How to Get Paid By Your Fellow Freelancers
We talk a lot about how to make sure your clients pay you, fairly and on time. Sometimes, though, the people who are hiring you for your talent and services are not clients, companies, or businesses as we traditionally conceive of them — they’re your fellow freelancers. Whether it’s being hired by a photographer to style a shoot, writing for a friend’s blog, or even performing on a comedy show, it’s important to set expectations, communicate clearly, and follow through.
- Set clear expectations from the beginning
No matter who you’re working for, in whichever capacity it is (and yes, performing counts as work) it’s important to know from the outset if it’s a paid opportunity, and if so, how that payment will be delivered. Sometimes, for example, payment can come in the form of a percentage of audience ticket sales. Sometimes payment is in the form of free food and drinks from the venue, and a small stipend. Whatever the payment may be — if there is payment at all — it’s important to set clear expectations before the work begins.Maybe you’re perfectly fine with not getting paid if you consider this a chance to help out a fellow freelancer and build relationships, but it’s important to know that going in, in order to protect yourself and your time. - Consider what sort of rate or bartering you feel comfortable with, or is most appropriate
In situations where the pay may be low because it’s tied to box office sales, audience attendance, or some sort of royalty situation, it’s up to you to do the calculus if it’s worth taking on. If there are other benefits to be gained, it’s ok to say to yourself that you’ll do this one for less than your current rate, or set aside a number of hours or evenings per month you’re willing to lend out to help another freelancer. That said, if you know upfront that payment hasn’t been guaranteed, it’s difficult to then go back later and ask for money after everything has transpired. - When in doubt, ask questions
Don’t forget: You can (and should) ask questions! It’s ok to check in with clarifying questions about when payment might arrive and in what form. The freelancer may also be waiting on funds to arrive, say from Eventbrite, and be planning to distribute them once the payout hits their account. That said, asking about what the timeline is will help manage expectations; if it’s been a month and your money still hasn’t been transferred to you, then it’s fair to have some cause for concern. - Keep records the way you would with any other client
Here’s where you’ll want to treat this like you would any other payment situation: Make sure you’re keeping clear records of everything that transpires. That includes an outline of payment owed and in what form, when they said payment should be delivered, and any subsequent followups. This is just in case anything needs to be escalated, or simply as a reminder to yourself that you might not want to work with this person again. - Evaluate the relationship: Is this worth your time and energy?If you’ve sent a few followups about payment and they were brushed off, or met with silence, now is the time for you to decide how aggressively you want to pursue the situation. If you’re owed $15 by someone within your community, it may not be worth the time or energy to try to track them down, but rather a reason to not collaborate with them again in the future.
- Proceed how you would with any other client who owes you money
Now, if it’s a significant amount of money (which is up for you to decide), and your follow-ups have been ignored or met with false promises, it might be time to elevate the situation. You can start by sending your own demand letter and see if that prompts a response, and from there, be aware of your options if your city or state has Freelance Isn’t Free laws. And this is where a record of communications will come in handy.
Whether you’re owed money by a gigantic corporation, or a fellow freelancer, if someone promised to pay you for your work, you’re well within your right to pursue it.