Written by: Vickie Sullivan | November 10, 2015
Why It’s Tough To Break Into Paid Speaking
I get a lot of calls from folks who want more paid speaking engagements. The conversation goes something like this: “I’m getting rave reviews from speaking in XXX area, so I think I’m ready to increase my engagements from XXX to (triple that number). I also want to get paid more.”
This online study from Meetings and Conventions magazine shows why so many great speakers don’t get booked. Key findings:
- The top two places buyers find speakers: colleague recommendations and events they attend. In other words, if you are not on the circuit already, you will be ignored.
- The top priorities for selecting speakers: relevance to the audience and cost. The bottom two: quality of video demo and materials, and relationship with speaker bureaus. Translation: speaker bureaus cannot launch you.
- The top keynote topics are industry related and leadership/motivational. (The latter separated by only one percentage point.) The bottom two topics are news related and sports related.
Bottom line: cool backgrounds and courting the bureaus won’t cut it. Relevance is the currency now. And getting the buyers to see how you fit their agenda is a more strategic approach than tactical.
For all the findings, click here.
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