How To Become A Public Speaker That Gets Paid: A Guide To Creating A Public Speaking Business

The energy is ELECTRIC!

You’re sitting front and center… just 8 and a half feet from a Rock Star Speaker.

She’s confident… she’s charismatic… and she’s full of wisdom.

You feel such a connection with her and her words take you on a journey… as if time stands still.

You find yourself swept away… into a world of possibilities.

That’s a Rock Star Speaker’s job – to sweep the audience away from the mundane, everyday, predictable thoughts that keep them in a stale world of “sameness” and into an engaging world of electrifying possibilities.

Why become a professional speaker?

Public speaking is the fastest way to grow your career, business, or personal brand whilst making a bigger difference to the world and your balance sheet. Through public speaking, you can…

• Quickly add a 6 – Figure plus revenue stream to any business
• Fill your seminars and events with ease and flow
• Engage and inspire your followers
• Attract a flood of qualified leads… all at once
• Position yourself as a leader and authority
• Tell your story, influence decisions, and create a movement

And best of all, you don’t need to be extroverted, charismatic, or funny.

In today’s world, your speaking skills aren’t important… you just have to authentically be you!

In some industries, there’s one rule for some and different ones for others but when it comes to public speaking all you need is a desire to become the speaker you’ve been dreaming about for years to achieve success.

Speaking is still one of the highest-paid professions in the world for a reason, but you need a system that allows you to monetize your message and grow your business.

In this article, you’re going to discover that being a professional speaker won’t just “boost business” but will allow you to double your monthly income while making a huge impact on the world.

In addition, you’ll gain information about the necessary short and long-term action steps you need to take to be a bonafide “Rock Star Speaker”.

 

Public Speaking Gives Business Owners and Entrepreneurs an Alternative to Digital Marketing

You might wonder if public speaking is a feasible source of income in this gadget-obsessed, ultra-connected world.

Can you actually get people to look away from their phones and toward your beaming face?

The answer is yes, absolutely! Our genetic constitution is “Tribal” and therefore we crave authentic connection and sharing.

Deep in our souls, we long to see real human beings, relate to their lives, and take in their stories.

Fireside storytelling and spellbinding tales are how our “Elders” passed on their wisdom and principles.

The challenge is that most… especially the most gifted and brilliant… sit alone in the darkness… with only the blue glimmer of a computer monitor to guide your way.

Lost in a world of “digital marketing” you hammer away on your keyboard day in and day out… attempting to build marketing funnels and lead magnets of automation.

Every business owner is expected to have an opt-in page, then a thank you page, a full autoresponder email sequence, hundreds of blog posts, Facebook ads, their own Facebook group, SEO, and keyword research.

Then after all this, you’re supposed to effortlessly attract a global audience and generate unlimited fame and income?

If only it were that simple.

The moment you decided to master, or even dabble with internet marketing, you stepped out of your “genius zone” and into a steep and often painful learning curve.

The internet is so cluttered with videos, ads and viral what-have-you’s that any attempt to continue breaking through only becomes a losing battle.

At the very least, it’s a time-consuming and money-sucking use of your valuable time.

For many of you, this dream has become a nightmare… and you’re ready to wake up.

Internet marketing gurus will continue to peddle the “easy button” of automation to the masses… weaving a spell that entices you to keep trying things on your site that defy reason.

And the calling within you is so strong you respond with fervor and tenacity…

“This is the missing link… this time it’ll happen for me.”

So the Rock Star Professional Speaker within sits in waiting… while you slowly come to the realization that “there must be a better way.”

It’s a tough lesson to learn, which can leave you feeling demoralized, depressed, and no longer lit up.

Remember to be kind to yourself because there is a better way!

Start Making Money Through Professional Speaking

What if the answer were as simple as ditching technology and “speaking your path to cash?”

What if stepping into your genius zone and sharing your message on stage allowed you the joy of making a bigger impact while getting paid and also generating more leads for your sales funnel at the same time?

Perhaps you ARE ready… and the reason you’re reading this is to get advice on how to be booked as a professional speaker.

To get paid for public speaking they’re at least 5 different revenue categories for you to choose from.

And it doesn’t matter how small your brand is, your principles, how extroverted or introverted you might be, or anything else!

We can all stand on a stage and share career lessons and life experiences in an entertaining and unique way. The opportunity is there.

It’s in your DNA, you’re wired to make a big impact and be a success.

