Are you one of the few who gets a little spark of excitement thinking about speaking in front of a live audience?
Many people feel their chests restrict and palms perspire just from thinking about stepping out on a stage, lights shining in their eyes, with the task of teaching and entertaining a group of strangers.
The more speaking engagements I tackle, the more questions I get from brave (or slightly crazy) creative entrepreneurs with similar dreams. And, the most common question I receive is: How do I get started with speaking and teaching?
That’s why I’m going to share my top five tips for landing your first speaking engagement (and hopefully many more).
1. Give away your best content for free.
Whenever I give this advice to a group of creatives, their faces turn into blank, dazed expressions. And, then the next question is always, “If I give away my best stuff for free, why would people pay for my products and services?”
If you’re giving away high-quality content, your target market will ache to devour more. They’ll pay, because they know they can trust you. If they’re already getting a lot out of your free content, they’ll assume they’ll get even more when they buy from you. It’s the best way to build trust with your readers and subscribers.
When you share your best content, it has a much better chance of getting in front of the right person, maybe the person who chooses the speakers at your favorite conference. And, when that person checks out your blog and sees that you’re indeed an expert, she might just reach out to you and invite you to speak at the conference of your dreams.
If your content is crap, what are the chances you’ll receive that invitation? I’m gonna go with zilch.
2. Use video to show that you can speak about your topic eloquently.
Something I’ve learned through working with people who are ones that invite entrepreneurs to speak at conferences or on online platforms is that they like to know that you can talk about your topic in a way that engages people.
If they come to your blog and find only written posts, they can tell that you can write about your topic but that’s very different than discovering that you can talk about your topic.
You can use video to show off your expertise in talking about your niche or you could use a platform like Periscope.
3. Get the dish from past speakers or instructors.
If you know that there’s a particular platform or conference that you want to speak at, you should connect with someone who’s already spoken with that company or at that conference.
Reach out on social media. Build up a relationship over the course of a few weeks. Then email the person, letting her know that you’ve been thinking about speaking at ‘xyz’ and you’d love to know a little bit about her experience.
Getting some of the inside scoop could help you know exactly what they’re looking for or who you should talk to or email about your interest. It never hurts.
4. Build your speaking resume by saying yes to smaller opportunities.
Don’t start by pitching your dream conference. If you don’t have any experience speaking in front of a live audience, they’ll be less likely to say yes. And, if they do say yes, you’ll be less likely to do a great job if it’s your very first time.
Instead of starting with speaking engagements, say yes to (or pitch) interview opportunities. Speak at an online summit. Once you’ve had the opportunity to talk about your topic a bunch of times, you’ll be much more successful when you’re teaching at your dream retreat or conference.
5. Send in your pitch.
Eventually, you’ve got to hold your breath and send in your pitch.
Many conferences and online platforms have submission guidelines. Follow them, highlighting your previous experiences (even if that means a handful of interviews) and pointing to examples of where they can see you speaking (which might be a page of videos on your blog).
They’re looking for speakers and you could be just what they’re looking for. You’ll never know until you try.
If you’re hoping to land some speaking engagements in the upcoming year, use these tips to get started.
Have other questions about speaking engagements? Ask them in the comments below and I’ll answer them in a Periscope sometime next week.
Have a tip that I didn’t include? Share it in the comments below!
YES! I’m so glad you wrote this post…. I’m gonna go back over this and see how much I can start applying… I’m already working on the video part. I created a new video opt-in, and I’m really strongly considering doing a weekly video-blog post. I feel like I do quite well with it… even if I don’t have a totally pro set up. 🙂
You would do well, Amanda, your videos show that you can speak with ease. You are a natural at it!
I second Lucy’s comment! You definitely speak with ease on video.
I’ve been thinking a lot about speaking since our trip our to San Fran for Creative Live. I think that a HUGE goal of mine would be to return there someday to be a part of a larger segment or perhaps a course of my own. I really like making Youtube type tutorials where I’m using Screenflow to show how to do tech-y stuff, so I’m wanting to absolutely incorporate more of that into my business over the next few months. Overall, though, I’d love to be a part of intimate retreats as a teacher. I was dreaming up an idea with Kris (with a K) and someday I’d like to do a conference/retreat thing of my own.
You’re right about #1…I think that’s a big part of why I haven’t done a weekly vlog or anything. I’m also concerned with running out of ideas or things to say. haha
This was a great post, April, because it’s been on my mind! 🙂
You and Kris would create a magical retreat…I just know it!
If you’re not the type of person who always comes up with new topic ideas, it’s scary to think that you could run out. But, I’ve found that the more I create, the more ideas I get and I’m not one of the lucky creatives who has a running flow of ideas at all times. It can be a struggle for me, but experience has taught me, that it’s when I’m not creating that I run dry of new material.
