How to Be a Paid Public Speaker

My father was a minister. When I was growing up we had this old green booster seat that my sister and I had long outgrown but that my father would turn upside down on a chair to create a makeshift pulpit for us. He taught us how to choose a Scripture in the Bible and then develop a sermon based on it to share with the family. Ironically, our church doctrine prohibited women from preaching. Fortunately, my father never mentioned this to his daughters. Today, in addition to being Founder & CEO of The Cru, I’m a professional public speaker whose life’s work is advancing women and girls. Feminism is my ministry. Here are my top tips for those of you who want to get paid while spreading your message to the world:

Be memorable.

It goes without saying that in order to be a paid public speaker, you’ll need to deliver a high quality product. This means creating a signature keynote on a topic that is relevant to your work/brand and an audience. Just because you care about cassette tape art doesn’t mean others will. Being memorable also means being able to command an audience’s attention for 30 to 60 minutes, shift their consciousness, and inspire them to take action in their personal or professional lives. The most powerful public speakers are also gifted storytellers. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend joining a Toastmasters club. I took an Own The Room course that was incredibly helpful to me years ago and one of the best speaking coaches I’ve ever worked with is Gina Barnett. Here are three ways to know if you’re a memorable enough public speaker to make a business out of it:

1. If you’re in person, you get standing ovations. Standing ovations don’t lie.
2. When you ask someone who heard you speak “What did you remember?” they light up and repeat one of your stories.
3. You generate your own leads. People reach out to you after you speak to invite you to deliver your remarks at another event.

Here's an example of a memorable talk:

Be your own publicist.

The beauty of public speaking is that it’s its own marketing tool. Ninety-eight percent of my clients say that they hired me because they or someone they know heard me speak. This is your top lead source. So to get your public speaking practice off the ground the most important thing you can do is to spread the word.

Start by creating a one pager that includes the following:

• Your photo
• A description of your talk(s).
• A testimonial that speaks to the power of your oratory skills or message
• Your credibility swag (i.e. degrees, publications, press hits, past client logos)
• Your rates
• Your contact information

Then announce to everyone in your network that you’re available for public speaking. Include your family, friends, clients and customers, colleagues and especially former bosses who have already invested in your success. Attach your one pager with a paragraph that they can forward to others. If you have a video of you speaking at a past event, include that as well. Don’t forget to include that you’re a public speaker in your social media bio on every platform. People won’t know that you’re available unless you tell them. 

Know your customer.

To secure clients, you need to know who you are selling to. Contrary to popular belief, the audience at an event is not your customer—it’s the person within an organization who is tasked with finding and hiring a public speaker. Organizations that have budgets for public speakers include colleges and universities, corporations, professional organizations and event producers who host their own conference series like The Art Of. You can find your customer by searching “event coordinator,” “event manager,” or “director of events” on LinkedIn. You can also check out local events for Meeting Professionals International or the American Planning Association, the two largest professional organizations for meeting planners.

Once you’re generating a high volume of leads, it will be time to engage a speaker’s bureau. I’ve worked with FRESH Speakers since they launched in 2014. Speaker’s bureaus make money by taking a percentage of your speaker’s fee. So unless you’re generating so much business that negotiating your fee and coordinating the logistics is hampering your productivity, keep your money. It’s hard to get a speaker’s bureau to represent you if you’re not already an established public speaker, anyway. Keep in mind that only 13 percent of event planners cite a speakers bureau as their source for talent. 

Last, find your Cru.

It seems counterintuitive, but one of the best strategies for growing a public speaking practice is to collaborate with 3 to 4 other powerful speakers who address the same topics as you and are at the same fee level. Since event planners don’t usually hire the same speaker for their annual events, they are constantly looking for new talent. You can offer more value to your clients by recommending other members of your Cru after you have keynoted an event or if you have a scheduling conflict that requires you to decline. The African proverb is true: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

At The Cru, we match women in accountability circles to meet their life goals. We also have a Public Speaking Cohort for members who want to launch or grow their business. Psst: If you apply to The Cru by 11:59pm EST on April 30th, you’ll qualify to receive an exclusive, private 20-minute one-on-one coaching session with yours truly. Limited spots available, subject to final approval. Apply now.