How To Get Speaking Engagements

How To Get Speaking Engagement

As a speaker, securing speaking engagements can be a bit tedious because of competition. However, there are certain things that you can do to increase the numbers of jobs you get as a speaker. All you need to do is to learn the basic techniques or strategies on how to get speaking engagements.

Hence, we will share with you essential information that will make you better at getting speaking engagements.

Let’s begin, shall we?

What are Speaking Engagements? – How to Get Speaking Engagements

How do I get more speaking engagements

Speaking engagements are job opportunities offered to speakers.

Speakers cannot get to speak to people and get paid for it if they were not given the opportunity at events, seminars, and the likes.

Since there are several speakers within this industry, you need to learn the art of securing speaking engagements.

This will help you grow your career as a speaker.

Benefits Of Securing Speaking Engagements – How to Get Speaking Engagement

how to book speaking engagements

Apart from the obvious benefit of earning money, other benefits come from securing speaking engagement.

We know that money happens to be one of the greatest motivators.

However, we are going to share with you the other benefits to add an extra push to your motivation.

Knowing all the benefits will make you work harder, smarter and better to secure speaking engagements for yourself.

Let’s take a look at these benefits:

It Boosts Your Confidence – How to Get Speaking Engagement

One of the benefits of securing speaking engagements is that it boosts your confidence.

You get to speak at different functions and events and also meet different people.

The more you do this, the more you realize an increase in your confidence level.

With each successful engagement, you will feel confident in your abilities.

This, in turn, will allow you to do better in subsequent engagements.

Therefore, if you are not capable of securing speaking engagement, you will miss out on this.

It Improves Your Critical Thinking

As we earlier said, you have to know some basic techniques and strategies to get speaking engagements.

You should not expect to get offered an opportunity to speak in an event or function if you do not put in some effort.

There are several speakers out there, so you have to work to get jobs.

Although there are special cases where a speaker does not put in an effort to secure a speaking engagement and they get it.

It mostly happens to well-known speakers or when a speaker knows the organizers of a function or event.

However, if that is not your case, as we said you need to work for jobs.

To do that, you need to be capable of thinking critically to execute certain strategies that will enable you secure jobs.

The more you do that, the more your critical thinking improves.

It Improves Your Persuasion Skills – How to Get Speaking Engagement

Yes, your persuasion skills improve when you are capable of securing speaking engagements.

This is because in most cases, you have to communicate with the organizers of an event or function to give you jobs.

As a result, you might have to be persuasive sometimes, especially when the organizer had other speakers in mind.

Public speaking is a business, so you have to be capable of persuading people.

When you do this with positive results, it helps to improve your persuasion skills.

How do you ask for a speaking opportunity

It Improves Your Communication Skills

Another skill that improves is your communication skills.

As we earlier mentioned, you have to communicate with people to secure speaking engagements.

Consequently, you have to possess good communication skills.

As a result, you will have to learn to develop your communication skills to ensure that you communicate effectively with organizers.

Once you do this, you will be capable of communicating in a way that will help you secure speaking engagements.

The more you practice good communication, the better your communication skills improve.

It Helps to Grow Your Network – How to Get Speaking Engagement

Your network will grow when you are capable of securing speaking jobs.

You will get to meet several people as you work to secure jobs and after you get it.

When working to secure jobs, you can connect with the organizers and grow your network.

The same goes for after you get the job; you will be exposed to several people.

This creates a great opportunity to connect and network with the audience at events and even other speakers.

It Brings Satisfaction

When you are capable of securing speaking engagements, it brings satisfaction.

You feel a sense of accomplishment over every opportunity you get to speak.

As a result, you will be happy with yourself and the work you have done so far.

It Improves Your Career Reputation – How to Get speaking Engagements

Your career reputation will improve as you get more speaking jobs.

As you attend and speak at different events, people will notice you and this will help boost your career.

This can work to the point where people will start calling you for job opportunities.

