Should You Charge Money For Giving Advice?

One day, I had been receiving tons of notifications on my account, getting comments and claps on one of my posts.

I went to my dashboard and refreshed it 100 times, 200 times. My post was blowing up. I felt my pride rising as well.

Read it here: My First Viral Story on Medium Made $57.63 (and counting)

Then, one day later, I received an email that changed everything.

I read the email and I said, “What the heck is this!?”

There were two inbox messages asking for my help on how to go viral and write an engaging story. Basically, they were emails asking for advice.

I was flattered after reading them — the feeling of “Well, I am an expert” was inevitable. It happened automatically.

I was smiling as I read the emails, opened them, and started typing my reply.

Then, this was the turning point.

Something in my mind asked:

“Should I help them for free or charge for my knowledge?”

I remembered reading posts from popular writers online and YouTube gurus saying they were charging for weekly coaching tips.

I thought to myself, why not do the same? It will be easy and quick money!

I deleted what I had typed, wrote a template for my paid service, and sent it to them.

I could feel my eyes having those dollar signs — I was finally going to get rich!

Everything fell apart when I read their responses.

One said, “No, thanks,” and the other ghosted me.

The pride that had risen the moment I read their emails suddenly dropped. I felt like an idiot for doing it.

I realized that I had become greedy.

I felt unfulfilled.

I had been consumed by those messed-up “gurus” who tell their success stories just to get engagement. I wasn’t even sure if they were telling the truth or just faking it until they made it.

This experience made me reflect and changed my mindset about helping others.

If I could go back to that time, I would continue writing my reply and give it for free.

I was also just starting. Why not grow and help each other?

I learned that valuing your knowledge is important, but being overly transactional isn’t. 

It is better to help others for free. I even read somewhere that Mark Cuban would reply to your email [FOR FREE] if you asked for advice. If a billionaire can do it, why can’t you?

It is not bad to charge for your knowledge, especially if you worked hard for it, but you must stay humble and understand what your readers need.

I realized that generosity can earn you more than money — it builds long-term trust with your community.

Now, I have a better and alternative way to avoid this short-term greed. I still receive emails after that one viral post, but I have a different approach. I share my advice and knowledge with them, then ask for a testimonial at the end of my email. 

These testimonials are collected and can be used later. I feel that this has a more positive impact on me as a freelancer and writer.

It builds your credibility, which helps you get more opportunities.

I learned the hard way. I now know that credibility isn’t just about the numbers; it comes from the trust you build over time. And sometimes, the best opportunities don’t come with a price.

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Do you have a community and charge for your weekly coaching tips?