Full and authentic self expression is the currency that captures and holds people’s attention.

So you must start asking the question: “How will I uniquely express the wisdom that lies within me? What will be my speaking style?

Will you be edgy or conservative? Motivational or practical? Scholarly or funny?

The options available to you are endless and that is why investing in your ability to communicate your message is so critical… the marketplace simply values and embraces authentic self-expression over sizzle and hype.

Implement the 5 Speaking Revenue Models Infographic

The Keynote speech is typically what one imagines when thinking of becoming a professional speaker.

A keynote speech is a paid speaking gig; usually for a political organization, corporate convention or academic conference and is delivered to set or reinforce the underlying tone of the event.

Keynote speakers like Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey demand a speaking fee of well over $100,000 because of their celebrity, cache, expert knowledge, and advice.

Most beginning speakers may struggle to break into this “good ole boys” club taking several months to land a single gig that pays you $2500 if you’re lucky.

The keynote speaker model – while powerful at impacting the corporate and political sector is somewhat an antiquated model when it comes to monetization.

The number of aspiring speakers vying for these gigs is increasing every day and even if you’re able to get representation from a speaker agency, they represent dozens of additional speakers with more experience.

Bottom line… a long road to consistent revenue and a slippery slope to getting paid what you’re worth.

Thought Leader / Lecturer 

To get hired as a Lecture Speaker, you must create a solid and recognized platform of intellectual property and thought leadership.

Books, in-depth research, advanced education, and years of experience have established people like Marianne Williamson, Dr. Amen, and Dr. Wayne Dyer an “expert” title.

This notoriety and following substantiate their large speaking fees as they are able to consistently draw a crowd.

This is the ultimate speaking model because one’s authority also establishes their legacy and impact as they evolve their body of work.

With each book, you write… you automatically have a series of lectures that reinforce book sales.

This is very much like a Rock Star Musician model.

With the release of each album, the band goes on tour to engage current fans with new content while attracting new fans that vibe with their content.

This model of speaking allows you to command very large speech fees in excess of $25K and you’re constantly in demand for conferences and other events throughout your career.

The only thing – it can take years to establish your body of work and just because you create great content doesn’t mean it will be a success with the masses. Bottom line… a lot of content creation and a long road to consistent and potentially very large revenues.

Speak to Sell

Speak to sell is a free talk designed to sell products and programs to a group of people all at once.

The skill consists of persuading an audience to invest from $2000 – $5000 usually at a 60-90 min persuasive presentation.

The profitability of this model to both speakers and their promoter/manager (who generally split the sales 50-50) caused a wave of multi-speaker events all over the world.

Eventually, this model became antiquated as seminar and event attendees struggled to find value in sales pitch after sales pitch.

This, however, doesn’t preclude the value of this revenue model, for those who can deliver an authentic story and valuable education hosting their own private events and retreats remains a lucrative option.

Doing so can result in a multi six or even seven-figure event… in just a weekend. When done right and with integrity, it’s a remarkable way to leverage enrollment from 1:1 to 1 to many, often resulting in a weekend profit larger than most annual incomes.

This model requires a high skill level that teeters on the edge of mastery so be prepared to make a significant investment of time (years) and money (six figures) to acquire these valuable skills.

Signature Talk Marketing

To remedy the overplayed dynamic (and often toxic nature of) the speak-to-sell model, we created “Signature Talk Marketing”. “Signature Talk Marketing” is a free talk designed to solve a specific problem of your audience while positioning your value and expertise.

The purpose and design of this speaker model are to offer a free gift in the form of an enrollment conversation or strategy session.

This has become the “go-to” model for attracting a flood of qualified sales leads all at once. By design, the “Signature Talk Marketing” model can provide all the qualified leads you need each month from just one or two speaking gigs. (see the example below – video).

This basically obliterates a long sales cycle and creates lean-in… moving qualified prospects to the front of the line where they are eager to buy.

Using this speaker revenue mold, the Big Impact Tribe consisting of 364 members as of the publishing of this article have generated over $16 Million in their own perspective businesses and it’s growing weekly.

With each speaking gig, Big Impact Tribe members are able to generate a flood of enrollment conversations all at once and then convert these conversations into high-paying clients investing anywhere from $2000 – $15,000 on a consistent and regular basis.#

TedTalk Speakers

We’ve all grown to love, respect, and appreciate a good TEDTalk. TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading innovation and ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design and encompasses just about every subject from science to business to global issues.

