#4: How to Get Booked as a Speaker: Tips and Tools for Building Your Brand
In this episode, we dive into essential strategies for getting booked as a speaker. Learn how to put yourself out there, craft a compelling personal brand, organize your key topics, and find the right venues. Discover the importance of having a streamlined bio package and gain insights on making a significant impact with your message. Don't miss these valuable tips to step up your speaking game and make a lasting impression!
Resources Mentioned:
FREE Guide: Essential Author Speaker Package: https://www.lanelit.com/package
Time Stamps:
00:00 Introduction: The Reality of Getting Speaking Gigs
00:21 Welcome and Overview: How to Get Booked as a Speaker
01:31 Step 1: Building Your Personal Brand
02:32 Creating an Essential Bio Package
03:54 Choosing and Focusing on Your Key Topics
04:28 Finding the Right Venues for Speaking
05:01 Engaging with Your Audience Online
05:34 Conclusion: Tools and Encouragement for Aspiring Speakers
Resources Mentioned:
FREE Guide: Essential Author Speaker Package: https://www.lanelit.com/package
Transcript:
No one's going to hand you speaking gigs. They're not going to come banging on your door and beg you. It's your job to put yourself out there
Welcome to the show! We are tackling how to get booked as a speaker. This is your key to stepping onto stage. whether you're stepping onto stage for the first time or you're looking to fill up your calendar even more.
So let's roll up our sleeves and get right into it. Here's the scoop. No one's going to hand you speaking gigs. They're not going to come banging on your door and beg you. It's your job to put yourself out there and craft your message and own your expertise and look for the opportunities that are being advertised everywhere.
The speaking opportunities are not living under a rock. They are highly publicized because there are so many of them. So whether you identify as a thought leader or an expert or a leading voice, whatever terminology, You're comfortable using, today's episode is packed full of gems that will help you amplify your message and your presence.
Step one, build your personal brand.
You gotta nail your personal brand. It's more than what you do. It's about who you are and the unique value you bring to the table. So let's shake off those generic introductions and get clear on how you present yourself.
Nobody's looking for your job title. Oh, I'm a lawyer,, are you a mob lawyer? Or . Are you, perhaps you're defending the rights of children, I mean, and protecting families. Both of these people are lawyers, so don't give me your job title.
Nobody cares and nobody can translate the, how that relates to the world by your job title. And most job titles are just gobbledygook anyway, just word soup and it's a stew.
When you land on what you do and how you do it, your intro, that personal brand. I'm all about keeping things streamlined. That's why I keep an essential bio package for speaking and authoring. So if you're Thinking, well, I have, you know, the versions of my bio here and there with the bio that you used the last time you pitched something, but you didn't like it that much.
No, everything goes in one document. This bad boy is a single document where you keep your bio, your speaking topics, your socials that are cut and pasteable, not just at Allison Lane lit, which is my handle everywhere, but because the person that you're submitting to does not want to go and have to fill out https colon backslash backslash instagram.
You know what I mean? Don't make somebody work. Let's make it easy. Okay?
So you keep all of your details and your key topics in one document, and it makes it easy for you to manage and for other people to use. Truly, you're going to use this document several times a week because it's your touchstone.
It's the who you are and it's always ready to roll. It's your go to. It makes your life simpler and keeps your brand consistent and saves you so much time. So much time. Choose your topics wisely, focus on where you can make the biggest splash.
Stick to three main topics.
This isn't just practical. It helps your audience and organizers quickly grasp your messages. Plus, people remember in threes. There's snap, crackle, and pop, right? We don't need more than that. Four messages, that's too much. Three is great. And you can have two obvious ones and like a wild card. You know, surprise us.
Next tip, find the right venues.
Finding the right venues are, is key. Don't just throw darts on a map. You want to be where your audience hangs out, where they're already engaged and they're ready to listen. That's where you'll make the most impact. You don't have to go looking or hunting for your audience.
You need to answer the call because the people you can help the most are always together, and they're always vocal about what they need.
And what I mean when I say vocal is, they're posting online. They're in a Facebook community. They're on Reddit together. They're asking questions of Google and media outlets are responding. You know, they're following, Katie Couric's newsletter or they get updates from Mind, Body, Green, maybe it's psychology today, they're together.
They've already opted in to the emails from The Washington Post. So if you're digging into this and you want to know how do I get booked as a speaker Swing by my website and check out my free Essential Bio Package.
This is your toolkit to getting it all set up and getting these things done. If you have questions or want more tips, you can drop me a line. All of these links are in the show notes.
I am here to help you and I want to make sure it is easy for you to get out there and share your perspective and your insights because the people you know that you can help, they're waiting for you.
Don't wait. And remember every talk you give is a chance to spark change, to make a dent and a ripple in the universe. So keep pushing, keep speaking. Don't forget to subscribe for more insights on making your mark as a speaker.
Until next time, keep shining bright. All right, that's a wrap for today. Thanks for hanging out with me and make sure you use these tools to step up your speaking game. I'm so glad you're here and I hope you found these tips helpful. Remember, you're not just sharing your message, you're providing value.
You're offering solutions and access to understanding you are helping and making an impact .
