Yes. I believe you SHOULD give away free interior design advice.

And also, no, you should not give away free interior design advice.

Let me explain. 😂

✅ When to Give Away Free Advice

If you have a chance to be in front of a large group of your ideal clients, be as generous with your knowledge as you can. You are being gifted the chance to stand up and say, loudly and proudly, “THIS is what I’m really great at, and THIS is why you can trust my knowledge.” Basically, you’ve got a captive audience just waiting to be impressed by your expertise – it’s a chance to have a recorded case study of why folks should trust you, follow you, and hire you. I’ll explore that more in a sec.

🛑 When NOT to Give Away Free Advice

When should you NOT give away free advice? During an initial consult for a big project. Why? Because that’s the time to ask important questions and gather information—not show off your knowledge like you’re auditioning for a game show. You’re not only giving away work you should be paid for, you’re missing a really important opportunity to show the client you’re the design-expert they need by asking key questions that only an expert knows to ask.

Waaay too many designers fall into the newbie trap of trying to “prove” their expertise by giving away knowledge during a consult. Your client should feel confident in your expertise thanks to your website message, your professional intake form, and the powerful questions you ask during the consult – NOT because you gave them design solutions for free. 😩

Want to find out what kinds of questions I think are essential? Check out this webinar on the 10 Essential Questions I gave with NKBA.

The Power of Niche Marketing 💪

Let’s go back to when you should give away free interior design advice, as demonstrated by Jamie, the founder of ​Happy Haus Studio​.

Jamie joined my ​Lead to Launch​ program when she had been in business for less than a year. She had a general idea of what she wanted to do but hadn’t yet leaned confidently into her niche. Through the program, Jamie embraced her passion for designing massage and treatment rooms—a perfect fit since she’d previously worked as a massage practitioner.

Unlike a designer who could design a treatment room, Jamie’s insider expertise allows her to address critical details that others might overlook. As we all know, a beautiful kitchen is no good if it’s not functional—and the same is true for treatment rooms!

Once Jamie decided to focus on becoming the go-to designer for treatment rooms, targeting her marketing efforts became much easier. Fast forward a year, and Jamie is being invited to feature as an expert on platforms tailored to her ideal clients. That’s the magic of niching down!

Want to steal Jamie’s interior design marketing recipe?

Here’s the secret:

1. Embrace a Niche, and become an Expert!

Pop quiz! Which of these is a niche?

• Kitchen and Bath Design
• Residential Interior Design
• Commercial Interior Design

It’s a trick question. NONE of these are niches—unless you’re on a planet with only three designers, and the other two already claimed the other categories.

These are categories, not niches.

A niche is unique to YOU. It’s as distinctive as your fingerprint and just as hard to replicate. When you lean into your niche, you eliminate competition, because the only way to get what you offer is to work with YOU.

For Jamie, her niche was rooted in her background as a massage practitioner. She decided to help her fellow practitioners design smarter treatment rooms—spaces that set the right mood, care for clients, and support the practitioner’s physical well-being (so important when poor ergonomics can shorten a masseuse’s career!). Other designers can offer this service, but they won’t have Jamie’s specialized knowledge.

2. Leverage Someone Else’s Audience

Once Jamie had clarity about her niche, she used a brilliant strategy to get in front of her ideal clients: she partnered with ​massage business coach Julie Campbell​ who invited Jamie to present a ​webinar​ to her audience of massage business owners on how to makeover treatment rooms—a perfect match!

This collaboration gave Jamie two invaluable opportunities:

• Exposure: She reached clients she might never have met otherwise.
• Credibility: Adding “Trusted by The Business of Massage” to her portfolio boosts her expert status.

3. Don’t Fear Giving Away Knowledge

Many designers worry that giving away free advice will stop clients from hiring them. The opposite is true. DIYers will always DIY, but your ideal clients? They’re showing up to vet you.

Offering a free webinar, for example, demonstrates that you understand their unique challenges and can help them achieve their goals without guesswork. It’s the ultimate trust-builder. 🙌

Nervous About Niching?

Here’s what Jamie said after embracing her niche as a member of my Lead to Launch program:

“My big ah-ha? That a niche is just a front door. It doesn’t limit what you do or who you serve; it’s just an entry point.” 🚪

Jamie IS a residential interior designer and designs for homeowners. Will leaning into treatment rooms keep her from growing the residential side of things? Heck no! Imagine the power of loving your favorite spa, and then finding out there is a designer who could bring that spa-feeling right to your home! It’s JUST the front door – a way to get folks to pay attention to your expertise. 🤓

Ready to tap into your own marketing genius?

This is what strategic marketing looks like—and it works! It’s just about being brave enough to pick a lane, and strong enough to stick to it even when every fiber of your being wants to stay generic because you’re so afraid of turning away potential business. You just have to stay the course, aiming at your design North Star! ✨

You’re Invited. 🚀

If you’re ready to start making smarter decisions (like Jamie did) and stop wasting time on ineffective marketing, check out my Lead to Launch Business Accelerator.

In just six months, I’ll teach you what most interior designers take five years to figure out, setting you up for success for the rest of your career. 🚀

Would Jamie recommend the program? Absolutely! In her words:

“I’d recommend this to any peers who struggle with marketing and operations, particularly folks right out of school who know they want to be business owners because it’s such a huge gap in our education.”

Whether you join me in the Program or continue DIYing your design biz, I hope Jamie’s story gives you the courage and confidence to lean into YOUR niche!

And if you’re tired of DIYing and want a faster road to design riches – reach out and let me know you’re ready to Launch! 🚀

May your design biz always make you Seriously Happy!

❤️ Rebecca

Psst: did you get your invite? 👀

🍊 MIMOSA MONDAYS 🍊

A monthly marketing mastermind, by designers, for designers!

Shoot me a DM on Instagram to get your access code to join for FREE! 💌

(If you’ve never joined me for a Mimosa Monday before, it’s a monthly marketing meetup designed to give you focused accountability so you can check your marketing tasks off your to-do list like the Boss you are.)