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Top 5 ways to find PAID speaking gigs for FREE by @KerryHeaps

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by Kerry Heaps  | Featured Contributor

Here is a list of resources that you can use when searching for speaking engagements online. Some of these resources have an upgraded option, however I find that the free versions work just fine. When utilizing these resources, it’s important that you put together your own database, you can use these resources to start building your own. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, Excel spreadsheet is just fine or if you are a paper and pencil person, that will work just as well. Do what works best for you in this process.

Sign up for Google alerts.   One of the first things you should do is sign up for Google Alerts  using the phrases, “call for speakers”, and “call for papers”.  This way, you save time searching on a daily basis which shows have opened their call for speakers portal. Check out the call for papers because they often are accompanied by a call for oral presentations that don’t always show up in a call for speakers search.

If you want to speak at Colleges, search for the Director of Campus Activities.  You can do a simple search on Google just type in “Director of Campus Activities at *” then hit enter.  This will bring up certain contact pages on the Colleges site that will have the contact person listed. The *  search doesn’t always work with all titles, you have to play with the wording a little bit. For example, if you want to speak to the College staff, your best bet is to find the VP of HR. You can do a Google search for that title as well just to make sure you put  “at *” after the title.

If you want to speak or train at company engagements,your best bet is a list.   If you are a member of your local library, you can access databases online at no charge. Every library is different, however if you go to their website, click on the database link and see what’s listed under the Business section. A lot of libraries will have access to databases such as Reference USA, LexisNexis, etc. This way you can download a list a businesses in a targeted area, with titles. For example, if you want to speak to a company’s sales team, you will want to target the VP of Sales, if you want to do training for customer service or interoffice communications, you’ll want to target the VP of HR. It depends on the type a company, your topic and who it serves best within the organization.

Get a list of Associations and target their state chapters.   The library can also give you a great resource for Association lists. Each Library will have access to Gale Publications. There is one for associations and you can do a search to target specific associations, by location industry type, etc. These lists are downloadable at no cost. I also recommend for each Association to research their state chapters. They also booked speakers and can be an easy way to gain entrance to the National Convention.

Bookmark Events in America and Events Eye.    These two sites list upcoming events for the US and overseas. It’s a great resource to find out what is coming up in your area, or in areas that you’d like to target and you can easily go to the show’s website and find out if they are looking for speakers. Events in America also gives you the opportunity to list yourself as a speaker at no charge.

Stay tuned for my next column, I will be discussing best practices for reaching out to these organizations and how to create a solid follow-up system for each.

 

5 things you need PRIOR to applying for speaking engagements by @KerryHeaps

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by Kerry Heaps  | Featured Contributor

Almost every event that you apply to will require the five following items. Any topic that you are an expert on, you should have the following items in place.

A Topic(s) that is eye catching.  The topic of your speech is very important. It’s the first thing most Meeting Planners see in your submission.   Your topic should be catchy, drive home a point and should be applicable in today’s market. If you’re struggling creating a title, start jotting down a few samples on paper. And try replacing some of the words with buzz words or action words. This will get you started on creating a topic that stands out.

A Summary. Your summary is just that, a few sentences or short paragraph describing what you are going to talk about. It’s important to note that your description, should you be chosen to speak, is typically copied verbatim into the marketing materials of the event. Meeting Planners typically will not change anything that you have put in, as you are the expert on this topic. Your description and 3-5 takeaways should match what you teach at the event. Attendees typically will complain if they sign up for a workshop and the instructor teaches everything but what was in the workshop outline. Make sure whatever you put in your description is what you plan on teaching.

3-5 takeaways. Finally, for each topic and description you will need to provide three to five takeaways or learning objectives. What will the Attendees learn by attending your keynote or Workshop? Meeting Planners like to see a specific format, such as:  attendees will learn how to, attendees will walk away knowing how to implement, or attendees will learn the difference between, etc. Have a minimum of three and no more than five takeaways, it’s very rare for a meeting planner to ask for more than five. Make sure the learning objectives that you built into your description match the takeaways.

An updated Bio.  Your bio or Entrepreneurs resume should be kept up-to-date, highlighting your great achievements, you should consistently be adding to it throughout the year. If you haven’t added anything to your bio this year, start looking at potential achievements. For example, if there is an award or contest within your industry that you can apply for and win, compete. If you can get a writing column, or the potential to get featured on a major media outlet, go after it. These are the things that you should be adding to your bio on a consistent basis. Try to review your bio every 6 months, adding new accomplishments and deleting items that are over five years old.

A current head shot.  Finally, your head shot. Meeting Planners want to see an updated head shot, when you walk through the door you should match your photo. Meeting Planners do not like to receive photos that are not recent, as this can cause confusion when you’re being introduced, and you look nothing like the photo in the brochure. I recommend having head shots taken once every 6 to 12 months, it’s an investment in your speaking business.

Top 5 myths about the speaking submission process by @KerryHeaps

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by Kerry Heaps  | Featured Contributor

Top 5 myths about the speaking submission process

 

  1. Its complicated. Many people feel that the submission process is complicated, however nothing could be further from the truth. The submission process if anything can be tedious. You are basically submitting the same information to multiple events. Once you start the process, you will find after a few submissions that you pick up the pace of the process. If you have all your information in one location where you can just copy and paste, the process moves fairly quickly and easily.

