Determine your target audience

Start by getting to know your niche audience. This is a vital factor because it can establish your relevance and make your presence better felt in the lives of those who are truly passionate about the information you have and can share.

You will need to know who will specifically relate to your message.

Research organizations that have members of your target audience

Once you’ve determined which people will resonate with what you have to share, research which organizations, associations, and groups they would belong to. Create a directory of organizations along with contact information for the person responsible for booking speakers for conferences, workshops, etc.

Prepare a “1 minute pitch that highlights who you are and how your speech can help people

If you’re trying to get speaking engagements with little or no prior experience, create a presentation that examines who you are and how your speech can help your niche audience. Put together a compilation reel with highlights if you have some previous engagements under your belt.

If you are an author and have a book that has been published or will be released soon, be sure to include this information.

Contact those organizations and ask if you can speak to their members at one of their upcoming events.

Contact the organizer’s coordinator. Explain who you are and that you are a speaker. They will want to know the topic of your speech, so be ready with some highlights of your speech. Be sure to emphasize the value it would bring to your membership.

Ask if you can send them any marketing material. You want to have a summary of your “talk” and your biography ready to send to you.

Follow up with those email contacts and send them marketing materials to remind them of the value your pitch will bring to your members.

You can make this a simple email where you write “I wanted to sign up again regarding possible guest speaking opportunities” and then include the text of your previous email.

It can feel like a hassle emailing someone two or three times, but it’s important to remember that everyone is busy. However, some of the most successful live workshops or talks were with people who were sent multiple emails. Marketing materials should be sent to the target audience to emphasize the benefit that each member will receive from their speech.

In conclusion, gaining traction as a professional speaker takes time and effort. You have to do a lot more than hang out saying you’re a Speaker. Being reserved to talk constantly requires you to get out there and market yourself.