Navigating the world of public speaking can seem challenging, especially when it comes to understanding the various ways you can profit from your expertise. If you are a speaker, coach, therapist or operate as a solopreneur, it’s essential to know the different types of speaking engagements and how they can impact your revenue.
First off, there is the option of paid speaking gigs. These opportunities often come from special interest organizations seeking value for their audiences. However, one crucial aspect to understand here is that these engagements typically do not allow for self-promotion or sales pitches. Your value then lies purely in the content of your presentation, offering insights and sharing knowledge that betters their audience.
Do bear in mind, although you can find paid speaking engagements, the effort to find these normally requires you to put in a fair bit of time and effort to contact hosts of conferences, industry association events, and more, before landing your first paid speaking gig.
Another avenue to explore is free speaking engagements. While these don’t provide an immediate paycheck, they do allow for self-promotion and the opportunity to provide ‘lead magnets.’ These free gifts incite individuals to ask for more information which may result in them eventually becoming paying clients. This tactic is all about playing the long game with an emphasis on delayed rather than immediate gratification.
At times as speakers, we may find ourselves in a position where we are asked to pay to speak on someone’s stage. It may seem counterintuitive; you might even question why someone would pay to do what they usually get paid for? The answer lies in exposure to a targeted audience. Speaking on someone else’s stage allows you to promote yourself and your services without having to invest time or effort in organizing an event. In essence, it’s a form of advertising where you’re paying for access to an audience. From the host’s perspective, their time, effort, and resources have been invested in creating the platform and thus it’s only fair for them to derive some reward.
The world of public speaking is diverse and can offer numerous avenues for profitability if navigated correctly. Understanding these different facets can help speakers, coaches, therapists, and solopreneurs make informed decisions about what kind of engagements they should seek out and accept. The goal is to find the balance that best suits your career objectives and maximizes your potential for profit.
Remember that every speaking opportunity presents a chance to promote your personal brand and increase visibility. When viewed from this perspective, all speaking stages, be it paid, free or paid-for, contribute in some way to the overall growth of your career. So remember, whether you get paid to speak before speaking, or after speaking, there’s still plenty of opportunities to get paid to speak on stages.