My experience with not charging for things in the creative landscape
What do you give away for free, and what do you charge for?
As a creator, and as someone with both sales and marketing experience, this question continues to plague me. After all, if I’ve sunk my time and effort into something, shouldn’t I get compensated for that? Why should I throw it all out there for people to take for free?
Making a Thing
Just over three years ago, I built a pretty in-depth spreadsheet for running the GTD productivity system without having to use any apps. I built it to solve a problem I was having, to fill a burning desire I had. It took me a lot of time and testing.
Then I wrote about it, and people (a lot of people) started asking me if it was something that was available — it wasn’t.
I just had my own copy, with all my dirty laundry in it. I would need to spend some time cleaning it up, providing self-contained instructions on how to use it, and make sure it was ready for people to use. It was a decent amount of work that I never expected to do.
It was at that point, I asked myself how much should I charge people for the sheet. After a little bit of hemming and hawing, I came up with the answer: nothing.
Rather than charge people to use the sheet, I simply gathered the list of folks that emailed me asking about it, and sent them the link. In the first tab of the sheet, I put the following bit of text and a link.
Rather than charge people to check out this thing I made, I simply invited them to use it for free, and toss me some money if they felt moved to do so.
Over three years later, I still receive a few contributions per month — sometimes with some really awesome emails attached, with people talking about how the sheet has helped them.
But is this approach scalable? Is it better than building something and charging right away? I think it is.
If You Build It…
A few weeks after I wrote about the sheet and gave away the template, I received an email from someone at Skillshare — the online video course company. They were reaching out to ask if I would like to build a course about the sheet on their platform.
The kicker was that I would get paid based on how many Skillshare members took the course, and for how long. It’s the first (and so far only) course I’ve made, but it was a blast. I’m proud of it. I continue to get feedback from folks about how helpful it is, and I continue to get money from it.
The point of all this is: I made a thing. People responded to the idea of it and wanted to check it out. I chose at that point to give it away for free, and let people decide whether they wanted to pay for it and how much. Then, after I did that, I got the chance to make something on top of that which people would have to pay for. So I did, and people continue to pay for it.
Because people could get the sheet for free without taking class, and because they then knew what I was all about — they ended up taking the plunge. They still take the plunge. It has proven to be the right decision.
Give First, Then Ask
This was just me doing one thing — making one product and choosing to market it by giving it away. Is it a strategy that can work?
In a fascinating interview with the folks from Shopify, Ryder Carroll (the inventory of the Bullet Journal) lays out his answer to this question:
“I feel like giving away content that is useful is really important because you’re immediately relevant to your community’s life — because you’re providing a valuable service. Without you, that wouldn’t be there. So once you start that pattern, it’s like you give first and then you ask second.”
Carroll’s assessment is right on, but it needs a little more explanation.
The give first pattern works, but what makes it work is time. When people first encounter you, they don’t know you. They don’t trust you. Why should they? So many people online are asking for their money. What makes you different than the others? What makes your product worth money upfront?
I understand the urge to charge for the thing you made. I do, I was there once. Resist that urge. Provide value first, ask for money later. If what you provide is valuable enough, you may not even need to ask for the money at all. But when you do, you’ll be much more likely to get it — and get it from people who will continue to give it to you down the road — because they trust you.
Remember, you are only partly selling what you made. You’re also selling who you are, your ethos, your work ethic. People do buy from people — even online. Prove you’re a person worth buying from by giving first and asking second.
What’s in It for Me?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should break your back for nothing. I’m assuming you’re reading this because you’re looking to make money from what you create, and that is the end goal.
So what’s in it for you when you give it away first? The short answer is the experience. I would hope that whatever it is you’re making that you intend to sell, you care a decent amount about that thing in and of itself. In that sense, simply making the thing and having it ready to give away provides value to you. You are self-actualized. You had a vision and built something you’re proud of.
In my case, I cared enough about the problem of making a personal productivity tool that I could use in a simple spreadsheet that I went ahead and did it. I solved a problem, and it helped me. I also felt great having done it. After a while, people saw enough value in it that opportunities were there to get compensated. It was that much easier for me to pursue them because people could still get the primary product for free.
I believe that time will reveal and sustain value. Time helps connect people looking for value with the people creating it — and the money flows where it ought to.
I won’t call it faith, but also won’t not call it faith.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting money for what you work hard to make. Just don’t ask for it too soon. You’ll be glad you didn’t.