Should you *ever* work just for exposure as a freelancer?

Perhaps the ‘free’ in ‘freelancer’ has something to do with, but just about every solopreneur has been asked at least once if they would be willing to work for exposure. In other words, you get credited for your contribution not in the form of remuneration but rather by being tagged on social media or having your name displayed in the production line-up.

This is a frustrating situation to be put in, and most freelancers would advise against it, for a number of reasons:

1. By not demanding a fair wage, you are devaluing yourself and your skillset, and can also impact industry standards when it comes to costing.
2. There is little point spending time on unpaid work if you could be using that time for paid jobs. Gotta pay the bills, right?
3. There is no guarantee that the exposure you earn will have you inundated with new clients, so these successes, or failures, aren’t quantifiable.

This means that not just you, but your industry peers, all lose if you are willing to work for free. At least on a regular basis.

But is there ever a case for agreeing to work for exposure? Here are four situations where it might not be such a bad thing:

1. You need to build up your portfolio
2. You want to support an NPO
3. You want to gain some hands-on experience
4. There is a chance to build a legitimate and lucrative relationship

Doing work for exposure isn’t a *total* no-no. But the onus is on you — the freelancer — to suss out whether an unpaid gig will have other, career-enhancing benefits even if it won’t pay the bills. If the answer is no, and that time could be better spent scouting for new clients and growing your business, it might be better to politely decline. Because time, as they say, is money!