Why Creative Freelancers Should Never Work for Free – From My Experience as a Creative Freelancer

As a creative freelancer, there’s no doubt that you’ve been asked – at some point – to do work for free. In a way, this can feel like a recognition of your talent because the better you are, the more likely clients will approach you to do free work (it’s pretty ironic when you think about it.) You’ve likely been promised free “exposure” for your efforts or perhaps a project that’s so much “fun” that you don’t need compensation, right? Wrong!

In this article, I want to share, from my experience as a freelance videographer, writer, and creative, why creative freelancers should never work for free – or, if you’re going to work for free, ensure you’re doing it for yourself! 

Let’s first highlight how often people perceive the creative industries as a “hobby” or “passion” rather than a legitimate profession. This misconception largely stems from the idea that creativity is solely for “fun,” so why should you be paid for it? 

For example, plenty of people do painting in their spare time as a hobby or to relax, even after working their daily job. But even creative work takes time, which is what you’re really being compensated for – in any job, creative or not. Plus, if all creative work truly is just “fun,” wouldn’t a client prefer to do the work themselves instead of asking you? Usually, this isn’t the case.

Every person’s time is valuable, so they should be compensated for it. And, to make matters worse, many creative jobs are now digital, often creating the impression that things can easily be “copied and pasted.” When so much of your work happens behind a computer screen, the client doesn’t see all the blood, sweat, and tears that go into your process. 

A good example is selecting the perfect song for a video edit. The client doesn’t see the hours hunting through a library of music tracks, previewing 50 to 100 songs, and then – finally – selecting one track that fits the video’s tone. They only see the finished edit, with the perfect song that seems to have magically appeared. Compare this to other work, like a kitchen re-do. The client will likely be exposed to every step of the process, seeing every part of the kitchen being pulled out and removed and the new elements being brought in and installed. While very different jobs, they both took up the professional’s time and consideration – so why are they viewed so differently? 

A person’s expertise also holds value. One of my most memorable stories about this was when a filmmaking friend was hired to film an event. During the negotiations for payment, the client said, “For that price, they could just go out and buy their own camera.” This comment was very humorous to my friend, replying, “But will you know how to operate the camera?” This response left the client speechless because that wasn’t something they’d even considered, quickly illustrating that my friend’s expertise held significant value. Going out and buying the “tools” for most things is easy; possessing the knowledge to use them is where the value comes in.

One of the promises often dangled in front of creative freelancers is “exposure”: the magical idea that, if you do this free work, everyone will see it and want to hire you. The client asking you for the free work probably genuinely believes this, too – in their mind, this project will be a smashing success, and the only conceivable outcome is that you receive a ton of amazing and valuable exposure. Unfortunately, if this were even remotely true, freelancers getting paid in exposure wouldn’t be a meme – the harsh reality is you’re much more likely to devalue your brand, work, and image by working for free. 

I remember doing some free video editing work for a client in college. He presented the video at a meeting of a dozen or so other business owners. My thinking then was, “These other business owners will see my work, ask the client who made the video, and I’ll get a lot of paid work from these other business owners.” It was a straightforward plan, but here’s what happened: the next time I saw the client, he told me everyone loved the video and “were thrilled to hear how cheap you’d make videos for.” The truth is, the “exposure” you get from free work also comes with an unshakeable reputation as “the cheap” freelancer.

Another time, I agreed to edit a series of videos for an “introductory rate.” (Again, this was when I was in college, and the rate was far too low for the workload.) But my logic was that once the client received these videos, they would see their value and gladly pay me more next time. After I finished the videos, the client was thrilled (of course they were) and even immediately said they’d pay me more for the next ones – but I never heard from them again after that. I assure you that I wasn’t the first and won’t be the last creative freelancer to have such an experience. 

Doing free work can also have a physiological effect, where you start to devalue your worth and value as a creative. “Perception is reality,” as they say, often leading to the thought, “If I do such good creative work, why am I not getting paid for it?” Over the years, I found that the best option in free and low-paying situations like this is to work for yourself instead.

A mindset that can help illustrate the “cost” of doing free work is thinking about the work you love to create or are passionate about and pursuing that in your free time instead. Let’s say you’re a motion graphics editor, and your paid work is usually local commercials. Most of these local commercials are probably pretty tame, with little room for experimental motion graphics, but you’ve always wanted to test your chops with some over-the-top animations. Instead of doing some free work for “exposure” for someone else, use that time to create the graphics and animation pieces you love for yourself! You can then add this work to your portfolio to attract clients looking for that type of animation, meaning you get to do more of what you love and continue developing your creative style. Even if portfolio work doesn’t immediately attract new clients, spending time creating things you’ve always wanted to try will be more valuable and fulfilling, and that passion will be visible in your work. As a freelancer, the thought I always keep coming back to is, “If I’m going to do free work, I’m going to do it for myself.”

While I don’t recommend working for free, there is a difference between doing free work and willingly donating your time to something. There are also situations where two parties may mutually benefit from collaborating. Let’s explore this a little more.

Like someone can donate money to a cause, a creative freelancer can donate their time and skills to something they are passionate about (the keyword being “passionate.”) In this situation, a creative might be doing non-paying work but not for “exposure” to gain new clients. (That might still happen, but it isn’t the motivating factor.) Likewise, there are situations where two freelancers might want to collaborate because it’s a mutually beneficial experience.

An easy example is two YouTubers appearing on each other’s channels. I’ve done this sort of thing myself, collaborating on video tutorials, where the artist I’m collaborating with works on a part of the tutorial, and I work on another section. 

Lastly, I want to mention that I’m not suggesting that one should never do any free work for anything. When you’re brand new to something, and someone offers to let you do some free work for them, it may be mutually beneficial for you to take on that project – to gain real experience, expand your network, collect testimonials, or whatever the motivation may be. However, the key is that it be mutually beneficial to both parties – not one-sided. 

Getting burned by free and low-paying work is a lesson all creative freelancers will probably experience at some point. It’s one of those lessons you must experience firsthand to understand, but you’re not alone! Hopefully, this article will help you distinguish work and collaborations that are in your best interest as a creative freelancer in the future – and remember, exposure is (almost) never worth it!

While you’re here, check out this awesome guide on How to Make a Documentary and this Freelancer Starter Kit: 10 Must-Have Tools to Set Up Your Creative Business for Success. Or, head to Envato Elements to start creating today!