share here. But I really want you to do that gut check where you’re like, wait a second, do I feel like I have to do this ’cause I owe someone something?

Or does it sound fun? Does it let you up? And as a beautiful reminder, you are allowed to say no. You are allowed to ask questions and you are allowed to not be the free option. Now, let’s chat about some non-negotiables. These are things that if I have decided, okay, all of those checkpoints add up, I’m ready to roll.

Hmm, before I go full send into this, I do wanna kind of lay out these non-negotiables for this unpaid or trade work. So first and foremost, I must, and this is a hundred percent must be able to capture and share behind the scenes content. I will be blowing up this unpaid project with B-roll behind the scenes moments.

I. And really documenting this experience. Right. I absolutely have to be able to do that. Now there may be some stipulations that I may be okay with, right? Like for example, if I am working an event and there’s food and they ask, please just don’t take anything like behind in the kitchen, anything front facing we’re you’re game for right.

Or maybe there are some speakers that you’re working with, and all they ask is, please don’t start filming or capturing behind the scenes until my makeup and hair is done. Right. Like we, there’s, it’s very normal to have those types of requests. I’m absolutely okay with those requests, but I have to be able to document the behind the scenes of this journey, or for me doesn’t make sense.

It’s just, it’s a non-negotiable. Another non-negotiable is it has to have some type of mutual gain, so there does need to be some type of exchange, whether that is me getting something for free, like trading for a massage, that sounds fun. That is on a very short list of trades that I would be interested in, right?

But you have to decide for yourself, is this a mutually beneficial collaboration? Another non-negotiable is it must include permission to post tag and promote. So I would like to say that is like a no-brainer since I am asking for access to behind the scenes and B-roll clips to be documented the entire time.

But I also have to follow up and ask, do I have permission to post tag and promote? This is so important, okay. Like I said, if I can’t promote and market my business on the back end of this unpaid opportunity, no thank you. Not worth my time. Another non-negotiable is I must have time in my calendar to not only attend, but to deliver and make the most of this opportunity.

If I’m doing something for free or for promotion, I’m treating them like a valued and booked and paid client. I. Ooh, this gets under my skin so much. And I just have to share this with you right now because as a big sister, as a business bestie and as a mentor for you, I have seen so many unpaid gigs, whether those are like client calls or like model calls and reach outs.

And then because it’s not paid, there really isn’t as much urgency to get things done right? And I want you to think about that for a second. So let’s say you are planning a photo shoot and you are planning a model call. You want that model to come. You’re asking them what to wear. You’re going above and beyond for the experience.

You blow them away. They’re so happy. They’re anticipating to see those photos, and then it takes you a couple weeks to get those photos back because they’re kind of like on the back burner. They’re, they’re not your real paid clients. Right? Like sometimes we can kind of have that thought process. Well, I’m here to remind you with some tough love as your big sister.

They should almost take priority to your paid clients within reason. If you’re trying to gain more exposure, get them done quickly! I’m not saying you deliver them, you know, you make anybody else late with a deliverable because of this, but I’m saying they should be treated just as well as your paid clients because they are experiencing you in your business. And if you are lacking or lagging, I should say, in any way, it’s just going to reflect you and their experience of you.

If you over-delivered, got their images back in time, shared their testimonials, were so excited, was hyping them up. Don’t you think they would be way more inclined to tell their friends about you even if it was free? Right? Like even if they were telling their friends like, oh yes, we booked. Like no one’s lying, but the situation right.

Even if I leave that part out, they’re gonna be so much more excited. Like the sizzle is going to be there to talk about you. So I wanted to make sure that I made that crystal clear. And this kind of goes back to my non-negotiable about making time in my calendar because it’s not enough to just have enough time to, to do that trade or to show up for that event or to document and photograph something for someone.

Like I need to know that I have time in my calendar to promote the crap out of what I’m doing and to overdeliver my client experience. Another thing that is a non-negotiable is I must have a contract that outlines all of the expectations and deliverables. Speaking of contracts, make sure you take a peek at keana marie.com/contracts to grab the perfect contract for collaborations and future business opportunities.

My business bestie Paige Griffith has a contract for everyone, and when I say everyone, I mean every service-based business. I promise you there is something for you. Check out keana marie.com/contracts to learn more. Paige was a guest on the podcast too, so make sure to check out episode number 58.

