How to Politely Tell Someone that No, You Will Not Write for Free.

A free template from yours truly.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels

Ahh yes, another irresistible offer from a stranger on the internet to work for them for free (or some sort of vague future compensation).

If you write on the internet, you likely get these emails too. And, sometimes, the person asking isn’t being a complete asshat about it, so you don’t feel like reaming them out.

Often, they even acknowledge it’s a shitty deal! But for some reason, they still feel compelled to ask for free work.

Now, there are plenty of ways to reply to their ridiculous requests.

You can go with something like:

Image via Giphy

Or maybe a reply more like:

But, if you’re like me and want to consider yourself more “professional,” then you probably want to reply more politely… Instead of just calling them the moldy potato that they are.

And so, I’m sharing my own template for you to steal to tell these “clients” that, no, I do not work for free. Sadly, I must pay my rent with actual dollars instead of compliments on my writing. (Hey…