Hi April! Thank you for this post, speaking is on my bucket list. Do you have any resources on where to go to find platforms looking for speakers?
Hey Shannon! It really depends on your topic and market.
For me, I’m going to target conferences and platforms that help creatives grow their businesses. And, I can always get more ideas by asking my readers and followers about their dream or favorite conferences or online platforms for learning.
I’m one of those crazy sorts! I’d like to speak, I’m thinking of going to local groups of homeschoolers. As for conferences, I don’t know where I’d fit in best, with homeschoolers, or crafters. I feel most at home with crafters.
I think you could fit with both, Lucy! You don’t have to narrow it down since you’re just starting.
YES!
This is another one of those reading-my-mind moments, April. You know I’ve been working up to doing more speaking gigs, & after our SUPER fun time in San Francisco, I decided to really step it up.
Your timing is fantastic. Can’t wait to start pumping out some more video on my site & pitching to more local events to speak at.
Thanks for your brain 🙂
xo
K
YAY! You were fantastic at CreativeLive–definitely a natural born speaker. 🙂
Great timing, I’m just preparing for my first industry speaking gig at a local WordPress meetup. My topic is – blogging for business 🙂
This fall I’ve been on my first WordCamp, and I’ll be honest, I was somewhat critical of some of the speakers (their delivery wasn’t very good). I thought to myself “I can do this better” and I immediately started preparing the outline for the talk I’ll pitch for next year.
I gave the WordCamp organizer a hint and he in turn invited me to speak at the meetup on November 27th.
I’m very excited, but I have trouble cutting down my presentation to only 20 minutes!
I’m definitely looking more into other local opportunities for speaking to practice my skills and grow my reputation as a speaker.
You’re right, I don’t do nearly as much video I could and that’s definitely on my list. I get so impassioned when I talk, and I don’t think this comes through in my writing enough.
Congrats Nela! That sounds really exciting.
I think we can all learn from what we don’t like or aren’t engaged by when attending conferences or learning from an online platform. That’s how I get a lot of my best ideas. I decided to fill my workbooks with color, photos and watercolors because I get so bored by the black and white fill in the blank workbooks.
And….I totally feel you about having a hard time staying within a time frame. I struggle with that one, too. There’s always more I’d like to include.
Great information, thank you April. This is kind of the next step, the first one for me would be: practice, practice, practice – like on periscope or youtube for example, and then start thinking about speaking gigs. A few years ago I wouldn’t even have read this post, but now I’m thinking: hmm…. I wonder if I would be a good fit for one or two conferences around here? Hmmm again. 🙂
YAY! Yes…step out of that comfort zone. You can do it!
Perfect timing! I was just thinking about this! I’m going to start adding video to my blog posts + researching local speaking opportunities. Thanks for the tips! You’re such an inspiration!
Thanks, Anne! You’re so very welcome.
Such good tips! I am very interested in doing some speaking, and like Amanda, would love to do some of my own retreats. I have plenty of speaking experience, but nothing recent and nothing an organizer could go to my website and immediately be aware of. I never thought of video as a way to build a speaking platform. So clever! 🙂 I need to start looking for some local speaking opportunities to build my resume as well. Thanks April!
You’re so welcome, Dana! Yes…video is the easiest way to show someone that you can speak about your topic. Glad I could give you a fresh perspective. 🙂
I LOOOVE to speak in public. I enjoy the process, the communication, the interaction with the audience (that is probably why I studied to become a teacher in the first place). I only have testimonials of me speaking to a Greek audience, so I have not included them in my English-Language blog. Your article came at the right moment (it usually does, ha)… Now I’ll just have to record a video or two in English, I believe… Thanks, April!
You’re very welcome, Maria! Glad this post caught you at the right time. I love when that happens.
Inspite of being a bit of an introvert, I love speaking in public, too! Community theater is my favorite, but I’ve learned to enjoy teaching in a group business setting. Thank you for these great tips on how to find speaking engagements. Good stuff, as always!
You’re welcome, Erika. I’m glad this post stirred your love for public speaking. 🙂
Great post April. I blog and building my content but not doing video yet, so will definitely get that rolling as my area is very suited to video demos and presentations on many topics.
I like the idea of sending in your pitch, but not sure on how to draft one up. Do you have any resources or guides on this?
Been to Toastmasters a few times. Totally recommend Toastmasters to get a feel of what speaking is like, be taught how to speak in a professional and effective way, get feedback and who knows you might get offers to speak at the Toastmaster events they hold.