Unpaid speaking engagements are the best bet to gain exposure, grow your network, and get your foot in the world of public speaking. But if it has been a long time taking unpaid speaking gigs, even after establishing yourself as a seasoned and professional speaker, it’s high time to take a leap and get paid for your experience and expertise. Most of you might not have ever thought of monetizing your passion and knowledge, and now (after we have sowed the seeds of hope), you must be wondering, is it really possible to earn big by speaking? Yes, it is possible!
You will find lots of advice and blogs on how to be a better speaker and win over your audience, but you will not easily get tips on how to earn income by being a professional speaker. So, in this blog post, we have provided a few ways to convert your public speaking skills into well-paid opportunities. Let’s take a deeper dive!
1. Record Your Talk and Sale It
If you are one of the most sought-after speakers and people love listening to you, they make all efforts to get key takeaways of your speech from tweets, blogs covering detailed information about the event and speakers, and other sources, in case they couldn’t make it to your live presentation or miss to take notes of important points during the session. To avoid the hassle, they don’t mind buying a recording of your talk if available in the market. You can seize this opportunity and earn by selling the recording of your speeches.
Pro Tip: Some organizers don’t allow you to record and sell videos of any session of their event. So, double-check to avoid any sort of trouble.
2. Become an Author and Write a Book
Often, when you speak at a workshop, event, seminar, or conference, you are allotted a limited time to complete your session. In such a short duration, you can deliver/convey a fraction of information associated with the topic. You can cover the topic in detail in a book that your audience can buy after your talk! You can leverage your speaking opportunities to develop the audience’s interest in your topic, establish a following, and promote your book.
Pro Tip: Your speech is the stepping stone to increase the sale of your book. So, deliver gripping talks to establish yourself as a thought leader and convince the audience to buy your books after your speaking sessions.
3. Organize Your Own Events
Gain a thorough understanding and knowledge of how events are organized. Then organize your own events, workshop series, and conferences, and invite other renowned speakers to share their insights. You can also speak at your own event. However, you will not get directly paid for speaking; you can earn through sponsorships, ticket sales, and other financial support for the event. Further, speaking at your own event will help you increase your credibility and connections and land other paid speaking opportunities.
Pro Tip: Indeed, planning and organizing a purposeful event is not a cakewalk; it requires a lot of work. So, before hosting your own event, you can start by co-organizing webinars, small conferences, workshops, etc.
4. Be a Speech Coach and Writer
The mere thought of addressing a mass audience breaks many people in a cold sweat. As a speaker, you can supplement your income by providing coaching to professionals who intend to learn the nitty-gritty of this art for taking their businesses to the next level. Many companies hire full-time speech coaches/public speaking trainers to leverage their expertise to bring transformational changes through the power of advanced communication skills and innovative presentation graphics. You can also work as a freelance coach to give budding public speakers the confidence to present the best version of themselves when speaking in public. You can also become a speech writer and help professionals from all industries craft clear and concise messages to make meaningful connections with their audience members.
5. Take Membership of Keynote Speakers Agencies
Organizers of most of the big events, summits, trade shows, and corporate functions keep some slots reserved for keynote speakers. These organizers have good liaisons with agencies and companies that have a brilliant line-up of speakers. You can grab those speaking slots of big events by being a member of speaker bureaus. Based on the budget and content requirements of event organizers, these agencies may recommend your name as the keynote speaker. Having a strong relationship with these agencies can give you added advantages.
Pro Tip: Check if speaker bureaus/agencies sign any agreement with speakers. If they do have any agreement, read it carefully before proceeding further.
The Bottom Line
Well, these are a few ways to generate income from your speaking skills. But they are not the only ways; you can explore many more or come up with your own unique ideas to turn your public speaking passion into a profession. Identify your unique value proposition as a speaker and learn ways to communicate it impressively. Remember, small opportunities often open doors to great achievements, so don’t hesitate to grab them.