Creating a legally legit business to learn even more about protecting your business, whether it’s for trade or for paid. And then another non-negotiable I have when it comes to these free or unpaid or trade events is it must. Be fun. It absolutely needs to light me up. It has to be moving in the direction that me and my business are moving.

It has to bring joy. It has to sound fun. Now, don’t get me wrong, we all know work is work, right? Like work is work and it does take effort and it takes energy and it may even take some of our own money to kind of fuel or, you know, put towards these events. And that’s fine. I’m okay with that as long as it’s fun, as it lights me up and just.

It just brings a smile to my face and makes my heart flutter a little bit. Then I know that I’m in alignment with this opportunity. Exposure is a strategy, not a payment. Now, before I do anything for free or trade, I’m actually approaching this opportunity as my next big business move. I take it seriously and make it a part of my marketing plan, not just a side gig or hobby.

If you’re trading your next trade or exposure gig, like you’re bringing a side dish to a potluck, instead of being the host of the dinner party, you’re already setting yourself up to be let down, wasting your time and money. I. Once I say heck yes to an opportunity, and if it meets my bare minimum expectation, that sounds like something fun and that I actually wanna do, let’s chat about the different ways that sharing a trade can actually flip from an energy suck and a waste of time to a brilliant marketing strategy if it’s done right.

I wanna share a quick example on how I once showed up to an event, an event I paid to attend. I think it’s important to mention that. I asked to photograph the event for free as an attendee. When I first moved to Arizona, I was on a mission to make new, genuine friendships, build my photography business, and make connections to help book more photo shoots and to get my name out there.

Literally, I was just thinking how many times can someone post here in the Scottsdale Phoenix area and just show photography by Keon Marie? Photography by Keon Marie. I wanted everyone to know who I was and was at least familiar with my work and the people that I photographed. This event was a goal setting New Year’s celebration, and I was so excited to attend and meet more local business owners in the Phoenix area.

As a courtesy, I asked ahead of time if it was okay for me to take photos. I needed to know that I could bring my DSLR, which for me, that just means like my big camera, my big night con, right? Not just taking photos on my phone. Of course, I feel like any. Event host is going to say, of course you can take pictures, but I needed to be clear that she knew I had intentions of actually taking professional photos.

The host said it was fine. She mentioned that they don’t have a budget for me, but I’m welcome to grab some photos and document the event I. Oh my gosh. Green light I was in. It felt so good. Now to be clear, I didn’t ask for compensation from the get go. My mission was to get in the room with ambitious women-owned businesses, document the experience, photograph the speakers on stage, and have legit photos that showcase my work to post on social media, write blogs about the event, and share with the hosts and speakers.

All of this with only a glimmer of hope that the attendees, hosts and sponsors for the event will air, quote, fingers crossed, share the photos and behind the scenes clips. I went into the situation not as a trade, but with a marketing strategy mindset. I knew that if anything was to spark exposure from this event, it was on me to create the recaps, share the photos, generate and post the graphics, and highlight the event as if I was the lead photographer.

Paid the big bucks to be there. I. As part of a recent poll on Instagram, I also wanna highlight the big business opportunities shared that actually made doing work for free worth it. Heather from Scottsdale shared that she spoke at a woman’s event for free and booked six of her high ticket offers from that one event.

Holy smokes. That is incredible, Heather. Ashley from Phoenix mentioned that she traded styling a public figure for free. And to be honest, she felt a little used from that unpaid experience. But on the backend of that styling opportunity, she booked over $40,000 worth of future clients from that one referral.

Wow. Like that. Wow. That is amazing. Brianna from Morgan Hill, California shared that she collaborated with many different wedding vendors for a styled shoot and even paid the venue for the rental for the styled shoot. This allowed her to join their preferred vendor list, and she still gives weekly inquiries even years after that collaboration.

Holy smokes. That’s amazing. That’s the way to do it. To get noticed and to be on the preferred vendor list. I love that. Some may call these opportunities lucky, like legit winning the local small business lottery. Maybe they just so happened to be at the right place at the right time, or the businesses they were collaborating with also put in some good efforts, which that does feel like winning the lottery.

