Raise your hand if you are someone who really wants to make a big difference in the world!
I hope both hands are up right now! If you want to make great money and a great impact, than this video is a must watch.
I’ll be sharing with you how to book those speaking engagements that will help you do just that. There’s SO much power in speaking and it’s the platform that has really helped me to grow Inspired Living into what it is today. Because of its immense power, speaking at live events is still a huge part of my business model.
In this video I will give you the top tips to book speaking engagements on both large and small stages, including:
- Developing your “Signature Talk”
- How to market yourself
- How to find events that speak to your specific niche
- How to stand out when applying for speaking engagements
- How to get paid as a speaker
First of all, ask yourself, “do I have a signature talk?”
This is the first step! If the answer is “no”, then this is your first homework assignment. You want to have a talk that is signature to you, with a title that is unique, specific, actionable, and result oriented.
When you’re submitting yourself for speaking opportunities, a generic title such as “How to Make Your Dreams Come True”, is NOT going to get you booked! For example, the title of the talk that I have been doing for years is titled, “How to Become the Go To Celebrity Expert In Your Industry Using Video.”
I know, it’s a long title but the result is specific and it gets me booked.
Once you’ve got your signature talk down, it’s time to market yourself. Don’t let this step intimidate you, it doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Especially when you are first starting out, I think that it’s so important to make the phone calls and emails yourself. Instead of hiring a booking agent, or an entourage to help you, that personal touch can really make a big difference.
An important step that I have all of my clients take when they are beginning their speaking efforts is to make a list of local and larger events that reach your specific niche and demographic. You’ve GOT to make sure you are reaching your ideal client. If you get booked at an event that does not cater to your ideal client, no matter how fabulous your talk is, you are not going to convert any sales.
And let’s face it, one of the main goals of speaking engagements, is to enroll people into our products and services.
You don’t have to speak on a big stage to make a big impact. When I started speaking at events back in Portland, Oregon, I was speaking at small luncheons. I had less than 20 minutes to talk about using video. They may have seemed small at the time, but those 20 minute speaking engagements are what led me to speaking on much larger stages. My biggest advice is to not let your pride get in the way, by thinking that you’re too big to be speaking at small networking groups. This is the perfect venue for you to hone your talk and see who takes action. If no one is taking action, that’s a sign that you need to switch up your signature talk or offer.
When reaching out to event organizers you need to answer the question “How can I serve you and your tribe?”
DO YOUR RESEARCH! Know who you are speaking to, and know what their audience is coming for. That way you can come to them saying “I know how my talk can complement your event and really serve your audience.”
There are so many different types of speaking engagements out there. Although we all want to book those high paying keynote presentations, those opportunities don’t come around all that often.
The good news is, there are many ways to get paid as a speaker, outside of keynotes!
The first is speaking for free! I know that that seems counterintuitive, but trust me, when you’re a good speaker you’ll never speak for “free”. When you’re good at what you do, and if you’ve crafted your signature talk to make people what to take action, you are going to walk away from a “free” talk with thousands of dollars in sales. Whether you’re speaking in front of 5 people or 5,000 people, you’ll get clients by going out and sharing your message.
The next way to to get paid as a speaker is by paying to speak. I know, this one sounds a bit crazy but by paying to speak or “sponsoring” events you’re not obligated to fill the room, you don’t have to have to have a big team and you don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting. You just get to show up and share you message with your ideal client. You’ll make that investment back 10x over if you know you’re talk and offer.
The last tip I want to give you is how important it is to show up as an authority.
This means, have a great headshot, a compelling bio and if you really want to stand out, have a one-sheet or media kit that you can also include in your submission. This makes you look like a trusted authority that will be great to work with- and that is key to the event organizer!
As always, I would absolutely love to hear from you! Are you already a speaker? What tips do you ahev? Post in the comment section below! Which of these tips did you connect with, and how has it inspired you moving forward?
If you need any help getting your speaker colateral together and talk together, we have an entire team of branding experts here at Inspired Living, ready to help you! Email us today at [email protected] and let’s get you sharing your powerful message with more people.
Until next time…Dream it. Live it. BE it!
