This is a conversational excerpt from a YouTube video ("Here's what to do if you've never had clients before") where speakers advise filmmakers/creatives to offer free work strategically to build case studies. Key guidance: do excellent free work, secure a case study, then pitch paid packages; only offer free work to qualified prospects (not "broke" clients); target high-value prospects ("Dream 100") who can pay later.
I've done free work. Evan's done free work. Ethan's done free work. Like, everyone's done free work. There's nothing wrong with it. I would say do that and then do the free work. Blow them out of the, like, blow them out of the water with it. And then once you do that, then get a case study with them, which is the most important part, and say, like, hey, I'm going to do this for free. I want to get a case study from you. You get a case study from them and then you say, hey, would you like to continue working together? And you can re pitch those packages again. Right.
The one thing I think that you left out there, Eric, though, that person that you are offering that free video for, they have to be qualified.
They have to be qualified.
If they're not qualified to work with you, you are wasting your time or you're not.
Do free work for broke people. Yeah. Don't do it.
Yeah.
They have to be like. It has to be someone who's like, this is my Dream 100 client. Like, this is somebody I want to work with. It has to be one of those people. And then because they have to be able to pay you afterwards. And if they can't pay you afterwards, then you just wasted your time.
