Why I Give It All Away (my reasons and my results)

AlexiaCommunication, Marketing and PR, Personal Branding, Teaching, Women in Business

I gave away A LOT of free content this summer. To be specific, 3 Workshops That Wow video trainings, 4 live master classes, 2 webinars, 6 podcasts, 3 video interviews, 3 articles, and countless group and one-on-one Q+A calls and Periscopes. I poured my everything into giving new and existing members of my tribe complimentary access to me and to my insights on transformational speaking, live events and leadership.

One of my MasterTreat women confessed to a member of my team during my launch, “By the end of Lex’s master class, I thought I must have already enrolled in her program because there’s no way she could be giving all of this away for free.”

Whether you think I’m generous or leaving money on the table (and I know it’s a little of both), I want you to know WHY I give away free content, specifically why I gave away heaps of it this summer, as well as some of the wins that have resulted.

Top Reasons for Giving Away So Much Content

  1. I made a significant investment in Facebook ads, and I wanted my 2000+ new tribe members to see that I was the real deal. If you are list building through social advertising, it’s important to prove you have the skills you profess.
  2. I wanted existing tribe members to connect with me when and how they could. Some people like podcasts, others prefer articles, and some like impromptu Q+A. As I talk about in Your Spotlight Workshop, if you want people to learn from you it’s important to appeal to multiple learning styles and modalities.
  1. Developing free content improves the quality of my paid content. I love testing out my frameworks, stories and questions with my audience before deepening my exploration of it in my paid programs.
  1. Eventually, I will re-purpose a lot of the free content I’ve created into DIY speaking and training products. Currently, the foundational way to work with me is a $497 program, Your Spotlight Talk, and it’s time to have some more foundational offerings.

What did I get as a result from my excessive content creation?

  1. I have welcomed an extraordinary first cohort of workshop and retreat leaders into Your Spotlight Workshop. (It’s a wonderful thing to have professional crushes on your clients and program participants as I do!)
  1. I’ve closed multiple-five figures of private client and corporate training work (was NOT expecting that!).
  1. I have some really juicy, high-profile writing, joint venture and product opportunities that would NOT be before me if people didn’t encounter one or more pieces of my free training.
  1. My list is just over 5 x’s the size it was last year at this exact time. People are willing to give you their email (and let you keep their email) when you are giving them what you have promised and then over deliver on their expectations. As I re-launch my training programs and offer new live events, marketing and enrollment will be much easier and more profitable.

While all of my Workshops That Wow content is complete for 2015 and Your Spotlight Workshop began this week, much of what I created is still available for you to listen to, watch or read. Here’s a brief summary of each piece of content and direct links so that you can pick the pieces that most resonate with your interests and goals. Enjoy!

Podcasts

  1. In my The Startup Sessions episode with Michael Knouse, I focus on how to use public speaking to be of service in the world—and why introverts (like me!) are uniquely poised to speak and lead movements.
  1. In my Conscious Millionaire episode with JV Crum III, I discuss how to use public speaking as a promotional vehicle for your business.
  1. In my Feed Your Hustle episode with my bud, Adria DeCorte, we look at how to take care of yourself so that you can take care of your participants in your workshops. I also share why I SO prefer leading live events to executing online launches.
  1. In my The TalentGrow Show episode with my ATD Press sister from another mister, Halelly Azulay, we focus on how corporate leaders and professionals can develop their thought leadership through speaking—and how both Halelly and I launched our consulting businesses by beginning to speak, blog, etc. while still working our j-o-b’s.
  1. In my Real Talk with Rachel Luna episode, Rachel and I talk about how to be a legendary speaker and position yourself as the go-to expert in your space – through speaking and live events. (See if you can hear Rachel’s parrot in the background. I think she did a great job of editing it out!)

Online Articles

  1. In my most recent Forbes article, I share how to develop the 3 habits of transformational leaders. (And trust me, these are not your mama’s typical “leadership tips.”)
  1. In my guest post for Nathalie Lussier’s AmbitionAlly™ blog, I wrote an in-depth article about how to build your online audience by leading live events. (I freakin love this article! Definitely some of my best stuff on why leading live events is one of the best ways to generate meaningful revenue and grow your tribe.)
  1. In my Tiny Buddha article, I discuss my postpartum depression experience and what it continues to teach me about how to release painful expectations and create goals from a more soulful place. (I reread this article at least a dozen times during my launch to remind my present self of what my past self has learned in this important area.)