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Where Do I Find Speaking Gigs?

How To Get Speaking Gigs

6 Ways to Find Speaking Gigs

When Cassie wanted to start speaking, she was excited. She was looking forward to connecting with her audience but she wasn’t sure where to find those elusive first speaking gigs. A speaker friend recommended she start by doing some of these things…

Ask Around

“Personal and professional connections are the best way to build awareness,” her friend shared. “Let your family, friends, and colleagues know that you’re looking to become a public speaker. They may know of an event host in need right now.” Perhaps a local church might like a speaker for one of their special events, or a community group might be looking for someone different to present to their membership. Check out the Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, Chamber of Commerce, etc..

Put It Out There

Now that you want to be a speaker, look at ways you can advertise. Add the word “speaker” to your bio on your website and your social media profiles, such as Linked-In, Instagram and Facebook as well as your blog. If you have particular topics you speak about, be specific. For example, you might say, “I’m a speaker on technical and business topics” or “I speak to Christian women on topics like family health and self-care”.

Scan Local Events

Start locally. That means you won’t have the stress or expensive of travel. The good news is that you can find local events easily using services like Facebook Events, Meetup and Eventbrite. If you haven’t checked these out, you are missing out. Meetup lists all types of events in your area and you can choose those that fit your specific interests.

Reach Out

Another thing new speakers can do is to look for opportunities to volunteer. Offer to speak to classes, both at schools and colleges. Reach out and share how you believe you can have an impact. Speak to some teachers about what they are teaching and how your skills could be incorporated into their plan.

You may also want to see if your local libraries or community centers are looking for someone to lead a brief four or six-week class on a topic you’re passionate about. Showing up weekly is a wonderful way to build up your speaking experience.

Create a Speaker Sheet

You never know when someone might want to learn more about your speaking services. So go ahead and create a speaker sheet. This should be a one-page document that highlights your bio and topics you speak on. Keep it short and make it attractive. If you don’t have any design skills, consider creating it in Canva and using one of their templates.

Be ready to share topics with outlines with event hosts when they ask for more information. You may even want to prepare your presentation in PowerPoint so a conference coordinator can take a look if they have questions. Not familiar with PowerPoint? You can take some online training through places like Lynda.com. You can also google “free training in powerpoint”.

Go Live

Get video of you speaking as soon as possible. Livestreaming online video is a good option if you’ve had no live opportunities yet. You can do this with your phone. You can set it up in your office, or outside. Do what makes sense for your message.

While you should strive to make this video as nice as possible with good lighting and sound, remember that hosts aren’t expecting a professional studio look. They know the video won’t be polished to perfection.

Event hosts just need to see that you’re comfortable and engaging. They want to know that you can connect with their audience and keep them entertained.

Finding speaking gigs might seem like a difficult task at first. But focus on doing the steps above. The more you take risks and put yourself out there, the more likely you are to discover an opportunity that’s just right for you.

To your speaking success

Fran Watson

P.S. Learn how to create promotional materials for your speaking career when you download your free workbook!

What if you could boost the visibility of your business? What if you could easily connect with potential clients in person? What if you got clarity around your message and influenced even more people with it?

With the So, You Want to Get Speaking Gigs? Workbook, you’ll discover how speaking benefits your business, what you need to get started, and how you can begin finding speaking events today. Here’s a peek at what you’ll see in your workbook…

  • The 4 Big Benefits of Becoming a Speaker
  • Create a Message You’re Proud to Share
  • Talking Money: What to Expect as a First-Time Speaker
  • Speaking Gigs Are Right Under Your Nose! Here’s How to Find Them…
  • Why Every Speaker Needs a Media Page (& What to Put on Yours!)

Kickstart your speaking adventure now! Just sign up below:

>> Yes, I Want to Speak!

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