I wanna spin this conversation to share some ways that I go full send on trade and unpaid work that makes sense that those decisions feel more like a business plan than a crapshoot. Okay? These are some ways that my business actually benefits from unpaid work. By capturing B-roll and behind the scenes, I am literally creating FOMO for my future clients.

I am capturing those B-roll clips like my next client is watching. Okay. I want them to be able to see themselves in the room or at the event, or at the photo shoot. Literally, all of my intentions are focused towards my future clients based on what I’m sharing. I’m making sure that I’m getting a testimonial or video reviews.

Video reviews are awesome. Those are my favorite things to do, and when it comes to unpaid work, I am so brave. I am so brutal. I will put my phone in your face and say, tell me how amazing I am. I will literally say like, tell me about your experience. What were your fears? Why did you decide to do this photo shoot?

Or why did you decide to get on stage today? Like whatever the situation is, because it’s unpaid. I just feel like I’m more ballsier and I just go for that ask. Another thing that benefits this unpaid work is by tagging and promoting intentionally. Don’t just post once and forget it, right? Repurposing everything into reels, Pinterest pins, blog content, and even email newsletters.

I. And I have to ask, this is something that I want you to ask yourself and also the host for, you know, whatever it is that you got going on for this unpaid gig. And I want you to ask them if they will be sending a thank you email after. So maybe you’re a photographer and you are putting together a gallery to share for the event after.

Is the host sending it to their entire email list. Now, I’m not asking you to gain access to those emails, which that would be amazing. That definitely should be a request. They may turn it down, which is totally normal. But it’s worth asking, but I ask you to ask that host because that’s where you can add the link to the images.

If you are sharing with attendees for any reason or any of the collaborators, ’cause you just want any extra exposure, any extra way that you can get your name in those inboxes is going to make a difference. Also contracts for everything. Discuss it. Write down all the deliverables and expectations with dates and deadlines.

Don’t forget to sign it. One way I love to look at unpaid work once I decide it sounds fun and will benefit my business in the long haul, is to break it up into three distinct action list, how I’m promoting the collaboration before, during, and after. If I’m doing anything for free or trade, I make sure I have the time to execute this marketing plan that covers as much exposure before the event, during and after the event to maximize content creation and exposure.

I. It’s not just the act of service you’re delivering for your end of the deal, but the ripple effect of exposure that often gets cut short, in my opinion, that’s the deal breaker. That’s really what it’s about. When you are not only giving up your time, your awesome personality, talents and deliverables, but then the collaboration fizzles out without everyone holding up their into the deal, that’s when it hurts.

That’s when it feels like a waste of time and makes you never, ever wanna do anything for free again. You know, I love a good story and let’s make my heart happy. So let’s blend the two real quick. Let’s chat about the success story about Heather and how she turned an unpaid speaking opportunity into six high ticket offers sales from the stage.

So let’s say, for example, that she applied to be a speaker at the event. She wasn’t asked. That’s a different story. But let’s say there was an application process and Heather, she found out that she was accepted to speak. But they’re not paying speakers at this time. She has the opportunity to decline or say yes with some boundaries and requests.

If I was Heather and I already determined that the audience I’ll be speaking in front of is my demographic of aligned clients, I would absolutely say yes. Knowing it fit in my schedule and I have the bandwidth to make this opportunity worth it. Side note, if she said yes and only had time to prepare for her talk, maybe set up a freebie or offer to sell on the back end, and then smiled for a group picture without putting any effort into promoting herself, it may be worth her time to get some exposure, but she’s leaving dozens of touch points, industry leader, clout and potential future clients in the dust.

Here’s a quick playbook that I would encourage for Heather and for you if you’re planning to get on some stages soon. The before, once it was cleared that the event host has announced speakers, I would absolutely be sharing with my audience and even ask for an affiliate code for ticket sales. Now, this is so important.

I have to make a side note and share, especially in like the speaker world. Please, please read all of the fine print when it comes to dates that you’re able to share, that you’ll be a speaker. Oftentimes, whether it’s conferences or educational events, workshops or retreats, oftentimes the host will kind of keep that under wraps for a while during the planning process and then have like a really fun, like grand reveal or maybe drip speakers.

