Ep 60: How to Find Your Niche as a Speaker
Just getting started in your public speaking journey? This episode is for you! As a new speaker, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the number of speaking topics there are out there. This episode will help you get clear on what you want to achieve as a speaker.
Not a brand new speaker? Maybe you’re at a point where your life or business is shifting gears, and you’re unsure how that might impact your speaking topics. Or maybe you’ve been in the speaking game for a while and need to revisit and reevaluate your message. You’ll find this episode helpful too!
No matter where you are in your journey, it’s never too late or too early to nail down your speaking niche. Let’s dive in.
If you loved this episode and it motivated you to add speaking to your business, I’d love for you to leave a review on iTunes and tell me about your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of you listening on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @jessicarasdall.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Take the Quiz >> Which Speaking Tier Are You?
Grab the Workbook >> Free Speaking Topic Workbook
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Why figure out your speaking niche, anyway?
Do you really need a speaking niche? I’m not gonna force you to choose one, but I think having a niche will definitely help you become a successful speaker!
When you determine your speaking niche, it’s like you’re saying, “I want to be and be recognized as the go-to expert in X topic.” By sticking to a specific area of expertise, you can get really good at what you do and how you deliver your content to others.
When others see you as the expert in your craft, you’ll notice higher referral rates and more income speaking requests. Plus, once you’re that go-to speaker, you’ll waste less time and energy having to pitch yourself to get booked. People will be lining up to book you.
And, let’s be honest — do you really want to do all the things? I bet not! You can’t be everything to everyone. When you try to speak to everyone, you kinda speak to no one.
Similarly, you can’t market to everyone, either. Just as you do with your speaking topics, you want your website and other content to target a specific audience. That’s how you get loyal followers, engagement, and conversions.
Get really good at the specific thing you do, so you can spend more time marketing yourself and your business. Rinse and repeat.
Step 1: Think about why you want to speak
If you’ve listened to The Speak to Scale Podcast before, you know that service is at the heart of everything I do. It’s super important to me, and I know it is to you, too. We all want to make the right impact on your audience.
But…let’s get selfish for a minute. (It’s okay, I give you permission.) You’re still a business owner, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to speak to benefit your biz!
Grab a notebook and a pen and get selfish for a minute. Jot down your answers to these questions:
Why do you want to be a speaker?
What do you want speaking to do for you and/or your business?
What do you seek to accomplish?
What’s your ultimate goal with your message?
Here’s an example. Say you’re a business coach who scaled your business from 1:1 coaching to group programs and online courses. You want to use speaking to find clients and fill your programs with new students.
Of course, you want to educate, inspire, and make a positive impact on others. But ultimately, your goal is to get new clients. See the difference?
If you’re unsure what your goals are, take some time to reflect on it a little bit. Speaking is a calculated business move, and you want to make sure you’re making this move for the right reasons. You also want your future moves to fall in line with your ultimate goal; otherwise, everything will feel off.
Step 2: Determine who you want to talk to
Next, identify the audience you want to speak to. Who have you been called to serve? How does your audience align with the goals you just outlined in Step 1?
Take the example we used in Step 1. A business coach who wants to find new clients and customers would most likely want to speak to people who could become her new clients and customers. Makes sense, right?
But you can’t simply say “entrepreneurs are my ideal audience” and be done with it. Think of how many people are entrepreneurs out there! You have to get as specific as possible. Remember, when you speak to everyone, you speak to no one.
Dig a little deeper. Maybe by “entrepreneurs” you actually mean “women who just launched their own service-based businesses and are looking for ways to bring in more income.” Do you see how much more detailed and helpful that description is?
So, think about who you want to speak to and who would be the best audience to speak to in order to achieve your goals. Then, get as specific as you can about your audience. This will help you find events and hone your marketing strategies later.
Step 3: Find your speaker sweet spot
The third and final step in finding your niche is to choose speaking topics that align with your goals determined in Step 1, and support your audience in Step 2.
In other words, I call this finding your speaking sweet spot. Your sweet spot is the intersection of three things:
What you’re passionate about
What you have expertise and experience in
What your audience is interested in
I actually have a YouTube video that talks about finding your sweet spot, as well as picking a speaking topic! Definitely check that out to learn more about nailing down your speaking topics.
Let’s go back to our ongoing example, shall we? You’re a biz coach speaking to women who own businesses that they want to scale. You want to pick speaking topics that meet their needs and engage their interests. You might choose speaking topics like professional development and how to scale your online business. There. That’s your niche!
I know it can be tempting to choose topics that are timely and relevant right now. But remember that successful speakers who choose those topics are likely doing the best thing for their businesses. You gotta do the same!
Put them all together and discover your niche
In order to make speaking truly work for your business, all three of these pieces — your ultimate goal, your ideal audience, and your speaking topics that support your goals and serve your audience— need to be in alignment.
If you need to take some time to reflect on these three key elements before moving forward, I encourage you to do it. Once you’re crystal clear on your who, what, and why, you’ll figure out your niche.
Struggling to complete these three steps? Need more structured guidance and expert resources on moving forward in your speaking journey? The Speak to Scale Vault can help.
When you unlock access to the Speak to Scale Vault, you’ll get a roadmap that will show you a clear way to get from newbie speaker (or wherever you are now) to go-to speaker and thought leader.
You also gain access to deep-dive workbooks, resources, recordings, and exercises that will help you craft your message, reach your audiences, and find speaking opportunities.
Enough wondering and wishing you could use speaking to scale your business. Get started with the Speak to Scale Vault!
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