🔥The Scoop on Marketing a Pro Speaker (4 Essential Tips)

One month before the pandemic arrived I co-founded a business that centered around in-person public speaking. #Ouch.

However, as a decade of entrepreneurial endeavors has taught me, being able to change course is an essential skill and one that my partner and I embraced whole-heartedly in April of 2020. Virtual speaking? Bring it on.

And now we are seeing glimmers of hope for in-person speaking to return in a robust manner! Or — at least — some form of hybrid live-virtual beautiful beast.

Either way, the future looks bright for the speaking industry, and it is anticipated that a healthy crop of new speakers will be set to break into the industry. From a marketing perspective, here are some fundamentals for starting strong:

1. Know your audience.

Your audience is not ‘everyone.’ Although it is probably true that everyone can benefit from messages of motivation, success, leadership, or whatever your specific topic is, it is important to ‘niche down’ and decide exactly who is your best audience fit. Have a clear focus on who your target audience is, and align your marketing to match it.

This is of course true for all marketing.

LuluLemon famously took a deep dive into describing their ideal customer, naming her ‘Ocean’, and visualized her as a 32-year-old professional single woman who makes $100,000 a year, is engaged, has her own condo, is traveling, fashionable, has an hour and a half to work out a day.”

You may not need to get quite this specific, but knowing your target audience will go a long way to helping you develop the language and style you use to go to market.

Your audience may evolve over time. Begin with the group that will embrace your message passionately, and eventually, you may be able to build outward from there. Go deep before you go broad.

2. What’s your specialty?

No one really wants a generalist.

Imagine you are in the market to buy a condo on the Chicago waterfront. Would you prefer to work with a realtor who brokered a broad spectrum of properties, or one who specialized in urban waterfront condos? Same goes for speakers. Uncover your specialty.

1–3 topics to speak about seems to be a sweet spot for most speakers.

Consider topics and messages relevant and in demand.

As an example, topics of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have been sought after in the past 18 months, and show no sign of slowing.

3. Sell the Sizzle, not the Steak. 🔥

Spend some time thinking about your personal brand… What do you genuinely care about? What is your mission? What are your values? Be genuine. It will make it much easier to manage your personal brand if it is congruent with who you really are.

More than just features, think about the benefits the audience will receive from hearing you speak. Remember: people buy based on emotions, and then justify with logic. Sell the sizzle, not the steak.

Can you get as far as a tagline? Some personal brands with memorable statements:

> Marie Forleo: The Hip Hop Business Coach

> Mel Robbins: The Five-Second Rule

> Jay Shetty: Think Like a Monk

> Lewis Howes: The School of Greatness

4. Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, oh my…

This is key: Don’t try to be everywhere all at once. It’s a common mistake, and the absolute fastest way to burn out. Instead of spreading yourself too thin, start with one or two social platforms and do them really well. Begin with the network you LIKE the best and are most comfortable with, and engage consistently.

Also, consider zigging when everyone else is zagging! This past year has revealed some incredible innovation on non-typical platforms like Tiktok and Clubhouse.

Last tip: Get out there and get started. Believe in your message and yourself. Get comfortable with hearing ‘no’ sometimes, and with trial and error. Starting anything new is scary, and marketing yourself is challenging. But as my partner Dr. Ivan Joseph famously says, “Believe in yourself and the world will too”.