Probably the most famous talk of all time is Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I have a dream” speech.

With over one million people in attendance at the Lincoln Memorial and millions more watching on their black and white televisions, his words carried the voltage to change race relations forever.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

On that day, Martin Luther King changed the world by communicating his principles through a message of equality and hope.

It was a talk that lasted only 17 minutes and 28 seconds.

Isn’t it interesting that the short form TED Talk is only 18 minutes?

While not confirmed, I believe that TED Talks are designed as a homage to this great orator that used the power of his voice to spread ideas and inspire change in just 18 short minutes.

TED Talk speakers are not financially compensated, but the power they have to position participants as industry leaders are unparalleled.

From Anne Cuddy’s sharing her knowledge on body language to Brene Brown’s engaging talk on vulnerability, TED launches undiscovered experts into the mainstream consciousness – and you can monetize big as a result and launch your career to greater heights!

Getting The Most Leads & Profit From Your Business Speaking Career

We just laid out for you the 5 Revenue Models available to every professional speaker, within each are nuances that require education, patience, and skill acquisition.

Once you start to get these systems dialed in, the numbers for each event become predictable (and exciting).

You’ll know how many enrollment conversations you’ll attract based on the audience demographic and size.

From there, you’ll know your conversion percentage of these calls.

Typically Big Impact HQ students are able to convert 50% of their speaker audience into a phone conversation.

And 30% of those conversations become paying clients… and the revenue begins to quickly add up! Just be mindful that trying to do all of these at once as well as the plethora of other tasks on your growing to-do list will only lead to overwhelm, burnout, and simply more “Spinning Your Wheels”.

A Rock Star Speaker must master the power of focus as a prerequisite to Rocking Your Talk.

With that in mind, when it comes to the business of speaking we are big believers in the power of sequencing your efforts.

There is so much to learn, remember, and coordinate when running a business that too often we see truly brilliant people “spin their wheels” in overwhelm and confusion.

Below we’ve organized the 5 Speaking Revenue Models so you have a clear and precise step-by-step model that allows you to consistently generate revenue as you build your business.

Whether you’re currently building a speaking business or are simply smart enough to use speaking to add an additional six-figure revenue stream to your current business, the following model will support you in monetizing your message effectively.

Combine & Merge all 5 Professional Speaker Revenue Models

 

 

This model allows you to build a robust program of customized content that will achieve all of your goals: making money, gaining popularity, impacting lives as you grow your business, and expanding your intellectual property.

By simply adding the next revenue model in the sequence as you evolve as a speaker, trainer, or CEO, you lay the foundation of a true thought leader.

This is the fastest way to increase your value and earn more with your expertise than you ever thought possible as a speaker.

The key is to get started with “Signature Talk Marketing” so that you can replace your endless hours of prospecting and looking for clients with small speaking gigs in your own backyard.

In your own hometown is low-hanging fruit where 10s of 1000s of dollars await you to simply Rock Your Talk.

Remember to reframe your concept of public speaking.

You don’t need to be on stage at large conventions or packed stadiums.

In fact, below is a graph illustrating the 12 different types of speaking gigs both online and offline that are ideal for the “Signature Talk Marketing” system.

 

12 Types of Public Speaking

In the speaking world, results can happen very quickly – almost overnight.

In fact, using Signature Talk Marketing we made over $400K in our first 10 months of business… without a website or business card.

How sexy is that! One must stay in action, learning and refining your efforts… and the next thing you know, you’ll have a series of speaking gigs all lined up.

And as a Rock Star Speaker – you’ll know your numbers and exactly how to structure your speech to get lean in.

In the end, speaking is simple, empowering, and fun.

The learning curve is minimal, and you’ll be hooked in no time.

Not to mention, this model gives you a consistent and healthy stream of revenue.

In less than a year, your speeches could earn you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yes, you read that correctly.

And, as your reputation and experience grow it’ll guide you to gigs that are more and more profitable.

So ditch that laptop and smartphone — for a little while, anyway — and turn your eyeballs away from those mind-numbing social media pages.

In their place, “speak your path to cash” and let your words electrify your audiences.

Witness yourself commanding the stage as a Rock Star Speaker that audiences can feel… let your Star Power come to life… and paint for them, the world of possibilities you see.

Your company will never be the same again.

Your life won’t be, either. And who knows… you just might find yourself at home, living on purpose the people with all the answers to life’s questions.