Ep 50: Unpaid Speaking Opportunities 101

Are you ready to add speaking to your creative business? Most of you are here listening because you understand how important it is to serve from the stage, but all stages are not created equal. It's important to have a set of checks and balances in place to determine whether or not the stage you're being offered to be speaking on will allow you to both serve the right audience and whether that audience is going to pay you dividends. Today I am going to discuss how to decide whether or not a particular free speaking opportunity is a good fit for you. Do you want to book more speaking engagements and have an incredible client experience that finally allows you to charge what you're worth? Use this link to get 50% off your first year of Honeybook thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/resources If you loved this episode and it motivated you to add speaking to your business, please take the time to leave me some positive feedback on iTunes. I'd also love to hear about your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of you listening on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories and tag us @thecreativespeakerpodcast.   In the episode you'll hear:  You need to have a good set of checks and balances in place to determine whether a particular unpaid speaking opportunity is right for you All stages are not created equal Examples of some great free speaking opportunities are Community groups Organizations Non-Profits Guest Panels You should have a clear and carefully crafted talk before you invest your time into an unpaid speaking event so that you aren't wasting your time   Reasons you would WANT to consider a free speaking opportunity   Free speaking opportunities are great for building your speaker credibility Use free speaking gigs as a chance to gain some experience, humility and possibly even get over your public speaking fears If you need to gain more exposure if your market, an unpaid speaking gig is a great way to do it Gain marketing material through unpaid speaking engagements (pics/video/testimonials) Networking is one of the most important skills in business. Unpaid speaking opportunities give you a great avenue to do this   Reasons you SHOULD NOT consider an unpaid speaking opportunity   If the audience you're speaking to has nothing to do with the market that you're in then you're likely wasting your time If the topic you're being asked to speak on isn't a good fit with your business, you should pass. You should feel confident about the topic you're speaking about If you aren't provided with enough details about the speaking opportunity to make an informed decision, it likely isn't going to be worth your time. You NEED to know who your audience is The event should be aligned with your brand If speaking at the event is going to cost you far more than the dividends you may reap it's probably not a good idea   For full show notes and links, visit: http://www.thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/050