Where to Find Speaking Engagements – How to Get Speaking Engagements

How do colleges get speaking engagements

Before you start thinking and working to secure certain speaking jobs, you need to know where to find them.

Hence, we will share with you some of the common places to find speaking engagements.

At Hotels

Yes, you can find amazing opportunities to speak at different hotels.

Some event organizers or planners set the location of numerous events and functions at hotels.

These opportunities are most times so amazing.

Unfortunately, most speakers do not know to search hotels for them.

To harness these amazing opportunities, you have to be deliberate whenever you are at hotels.

Go through the hotel’s events lists and see the plans they have there.

On the list, you might discover events you would like to talk at.

You can then contact the organizers.

This can be later or better yet at that moment to ensure that you get the opportunity before it slips away.

Meeting Organizer Magazines – How to Get Speaking Engagement

You can also find great opportunities in meeting organizers’ magazines.

To find these opportunities, you need to read these magazines frequently.

These will expose you to numerous speaking engagements because the owners of these magazines are organizers.

Hence, they will create awareness of any event any one of them is organizing.

Oftentimes, there might not be any outright speaking engagement opportunity written in the magazine.

In those cases, you have to see the opportunity even when it’s not written.

The next thing you should do after seeing an opportunity is to contact the organizers.

Do not be discouraged to pursue an opportunity because it was not boldly written in the magazine.

You might never know what speaking engagement is available until you communicate with the organizers.

How do I become a paid speaker

Instagram

Most speakers, event attendees, and event planners make posts of numerous events or functions on Instagram.

They are practically all over that social media platform.

Hence, you have to be smart and make use of your Instagram to get speaking jobs.

All you need to do is to make hashtag searches.

People make posts using hashtags.

You can try different hashtags related to speaking engagements and events.

Two amazing examples are #keynote and #event.

Be creative and make use of numerous hashtag searches.

When you find an event you will love to talk at, go on to contact the organizers.

Additionally, you can keep the lists of these organizers for when you want to search for other events.

Facebook – How to Get Speaking Engagement

Facebook is another social media platform where you can discover numerous speaking jobs.

When on this platform you should be on the lookout for when an event is posted.

Also, just like Instagram, you should search actively for events.

Make use of hashtags; you will be amazed at the opportunities you will discover.

Associations – How to Get Speaking Engagement

If you love speaking at association’s events, you can search the site of those associations.

On their site, you will come across several people and events with which you can contact for job opportunities.

All you need to do is run searches on their site; you will find their directory that contains the information of different association contacts you can contact.

How much should I charge for speaking engagements

LinkedIn

This is another site you can find great speaking opportunities.

All you need to do is make the right searches, and you will discover different information that will be useful to you.

Write down the names of prospective clients you will find and reach out to them later for jobs.

Google Search – How to Get Speaking Engagement

Google search also comes in handy when seeking opportunities.

However, when making a Google search, be deliberate and specific.

This will help you to get better results.

You can search for ‘conference directory’ or ‘events list’ and the likes.

Other Speakers’ Past Engagements

Yes, you can find great speaking opportunities from checking out other speakers’ past engagements.

Most speakers, after speaking at events post videos and pictures of themselves speaking at said events.

This provides an opportunity for you to discover certain speaking engagements that you would like.

All you need to do is to take note of those events and then contact the organizer for the coming year’s event.

Additionally, you should find out the fee range of the speaker the event hired previously.

This way, you will know what the event will be willing to pay for a good speaker and how you are going to charge.

Do not think that the event will want to hire the same speaker for the next event and give up the opportunity.

Most times, events planners hire different speakers for their yearly events because they want diversity.

So, do not be disappointed or scared; instead, contact them for their next event.

Tips on How to Get Speaking Engagement

How do you get paid for motivational speaking

Knowing where to discover speaking engagements is not enough to help you secure them.

You need to know certain things that will ensure you secure those amazing speaking opportunities you discover.

Below are some tips on how to get speaking engagement:

1. Figure Out Your Message

Before you start putting yourself out there and seeking speaking engagement, you have to be sure of your message.

