Speaking engagements can be a great way for freelance writers and copywriters to grow their writing business in conventional and unconventional ways.
Here’s what happens when you start speaking online or offline:
- You build a strong personal brand that shows your credibility and authority in your subject matter, which brings you high-paying writing projects.
- You create additional income streams through sponsored content and consulting/training opportunities.
- You get more and better speaking engagements that pay you directly or indirectly and kick off an amazing loop of opportunities.
It might seem counterintuitive to pursue speaking to grow your B2B freelance writing business, but you can gain major benefits from speaking. Let’s take a closer look…
Speaking for Introverted Writers
Your initial thought about public speaking may be, ‘But I’m an introvert. I’m afraid to talk to people!’ That’s a fairly common feeling. In fact, fear of speaking in public affects as much as 75% of the adult population!
Yet you can overcome that fear. So if you’re worried that you’re too introverted to be a speaker, here are a few steps to get you started:
- Start online first. There is a level of familiarity in sharing what you know from the comfort of your office.
- Do trial runs for small groups. Create a free workshop for five people. Teach them what you know best. Test the water while helping others.
- Learn about your own needs and boundaries with speaking. For example, early on, I liked having my notes in front of me while I delivered a talk. Knowing that my notes will help me if I forget something makes me feel secure. Find out what works for you.
- Think of speaking as talking to your peers. You aren’t delivering a sermon, only telling them what you’ve learned from your own experiments, trials, and mistakes. You don’t even have to see yourself as an authority, because that might make you feel nervous.
- You don’t have to know everything about your subject matter. You only need to have practiced it enough to have a viewpoint and a way of doing things that has worked for you and will objectively work for others.
Introverts make really good speakers. So don’t dismiss speaking before you give it a fair chance.
Next, let’s explore how to land speaking opportunities.
How to Land Speaking Opportunities
Be Good at Something
The first step is to be good enough at something that others want to hear your perspective and potentially pay for it. You don’t need to be THE name in your industry, but you need to have stayed with something long enough to have a certain authority on the subject.
If you’re like me and doubt your expertise (hello, imposter syndrome!), here are a few indicators you’re ready for speaking engagements:
- Peers look up to you and ask you for advice.
- You get booked and rebooked by clients for projects.
- Mentors appreciate your growth trajectory.
- You’ve encountered failures and persevered.
- You’ve worked in your industry for at least a year.
Share Your Expertise
It sounds ridiculously simple, but you don’t have to wait for a stage to talk about the things you’re amazing at. You can do it right now. Social media “platforms” are ready and available for you to share your knowledge and insights about topics you’re passionate about.
Lizzie Davey started posting online during the pandemic because she was bored and seeking connection with other freelance writers. Her content built her a strong personal brand.
Today, Lizzie conducts paid workshops and trainings and speaks at many successful online conferences.
Pitch Event Organizers
Make a list of relevant industry events and reach out to the organizers. To start building that list, look up fellow writers and solopreneurs who have spoken at events online and offline.
Most events are recurring, so search for the organizer on LinkedIn and pitch them through LinkedIn or email. Tell them about yourself, send information about previous speaking engagements, highlight your expertise, share an outline of your proposed talk, and tell them why you’d be the perfect fit for their next event.
Post Content That Gets You Booked
Magali De Reu gets speakers well-positioned, seen, and booked.
In the following infographic, Magali shares her strategy of turning LinkedIn posts into paid speaking gigs.
Network!
All opportunities are attached to people. So stay in touch with peers, mentors, and acquaintances.
Tell them you’re interested in speaking at online/offline events and share more about the kind of opportunities you’re seeking. Request them to send you relevant opportunities they may come across.
In return, offer to help connect them with the right opportunities, too.
This is how Edgar A Morales won an offline speaking gig that didn’t pay him anything directly but led to $2,000 worth of client work. Edgar won this gig by being active in a business accelerator club in his city.
Sell Your Speaking Passively
Richard Moore, a LinkedIn Top Voice and sales expert, calls this “invisible selling.” It’s how you plant seeds in the minds of event organizers that you may be someone they need at their event.
This looks like:
- Having pictures of you speaking on your profile.
- Adding a Speaker page to your website.
- Setting up your LinkedIn Featured section to include a one-pager about your speaker profile.
For example, my LinkedIn Featured section has a link to my latest guest podcast episode and a one-pager for freelance writing community owners, podcast hosts, and publications who would like me to speak, conduct workshops, or contribute articles for their communities.
Turn One Speaking Gig Into Many
Once you secure a speaking opportunity, no matter how small or huge, promote it. Talk about it on social media platforms, mention it in your next pitch, talk about it in groups and communities you’re part of, and ask your network for referrals to similar events.
An unpaid speaking gig, when marketed correctly, can lead to paid gigs and projects, so don’t underestimate it. I once spoke for free at an online event for freelance writers. A copywriter loved my talk and signed up for my LinkedIn consultation package, adding $800 to my revenue that month.
Use these strategies to land your first (or next!) speaking engagement and watch it pay off in multiple ways.