{"id":458843,"date":"2019-07-09T16:19:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T15:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/welovesalt.com\/news\/2019\/07\/freelancers-dont-die-of-exposure-3\/"},"modified":"2024-02-28T09:51:18","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T09:51:18","slug":"freelancers-dont-die-of-exposure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/news\/contracting-advice\/freelancers-dont-die-of-exposure\/","title":{"rendered":"Freelancers don’t die of ‘exposure’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Blog post by Brian White<\/a>, Principal Consultant, New Zealand<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be a good piece for your portfolio! It\u2019ll look great on your showreel! It\u2019ll be great exposure!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with my freelancer candidates, I’ve been hearing these phrases for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potential clients would say something like: \u201cWe have this great idea, but (pause) we don\u2019t have a budget for the animation – but you\u2019ll get full credit for it.\u201d And then the kicker: \u201c \u2026aaand, if it does take off and we get funding – we\u2019ll cut you in on the profits when we start making money!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s great and all, but you\u2019ll notice when you buy something in real life<\/strong> there isn\u2019t a payment option for \u2018good exposure\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creative seems to be one of the few industries where it\u2019s deemed acceptable to negotiate down every time, or even have the gall to suggest people work for free. But why? Do you haggle with your electrician or plumber? Your lawyer? Dentist? Mechanic? Barista? Hell no! Then why is it acceptable for creative? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It needs to stop. Today. Enough. If you\u2019re delivering a skilled service, you charge for a skilled service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some reason, there is this attitude out there in the workforce, at least here in NZ, where illustrators, animators, film\/TV, musicians, seem to be a frequent target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why? Is it a misunderstanding of the skill and process that goes into the finished creative? A lack of respect for the craft? Is it the subjectivity of the medium? A notion that because it looks like it might be a fun job, it shouldn\u2019t be compensated to the same degree? A feeling that because work can be intermittent, people are happy to take what they can get?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember – by accepting crummy pay, you lower the value of your work. By lowering the value of your work this does not make you competitive within your industry; it devalues<\/em> your industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is important – I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t do pro bono work. I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t do art just for the love. I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t take on a project or assignment because this one pays a little less. I will <\/em>tell you that you need to make a conscious or strategic decision <\/strong>each time you make that commitment though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t know how or what you should be charging, talk to a professional who can advise you. How to cover your overheads. What\u2019s fair for your level of skill and experience? Do you charge per project or hourly? What\u2019s the market paying typically right now? How to weigh up those strategic decisions and get some advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway \u2013 food for thought, as always, I’d love to hear your insights and personal experiences. In closing, here are a few of my first-hand favourite cheapskate pitches:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But its only an invite! I could do it, I just don\u2019t have the time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s just a cartoon and some writing, won\u2019t take you long.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t have money to pay your band, but we can pay you in beer <\/em>(to be fair, I accepted this and would do again \u2013 we got the better bargain let me tell you!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Exposure bucks’ image credit Sarah Lawrence<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Hiring freelancers or contractors? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether you’re looking to expand your team or improve your work life balance, hiring freelancers or contractors can help to achieve your goals. Your freelance talent hire could be a mere (virtual) handshake away!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salt is committed to diversity and inclusion. Our expert consultants can help you build a team that delivers results now and in the future. We can help you find the right freelance talent for your needs.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also keep in the loop by following us on LinkedIn<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, <\/strong>Facebook<\/a>, <\/strong>Instagram<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more expert hiring advice from Salt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Pros<\/figure>
\n

Want to contract in 2024? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Check out these pros and cons to help you decide whether to take the leap!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Read now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Hiring freelancers or contractors? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether you’re looking to expand your team or improve your work life balance, hiring freelancers or contractors can help to achieve your goals. Your freelance talent hire could be a mere (virtual) handshake away!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salt is committed to diversity and inclusion. Our expert consultants can help you build a team that delivers results now and in the future. We can help you find the right freelance talent for your needs.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also keep in the loop by following us on LinkedIn<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, <\/strong>Facebook<\/a>, <\/strong>Instagram<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more expert hiring advice from Salt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Enough with the “good exposure” pitch! It’s time to value creative work. Learn why negotiating down or working for free isn’t acceptable. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":419117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7998],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458843"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":615753,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458843\/revisions\/615753"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}