Brian Tracy outlines four steps to land your first speaking gig: nail down your expertise and position yourself as an expert, build a professional website and social media presence to prove it, start with your network and local venues like libraries and meetups, and accept unpaid or small gigs at first while you build experience.
How to Book your first paid Speaking Event As a professional public speaker, there are no limits on what you can achieve with your life, except the limits you accept in your mind. Brian Tracy A public speaking career can be a lucrative and rewarding way to make a living. But if you're still trying to book your first gig, you might feel as if you're never going to be able to launch your career. Finding your first speaking engagement can certainly be difficult, but it's not impossible. Today we're going to share four tips to help you find that first gig. These are things to be learned through trial and error and when first starting out as a speaker, they can help you land your first speaking engagement and pave the way towards tremendous success. First determine your area of expertise before you start looking for that first speaking engagement, sit down and define what you bring to the table. All of us have a different skill set. We have different interests and life experiences. You're going to bring a perspective that's unique from everyone else, and you need to draw on your strengths as you approach public speaking. When first starting a speaking career, it can be beneficial to have a lot of sales experience. Start off by speaking about sales techniques, which will allow you to capitalize on previous experience in the industry. Thinking about where you have experience and where your strengths lie can help you find the right type of gig. Once you've defined your area of expertise, ask yourself what kind of audience would benefit from this information and where are they? The answers to those questions will reveal the types of people and organizations you should target as you look for gigs. Knowing your areas of expertise can also help you pitch yourself. At this stage, you probably don't have much professional speaking experience, and that's okay. So instead of presenting yourself as a speaker, try pitching yourself as an expert in your field. Framing yourself as an expert can help people take you more seriously. It can also boost your confidence because it's completely true. The next step is to create an online personal brand. As soon as people receive your pitch, they're going to open their computer and check you out online. They're looking to see what kind of online presence you have, so it's important that you have a good one. Make sure that you have a nice website that's professionally designed and clearly explains what you do. You'll also want to be active on multiple social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. If you really want to prove the value you bring, start creating content. Educational blog posts or videos are a great way to show that you know what you're talking about producing high quality content for the web can sway people into deciding to work with you. Those blog posts and videos serve as tangible proof that you're the real deal now. The third tip is to utilize your network and local venues as you're looking for your first speaking engagement. Don't be afraid to be open about your search. Ask your network of coworkers and friends if they're aware of any opportunities. You never know who has connections and in most cases people are more than happy to share with you. It can also be helpful to start small and slowly gain credibility. If you're selling books, you might try a local bookstore, library, or an event at a coffee shop. If you're building your coaching career, try to find local meetups or conferences in your area. You won't be able to jump into nationwide events right away, but if you start building now with small local venues, you'll be able to speak at larger and larger events over time. And finally, number four, Set realistic expectations. You might have to reach out to multiple places regarding a speaking engagement before you get a yes, and that's okay. Don't lose your motivation, have perseverance and keep pursuing your speaking gigs, contacting anyone who seems like a good fit. Make sure to be consistent and follow up with your leads. If your initial message doesn't get an answer. It's also important to keep in mind that your first speaking engagement might not be a paid engagement, and that's okay too. You may have to speak for free several times before you land a paid gig. Remember, doing small, unpaid engagements is okay for now because these engagements will lead to more opportunities down the road. You're building the blocks of your speaking career and once you nail down your first speaking gig, things will get easier and easier from then on. Now, we'd love to hear from you. So our question today is what strategies have you been using to book speaking engagements? Leave a comment below and Brian will be sure to follow up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, as Brian always says, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now.
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