If I get THIS for free…
It seems like everything has to be FREE these days.
In my chosen profession of digital media, it’s essential to have something of actual value that is given away, no questions asked, with nothing expected in return.
But even those things have a catch. You have to give your email address in exchange for this thing that’s being “given away” by the beneficent marketer, who will in turn send regular emails pitching various products and services.
Of course, the wise ones don’t just come right out and give a hard pitch. They’ll mask it with a story, an anecdote, really anything to make it appear their intent is to merely entertain you. But you know if they didn’t have something to pitch, you wouldn’t be hearing from them.
Podcasts that are “given away” for free are usually sponsored by a business of some sort. Maybe a solopreneur offering coaching services; maybe a real estate agency wanting to offer the market some relevant value so that prospective customers will choose them over their competitor.
Whatever the case may be, a podcast, a YouTube channel, an email newsletter etc. that’s worth its salt is going to have some sort of call to action to dive deeper into whatever the host is talking about or promoting.
This is the game. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, bad or good. It’s just the way it is.
And the people who understand this and are willing to give maximum value “for free” anyway are the ones who always come out on top.
Sometimes you listen to a podcast, or an email subscription of some sort, and you can sense the person is holding something back. It’s like they want to share something that they know will make people’s lives better, but they won’t do it.
Why?
Because they’re operating in a scarcity mindset. In their minds, that one thing that is hot on their mind is the only thing I have to share; so I’d better save it for my paying customers.
Then you have another personality who’s not at all shy about saying what is on their mind in that moment. They share legit value, bring on guests with real street cred and at the end of the day a truly valuable piece of media has been brought into the world.
And all “for free.”
Who do you think will get the client?
My guess is that the person operating with the abundance mindset will win the client every time, while the scarcity mindset guy will be lucky to get one, if that.
The abundance mindset says, “There’s plenty of water in the well.” The prospective client is thinking, if this person says that thing of legitimate value “for free,” just think of what they’ll share with me once I pay their fee and work with them one on one.
(BTW, a person sharing their extremely valuable time to read something you wrote or listen to something you recorded is payment in and of itself, but I digress.)
Investing time into something that will be “given away” for free seems counterintuitive; until you look at the other side of the coin and realize the time and energy invested into creating it is merely tapping the well so to speak of infinite wisdom and energy available to all of us.
And of course, after saying all of that, I have something to offer. It’s called Podcast Artistry™, and we’re always on the lookout for people who feel called to the podcast medium.
The impetus from above makes all the difference in my experience between a success and someone who burns out as quickly as they start.