Building thought leadership? Nine tips for finding speaking engagements

Speaking at events can be a great way to build thought leadership and promote your brand. But if you’re new to the business game, or even just the thought leadership space, knowing how to find, narrow down, and sign up for these events can seem a little overwhelming at first. In fact, the pressure of not knowing where to start can keep you from getting started at all.

But finding the perfect speaking event for you doesn’t have to be an arduous task. Below nine members of Council for Young Entrepreneurs they each give their best advice for finding great speaking engagements and explain why these tips can help you succeed as a new thought leader.

1. Start at your local chamber of commerce

The best way to find great speaking engagements is to check with your local chamber of commerce. Chambers of commerce usually have a variety of events and programs for businesses to participate in, and they’re always looking for new speakers. Getting involved in your local chamber will not only help you find great speaking opportunities, but also connect you with other business leaders in your community. – Sujay Pawar, CartFlows

2. Let the engagements come to you

One way to find speaking engagements is to have people come to you. If you are interested in talking about a specific topic, include an option on your personal website to book you to speak. You may want to share and outreach traditional social media to let people know this is an option. This option also allows you to choose where to speak, helping you better connect with your intended audience. – John Turner, SeedProd LLC

3. Join professional social media groups

It’s a good idea to use social media platforms like LinkedIn and other closed professional groups online. There you will get real-time updates on upcoming speaking sessions that match your respective niche and explore potential opportunities that might match your skillset. These communities are also home to renowned speakers from around the world, so you can connect with speakers from different industries and follow their advice in finding the right opportunities for you. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable shapes

4. Outsource to a PR agency

My best advice for finding great speaking engagements is simple: outsource. With so many industry events to choose from, it can often be overwhelming and very time consuming to research them all, contact the event organizers and wait for a response. The organizers often require several phone calls and email contact points before fully confirming your role as well. By outsourcing to a PR agency, you can skip all these steps altogether. PR agencies usually have very good relationships with event organizers and can also position you in high-profile leadership roles. Finally, PR agencies help you prepare for your role and take care of logistics throughout the day. – Greg Ashton, TO GROW

5. Find where you can add value

Sign up for events in your industry where you can add value for attendees. Talking about coaching baseball at a sewing convention may not get you the interactions you want. However, teaching courses on how to sell your quilt patterns online to generate passive income would be a big hit at a sewing convention. As a speaker, you may have many different pitch decks to work from. Put yourself in the shoes of the attendees and choose a topic they are likely to interact with. This will make you the expert, earn respect, and turn that speaking engagement into a lucrative asset when you offer a session-only special for classes or coaching. – Mary Harcourt, CosmoGlo

6. Treat the process like a sales funnel

Think of the process of landing talks like a sales funnel. Start by listing your dream engagements to see what you’re up against. Then get to work. I suggest you start building your personal brand. That way you can create interest and following around your thought leadership. Do this by starting a blog or publishing on third-party platforms. This will give you enough exposure to get noticed and vetted by event managers. Remember to never stop producing content, even if it’s just short snippets responding to current events. This ensures that your exposure continues to grow. To maximize your chances of landing your dream event, do some outreach. Reaching out to your former partners, colleagues and employers is the best way to land your first speaking engagements. – Daria Gonzalez, Wonder Dogs

7. Consider your target audience

When it comes to finding great speaking engagements, my best advice is to start by thinking about the kind of audience you want to reach. Once you know who your target audience is, you can start looking for events that are a good fit for you. Keep in mind that not all events are a good fit for your brand, so it’s important to be selective. When considering speaking at an event, it’s also important to ask yourself if you’re the right person to speak on the topic. If you’re not an expert in this field, it’s probably not worth trying to become one just to speak at an event. It is much better to find an event where you can speak about something you are passionate and knowledgeable about. – Abhijeet Kaldate, Astra WordPress theme

8. Look at the virtual world

Start with virtual summits. Speaking at virtual summits is a great way to quickly build authority in your industry, as speakers are almost always in high demand at these events. These events can be invaluable for connecting with potential clients and networking with industry experts. To find remote speaking opportunities, first do some research on reputable organizations that hold virtual conferences on a regular basis. From there, make a list of possible events that fit your niche and make sure to get in touch early as they often fill up quickly. Once you build your authority, it will be much easier to get invited to speak at in-person events. – Adam Preiser, WPCrafter

9. Try Good Old Outreach

There’s no question that speaking engagements can be a great way to build thought leadership and promote your brand, but sometimes you just don’t know how to find such events. A great way to find events that will help you achieve your goals is through good old fashioned outreach. Simply contact event managers and ask them if you can speak at their event. If you don’t know where to start, try making a list of events you’d like to speak at. It’s a good way to get started and get the results you want. – Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite