Three Steps to Book Your Next Speaking Gig
Let’s say your goal is to dive into public speaking but you have no idea where to begin? You can already envision yourself standing on the stage in front of an eager audience. You have an incredible message to share and have even identified the ideal audience you want to share it with. Does this sound like you? If it does, then you’ve already done the hard part! It’s likely you already put in the leg work and established yourself as a thought leader in your industry. At this point, your main obstacle lies in actually finding those opportunities and seizing them. In this article, I’m going to share three steps that you should be taking in order to get yourself booked for public speaking opportunities.
Identify your clients and CONNECT
Event planners and conference organizers are always looking for amazing speakers like you. Do them a favor and make their job easier! Take the step to reach out to them. I’m not talking about a spray and pray generic email either. Event organizers are more likely to work with people they know, like and trust. Remember, these event planners/conference organizers are HUMAN. They’re everyday people who want to build relationships with the public speakers they work with. If you spam them, you’ll get the spam treatment…. Your generic email will meet the “DELETE” button. If you’re going to email them, ensure it’s thoughtful and provoking. Even better, PICK UP THE PHONE! Let them hear your voice. Let them feel the sense of urgency you have to share a quality message their audience needs to hear.
Before you do reach out, do some research and learn what makes the event organizer and their audience tick. Get an understanding of what message their audience is looking to consume. Being able to explain to a conference organizer how you’ll address their audience’s pain points is what you need to be doing when you’re selling yourself. This pays huge dividends in overcoming any objections the organizer might have. You can’t do this unless you’ve taken the time to do some research about the audience you’re trying to serve. In Episode 89 of The Speak To Scale Podcast, I dive much deeper into this topic and give public speaking tips centered around connecting with event planners/conference organizers.
Seek Out Public Speaking Opportunities
There are more public speaking opportunities available than you realize. While the rules and algorithms of social media are constantly changing, the rules and power of speaking remain constant. Stages have been around forever and they are consistently the fastest way to scale your business with speaking. Every day, all around the world, event organizers are working to find quality speakers for their events. They want to leverage the power of public speaking to impact their audiences. Where do we find these events and connect with these organizers?! Here are some ways that you can find a speaking opportunity RIGHT NOW.
Web Search:
A web search seems like an obvious starting point doesn’t it? However, if you’re simply searching “speakers wanted” you’re missing the mark. What specific topics do you speak on? Who is your ideal audience? Those are the terms you need to have included in your search. For example: If you’re a seasoned graphic designer looking to speak to other designers, start your web search with things like, “graphic design conference, graphic design convention, graphic design organization.”
*Bonus tip: add your city or state to the search. Events close to home will help cut down your expenses. Plus, organizers love a “local” expert.
Word of Mouth:
If no one knows that you’re available to speak, you’re never going to get asked to grace the stage. Make sure that your friends and followers know WHAT you speak on and WHO you speak to. Your social media content and speaking topics should be clear and niched down so it leaves no doubt what industry you’re the thought leader of. Get as specific as you can so it’s easy for your peers to refer opportunities to you.
Ask For Referrals & Introductions
No one knows the value of your presentations more than those who have experienced them in person! Ask those who have attended your presentations to give you a referral. You should enter every speaking opportunity with the goal of attaining the next one in mind. It’s much easier to establish a human connection and break down initial barriers to entry when you’re personally introduced to your next potential client.
For example: After my first EVER speaking event at a local high school, I asked the principal to call another local principal and share his experience. The result? I received a call from the other school later that week ready to book a talk for their school. This same approach was used every time I spoke and lead to speaking to 15k students my first year with minimal effort. After the first year, this domino effect had incoming requests for me to speak increasing exponentially. Much like high school principles, conference organizers and even companies have large networks and happily share about their experiences with outstanding speakers that deliver great content.
