Let me tell ya’ll something about social media that gets on my last nerve. You post something that you worked on, whether it’s a video, a podcast clip, a blog post, or just something you want people to see. Then somebody jumps in your comments or sends you a message saying, “Hey, send me this post!”

So you’re thinking, “Okay, they want to repost it. Great! More eyes on my content.” You send it.

And then here comes the message:

“If you want me to promote your content, here are my rates….”

Wait….What! 😂

Hold on now. You asked me to send you the post! I didn’t come knocking on your door asking you to promote me. I wasn’t shopping for a promotion package. I wasn’t looking for somebody to send me an invoice. So now I’m sitting here wondering, “Did I just accidentally walk into a sales pitch?”

Now, let me be clear: I don’t have a problem with somebody charging for their promotional services. If you’ve built a following, you have an audience, and people are willing to pay you to promote their businesses or content, that’s your business. I respect that.

Don’t ask me to send you my post like you’re interested in sharing it with your audience, and then turn around and hit me with, “ Well, if you want me to promote you, here’s my price.” Because that’s not what I asked for. If you charge for reposting, just say that from the beginning.

Say, “Hey, I saw your post. I offer paid promotional repost. If you’re interested, my rate is $50.”

Okay! Now I know what I’m dealing with. I can say yes, I can say no, or I can say, “Thank you, but I’m going to keep walking.” But don’t make it sound like you’re asking me to send something because you genuinely want to share it, only to turn around and try to sell me a service I never requested. And that’s one of the things that frustrates me about social media now. It seems like everybody wants something.

You post something and somebody wants you to send it.

Somebody wants you to subscribe.

Somebody wants you to follow.

Somebody wants you to pay for promotion.

Somebody wants you to join their program.

And I’m like, Can y’all just repost the doggone post?!

Sometimes supporting somebody’s content should simply mean supporting somebody’s content. If you don’t want to repost unless you’re getting paid, that’s perfectly fine. But say that upfront. Because when you ask somebody to send you their post, you’re giving the impression that you want to share it, not that you’re preparing to send them a price list.

At the end of the day, I’m not mad at anybody for making money from social media. I’m trying to make money from social media too. But I believe in being straightforward. If you charge for promotion, tell me you charge. Don’t have me thinking I’m sending you my post because you’re going to help me spread the word, and then surprise me with a bill for a service I never asked for.

Because my answer might simply be:

No thank you. I appreciate you asking for the post, but I didn’t ask you to promote me.” And that’s okay. Social media is supposed to be about connecting, sharing, creating, and building communities. And yes, there are plenty of people making a business out of it and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Just don’t make me feel like I got tricked into a sales pitch. So if you’re a person who charges for repost or promotion, stand on your price. Be honest about it. Say it upfront.

And if I’m interested, I’ll pay you. If I’m not interested? I’ll keep posting. And somebody else might repost it for free.

Because baby, I didn’t ask to be dropped off at the Social Media Sales Department. I just wanted somebody to share my post!

Until next time, keep creating, keep posting, and keep your eyes open because on social media, sometimes that innocent little “Send me this!” comes with a price tag you didn’t see coming.