You give what you get—or you get what you give. Either way, as a small business owner, solopreneur, or dualpreneur, you may have to offer some giveaways whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in business awhile.

Start thinking about your best skill and your differentiator. What would happen if you shared some tips about that skill—would you lose business or would you gain validity, create insight, and form trust?

Secret Recipe

Sharing about how you do what you do well doesn’t necessarily mean you’re giving away business. It means you become a trusted source. And, if your ideal client is already looking for someone to provide that service, chances are they don’t want to do it themselves and they’re willing to pay for it.

Back to that differentiator. Sharing about how you do something doesn’t mean you have to include detailed information about exactly how to do it. It can be as simple as providing guidance, suggestions, and outcomes about how it’s worked for you. For example check out my blog “No, Really, It’s All About You,” where you’ll find tips about the importance of your website’s About Us page.

Show Off

Innovation Destination Hartford accelerated my career. Over the past five years, in my role as Website Curator, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people and written hundreds of stories. All the while, it’s given me a portfolio to showcase my skills. Yes, it’s been my “9-to-5” (or let’s be realistic, 5-to-2) job, but it’s also a display of my skillset. What’s more, all those stories have been “freebies” in a way that validates my abilities. If I’ve interviewed you and written a story about you, you know my capabilities and you’ve seen exactly how I create content. You’re ready to work with me again.

Channel Your Inner Oprah

When I think about giveaways, I can’t help but visualize Oprah Winfrey with her, “You get a car!” audience surprise back in 2004. Your giveaway obviously doesn’t have to be that extreme. It just has to show value, validity, and credibility. And that’s worth a lot.