In this talk, the speaker argues that every speaking engagement carries a cost, even when no money changes hands. They advise professional speakers to always draft a full-fee invoice and then discount it to zero for unpaid gigs, as a way to signal the speaker’s value and ensure they are treated seriously. The speaker emphasizes assessing non‑monetary compensation such as potential client leads, book sales, platform exposure, LinkedIn recommendations, Google reviews, and Patreon support. Unpaid opportunities can also be strategically used to practice stage skills, test new content, and gather audience feedback in safe environments like closed communities. The talk outlines how to evaluate the true cost of speaking—including preparation time, platform expenses, and the host’s resources—and to negotiate appropriate compensation, whether financial or in-kind, to build credibility and advance a speaking career.
Chapters
In professional speaking, nothing is for free. There are no free speeches. We talk about having a showcase speech where, uh, you've decided what your fee is, you've agreed to do this particular speaking engagement, but you're not going to get financial money for it, compensation, but you still draft your invoice for the fee that you believe you'll your speech is worth, and then you discount it by 100%, and you print it out, and you give it to the organizer. And when they go, but we agreed we're not paying you, say, no, no, it's okay. Look at the invoice, and it'll say whatever your fee is discounted by 100% so that it's zero units at the bottom. They need to know that you know that you're worth something, that that talk is worth something, because they will then treat you better. You're not just dismissed as this free speaker and we can just bump them if necessary. They take you a lot more seriously because you're taking yourself more seriously. The additional benefit is if somebody in the audience goes to the organizer afterwards and says, wow, that speaker was really great, how much did they cost? You do not want the organizer saying, oh, it's a free speaker, you can get them for nothing. You know, you want them to say, this is the person's fee. It is quite pricey. We negotiated a special discount of 100%, but you know, this is what they're worth. You'll be taken a lot more seriously and your career will be able to evolve a lot more efficiently. But even so, nothing is for free. There's no free speaking, there's no free podcasts, there's no free webinars, there's a cost to everything. So if you are a guest on a podcast, it's that podcast host's time, it's the platform hosting cost. It's the editing that happens. It's the posting of that and the marketing of that podcast. It's your time and your preparation for it and everything else in your life and career that have brought you to that point where you can speak about your topic, whether on a podcast or webinar or on a stage. There is a cost to all of that. Make sure that you are, you know, and you're aware of what that cost is and find ways to make sure that you are compensated for the value that you bring? It would be lovely if it was financial compensation, but even if it's not money, how are you being compensated? So for example, if an organization approaches you and says, we'd love you to come and speak at our industry event, at our chapter meeting, at our networking event, we don't have a budget though. If that audience works for you, if you want to speak at that, if this is something that you, you'd like to do and you know you're not going to get paid money for it, Work out what kind of compensation you're getting. Why are you doing this? What is the, the, the value for the cost that you're paying to, to be on that stage? It could be that there are potential clients in the audience. So if you do a really good job, you could pick up an actual paid client. You might be able to sell your books. Make sure you consider carefully this whole selling from the stage thing, because that, that is an issue. So you're not— it's not a sales pitch when you're up there. You're adding value. But you could also be selling products. It can also be other things. So for example, if you are a new speaker and you're really, you're an expert in something, but you're new to speaking, then you could speak at these events. You're not going to get paid, but you could speak at these events so that you could practice your stage skills. Please don't abuse an opportunity, don't abuse an audience, but you could practice your stage skills. You could be better at projecting your voice, making eye contact with the audience, engaging the audience, asking, doing the Q&A section. So you could use those platform opportunities to practice those skills. If you're okay with your skills with standing on a stage or being online, but you got new content, then maybe you need a platform so that you can practice your content. Again, without abusing the audience, or the opportunity, but maybe you want to just express some new content and see what happens. I did a new keynote recently, and I did it for a friends and family group. So it's a community that I'm a part of, and it worked so well, and I got such positive responses from the people in that webinar. But it's a closed community. Nobody else is going to see it outside of that. But now that I've had that experience, I'm able to now confidently take that content further. So find out what it is that you're hoping to be compensated for. Other ways to be compensated is that you can say to people, please follow me online, or you can go and join my Patreon account where you can find more content. Or you could say to the organizers, if I deliver content that meets your needs, please will you give me a LinkedIn recommendation to that effect? LinkedIn recommendations for professional speakers are second only to public videos of your content and your expressing your topic. So LinkedIn recommendations are really powerful. The letters, the Google reviews, all those kind of things. Those are nice, all right, but get LinkedIn recommendations because that person is sharing their reputation with you to say that this person did a good job for us, and I'm pretty sure that they'll do a good job for you in the future, and it'll get you many more opportunities. It builds your credibility. So there you go. Nothing is for free when you're speaking. There is always a cost. Make sure you're aware of what that cost is and how you're going to be compensated for that cost to present the topic or the value that you are to a particular audience. Hopefully it'll be money and more money in the future, but even if it's not, make sure you know how you're being compensated for every speaking engagement you do.
