Virtual Speaking Engagements | Tips for Beginners to Speak and Get Paid

Speaking engagements are a great way to serve more people and expand your business. Virtual speaking engagements are one of the fastest ways to connect with many people, without the added stress of travel or dealing with the overwhelm that can come with speaking at in-person events. And even if you are a beginner, you can still get paid for sharing your knowledge at virtual speaking events, you just need a few tips and a little know-how to get started. 

How Do You Land Virtual Speaking Engagements?

Not surprisingly, the first step in the process for landing virtual speaking engagements starts with you! You must be very clear on the topic you speak about, who you speak to, and exactly what your audience will get from your talk. 

• What is your area of expertise?
• Who or what type of person needs your guidance? (Be as specific as you can. For example, there is a big difference between an audience of “business owners” or “business owners of construction companies, with less than 10 employees”.)
• What topic do you want to speak about in that area?
• Based on your topic, what challenges have you faced and solved?
• How did that solution make a difference for you?
• How does that apply to your audience? 
• What will your audience get that they didn’t have before your talk?

The next step is to create a speaker one-sheet. This sheet has information about you, what you speak about and why the person reading it should hire you for their virtual event. The one-sheet must show the value you bring at a glance. When someone is evaluating many speakers, you want yours to stand out, so you move to the top of the list. 

The final step is to start marketing yourself to find those speaking leads.

How Do You Get Speaking Leads?

The best place to start finding speaking leads is through your personal and professional network. The power of association will help you greatly here. 

Do you know someone who is:

• A master connector?
• In human resources?
• Already a speaker? 
• An event planner or promoter?
• Leading networking groups?

Once you start tapping into your own network, you may be surprised at the leads and referrals you can get. 

Joining speaker’s groups or networks are also a great way to start connecting with like-minded people, who might be able to help you expand your network. These groups will also help you develop your skills and give you time to practice your talk in front of others who can give you the necessary feedback you need to become an even better speaker. 

You can also do online research to look for companies, associations and events that have put out a “call for speakers”. These calls are typically quite clear in the type of talks and speakers they want, and what a speaker needs to do to apply for them. 

How Do You Become a Paid Speaker? 

1. Educate yourself on the speaker fees paid for the type of talk you will deliver. The range can vary greatly, depending on your area of expertise, the demand for it and the outcome you deliver. 

Typically, the more specialized the expertise or the greater the level of experience you have in your area, the higher the price you can command as a speaker. 

It is good to remember that even if you don’t get paid for your very first talk, you will still gain experience that will help you establish your reputation, and that can lead to referrals from hosts or audience members.

1. Ask! It is perfectly okay to ask an event promoter if they pay their speakers. By asking, you open a door that might not have been opened otherwise.
2. Have an offer. Just because you don’t get paid for your talk, doesn’t mean you can’t get paid from speaking, even at events you do for free. When you have an offer that complements your talk, and gives your audience a solution to a challenge they face, you open up the opportunity to get paid for your talk in a different way. Just be sure to check with the event promoter to make sure it’s okay to have an offer. 

Landing virtual speaking engagements, and getting paid for them, even if you are a beginner, simply takes a systematic approach and a willingness to market yourself to see what opportunities might be available for you. When you do, you will give yourself ways to serve more people and expand your business with extra streams of income.   

If you’d like more tips to Become a Public Speaker, CLICK HERE.