Warning about that freelance conference in Austin last month

I went to that big freelance workshop in Austin last month and sat through a 45 minute talk on 'hacking the algorithm for proposals'. Honestly the guy on stage just read off slides about using emojis in subject lines. After lunch I talked to three other freelancers who said they tried his tips and got zero replies. Ngl I wasted $200 on a ticket and a whole day of billable time. Has anyone else been burned by one of those conference speakers?

3 comments

3 Comments

mitchell.thomas6d ago

My buddy Mark went to a "social media masterclass" in Phoenix last year. The speaker spent 20 minutes showing off his custom Macbook sticker collection and then passed out a worksheet that was literally just "post 3 times a day and use hashtags." Mark paid $150 for that and drove two hours each way. He still brings it up whenever anyone mentions paying for advice online.

karenc206d ago

I read somewhere that something like 60% of these "masterclass" speakers have never actually built a successful business themselves, they just know how to sell the dream of one. That worksheet story is so frustrating because it's the same stuff people were saying back in 2015, except now they charge more and add flashy slides. I saw a similar thing at a local digital marketing meetup where the guy spent half the time talking about his podcast gear setup instead of teaching anything useful. It really makes you wonder if these events exist just to make money off people who are desperate for a shortcut.

abby_fisher6d ago

My husband sat through a similar thing at a "growth hacking" workshop in Denver last fall and the guy literally just told everyone to copy what bigger accounts were doing. It's frustrating how many of these events are just recycling the same basic advice you could get from a free YouTube video.