Journalist: will work for peanuts and publicity

I was recently invited by a publisher to speak at a conference on communications. I know – yay me, right?

The company wanted a “fresh, funny, high-profile blogger” to give an after-dinner speech on PR and bloggers – and since I know a bit about PR and blogging, and am rarely short of an opinion, they thought I’d be perfect. The only complication was that the conference was in Milan.

I knew the gig would mean two days work for me – writing a speech, travelling to the airport, the flight, getting to the hotel, doing the dinner thing, travelling home the next day… so I asked what they were paying.

Turns out, they weren’t paying. In fact, when I told them I would expect to be paid, and told them my day rate (which, trust me, is very reasonable) they didn’t even bother to reply to my email. Now, I’m confused here. How many professionals would be expected to give up two days of their time and spend a night away from home for zero compensation?

The people attending the conference are being paid by their employers. The people organising the conference are being paid by the publisher. And the publisher is charging attendees over a thousand Euros per ticket, so I think we can assume they’re getting a little something out of it. But because I’m a journalist, you think I’m doing it for free, to ‘get my name out there’? Seriously?

Comments

[Sue Atkins]

I totally agree it's amazing - I remember listening to some excellent CD 's by Janet Switzer on my way to Norfolk awhile back ( the PR and marketing guru behind Jack Canfield's "Chicken Soup For The Soul" series) and the clock naturally should start ticking from the moment you start pondering on the content, get showered on the morning to travel, grab a coffee if the plane is delayed or the M25 is up for repairs,to checking into your hotel room, to checking the mike is working at the event the night before or two hours first thing.

It's also great that you have the confidence, experience and suffer from no limiting beliefs about what you are worth - as that's why they think they can get away with asking you to do it for free.

Of course we all do some things for free as a taster or an opportunity to "spread our work or word" to the right people but I'm really glad you brought this one up for others to sit down and look at and ponder their own L'Oreal moment - i.e. "their worth"

So that's the lesson your experience brought up for us all !!!!

Thanks !
Sue Atkins
Author of "Raising Happy Children for Dummies"

[Andrew Bruce Smith]

I know you have probably seen this before, but Harlan Ellison has the definitive line on this subject - Pay The Writer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE

[Sally]

Sue - I think being self-employed means you're very aware of the reality that time is money. For two days overseas, I need a pretty tangible return, and if there's no money there would need to be incredibly compelling benefits in terms of networking or promotion to consider a free gig of that magnitude. And you're absolutely right about how much time these things really take - it's not the 20 minutes you're on stage.

@Andrew - ah, yes, it's a classic that never gets old, isn't it?

[Craig McGill]

I can top that: I had a client who asked me to do three months of intensive work for them and when it came to payment, they said they were going to throw a party for me.

A party.

Needless to say G, T and F were used in the reply.