Introduction
When you’re asked to present at a conference, trade show, or other industry event, crafting a compelling speaker proposal is crucial to securing the spot. A well-written proposal not only showcases your expertise and speaking skills, but also demonstrates your value to the event organizers and decision makers, as well as the attendees.
However, with so many speakers vying for limited spots, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. That’s why it’s essential to create an ideal speaker proposal that stands out from the rest. By following a few key strategies and best practices that we’ll go over in this article, you can increase your chances of getting selected and make a lasting impression on your audience. You have a message worth sharing and we want to help you get on stage so others can benefit from your words.
What is a Speaking Engagement Proposal?
Before we get into how to write an ideal speaker proposal, let’s first establish exactly what a speaker proposal is. A speaking engagement proposal, or a speaker proposal, is a document that outlines the services offered by you as a professional speaker to help companies and decision makers find the right speakers for their events. It includes information about the speaker, their expertise, and the events they have performed at.
The point of a speaker proposal is to help clients find the ideal speaker for their events. The reason you need a proposal, and a good one at that, is because it helps set you apart as a speaker and indicates why you are the best choice for a particular client and event.
Each client and event planner has an idea of what type of speaker and what type of message they want to be shared at their events. Each event theme varies – your message is probably not a one-size-fits-all message so you need to market yourself and your proposal to the events that make sense for you as a recognized speaker.
Your speaker proposal should highlight your specific subject matter expertise and your credibility as a speaker. Emphasize how you can provide the essential, desired insights to a particular event’s audience. This means you have to know your target audience and tailor your proposal to that audience.
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3 Steps to Nailing Your Speaker Proposal
Start with Prospecting and Cold Outreach Strategy
As a speaker, you’ll need to do some initial grunt work to find and attract potential clients. This includes researching events that you want to speak at, events that are a good fit for your unique message, finding the contact information of event planners, and cataloging that information. You may need to allocate some time every day early on to prospecting and aim to find 5-10 new events per day. For more on this, read this article on 11 ways to find more paid speaking gigs.
While it may be time-consuming and boring, it’s important to do this yourself to ensure you’re reaching high-quality leads and controlling your speaking business. Outsourcing this work may not be the best option until your business has a strong reputation and foundation. You know what makes sense for you and your brand better than anyone else.
After identifying leads, it’s time to develop a contact strategy to reach out and follow up with them. This process takes time and effort, but it’s essential to securing paid speaking engagements. Start by crafting a general speaker proposal template for your initial emails, but then personalize each one for the specific event, considering the theme and target audience. Proposal templates help you stay consistent with different planners.
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a response immediately. Follow up with leads every week or so for about a month, as it often takes multiple attempts to secure a paid speaking engagement. In fact, speakers rarely win over event planners until the second or third follow-up, so don’t give up!
It’s also important to set up systems to manage your leads and time-sensitive emails. Consider investing in a customer relationship management (CRM) software like Hubspot or Pipedrive to streamline your workflow. If you don’t have the budget for software, a well-organized Excel spreadsheet can also serve as an effective tool.
Schedule a Discovery Call
Once you’ve received a promising response from a lead, it’s time to ask to schedule a discovery call to learn more about the paid speaking engagement and communicate the value of your speaking services. The discovery call is not just about showcasing your skills, but also about understanding the client’s needs and event so you can quote an accurate speaker fee.
Opt for a real-time conversation to make a strong impression. Think of the discovery call as an audition for the speaker role.
During the discovery call, you should be prepared to answer three main questions:
1. What do you speak about?
2. Are you available on that date?
3. What are your fees?
The discovery call is not a decision-making call, but rather an opportunity to make a great first impression, learn more about the client, and decide if the client is a good fit for your services. The next step is to send a proposal email to the client, putting the ball in their court.
Send Your Proposal Email
After the discovery call, it’s essential to send a solid proposal email to the client, outlining the details of your speaking business. This is what everything has been leading to and designed for. This proposal should include everything a decision-maker needs to know about you, such as contact information, a speaker bio, the premise of your talk, testimonials from previous event planners, goals for the audience, and a speaker fee and pricing table (probably based on the discovery call you had).
The goal is to make it easy for the client to decide whether to hire you or not. Remember, it’s not the end of the world if they don’t hire you, as those leads can still lead to speaking engagements through referrals and recommendations.
Once the proposal is accepted, the next step is to send a “timeline of events” email, outlining everything the client should expect from you until after the event. This includes stuff like booking flights and accommodation, payment schedules, etc.
Send updated timeline of events emails regularly to ensure everyone is on the same page. This email is a differentiator that will set you apart from other speakers and show event planners that you’re reliable and easy to work with.
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Best Practices for a Winning Speaker Proposal
Keep Your Contract and Proposal Separate
Keep your contract and proposal as two separate documents. The proposal is for presenting your potential client with the basic details of your work together, including the scope of work, cost, and services offered. Your contract is for getting the “hard yes” from your client and then sharing your terms and conditions.
Limit Your Speaking Package Options
You should limit your speaking package options to avoid overwhelming the client. Focus on the most valuable services you offer and make it easier for the client to make a decision. Focus on the essence of your presentation. The more options you give someone, the longer it takes them to make a decision (that’s Hick’s Law, so it’s scientific).
Tailor Your Proposal for Each Client
Every client and event is different. They’re serving different audiences and providing different essential insights. Your proposal is your opportunity to indicate how you are the best fit out of multiple speakers to provide essential insights in your presentation. If you can convince the event planner that your presence and thought provoking presentation will increase event attendance, then that could be an excellent way to get picked.
Customize your speaker proposal to show your investment in the project and your potential client and company. Add custom elements that show you’re listening and care about the event organizer’s needs. Customization is key to making your proposal stand out and increasing your chances of closing the sale. The most important thing is that your potential client can see how your speech is suited perfectly to their particular needs and organization.
Conclusion
Whether you’re in the pitching phase, the discovery call phase, or you’re deep into emails, this close to nailing the deal, your communication with your client should be consistently showing that you are the right speaker for them. You are ready to give a motivational speech that will provide invaluable knowledge and expertise to the audience, unique from any presentation they might hear from other speakers.
