1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,440
Carol Cox:
We're continuing our new series Booked

2
00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:03,480
Without Burnout.

3
00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,240
In this episode, we're looking at how to get

4
00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:09,480
speaking invitations to come to you on this

5
00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:11,880
episode of the Speaking Your Band podcast.

6
00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,320
More and more women are making an impact by

7
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,800
starting businesses, running for office,

8
00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:24,960
and speaking up for what matters.

9
00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,080
With my background as a TV political analyst,

10
00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:29,680
entrepreneur, and speaker,

11
00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,640
I interview and coach purpose driven women to

12
00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:35,200
shape their brands, grow their companies,

13
00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,000
and become recognized as influencers in their

14
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,200
field. This is speaking your brand,

15
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,640
your place to learn how to persuasively

16
00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,880
communicate your message to your audience.

17
00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:49,040
Hey there and welcome to the Speaking Your

18
00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:50,360
Brand podcast. I'm your host,

19
00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,440
Carol Cox. This is part two of our new series

20
00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,520
on how you can land more speaking engagements

21
00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:58,040
without burnout.

22
00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,520
In the last episode, I walked you through

23
00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,360
outbound strategies.

24
00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:04,440
Those are things that you do when you are

25
00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,080
pitching yourself.

26
00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,840
Today we're talking about inbound strategies,

27
00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:11,080
how to set yourself up.

28
00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,160
So speaking invitations come to you.

29
00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,080
In the next episode we'll go over how to get

30
00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:18,480
paid to speak.

31
00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:20,560
Let's go ahead and dive in and talk about

32
00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:24,000
inbound strategies you can start using now so

33
00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,840
that you get emails in your inbox or messages

34
00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,280
in LinkedIn that say something like,

35
00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:31,960
we found your website or your LinkedIn

36
00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:34,120
profile. We're looking for a speaker for our

37
00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,120
event and you seem like a perfect fit.

38
00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:38,640
Here's strategy.

39
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,880
Number one is build a strong digital

40
00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,560
presence. So this is your speaker page on

41
00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,080
your website and your LinkedIn profile.

42
00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:49,560
Think of your digital presence as your

43
00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,200
storefront. If an event organizer stumbles

44
00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,880
across your name, what will they see?

45
00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,440
Do they instantly know you're a speaker,

46
00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:58,880
what topics you cover,

47
00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:00,600
and how to contact you?

48
00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,560
Here's what to do on your speaker page.

49
00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,000
On your website, make sure that you have a

50
00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,680
clear list of topics that you speak on and

51
00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:10,320
the audiences you serve.

52
00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,440
This also helps a lot with SEO,

53
00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:14,320
search engine optimization,

54
00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,800
and a lot of times event organizers are doing

55
00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,880
Google searches or LinkedIn searches to find

56
00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:22,480
speakers for their particular topic.

57
00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,320
So make sure you have those topic titles and

58
00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:27,360
descriptions on your speaker page.

59
00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:30,400
Also, include photos and video clips of you

60
00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,680
speaking. Now, these video clips don't have

61
00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,040
to be fancy. If you have a really nice

62
00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:36,360
speaker reel, of course,

63
00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:38,880
definitely embed that on your speaker page.

64
00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:40,360
But even if you don't,

65
00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,840
video clips from your iPhone will be just

66
00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,760
fine. This is why I highly recommend that no

67
00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:48,760
matter what type of speaking engagement that

68
00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,040
you're doing, no matter the size of the

69
00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,960
event, always set up your phone on a tripod

70
00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:56,640
and then get you speaking.

71
00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:58,960
I like to get the backs of one part of the

72
00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,400
audience, in addition to having myself kind

73
00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:02,640
of in the center of the frame.

74
00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:04,840
So that way it's obvious that there's an

75
00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:06,560
audience there, and you can see people either

76
00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,360
laughing or raising their hands or nodding

77
00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:11,730
along. So that's a good angle to use,

78
00:03:11,730 --> 00:03:13,250
and then you can take some of those video

79
00:03:13,250 --> 00:03:15,410
clips and add them to your speaker page.

80
00:03:15,810 --> 00:03:17,690
Of course, also make sure that you have

81
00:03:17,690 --> 00:03:20,450
contact information so that it's easy for

82
00:03:20,450 --> 00:03:23,170
people to reach out to you with your email

83
00:03:23,170 --> 00:03:25,090
address or a contact form.

84
00:03:25,490 --> 00:03:27,770
I've included a link in the show notes to my

85
00:03:27,770 --> 00:03:30,730
own speaker page that you can see how mine is

86
00:03:30,730 --> 00:03:32,690
laid out. And then, of course,

87
00:03:32,690 --> 00:03:34,970
there's LinkedIn. This is where I have been

88
00:03:34,970 --> 00:03:37,050
found and booked multiple times,

89
00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:40,970
including a keynote that paid $7,500.

90
00:03:40,970 --> 00:03:44,130
So LinkedIn is a really powerful tool that

91
00:03:44,130 --> 00:03:47,410
you can use. A couple of things to do is in

92
00:03:47,450 --> 00:03:49,650
your LinkedIn profile headline.

93
00:03:49,650 --> 00:03:52,090
Make sure to add the word speaker or put

94
00:03:52,130 --> 00:03:55,090
keynote speaker in your about section.

95
00:03:55,130 --> 00:03:58,090
Add the topics that you speak about and then

96
00:03:58,090 --> 00:03:59,970
some of the audiences that you serve,

97
00:03:59,970 --> 00:04:02,930
or in particular industries that your topics

98
00:04:02,930 --> 00:04:04,130
are a good fit for.

99
00:04:04,250 --> 00:04:07,130
And then finally in your employment section

100
00:04:07,130 --> 00:04:09,570
where it has your different job history,

101
00:04:09,570 --> 00:04:11,210
if you own your own company,

102
00:04:11,250 --> 00:04:13,010
it probably says something in there like

103
00:04:13,090 --> 00:04:14,410
founder or CEO.

104
00:04:14,410 --> 00:04:17,770
Yeo also put a job role in within your

105
00:04:17,770 --> 00:04:20,650
company as a keynote speaker or a workshop

106
00:04:20,650 --> 00:04:22,650
facilitator, because that way you can add

107
00:04:22,650 --> 00:04:25,090
even more information about the topics that

108
00:04:25,090 --> 00:04:27,530
you speak on, some testimonials from past

109
00:04:27,530 --> 00:04:29,370
audience members, and so on.

110
00:04:29,530 --> 00:04:31,290
So that is strategy number one.

111
00:04:31,290 --> 00:04:34,050
Make sure you have a really strong and up to

112
00:04:34,090 --> 00:04:35,690
date digital presence.

113
00:04:36,410 --> 00:04:39,410
Strategy number two is to get involved in

114
00:04:39,450 --> 00:04:42,450
your local community and in your industry.

115
00:04:42,490 --> 00:04:46,330
Relationships are the key to getting speaking

116
00:04:46,330 --> 00:04:49,170
engagements, especially the ones that come to

117
00:04:49,210 --> 00:04:52,090
you. Many of my speaking invitations have not

118
00:04:52,090 --> 00:04:53,770
come from cold pitches,

119
00:04:53,770 --> 00:04:55,770
but from being involved in my local

120
00:04:55,770 --> 00:04:58,090
community, such as serving on boards,

121
00:04:58,090 --> 00:04:59,890
volunteering for committees,

122
00:04:59,890 --> 00:05:01,570
and showing up at events.

123
00:05:01,850 --> 00:05:03,370
Why is this so important?

124
00:05:03,450 --> 00:05:07,410
Because familiarity plus trust plus

125
00:05:07,450 --> 00:05:10,210
availability means that less thinking is

126
00:05:10,210 --> 00:05:13,050
required on the part of the event organizer.

127
00:05:13,050 --> 00:05:15,450
When they already know you or someone they

128
00:05:15,450 --> 00:05:16,650
know knows you.

129
00:05:16,890 --> 00:05:19,730
It's easy for them to select you than having

130
00:05:19,730 --> 00:05:21,850
to go search for someone else.

