Are you afraid to give away knowledge for free? Is giving away free info something you’ve done in the past, or is it something you avoid like the plague?
On this episode, I’m joined by Jamie Butler of LashBase UK to talk about the controversial topic of whether you should (or shouldn’t) give away information for FREE.
We look at both sides of the argument and really explore the idea that by helping others and sharing your best stuff with them, the more people that will actually want to pay you for it.
Do you agree?
{If you want to listen to the podcast episode on this topic, click on the player at the top of the post. Alternatively you can watch the video below, or read on…}
The Post that Started it all…
I think a little backstory is necessary here. Not long ago, Jamie shared a post on Instagram that definitely stirred the pot in our industry. Some people agreed with his statement and others…well, they weren’t too happy about it.
Here’s a screenshot of Jamie’s post from his @lashbase_jamie Instagram account:
As you can imagine, the post got a lot of people in the industry talking and not everyone was on board the generosity train.
However, Jamie clarified that the entire premise of his post was to show people the value in giving away bite-sized information for free.
Not all the time. Just here and there and enough to help build authority, credibility, and trust in you and your brand.
Giving away valuable information to his audience without asking for anything in return is something that Jamie has been doing for quite some time. In fact, he said,
“I have built my own personal brand through giving away information for free.”
He strongly believes that the more advice and genuine help you’re willing to give away for nothing, the more money you’ll make because people will want to pay you for it.
As someone who has been giving away free advice on a weekly basis in the form of my advice videos, podcasts, blog posts and so on, I tend to agree with Jamie on this one. But not everyone thinks this way and I can see both sides of the argument.
The Heated Debate…
Jamie shared a few comments he got from people who disagreed with his sharing is caring philosophy. One comment that put the other side of the argument into perspective as when someone said;
“Do you really expect Burger King to call McDonald’s and say, ‘Can you give me the secret sauce recipe?’ and McDonald’s to reply, ‘Alright, we’ll give you that for free.’
No, of course that would never happen, and Jamie isn’t telling people to give away their secret sauce for free but rather to give away a taste.
Another side of the argument that I totally get is the fear of giving away valuable information and then having nothing left to give.
This is a classic example of having a limiting belief that you are only as good as your existing knowledge. Of course, this isn’t true at all. You only become obsolete when you refuse to evolve and grow with the industry.
If you’re not continuing your own education, you become a dinosaur in the industry. And, nobody wants to learn from a dinosaur (they’re extinct for a reason people!).
Let’s say you learned a great technique from someone to help prevent allergies when applying lashes. Does that mean you’ve got nothing else to learn from that person? Does that make them a one trick pony? Of course not!
So, why are you so afraid to share your knowledge and experience with others?
As Jamie said in his controversial Instagram post:
“If you really are the passionate trainer that you preach yourself to be and you genuinely do love helping others then do it. Money should not be the obstacle.”
Why you shouldn’t be afraid to share your golden nugget info
To me, providing free value is the first step in sourcing leads and building an audience that I can then move into a marketing funnel.
You should also consider the law of reciprocity, which is based on social psychology and basically means that when you do something nice for another person, they have a “deep-rooted psychological urge” to return the favor.
Your audience feels like they learned something of value from you. And, they’re nice people. They don’t want to keep taking free things from you all the time without giving you something back (most of the time).
When you continuously give away free information, your audience becomes almost addicted to it. They want more and, more often than not, they’re willing to pay for it.
Why?
Because they know that what you have to say and teach is valuable. They’ve already experienced it for themselves and the information you shared for FREE has helped them in some way.
So, they know that when they do decide to pay for more of your advice or coaching, etc. they’re going to get that same level of quality advice that they got before. They’re hungry to learn more from you.
I always say that the free value you give away is the WHAT and the WHY. The paid value is the HOW.
Understand that there is no right or wrong approach
Although you can clearly see both sides of the argument, there is still no right or wrong answer here. Whether you choose to give away free information to your audience or not is completely up to you and your decision is valid.
If you’re reluctant to give away information for free because you’re worried about people taking it over and over again without ever becoming your customer, don’t be.
Jamie made a great point that I think holds a lot of truth:
“There will always be those that take advantage. But there will also be those that won’t. Forget those that take advantage, they aren’t a threat.”
If you still don’t want to share your information with others, don’t.
My final question for Jamie was to share his biggest takeaway from this massively controversial post he shared with his followers. Here’s his response:
“It’s so clear to me that you should just do you. Be yourself and do it your way. There is no right or wrong way. What I believe doesn’t have to be what you believe. If what you’re doing is working for you and you have a sustainable business, you’re doing it right and you’re doing it your way.”
For me, it’s about empowering all of the educators and influencers to experiment with the concept of giving away free value.
In fact, I’ve got a mini challenge for you. I suggest you go live on your social media account, whether that’s on Instagram or Facebook or wherever, and start answering questions from your audience. Heck, you could even teach one thing from your manual and share that knowledge with your audience.
At the end of the live video, announce your call to action. Maybe you want to invite them to sign up for your training program or try your latest product. Create excitement and buzz around your product, services or training and see what comes from it.
By sharing bite–size pieces of information with your audience, you can increase your own credibility.
As Jamie says, “The way to become the best is to show them you ARE the best.”
If you want to learn more about Jamie and LashBase, you can visit the website at www.lashbase.co.uk and follow him over on Instagram @lashbase_jamie
Have a Good One!
Tara Walsh
The Lashpreneur
