What have you found is the best marketing method to get paid speaking gigs?
As a professional key note speaker, what have you found is the best way to get paid to present in front of an audience? How to avoid having to conduct free gigs and what professional materials or marketing strategies work best for getting paid presenting opportunities.
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Aug 20, 2014
Kathleen, as a key note speaker here are somethings that You can do to market your self/ person brand/ business.
1. Treat your speaking business professionally
2. Let everyone know: use your free local media to do an article on You and public speaking. If You can secure a regular column that would be awesome!
3. Reach out and touch: reconnect with all the institutions, organizations and businesses whom have hired You in the past
4. Pick up the phone: Make it personal . Cold call similar organizations that You may have worked with in the past
5. Use Social media,
Hope this helps
Peace +Wishing You Well
Sincerely
Aug 20, 2014
There are 3 key ways to get paid speaking gigs. These methods work, but so do you. Consistency here is the key.
1. Research which companies are have events coming up in the next 12 months where you think your speech will add value (convention center, Eventbrite, etc.)
2. Email/ snail mail interest in speaking at their event. Send them your materials and package - video is critical to include. Do this at least 7 times until you get a response.
3. Make follow-up calls to the contact you emailed. Follow-up at least 7 times until you get a response.
Depending on how many events are your target will determine how many companies to contact.
Drop me a line if you have more questions or would like further assistance.
David Brownlee
Business Strategist - Business Coach - Speaker - Author
Aug 20, 2014
I have a number of clients who I have worked with for years and with whom I have built a strong relationship. They value my insights and thoughts, and will often ask me to come up with speaking ideas that they will then pay for me to execute. While that is not the core of my business, it is a great way to have a concentrated audience and start getting the word out.
In short, I get to create and test my material for a paying client, then the materials exist and essentially have no cost other than the delivery time, making payment the second time I present something less of a necessity.
Aug 20, 2014
Write a book and establish yourself as an "expert" on your passion. Presentations need to be polished by reviewing yourself on video and supported with sophisticated graphics. Get with leading speaker's bureau's and/or publicity agents - good ones are worth their fees. Good luck!
Aug 20, 2014
Kathleen,
Here are the things I tell clients trying to move to paid speaking:
1. Decide if this is your main business or a sidebar. If you do not already have a position as an expert, keep your day job while you get ready. If you are going to make it your main business, look into the National Speakers Association.
2. Become an expert...for real. Perception is fine until your naivete shows on the platform. I was once asked how long I could speak about Networking. My response was, "How many days do you need me?"
3. Treat speaking as your business. Market it like any other business. Have a web site. (See the diversity of examples in the NSA Directory) Have a one sheet for each keynote or breakout and as a group. Utilize social media to assist in providing awareness of your skills. That means business sites on Linked In and Facebook.
4. Practice Marketing as I define it: "Go where the money is, Sell what they want to buy and Do it again." That is not as simple as it sounds.
The money is in different places for different speakers. Some find it in associations. Some find it in non-profits while others find it in corporations. Go where the money is for you.
Sell what they want to buy. Usually it is more than a speech. They may want to change an attitude or kick off a new approach or simple be entertained. I'm not saying be a chameleon. I am saying listen to what they say and what they imply and give'em what they want to buy.
Do it well and they will ask you ot do it again or they will refer you for meetings at higher levels or the same level in another region or country.
5. Learn your craft. Find out how to tell a story so it relates to this audience. Use singular events and your reactions to build signature stories that make a point by grabbing the audience by their emotions and taking them with you.
6. Research and Write. Find out as much as you can about the audience you are going to be addressing. Write your speech. Every Pro I know will tell you that they write it down in some way. They don't memorize but they deliver points in similar order and if they have delivered it before it is very much a clone.
I was once told that when it came ot my signature stories it was like one of htose Chatty Kathy dolls where you pulled a string and out came a story!
7. Get paid some way. Sometimes cash is not available but a digital list of conference attendees is. If you have a product or service ot sell that list is golden.
Do you have some product you can sell from the back of the room or as I prefer these days from your website? Do you need to meet some key people in the organization for other possible work? The key is Value. What do they have of value to you that is similar in value to your fee for speaking? Or is there some combination of things.
Aug 21, 2014
Free gigs give you publicity, publicity gives you opportunities but in all probability of free gigs.
It must not continue indefinitely. Therefore, help yourself with the following:
1 Covert free gigs into contacts
2 Accept the fact that organisations you went for free would invite you for free. Keep few big names.
3 Explore better means of publicity like TV, print media, blogs, writing books
4 Discreetly find going rate for speakers of your level
5 Decide on a rate for yourself. It should initially be 50 to 70 % of the going rate. Fix it and do not vary it.
6 Increase the rate in future as you increase your credentials, but only by review of going rate
7 Importantly, work out best way of conveying your rates.
8 In case some opt out after giving you a likely date you could not commit to another, utilize the day in developing yourself for the next likely.
Best Wishes
Dr. DS Narban
Ph.D. (Psychology), MBA
Aug 20, 2014
Kathleen,
I apologize for not knowing your exact position in the space, but my main question is going to sound harsh. What makes you special? After the initial ego blow of self analysis, build yourself, your story and your materials around that central theme. Definitely curate a website, blog and social media channels to talk about the areas you can speak to. Do you have videos of past engagements? With snippets from those clips, you can easily start to get yourself out there in the content driven world. All the best!
