When I first started my business, the concept of free value seemed counterintuitive to me. Like, I vividly remember thinking—“I thought we were here to make money?!”

As it turns out, offering free sh*t in your business is just as important as offering paid services or products. By going above and beyond to provide additional value that anyone can consume, you can demonstrate your expertise, build trust with your audience, and foster a loyal AF customer base.

But beyond that, when I started providing free value, I found it solved a lot of internal turmoil I had about charging higher prices. (Click here to read more about the internal journey I’ve been on with pricing.) As someone who generally has qualms with capitalism and comes from a family and background of starving artists, let’s just say my money mindset can be… a struggle sometimes. I realized that providing free, educational content would help me democratize my knowledge and help people who may not be able to afford me, but are willing to put in a little extra work for DIY. (No gatekeeping here!)

TL;DR, huge fan of free value over here. But if you’re just starting out, you might be thinking, “okay sounds good, but how do I do that?!” Good thing you landed on this blog post bestie, because I’m gonna tell ya 16 ways how.

Free Content

Perhaps the most popular way of giving free value is in the form of content. (And honestly, who doesn’t love a good scroll on the ‘gram or the FYP?!)

Not only is free content an excellent way to provide value to your audience, but in my experience, it’s also the fastest way to get new eyeballs on your work. From blog posts and newsletters to podcasts and social media content, there are so many ways to share your expertise and connect with potential clients and customers. Whether you’re sharing industry insights or just posting about your favorite tips and tricks, free content is the shit.

You could create free value content via…

• Blog posts (like this one! 😏)
• A weekly newsletter
• A podcast
• Instagram—whether it’s static posts OR Reels
• YouTube
• TikTok—my personal fave
• Pinterest—a great place to repurpose content you’ve created for other platforms

Free Events

If you don’t fancy yourself a content creator but you still want to demonstrate your expertise and provide free value to your clients & customers, then you might wanna experiment with some free events!

Whether it’s an IRL gathering, a webinar, or a virtual summit, live events are an excellent way to foster community and drum up excitement about your biz. By hosting events that are relevant to your audience, you’ll help them learn more about your industry, gain new skills, and/or connect with other like-minded people.

Here’s a few free live event ideas:

• Webinars (about a topic related to your business or adjacent to your industry)
• IG or TikTok Lives—either by yourself or with another fellow business owner
• Networking events
• Book clubs—like BTL’s!
• Host a 5-day challenge
• Organize a virtual summit
• IRL bar hangs with other people in the industry

Freebies

I’ll be honest—freebies can take a lot longer to create and organize than just your average IG post or event. But in terms of free value, they are the créme de la créme.

Freebies can take the form of a free downloadable guide, a template, a free course, or even a free audit, I’ve found that freebies are the fastest way to grow your email list (and honestly, the most helpful for your customers.)

More than any other example of free value, freebies solve *actual* problems that your clients are having, help them learn new skills, and genuinely aid in achieving their goals, all while building a relationship with your business. So, if you’re in the business of helping people, freebies are the way to go.

A few freebie ideas:

• Free how-to guide (most popular!)
• Free checklist
• Free templates (perfect for social media managers, web designers, etc.)
• Free mini-course
• Free mini-audit (and in my experience, people usually wanna hire you after you give a free audit!)

Other Free Value to Offer

There are plenty of other ways to provide free value to your clients beyond just creating content or offering freebies. For example, you could create a resource page on your website where clients can access valuable information and tools. Or you could create a free Facebook community where clients can connect with each other and share ideas.

The possibilities are truly endless!

At the end of the day, the key is to think outside of the box to find ways to provide value that align with your business and your clients’ needs.

Love this blog post and want to consume some of my free value?

• Keep track of your success with this Notion template
• Get good at TikTok with this webinar
• Visit my resources page for a whole list of all the free sh*t I’ve got!