Why It Pays to Offer Free WordPress Themes

I was chatting with a client yesterday, and he asked how old I was. I told him, and I was quickly greeted with a bit of shock, along with a flattering compliment. You see, on the web, it really doesn’t matter how young you are … what matters is how talented you are. But there are loads of talented individuals with only moderate success online because of what I would consider remediable problems.

Talent is useless if it’s not on display. That’s why web2.0 is so cool. You see, freelance designers, photographers, writers, etc. have a tremendous asset at their disposal, yet many are ignorant of this potential.

It may seem a bit contradictory for me to say that it pays to be free, but it’s not … it’s a process … a process that may require a bit of patience.

Because I don’t have any professional experience in the Web Development field, it would be extremely difficult for me to walk up to a design firm and ask them for a job … they’d probably laugh at me. Why? I have no experience, no portfolio, and no degree in web development.

But … I know my stuff. I know how to code a layout from scratch. I know how to use Photoshop. I can make WordPress do just about anything you can imagine. But without anything to prove it, it’s nothing but big talk.

That’s why it pays to be free. No matter what service you provide, in this new medium of web2.0, you can showcase your skills, build a portfolio, attract clients, and get free advertisement. Let’s go through this…

1) Showcase your skills

In my case, I did so by releasing free WordPress Themes. The two other contributers to this site did the same thing. In your case, it may require releasing free CSS templates, or free stock photography, or letters to the editor, or a free business analysis. It all depends on your talent level and area of expertise.

2) Build a portfolio

With a small arsenal of work to show to potential clients, you can now prove that you’re not a fly-by-night freelancer with a computer and some free time. No, you’re a professional who is in high demand! It may take a while before you can start being picky with new clients, but at least you’re making some money now. And every new job you take is another feather in your portfolio hat.

3) Attract clients

I’m not sure how this works in other fields, but in my case (and the other 2 writers), starting a website where you release your work is a great way to build a client base. Start going after keywords like “custom wordpress themes” or maybe “custom photography” or what have you. The key is to get them to your website.

4) Free advertisement

Let me try to explain how this internet-age business model works. A service is in demand. Someone decides to make a place where that service is offered for free, hoping to make their money through advertisements on their site. Their site gets popular. More and more stuff is offered for free at this site. Traffic is HUGE. So, you decide to submit your free services to that site too. This costs you a little time, but you expose yourself to a large new client base. People use your free service. You become popular. Unfortunately, since your service is free, everyone has it. Someone decides they want the quality you offer, but they want to be unique as well. They contact you, offer you money to provide a custom service for them.

And let me tell you … it works!

Before you know it, all that time you put in to doing stuff for free is now paying off!

Never underestimate the power of free stuff. It may be new in the way it’s done, but offering free stuff to gain business has been done for centuries. If you can learn how to harness the power of being free, you can find yourself being very busy, and very wealthy before you know it.

Posted May 9, 2007 by Nathan Rice | Filed Under Blog 

Comments

4 Responses to “Why It Pays to Offer Free WordPress Themes”

  1. Brian Gardner on May 9th, 2007 6:01 am

    Nathan, great advice to those wanting to make a name for themselves… and I think that people who read this will find themselves inspired to go out and release some public themes!

  2. Armen on May 12th, 2007 3:40 pm

    Definately feeling inspired Brian :)

    Good post Nathan!

  3. Jonathan on May 15th, 2007 5:46 am

    Excellent Advice Nathan and excellent work here on this website :). Keep it up! I’m looking forward to seeing more from you guys.

    -Jonathan

  4. Jorge Diaz on May 24th, 2007 8:42 am

    Yeah, thats exactly what i was thinking of. A buried idea, but of course i would do these (release free wordpress templates), when i learn to code a layout. I know some css, but not from scratch.

    That´s good advice, great post.

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