 

  1. If nothing is listed about payment, they don’t pay Speakers. If you are on an event website call for speaker’s page, and you don’t see anything about payment or compensation, don’t assume they won’t pay you anything. You should still apply, it is typical that most events will want to find out what your fees are and negotiate from there, so there is no need to post about fees. You will miss out on a lot of opportunities if you don’t apply to these events. Typically, events that don’t pay anything will list on the site that they are unable to compensate or cover expenses.

 

  1. You only submit once; the event staff will save your information. This is false, each year they will post an open call for speakers on most event sites. This is for you to apply for the current year only. If you apply and you are accepted to speak for the current year, and they asked you to come back a second year, you will still be required to submit your information again. Most event websites receive several hundred/thousand entries for calls for speakers. They are unable to retain that information and use it for the following year. Every year the needs of the conference will change, so therefore the open tracks for the call for speakers will change as well.

 

  1. Email is a better way to send in your information. This is also false. If an event has taken the time to set up a call for speaker’s page and submission site, then you should respect their wishes and submit the information as they have requested. By sending an email and ignoring their process, you are sending a negative signal that you won’t follow direction. Which will raise a red flag for the meeting planning staff. Some speakers feel this will make them stand out and it will, but in a negative light. They have the process set up for a reason, follow it.

 

  1. They rejected you once, so don’t reapply next year. Just because your topic was rejected this year, don’t take it personally. It could be they had a similar topic in the past year or two, or it could be that they have a certain agenda that they want to fill, and they just didn’t feel your topic would be a good fit. When you receive a rejection letter, it’s just part of the process. You will always receive more no’s than yes’s is in this industry.  Should you decide to reapply the following year, take a closer look at the open tracks, go ahead and resubmit your proposed topic. You never know what will happen, and you can always submit more than one topic. Events do not retain your submissions on a year-to-year basis as their needs change from year to year.

Speaking…is it relationship building or just a numbers game? by @KerryHeaps

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by Kerry Heaps  | Featured Contributor

The answer is simple, it’s both.  To get booked as a speaker, Meeting Planners need to know you, for Meeting Planners to know you, you must get in front of them every chance you get. That’s not to say that you should be calling them or emailing them on a daily or weekly basis. You should be getting in front of them via the media, submissions, and yes, an introductory call. As a former Meeting Planner, choosing the Speaker is less than 5% of what must be done to ensure a successful event. Content is extremely important, who they choose to educate on that content, is another story. The speaking industry has changed so much just in the past 5 years, there are more Speakers now than paid events. It’s about putting out great content, but it’s also about being easy to work with, being negotiable on fees and playing by the rules.

If you want to be a successful Speaker, (someone who is working consistently) you need to address the numbers game first. There are so many ways to find speaking engagements, there’s call for speakers that are abundant and year-round. Then there are the private events such as company trainings and events at colleges and universities which will require you to reach out directly to the corporate Meeting Planner or Director of Education. Although these events are scheduled earlier, there is still a lot of competition. If you can find 5 hours during your work week to dedicate to finding and applying to speaking engagements, you will start to see great success over the next three to six months. Keep in mind for every workshop, keynote or breakout session a Meeting Planner can receive up to 200 submissions from Speakers, so again it’s a numbers game. Working the numbers consistently and applying every week will work in your favor.

If you prefer to reach out to Meeting Planners directly, there are a few simple rules you should follow. First, reach out with a phone call, if you don’t reach them don’t leave a message. Try to call back the next day at a different time. If you try a few times during the week and you can’t reach them directly, then leave a voicemail. Try to talk to them first before sending an email, they may have a different process that you will need to follow such as a form to fill out or a separate website they want you to visit first, so again follow their lead. If you reach their assistant or another person in the office, you can always ask them what their process is, and ask if it is okay to email over your information, always try to obtain permission first. Having a conversation with a Meeting Planner is twofold, it’s an opportunity for you to discuss your speaking topic, then find out about their upcoming events and needs and what their process entails. If a few weeks have gone by and you have not heard back from them, find out if they’re on LinkedIn and send them a connection request. The trick is to not overdo it with contact, as a Meeting Planner has so much on their plate you never want to come across as someone who is going to be difficult to work with, that will take you out of the running much quicker than anything else. Keep in mind, when they receive your information if there is an interest, they usually will place your information in a file for follow up. For example, you may submit your information in January, but they won’t be interviewing speakers until August more than likely you will not hear back prior to that. Again, it’s not that they’re not interested or that they are trying to avoid you, they have other things going on with the event that are much more pressing. In order to start building a good relationship with the Meeting Planner, keep these things in mind.

As a Speaker, I know that the process can be frustrating at times, however it’s important to trust the process and follow it. When I re-entered the speaking arena a few years ago my first instinct was, “This industry has changed… A LOT!”  It took about six months before I started to see results, but I kept working the process continuously each week. If you treat your speaking business the same, you will start to see positive results as well.