There’s a myth out there about what the “natural progression” of getting paid to speak looks like. At first, all you do is take free speaking gigs. You’re putting in your time and paying your dues. No one will want to pay to book you…yet. Until you slowly start replacing unpaid speaking engagements with paid engagements. When that happens, you’ve “made it.”

Like I said, this is a myth! This is usually what speaking looks like for those who want to become professional speakers. It’s not the case for business owners who want to leverage speaking for their business.

The truth is, you can do both — speak for free and get paid to speak — and make it work for your business. Both of them are valuable parts of your speaking strategy. And here’s why…

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Use paid engagements to book more clients

Obviously, you wanna get paid to speak whenever you can! Your paid opportunities are your moneymakers. Literally!

Your paid engagements are the ones that are best for you and your business. You’re speaking to your target audience, they have an interest in your offers, and the host or organizer has the budget to pay your speaker fee. It’s what you want when you’re speaking for your business.

Because you’re not just making money off of the one engagement itself. When you deliver an incredible presentation, you’re wowing your audience. You’re impressing quality leads that will remember your name (and that you can convert later.) And you’re booking more paid engagements when you’re done.

That’s what’s most important: booking paid engagements that will continue to move the needle in your business after you’ve stepped off the stage.

How do you book more paid speaking gigs? Talkadot is one of my favorite ways to book new speaking engagements from the stage.

Use unpaid speaking opportunities to market yourself

If your paid speaking engagements are your moneymakers, what are your unpaid opportunities? Think of those as your marketing campaigns. More specifically, think of each stage you speak on as a Facebook ad.

You should know who you’re talking to, who you’re targeting for your business, what value you’re offering, what you’re selling, and how to measure the effectiveness of your talk. When done right, speaking for free can still make you money if you’re delivering the right talk to the right audience.

Unpaid speaking opportunities can convert leads, but they can also spark and strengthen long-term business relationships with event organizers and hosts. They can lead to collaborations with other speakers and organizations. They can get you in front of other opportunities you may not have considered or had access to before.

You can even work out alternate forms of compensation with an event organizer or host. For example, a pro photographer or videographer can get you high-quality marketing assets to use for your speaker website.

If you do agree on other payment or compensation though, remember to put it in your speaker contract!

Context is important

One last thing: If you’re not seeing the same volume of sales, discovery calls, or inquiries as before, you’re not alone. We’re all struggling out here. The world is on fire, inflation is high, and times are tough.

And you need to factor that into your speaking strategy.

Is your target audience in the right place to buy right now? If not, your offers may feel out of reach. Your people may be slower to buy. The customer journey may be a little longer than usual. So think about shifting your goals and expectations to meet your audience where they’re at.

Paid and unpaid engagements — is one better than the other?

Both paid and unpaid opportunities should factor into your speaking strategy. Speaking is an extension of your business and your sales. It’s not a quick fix.

To use speaking as an asset for your business, evaluate every opportunity that comes your way, or every opportunity you notice and want to apply for. Then ask yourself:

Is this paid or unpaid?
How will I leverage this opportunity?
How can this support my business?

That’s how you can speak for free, get paid to speak, and use both opportunities to achieve your speaking and business goals.

But what if you don’t know how to find the right speaking opportunities for you? And how do you pitch them and book them? That’s where the Speaker Blueprint can help!

Join this speaking strategy intensive, and we’ll design a unique 90-day plan for you to maximize your speaking efforts and see results for your biz. And at the end of the intensive, you can move forward on your speaking journey, armed with a solid blueprint…or let us handle it for you.

Apply today and secure your spot for a Speaker Blueprint Intensive!