131
00:05:22,130 --> 00:05:23,610
Here's a personal example.

132
00:05:23,930 --> 00:05:26,530
I was first on the TV news as a political

133
00:05:26,530 --> 00:05:29,650
analyst way back in 2005.

134
00:05:29,650 --> 00:05:32,690
I cannot believe it's been 20 years and I

135
00:05:32,730 --> 00:05:34,730
have been on for pretty much ever,

136
00:05:35,610 --> 00:05:37,930
and I have been on for every presidential

137
00:05:37,930 --> 00:05:40,690
election cycle since 2008.

138
00:05:41,210 --> 00:05:45,290
The local TV news still calls me in 20 years

139
00:05:45,290 --> 00:05:46,410
later. Why?

140
00:05:46,610 --> 00:05:47,930
Because they know my name.

141
00:05:47,930 --> 00:05:50,370
They have my number, and they trust that I'll

142
00:05:50,370 --> 00:05:52,530
show up and do a great job.

143
00:05:52,730 --> 00:05:54,530
It's the same for speaking.

144
00:05:54,530 --> 00:05:56,250
If you want more invitations,

145
00:05:56,250 --> 00:05:58,130
the ones that land in your inbox,

146
00:05:58,210 --> 00:06:00,530
get involved where decisions are made.

147
00:06:00,810 --> 00:06:03,090
Like we talked about in the previous episode,

148
00:06:03,090 --> 00:06:05,610
identify three local groups that you can get

149
00:06:05,610 --> 00:06:07,930
involved with. Start going to their meetings

150
00:06:07,930 --> 00:06:09,850
and events. Join as a member.

151
00:06:09,890 --> 00:06:12,010
Volunteer to serve on a committee.

152
00:06:12,810 --> 00:06:14,810
Also identify key connectors in your

153
00:06:14,810 --> 00:06:16,890
community and invite them to coffee.

154
00:06:17,050 --> 00:06:19,370
Let them know your interest and ask them what

155
00:06:19,370 --> 00:06:21,410
ideas they have for how you can get more

156
00:06:21,530 --> 00:06:24,210
involved, whether it's a board opportunity or

157
00:06:24,210 --> 00:06:25,930
helping out at an event.

158
00:06:26,090 --> 00:06:28,410
Show up consistently and give back to your

159
00:06:28,410 --> 00:06:30,290
community and your industry,

160
00:06:30,290 --> 00:06:32,890
and your name will come up when there's a

161
00:06:32,890 --> 00:06:34,810
speaking opportunity available.

162
00:06:34,970 --> 00:06:38,210
Strategy number three is to deliver an

163
00:06:38,210 --> 00:06:41,250
amazing talk, because your best marketing

164
00:06:41,330 --> 00:06:43,450
tool is the talk itself,

165
00:06:43,450 --> 00:06:45,770
both the content and your delivery.

166
00:06:46,130 --> 00:06:49,290
When you deliver an incredible presentation,

167
00:06:49,450 --> 00:06:51,330
people in the audience will come up to you

168
00:06:51,370 --> 00:06:54,490
afterwards or email you later and invite you

169
00:06:54,490 --> 00:06:56,090
to speak at their company,

170
00:06:56,130 --> 00:06:58,130
association or event.

171
00:06:58,250 --> 00:07:01,210
This is what is called stage side referrals

172
00:07:01,210 --> 00:07:03,210
and they truly are the best.

173
00:07:03,210 --> 00:07:05,410
Because these people have seen you in action,

174
00:07:05,410 --> 00:07:07,570
they clearly think that you are a great fit

175
00:07:07,890 --> 00:07:09,890
and a great alignment for their event,

176
00:07:09,890 --> 00:07:12,530
so most likely you're a shoo in to get it,

177
00:07:12,570 --> 00:07:14,970
especially if it's a paid opportunity.