As more ticket sales happen, whatever the case may be. Just please read the fine point. I don’t want you kind of jumping the gun and sharing and celebrating and then being scolded for it, like that’s just no fun. So back to what to do before to maximize exposure. I’d be jumping on Instagram and Facebook lives to share about this opportunity.

I’d be pulling speaking titles and topics, gaining engagement and asking my audience what they would love to learn from me. This not only builds hype, but also shares my authority on those topics. Next, I’ll be reaching out to other speakers and making introductions. I’d ask them to go live with me to extend our networks, making connections and amplifying our voices.

I would make sure to create a timeline as prep for the event, including reels, emails to my subscribers, podcast dynamic ads, and sharing the behind the scenes of the prep. Taking my audience behind the scenes on why I pitched myself, my qualifications, education, or experiences that made me want to apply in the first place and why I’m even qualified to speak.

I would even share what’s in my newly cart and newly as awesome. It’s a website that allows you to rent clothing. Perfect for speaking events, photo shoots and conferences. If you have any questions about that or you’re interested in taking a peek, make sure to check out the show notes so I can share a link to get you to newly.

It’s so fun and you get to shop. It’s, it’s so fun. I take polls on what looks best and really just any excuse to talk about how excited I am for this opportunity and what I’m looking forward to. I’m not even kidding. I would even talk about what boots should I wear on stage, right. For me, it probably would be some type of boot or shoe.

You’ll be surprised where, of course you always have the final say in whatever you wear on stage, but it really does gain interaction and engagement and hype. You see, I just rattled off a ton of time and energy I’m putting into the speaking opportunity before I even stepped on stage, right? Creating social media buzz and graphics way before the event.

Now let’s chat about how I’m maximizing this unpaid work during the event. While I’m there, I’m making it a point to take selfies with as many speakers as possible sponsors and attendees. Trust me, you’re gonna want these to share later, and not just to highlight your experience of the event after, but to have these golden nuggets to share with your new friends Birthdays one day.

I’m not even joking. I’m amazed that all of my business besties I’ve met at conferences, workshops, and educational events. You’re gonna want those selfies. Trust me. Okay, so back to the event. I would be documenting my experience from walking in to the name tags, to finding my seat to what’s for lunch or all the fun goodies in the swag bag.

If you can invest in someone like my friend Stephanie to record your speech, do it. Now. I know that may not be feasible, especially for an unpaid speaking gig, but if you have the budget to invest in videography and you’re working towards aligning yourself as a paid speaker. It’s worth looking into booking a paid videographer.

If that’s not in the budget, ask a friend to tag along and document as many behind the scenes clips as possible. You’re gonna want visual proof that you were on stage after you’ve given your best efforts to document as much as you can and spark conversations for genuine friendships. The magic of this promotion truly comes after the event.

I find that my behind the scenes clips sizzle the hottest and last the longest if they’re up to share ASAP. Just a quick recap of the day. Tagging speakers, the venue sponsors, and special guests with a quick checkpoint timeline through. Photos and behind the scene clips will absolutely be reshared. You wanna make their life so easy that all they have to do is click add to story, right?

I have a record of having an Instagram story being shared 63 times in one day following a conference. That’s insane. I want you to think about that. If one single post, or sorry, one single story was reshared 63 times and I was in the room with some of these big names. I mean, the networks that those reach is just so crazy.

This is where I mentioned the deal breaker really hits home. If you don’t have time to promote the unpaid or trade work, is it worth it at all? It’s not enough to just have time for the trade, but do you really have the time, energy, and creativity to produce content and a marketing plan after? If you’re doing it for exposure, but no one seeing it, was it really exposure?

This may sound a little controversial, but I use unpaid work as a way to market my business and double down on the exposure that I create and simply ask collaborators to share the work I’m doing to promote myself. I. Unpaid work typically takes more effort than my client work. I’m not only going above and beyond in providing in all the experiences like I would for my own clients, but because I’m not paid for it, I make it count on the back end by promoting it as much as I can and squeezing every drop of opportunity out of that gig.

Your business is your business, babe. It’s not up to anyone else to fuel your marketing strategies and promote your business. It’s up to you. When you’re in the growing stage of your business or experiencing pivots every three to five years, it’s important to keep this checklist in mind. There’s going to be times when you ask your friends and clients to do some things for free or to model for you, and there’s going to be other times that businesses and collaborations ask you for the unpaid work in exchange for something.

