Here are notes I took on a seminar at FinCon 2019 about how to get speaking gigs, by Grant Baldwin. This seminar was extremely helpful in understanding the strategies to not only get your first speaking gigs but also how to land paid gigs and scale. Disclaimer: While all attempts are made to present correct information, there is a chance I’ve written notes incorrectly!
How to Get Speaking Gigs – FinCon 2019 Notes
The formula to getting speaking gigs can be summed up by the acronym “SPEAK”.
S = Select a Problem to Solve
- Industry – Who is it that you want to speak to?
- Interest – What is it that you want to speak about? (Is there a need)
- Integrity – Are you qualified to talk about this subject or topic. you don’t have to be the world’s greatest expert to talk about something
“Be the steakhouse and not the buffet” – You don’t want to try and appeal to everyone
P = Prepare Your Talk
The best way to calm your nerves when it comes to speaking, is to practice. Make sure to practice your speech a lot.
Are you a thermostat or a thermometer? With thermostats, you set the temperature. With thermometers, you adjust to surroundings. You need to be a thermostat!
Your best marketing is a great talk. When you deliver great speeches, you’ll get others raving about you who can refer you to other events. And if you capture video of your speech, you’re able to use that as proof that you can do a great job as a speaker at gigs.
Lastly make sure to have fun!
E = Establish Yourself as the Expert
Create a website. If your main goal is to get speaking gigs, it’s a good idea to use your name as the domain.
Demo video – give them enough to make them want you on stage. organizer is taking a risk hiring you. the demo video at least gives them a glimpse of what they’ll get. 2-3 minute demo video is good
- How to get footage – local event to speak at for free. work with what you’ve got. OR speak to an empty room, go to a conference room/ballroom/theatre where someone would hire you to speak.
- add a bit of background music and add at the end – your name, website, email.
A = Acquire Paid Speaking Gigs
- The easiest gigs to book are places already looking for speakers. Find them!
- Examples may include personal finance conferences, events, associations, and gatherings
- Another way is you can look for other speakers who are doing something similar to what you do, and see what events they’re speaking at.
- Connect with other speakers who speak in your industry. Most conferences want different speakers every year. Refer other people to speak
When you are looking to get gigs, send an email. This is a relationship business!
- Email = 1-2 sentence email of “When will you start reviewing speakers for your event?”
- Send 2 other follow up emails. For the first follow-up, wait 1-2 weeks and reply to the initial email.
- 2nd email = something like “Hey i’m just circulating back on this. Wondering if you’d still be interested in this.”
- 3rd email = Something like “I’ll leave the ball in your court. If you need anything just let me know.”
- Sending these 3 emails can take a month
If there is any interest at all, call them immediately. The speed of your follow up matters because it is a precursor of what it’s like to work with you. They’re also hiring you to try and make their life simple!
When you follow up you should figure out next steps and see if you can find a time to connect. Ask something like “do you mind if I touch base with you after your committee meeting?”
Lead time – How long should you be reaching out before an event?
The bigger the event the further organizers book it out. Start reaching out to an event 3 to 6 months in advance. You’d rather reach out too far out than too far in. Some events will book over a year in advance.
How do you get paid gigs vs free gigs?
A lot of websites won’t tell you if what they’re hiring for is for paid speaking gigs or not. However, there are a lot of ways to generate revenue with speaking. Also, Grant recommends focusing on conferences.
How much should you charge?
Use the two tools Grant recommends for figuring out how much to charge for speaking:
Quick variables to think about for how much to charge:
- Your industry
- Experience
- Marketing materials
How do you choose between gigs that are local, national, or international?
Grant is willing to take less in speaking fees when events are closer to him, but there is no right or wrong answer around location. It’s up to you!
K = Know when to scale.
Many people end up doing all of the following: coaching, consulting, book, or course.
You can do all these things, but you can’t do them all at once. Something has to come first and something has to come last. Where does speaking fall in that order? There’s a big difference between a writer who happens to speak and a speaker who happens to write. When Grant started, his site’s main goal was “hire Grant as a speaker”. That was his big call to action. Speaking may be secondary to other people though.
You can also use other assets to generate revenue in business. For example, Grant wasn’t paid to speak at the FinCon seminar, but people may pay for his courses or coaching which is where he will earn revenue.
Conclusion
I found this seminar quite helpful! These are really good tips whether you’re trying to land your first speaking gig, trying to scale your business or land more gigs, or even if you’re considering if speaking is right for you. I have been considering making speaking a part of what I do to build up my brand, but for now it is a bit out of my comfort zone. Speaking will be something I work towards. For now, this is informational for when I get to that point.
Hope you enjoyed this post on how to get speaking gigs. If you have comments, let us know below!