This way, you will know the event where you can’t share your message, and the ones you can.

For instance, you cannot speak at an event held for customer experience if your message is on wellness.

When you are sure of your message, you will know the types of events you can request for a spot as a speaker.

Also, it will help you to secure better speaking engagements.

There are different types of speaking topics.

However, all speakers are generally categorized into some of these categories:

  • Motivation
  • Technology
  • Leadership
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Marketing and Sales
  • Teamwork
  • Wellness
  • Customer Experience
  • Communication
  • Mental Health

Although there are other categories, these are the categories most speakers capitalize on.

Discover your message, and work with it.

Have a Strong Online Presence – How to Get Speaking Engagement

As a speaker, your online presence has to be strong to make it easy for people to find you.

If you do not have social media accounts or websites, you should open them.

This is because people mostly make use of the internet to seek prospective speakers for their events.

Additionally, your social media accounts such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have to be very active.

The same goes for your website.

Learn to maximize and use them in a way that will benefit you.

Post amazing content; probably a video of you delivering one of your messages.

Ensure that all your channels are in sync and consistent

That is, make it easy for a person to link your website to your Instagram or Facebook account.

Follow organizations, associations, and event organizers who are often on the lookout for speakers to speak at their events.

Make it easy for event organizers by making your information available to them on your website and social media accounts.

This information should include your biography, videos of your presentations, your topics, and other important information.

This will increase your chances of being hired.

How do you get hired as a speaker

Start Locally

If you are just starting the speaking business, you should learn to crawl before walking.

What we mean is that you should start by seeking speaking engagement in your locality.

You can even speak for no charge at local places and events.

Since you will not be paid to speak, utilize the opportunity to gain exposure.

You can do that by meeting people of relevance and network.

Ensure that these people are individuals that have networks and connections to people at the state and national levels.

Also, they have to be people who will be willing to refer to their connections for future opportunities at a higher level.

Additionally, you can talk to these people to help provide video testimonials of the experience they got while listening to you speak.

Another thing you can do is ask the event organizers to take a video of you while you speak which they will then share with you later.

You can then post those videos on your sites and social media accounts.

This will help to promote and market you.

If you are not comfortable speaking for free, that’s fine.

However, you have to consider this option if you have had no prior experience speaking in past careers.

Start small, and then broaden your reach.

Attend Events – How to Get Speaking Engagement

An effective method to get speaking opportunities is by attending events.

The events you attend should be events where you are sure to find event organizers and people who will hire you to speak.

When you attend such events, start a conversation and connect with these people.

Ensure that you let them know that you are interested in any speaking opportunities that they have.

However, when doing this do not make the conversation too long.

Also, be polite and speak like a professional.

Additionally, you should not sound too desperate; rather speak in a way that will persuade them.

Give the wow effect and make good impressions when speaking to them.

Do this instead of saying how great a speaker you are.

This way they will be more impressed and will want you to speak at their events.

Is motivational speaker a career

Ask For More Appearances

Some companies and associations host several events in a year.

This is more likely to happen with big companies.

Most times they host their different events at different locations or regions.

Hence, if you were opportune to speak at one of their events, ensure that you speak to the organizers to hire you for their coming events.

It will be easier for them to consider hiring you for their coming events since they have done so before.

Sharpen Your Public Speaking Skills – How to Get Speaking Engagement

For you to get good speaking engagements, you need to be capable of delivering your speeches or lectures excellently.

To ensure that this happens, your public speaking skills have to be good.

Nobody will want to hire a speaker who does not know how to deliver great performances.

Hence, while chasing and seeking speaking engagement, sharpen every skill that will make you an effective speaker.

Be a better communicator and speaker.

Conclusions on How to Get Speaking Engagement

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When a speaker is capable of getting and securing speaking engagements, it helps them to become better in various ways.

Hence, every speaker should be capable of doing this.

However, if you find it a bit difficult to get speaking engagements, then you need to up your game.

The amazing tips we shared in this blog, will make that possible provided you practice them.