Not sure how to respond when someone says they don’t have a budget? Here are 23 ways to say ‘I don’t work for free’.
As a blogger, it can feel like you’re approached on a daily basis by people wanting you to work for free.
It can also be tricky to know what to say in response. And of course, there are some occasions when working for free might be worth it, although these are probably few and far between.
How Not To Say I Don’t Work For Free
Before getting started, I wanted to take a look at a few things to avoid saying when discussing budgets with a potential client.
While something like ‘I don’t have the capacity to take on any unpaid work at the moment’ might seem like a great response, it implies that you might be willing to work for free at some point in the future, so the client may just contact you again in six months time, once again asking you to work for free.
Be clear that you absolutely expect to be paid for your work and don’t leave any room for interpretation.
Additionally, never apologise for asking for payment and try to avoid responses that start with the word sorry.
You absolutely deserve to be paid for your time and effort running your business, maintaining your blog and curating an audience on social media.
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How To Say ‘I Don’t Work For Free’ For Blog Posts and Product Reviews
To make life easier, I actually have some of these saved as canned responses so I can send them easily when needed and not worry about getting the exact wording right each time. Feel free to save and copy and paste these if you need to!
‘Advertising commercial businesses is something that I charge for. If you have a budget for this then I’d be happy to discuss my rates with you’
‘Unfortunately, I don’t work on unpaid projects. Please do keep me in mind for any paid projects in the future as it would be great to work together’
‘I’m very sorry to hear that you haven’t been given a budget for this project. While I’d love to work with you, I don’t take on unpaid projects. Please get in touch if anything changes’
‘While I would love to review your product, due to the time required to create both a blog post and images for social media, I charge an additional XX to cover my time’
‘Thanks for your email. This sounds like something I’d really enjoy working on. Please see my attached rate card for my fees’
‘Thanks for reaching out. Can I ask whether you have a budget for this project?’
‘This sounds like a really interesting project, thank you for thinking of me! I would usually charge XX for this type of service, let me know if you’d like to go ahead’
‘While I don’t work for free, if you’re able to adjust your budget to a number that we can both agree on, I’d be happy to jump on a call with you to discuss things further
‘Your product value doesn’t meet my minimum for an unpaid review. Please let me know if you are able to make up the difference’
‘Thank you for your enquiry, please see my rate card for my current list of fees and the services I can provide. I look forward to working with you on something soon’
‘Good Morning, before we go any further, could you please confirm that this is a paid opportunity? Thank you’
‘My fees start at XX for this type of project and I do have some space this month. Do let me know if you’d like to go ahead and I can get you booked into my monthly schedule’
‘Thanks for getting in touch, if you could let me know exactly what you’re looking for I can put together a bespoke quote for the services you require’
‘This sounds like a really exciting project – do you know what kind of budget has been allocated for it?’
‘I think this project will take me XX hours and I charge XX per hour – let me know if you’d like me to send over a contract’
‘If you don’t have a budget for this project then I’m going to have to decline as I don’t work for free’
‘Recipe creation is something that takes a lot of time and skill – while I would love to create something amazong using your product, please be aware this is something I charge for, here are my rates’
How To Say ‘I Don’t Work For Free’ When Asked For Advice
If you’re an expert in your field, you may get asked for help all the time. And while many of us love helping others, it can get to the point where it feels like that’s all you are spending your time doing.
Here are some polite ways to offer your services to those asking for free advice.
‘Sorry, I am unable to answer your query via DM, please head over to my website where you should be able to find the answer to your question (add relevant link)’
‘Thank you for your question, if you’d like to discuss this further, you can book a one to one session with me here (add relevant link) ‘
‘This is actually covered in my paid course, you can sign up for it here’
‘I’d love to be able to help you with this, but I just don’t have the time at the moment, here are some resources that might help answer your querey’
How To Say ‘I Don’t Work For Free’ – Snarky Responses
Now, I know sometimes it can be hard not to get frustrated at continual requests to work for free so occasionally you might want to say something a little less polite.
While typically I would always say that you should remain professional and polite, especially on the basis that the person asking you to work for free may have a budget in the future or may share response with others, there are times you might just want to get your point across in a slightly firmer manner, especially if they’ve asked you work for free several times.
‘Unfortunately, exposure doesn’t pay my rent/mortgage/bills’
‘As I’m sure you’re getting paid for this outreach campaign, I’m not sure why you would expect me to work for free’
‘I’ll just ring my bank and ask if they accept ‘exposure’ towards my mortgage payments’
Should You Ever Work For Free?
There are of course times you might want to work for free, and that’s okay too.
I know lots of bloggers that will write articles for or promote some of their favourite charities.
Personally, I like to support a few particular small businesses in my local area – I share their posts on social media and include them in roundups without asking them for payment just because I like them and their products (which I’ve bought in the past with my own money).
The most frustrating thing is really big brands asking you to work for free, brands that make millions and millions of pounds each year. While on occasion they may offer reciprocal links or shares which can be tempting, if you really value your brand and want to build a long term professional relationship with them, you should be asking for a budget.
