Want to Make Up to $10,000 a Month as A Speaker? Follow These 5 Steps, According to a Successful Speaking Agent. See what it really takes to stand out and succeed as a professional speaker.
By Jason Feifer Edited by Mark Klekas
Speaking can be lucrative. An experienced speaker can easily command $10,000 or more per talk. But how do you actually get those gigs? Speaking agent Katrina Mitchell has advice:
"One of the biggest mistakes new speakers make is wanting to be all things to everyone," she says. They'll offer to speak about anything for anyone — but that often makes them uninteresting to everyone.
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Instead, she says, speakers need to define their niche — and the narrower the better. Mitchell understands the power of niches well, because she occupies one. She's the founder of Franchise Speakers, which focuses exclusively on speakers who are relevant to the franchising, and books events exclusively for the franchise industry.
Here, she explains why every speaker must niche down — focusing on their most relevant market, and then serving it clearly and relentlessly. "Really know the value that you bring," she says, "and be able to succinctly, clearly and very quickly say what that is."
Here are her five tips for how to do that.
1. Be incredibly specific
What subject are you an expert in? Mitchell suggests starting with what you know — and being very specific.
Let's say you're a leader in the insurance industry, for example. You could position yourself as a leadership expert. But if you do, you'll be competing with a giant and noisy world of leadership experts. But if you position yourself as a leadership speaker specifically for the insurance industry, you'll now stand out as uniquely qualified and relevant to your audience — and a better fit than most leadership speakers on the market!
Here's another way of thinking about this: As a speaker, you want to be the least-risky choice.
Mitchell thinks about that a lot, because she thinks of her job as risk mitigation. When a company books a speaker and puts them on stage, they're taking a risk — hoping that the speaker will reflect well upon the company and will be worth their audience's time. "I am responsible for finding the right speaker with the right message, who will fit their culture at the right time, at the right investment level," she says.
When speakers focus on their niche, they do that same kind of risk mitigation. Their job isn't just to inform and entertain; it's to be the least-risky decision that their client could make. The more niche you are, the less risky you'll seem.
2. Develop a unique, ownable message
It's not enough to know your topic; you also need a unique point of view that sets you apart.
Mitchell suggests creating specific frameworks, philosophies, and exercise that you've developed, and that clients can't find elsewhere. For example, if you're a leadership expert, don't just give generic advice on leadership. Instead, create a unique methodology that feels distinctively yours.
This uniqueness makes it easier for clients to remember you and, crucially, to hire you again.
3. Invest in a professional demo reel
Once you've honed your message, you need to showcase it with video. First, hire someone to film your talks, to make sure you get high-quality audio and video. Then, get someone to edit that video into a reel.
But here's a common mistake that speakers make, according to Mitchell: They create a sizzle reel, not a demo reel.
A sizzle reel is often just a flashy montage of clips. Speaking clients don't generally want that, because a fast-paced sizzle reel doesn't show you speaking at length or holding an audience's attention. "If I can't see you delivering a compelling segment, it's hard to trust that you'll perform well for my audience," Mitchell says.
A demo reel is different: It contains longer segments of you speaking, for many minutes at a time, to give clients a fuller sense of what you're like on stage. "A demo reel is you showing me what I'd be buying," she explains.
Invest in a professionally made reel, but don't go overboard on costs — just make sure it's clear, well-edited and represents your best work.
4. Master the art of stagecraft
Great speakers aren't just knowledgeable; they know how to command a room. Mitchell advises working with a speaking coach to refine your delivery, pacing, tone and gestures. Even experienced speakers can benefit from this feedback.
"As soon as I hear someone say, 'Oh, I don't need a coach, I've been speaking for years,' I know they've stopped growing," she says. Stagecraft is about more than just being energetic, she says. It's about using your energy wisely and knowing when to pause, vary your tone and make a powerful impact.
5. Keep improving — and document your growth
Finally, Katrina emphasizes the importance of constant improvement. One of her top speakers records every keynote he gives and watches the footage, analyzing areas where he can improve.
"Even if you can only have someone record your speech with a phone, it's worth doing," she says. Watching yourself speak will help you spot minor mistakes or habits you can fine-tune, ensuring you're always getting better.
Want more advice on speaking? Listen to Katrina Mitchell on the Entrepreneur podcast Problem Solvers.