178
00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:17,050
For example, my client,

179
00:07:17,050 --> 00:07:21,130
Julia Corn, who I talked to in episode 422 of

180
00:07:21,130 --> 00:07:24,490
this podcast, delivered an amazing what

181
00:07:24,530 --> 00:07:26,980
audience members called a ten out of ten

182
00:07:26,980 --> 00:07:30,540
keynote, and that one talk led to more paid

183
00:07:30,540 --> 00:07:31,940
speaking invitations.

184
00:07:31,940 --> 00:07:35,100
So definitely go listen to episode 422 to

185
00:07:35,140 --> 00:07:38,140
hear how we created this amazing ten out of

186
00:07:38,180 --> 00:07:40,820
ten keynote and the impact that it had.

187
00:07:41,260 --> 00:07:43,060
Another example is my client,

188
00:07:43,100 --> 00:07:47,340
Tammy Lawley. Her TEDx Orlando talk from 2017

189
00:07:47,380 --> 00:07:50,860
was so impactful that it has opened doors to

190
00:07:50,900 --> 00:07:52,220
other speaking engagements,

191
00:07:52,220 --> 00:07:54,060
including well-paid ones.

192
00:07:54,780 --> 00:07:56,980
So here's the mindset shift.

193
00:07:57,180 --> 00:08:01,020
Every stage you step onto is an audition for

194
00:08:01,020 --> 00:08:02,780
your next stage.

195
00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:04,100
So make it count.

196
00:08:04,180 --> 00:08:07,660
Focus on audience transformation and audience

197
00:08:07,660 --> 00:08:11,020
experience, not just information that you're

198
00:08:11,020 --> 00:08:12,060
conveying to them.

199
00:08:12,300 --> 00:08:14,460
Leave them with something memorable in both

200
00:08:14,460 --> 00:08:16,780
your content and your delivery.

201
00:08:17,460 --> 00:08:19,300
So there you have it. Three inbound

202
00:08:19,300 --> 00:08:20,700
strategies to get speaking.

203
00:08:20,700 --> 00:08:22,820
Invitations to come to you.

204
00:08:22,860 --> 00:08:25,460
Number one, optimize your speaker web page

205
00:08:25,460 --> 00:08:26,780
and LinkedIn profile.

206
00:08:26,820 --> 00:08:28,860
Number two, get involved in your local

207
00:08:29,020 --> 00:08:30,660
community and industry.

208
00:08:30,900 --> 00:08:33,700
And number three, deliver an amazing talk

209
00:08:33,740 --> 00:08:36,860
that makes people want more inbound and

210
00:08:36,860 --> 00:08:39,580
outbound strategies work best together.

211
00:08:39,660 --> 00:08:41,260
Pitching is still important,

212
00:08:41,260 --> 00:08:43,740
and when you combine it with a strong inbound

213
00:08:43,740 --> 00:08:45,860
system, you'll find yourself getting booked

214
00:08:45,860 --> 00:08:47,420
without the burnout.

215
00:08:48,020 --> 00:08:50,300
Now, if you're ready to create your amazing

216
00:08:50,300 --> 00:08:52,940
signature talk and to develop your speaking

217
00:08:52,940 --> 00:08:55,980
strategy so you can pitch with confidence and

218
00:08:55,980 --> 00:08:59,140
get those inbound invitations to join us in

219
00:08:59,140 --> 00:09:01,020
our online Thought Leader Academy,

220
00:09:01,020 --> 00:09:04,540
or at our next one day in-person Speaking

221
00:09:04,540 --> 00:09:06,980
Accelerator workshop in Orlando.

222
00:09:07,260 --> 00:09:09,740
You can get all the details on our programs

223
00:09:09,740 --> 00:09:12,660
and workshops at Speaking Your Brand.com

224
00:09:12,700 --> 00:09:14,500
under the Work with Us tab.

225
00:09:14,780 --> 00:09:17,140
We're going to continue this series Booked

226
00:09:17,140 --> 00:09:19,620
without Burnout, in the next episode,

227
00:09:19,620 --> 00:09:21,860
where we're going to talk about how to get

228
00:09:21,860 --> 00:09:23,020
paid to speak.

229
00:09:23,220 --> 00:09:25,300
Until next time, thanks for listening.