This blog post has been authored by Stand Out Online Member Deborah Northcutt, Free You Up VA
When it comes to getting speaking gigs, it’s a lot like thinking like a farmer.
Think all a farmer has to do is wait until fall to harvest truckloads of delicious tomatoes or corn or squash? Think again! That farmer has worked hard all year long to prepare for that month or two of reward.
He prepared the ground following last year’s harvest.
The seeds were planted in the spring.
He watered and fertilized and protected his fragile crops from pests and drought and poor weather.
And finally, after months of hard work, he gets to enjoy the results.
Your speaking gig business works the same way, and if you take a page from the farmer’s playbook, you’ll soon be reaping the rewards, too.
Preparing the Speaking Gigs Groundwork
That would be your brand, your voice, your very presence in your market. If you’re just starting out—like that farmer after his harvest—you’ll spend your time simply becoming known.
You could also use a speaker support virtual assistant to help you get more speaking gigs. Did you know that you’ll look bigger and look more professional by having speaker representation?
Align yourself with other keynote speakers in your niche. Make sure you are putting yourself out on social media. LinkedIn would be a great place to go to get speaking gigs and where your ideal clients spend their time.
It’s very important to build a website and start your email list. This is the prep work that will form the foundation of a solid speaking gigs business in the future.
Planting the Speaking Gigs Seeds
Your seeds are your content and products. With each blog post you write, every product you create, you’re planting a seed you can harvest later. But unlike the farmer, your seeds will produce over and over again, endlessly.
In fact, you’ll likely find that blog posts you wrote years ago will continue to bring in new clients year after year, with no further help from you. Products can be sold over and over again, or reworked into new offers. Podcasts, videos, ebooks and more all continue to work for you, month after month, year after year.
When you think about it that way, it’s easy to see that planting seeds is a critical part of every public speaking gigs business.
Nurturing Your Speaking Gigs Crop
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just “set it and forget it”? Unfortunately, that style of business rarely works.
Instead, you must spend time nurturing.
Stay in touch with your email list
Update old blog posts with new ideas
Study your stats to improve your traffic and conversions
Improve your speaking gigs products
It doesn’t take much effort to update your blog posts or tweak your products, and the rewards can be fantastic.
Being a farmer is a long-term investment. The work you do today may not pay off for weeks or months to come. Same as getting speaking gigs. But with a strong history of consistent “farming” in your speaking gigs business, you’ll soon see that those long-term rewards will pay off consistently as well.
Deborah Northcutt is the Speaker Support Concierge at Free You Up VA, where she helps African American women speakers take their careers to the next level. With over 20 years of experience in the Administrative industry, Deborah has a wealth of knowledge and connections to help speakers land more engagements, increase their visibility, and grow their business.
Deborah is passionate about helping African American women speakers succeed and is dedicated to providing personalized support and guidance. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, Deborah can help you develop your speaking platform, refine your message, and identify the right opportunities to take your career to the next level.
With Deborah’s help, you’ll be able to achieve your speaking goals, reach new audiences, and make a real impact in the world. Get in touch with Deborah today to learn how she can help you take your speaking career to the next level!