George Tannenbaum sums up what I ranted about on a couple of groups succinctly.
Content marketers and writers often face the challenge of responding to an unreasonable demand for a "test assignment" that amounts to you writing an article for an outlet and not getting paid for it. But what's even sneakier is asking for something that is considered much more valuable in marketing -- a customized strategy for a business.
I confess that I've made the mistake of falling for this and so was forced to learn the hard way. I now nip it in the bud.
This is how the scenario typically plays out:
A business owner one is connected to on LinkedIn or who connects to you, sometimes citing a mutual friend or business you've worked for, sends a nice message and asks for a call. In the course of the call, they talk about their business and their marketing/content challenges.
Sometimes they'll go one for a couple of hours and conclude by asking for you proposal. Writing up that proposal takes another 45 minutes, sometimes longer if it includes a plan to overhaul a whole site, as well. You want to show you understand what they need and give them a plan you will get paid to execute, so you put in that time. When they get your proposal, they suddenly remember that they have no money to spare for marketing at all.
Were they truly expecting you to do this work for free? Maybe not, but they did manage to manipulate you into give them a tailored strategy for which other consultants would have charged them thousands of dollars.
Now here's the reason why all of us have to refuse to play with this unreasonable demand. You don't go to a party planner and demand a plan for your party without paying for the services. You don't go to an architect and demand drawings tailored to your needs without paying for the person's time and skill. You don't get to book a free consultation with a psychologist as a test without paying for that session. Marketers are also professionals who draw on their skills and experience and should be compensated for their time accordingly.
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1moBest of luck Gary Taylor