This is what you say when your friends hit you up for free consulting.

After all, you’re a social media marketing pro, and social media is free– so your help is free, too, right?

You and I spend all day long just hanging out on Twitter and Facebook doing teenager-type stuff– not anything important.

So naturally, they can “pick your brain” for “only a minute” to help them with their ads, a strategy question, or whatnot.

Here is the phrase I learned from a mentor of mine:

“You know I do this for a living, right?”

You’d not expect them to offer their services for free to you, either— free meals if they own a restaurant, free homes if they build houses, free tax advice if they are a CPA, and so forth.

So why should digital marketing services be any different?

If it’s a quick question you can answer right there– do it. But if it’s more, you can use that magic phrase to wake them up.

They’re not consciously trying to take advantage of you– they just don’t know any better.

You can also send them a link to an article that you wrote or one I wrote– maybe a video.

So give away your content for free– shared transparently via videos, articles, and podcasts you’ve made. Just don’t give away your time.

And if you know it’s more than “just 5 minutes”, say “I’d be happy to help you. This is going to be more than 5 minutes to do it right, so you can book time with me at [link].”

Which sends them to your Power Hour page to buy a consulting slot— not to your calendar to give away time for free.

Time is your most valuable asset– it’s so precious that you must charge for it and ensure others respect your experience.

Otherwise, your entire day will be filled with distractions from people who don’t value your time, yet are the most demanding.

And if you find yourself “too busy” to pay your bills and pursue your priorities, this is likely why.

Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations. You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel. You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.

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