Aug 20, 2014
Thanks, I am the President of a National Women's organization which specializes in small business consulting, I conduct about 400 business assessments a year, previously taught Marketing and Business courses on a graduate level published 9 books. I have done all that you suggested just looking for other ideas.
Aug 20, 2014
People usually dont get paid to present business opportunities unless you are directly running a "pay to attend" business opportunity seminar (that is one suggestion). That said, if you want the advice of a Professional Key Note speaker, you may not find them here.
Aug 20, 2014
I have spoken in many professional venues, but have been paid only a few times, and that was in front of a novice audience. Those opportunities arose out of personal contacts.
So, this is not helping much, but all the opportunities I had to speak at conferences (including Keynote) were with the understanding that I am promoting myself as an expert, and I got a number of consulting opportunities directly from the exposure.
I conducted paid-for half day seminars, but I wouldnt consider that a speaking gig.
Another opportunity is to conduct a survey on a hot subject, publish an article on it and offer that as a paid speaking opportunity
Aug 20, 2014
You need to market yourself. That I guess is what every other person has said here but it is great advice.
Aug 20, 2014
Not the only approach, but it is essential to have a Web Site which focuses on your speaking, and I feel it is critical to use Power Points.
Bob McMillan
Aug 20, 2014
You have to have something the client wants. You have to know the market and what a reasonable rate might be. Network with others that you deem comparable and ask for mentoring. Don't negotiate against yourself. Know what your worth and accept the gig if it is acceptable to you. If not respectfully decline.
In some instances you may want to offer speaking engagements without a fee for marketing purposes or other reasons. Make the decision from a business or charity perspective, but not from an emotional perspective. Work with your mentor, develop a plan and implement the plan. If the plan needs to change that's fine too. The key is to make a decision that fits your strategic plan, that you feel good about and that makes sense to you. To know that you have to do your homework. Good luck
Aug 20, 2014
Have you contacted a speaker's bureau? Look into the National Speakers Association and the local chapter in your area. It sounds like you have knowledge and things to say. NSA is always open to good speakers who have interesting content.
Aug 20, 2014
Writing blogs, articles for newspapers and magazines, and books, especially if you're organized as a business. I wrote two books on Japanese technology which generated about $250K each in speaking and consulting work over several years, plus 30+ free trips to Europe and Japan, and coverage in national media (CNN, WSJ, NY Times, etc.) during the 1980s when Japan was a hot topic. The key is to pick hot topics and do your research.
Aug 20, 2014
The first step in getting professional fees is your speaking skills. Marketing does you no good until you have developed your skills sufficiently to be paid. If you need improvement, the industry will let others know faster than your marketing ability can work. Do yourself a favor. Have someone who is not emotionally attached to you (friends, family, co-workers) evaluate your abilities to show you your strengths and weaknesses. I just read an excellent, ebook called The Million Dollar Speaker. It interviews Steve Siebold - a million dollar speaker. He tells it like it is and what you need to do to become a professional speaker.
Aug 20, 2014
Event planners will pay for someone who can truly deliver exactly what they are looking for and if you make it easy for them to hire you by having your media kit or speaker info on your website, sharing with them via email exactly what you will need to present and having a sample contract should they not have one to go.
You can speak for free without really speaking for free by making sure you have opportunities to sell your materials and/or products and also if you take a free or nominal speaking gig to get referred to others who will hire you the exposure and referrals may well pay for your speaking.
Always ask for referrals when you speak as most people will know others who would like to have you present as well. Get testimonies after each presentation as well.
Building a strong platform and network and honing in your speaking topics to ones which really resonate with your audience is the best way to market.
You could choose to join a speaker's bureau, but I don't believe those with limited credentials or who are not really sought after speakers find it is often worth the cost.
Finally, speak wherever you can grow your tribe. You may not always make the best revenue but growing your platform will help you become a more sought after speaker and eventually land larger and more profitable gigs.
Aug 20, 2014
weekly or monthly visit to different universities, also plan visit to business sides,proper use social media e.g facebook, linkedin,...and built your own website and daily upload new article,tip, and lecture,...
Aug 21, 2014
Without question it is primarily about being an amazing speaker first and foremost. You must touch people emotionally, provide hope and/or inspiration. You have to think of yourself as a product. If your speech is more than good the word of mouth and references and video clips will market all you want. If you are ordinary then it's all about hustling. Be truly great rather than even very good and, like any great product, the market will find you.
Aug 21, 2014
Speaking engagements foster other speaking presentations.
I started by contacting my local Small business Association and my local town small business focus groups. I setup a website strictly for feedback, and comments, linked to my main website as a back link. The SBA will list your services and talents and your Small Business Focus groups will also. You can also verbally blog via YouTube, Post yourself as a mentor with groups such as MySpace and other social medias. Post a weekly Facebook ad and blog your heart out. Yes it is time consuming, but word of mouth does get around. If you enjoy blagging that can be quite prolific as well. I was in front of audiences with in my first year, with a nice sub-income.
Love this, great answer @David Brownlee, thank you! To add to the first tactic, all cities have a Conventions & Visitors Bureau (CVB) & they typically have a calendar that is publicly accessible that will alert you to groups who are planning events in your area in the next 12 months. Join the chamber of commerce as well for even more details on the calendar & groups, the basic level membership is typically pretty nominal & a wise investment. Best- Lo #LoLovesit