At a glance, my business model has changed so much over the years. When I first started my photography business, I was begging my cousins, the families I babysat for, and friends to model for me for portraits and to promote mini sessions. Soon I was attending and hosting style shoots for weddings. I even asked past brides and friends to pose for boudoir shoots, lifestyle and branding images.

Now, today I’m asking industry leaders, peers, and business besties to be guests on the podcast. Being on the lookout for each other for future speaking opportunities. As we continue to grow and expand, there’s going to be new levels, new doors to open, and the need for collaboration and the possibility for unpaid work.

When we shift our mindset based on each circumstance and view, these bold asks as growth opportunities, we can make decisions based on discernment and planting seeds for the future. So let’s wrap up this rant that I’ve turned into a marketing lesson over here with some quick takeaways. Number one, not all free work is bad.

Number two, you get to set the terms, request them sign a contract, and follow through with those expectations. And number three, if you’re giving time, talent, or creativity for free, make sure it’s serving you too. It’s up to you to promote your business and to make anything worth your time and your energy.

I would love to chat more about this with you. Also, as a side note, before I wrap up, I also just wanna share from my heart to yours that it’s absolutely okay to do something for free, simply because it feels good. Simply because your heart is in it and generosity is contagious for opportunity. So I completely understand that.

Sometimes I do things for free simply because it feels good, whether that is volunteering, whether that is offering some type of photo shoot for a fundraiser. So for example, I had a friend who nearly lost her life. I was able to do a, um, like a mini session called Love for lre, and within one day at the beach, I was able, a hundred percent of the proceeds went to this and it was like a donation based photo shoot.

I sent it out to all my friends and family. They met us up at Santa Cruz. My brother and my um, boyfriend at the time, they came and they popped up an easy up. We were there all day. And we were able to raise $1,200 that day. And when we had the opportunity to bring it, um, to Bobby and Rell, um, to just share hate like this, this is just a gift for you.

There’s nothing in return. And it was very emotional. I. And Bobby told us, he was like, wow. Because, you know, insurance was covering some things, but not everything. Right? Like, not all their expenses. It was really scary. And I remember him, you know, mentioning and just thanking us and literally crying and saying, this literally helps cover our mortgage.

You know, just for one month, like, you know, and this was, this was, oh my gosh, 15 years ago. It’s just, those are the moments that I want you to look for, right? Like these, these glimmer of moments and opportunities that, you know, we do have our talents, we have our God-given talents and our gifts, and we have the opportunity to give back.

So sometimes I feel like as, as a photographer and as a business owner, I always wanna stand up for you and say, oh no honey, we don’t do anything for free and like, snap our fingers. You know, like, no way, no way. I also want to leave you with a hug to know that it’s also a gift that we get to share on our own terms, right?

I would love to chat more about this with you. Please slide into my dms and tell me if you’ve ever felt like you’ve been taken advantage of or what I really wanna hear. I mean, we can totally, we can totally go to town on those horror stories. I really want to hear if you flipped a free gig into something powerful, let’s normalize being paid and being strategic.

Woo. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for listening to this rant Turn, Danny Tanner moment lesson. Um, I appreciate you so much. I’m so grateful for you. As a reminder, these podcast episodes are free, so anytime that you can give back by sharing with a friend, leaving a review, telling, like I said, telling your friends about it, sending them in those dms, texting them, saying, this is what’s in your ear, sharing on social media.

All of that is appreciated. I read every single review and it just, oh, it just makes my heart so happy. So like I said, these. These episodes are coming outta my pocket straight to you, and none of this will be possible without you, so I’m always cheering for you. Thank you so much. Beautiful. I hope you have an incredible, impactful and productive week.

Keep on thriving, keep on dancing. You are incredible.

We need more exposure for you, but just done so it’s works for you!

I love you. Have a good day. That’s a wrap on another episode of Quianna Marie Weekly. Thank you so much for your listenership and support. You can find the resources and show notes for this episode and more at QuiannaMarie.com/podcast. I’d be honored if you’d show your support by leaving a review and rating on your favorite podcast app.

Until next time, keep on on dancing.

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