Most conferences lock their speaker lineups six to twelve months before the event, and most of them pay nothing outside the headline slots. Paid engagements mostly come from somewhere else: internal company events, booked through referral, by people who have already seen you speak. Getting speaking engagements is the work of connecting those two facts.
We book speakers for corporate events, so this is the route as it looks from the side that decides who gets the paid room.
Where speaking engagements come from
Each kind of opportunity gives you something different. Early on, footage and a testimonial are worth more than the fee, because they are what gets you the next booking.
The first three rows are how you earn the last two. A planner booking a paid internal event wants to know you are a safe choice, and that only happens after they have seen a lot of proof.
Start with your niche
The narrower the industry you target first, the better your chance of being booked, because relevance is what a planner is buying. A talk on leadership competes with thousands of speakers. A talk on keeping engineering teams intact through a logistics merger competes with a handful, and the head of operations at a freight company will pick that one every time.
Pick the industry where your own results happened and speak to it first. The associations, trade conferences and company events in that one field all know each other, so a strong talk travels by word of mouth faster in a small world than in a big one. Once you are known there, widening to adjacent industries is easy, because you arrive with proof.
Start with the rooms that are easy to get
Your first engagements should be the ones where the bar to entry is low: a local chapter of your industry association or a meetup in your field. Say yes to most of them in the first year. Each one is a chance to test your material in front of a live audience and to leave with a clip and a quote.
Treat every free talk as a production. Ask the organiser in advance whether it will be filmed, and if not, bring someone with a phone and a tripod. Ask one attendee who was visibly engaged for two sentences you can use. Our guide to the speaker reel covers what footage is worth keeping.
TED and TEDx talks deserve their own mention. They rarely pay, but a well-delivered TEDx talk is one of the best ways to start a speaking career, because planners recognise the format and trust the production. Our explainer on what a TED talk is covers how the events work.
How to pitch a conference
Most conferences choose non-headline speakers through a call for proposals, often called a CFP, that opens six to twelve months before the event. Find them by searching the conference name with “call for speakers,” and set reminders for the ones in your field, since the windows are short.
What a strong proposal contains
- A title that names the outcome. “What we learned rebuilding support after an acquisition” beats “The future of customer experience.”
- One paragraph on what the audience leaves able to do. Reviewers score on usefulness to their attendees.
- A short bio that leads with a result. Our guide to writing a speaker bio shows how.
- A link to video of you speaking, even a short clip from a free event.
Tailor each proposal to the conference theme and its audience. Reviewers read hundreds, and the generic ones are easy to spot.
How paid internal events find you
Internal company events, such as sales kickoffs and leadership offsites, are some of the highest-paying bookings in the market. They are budgeted as an investment in the team rather than as marketing, so a speaker with strong content and a modest public profile can earn a larger fee there than at a public conference.
They almost never come from a cold pitch. A head of sales sees you at an industry event, or hears about you from a peer, and asks for your details. That means the work is making sure the right people see you and can find you afterwards.
Two questions to ask after every talk
Ask the organiser: “Who else do you know who runs events like this one?” Then ask: “Would you be willing to introduce me?”
An introduction from someone who has just watched you deliver is worth more than any pitch you can write. Keep a note of every name, and follow up within a week while the talk is fresh.
Post a short clip from each talk on LinkedIn, with a line on what the audience took away. Former colleagues and clients are the most likely first buyers of an internal session, and they are also the people most likely to see it there.
When to approach a speakers bureau
Approach a bureau once you have the proof: paid bookings you can point to and a reel from real stages. Most bureaus won’t take on talks under $5,000, because the commission on a smaller fee does not cover the cost of marketing and running the booking. If your bookings are below that, keep building.
Most bureaus are barraged by speakers asking for representation, so be thoughtful about what you send. One clear email with your reel and one sheet is enough. If you keep emailing and hear nothing back, they probably know who you are and have decided not to work with you, and more messages will not change that.
The bureau world is also small. If you underdeliver for one bureau, there is a good chance they will mention it to others, so hold yourself to a high bar of professionalism on every booking. Our guide to speakers bureaus versus booking direct covers how the relationship works from the client side.
A worked example: one speaker’s first year
Take a hypothetical speaker, Priya, a product leader who spent a decade shipping payments software. Here is a realistic first year for someone with her background.
Priya’s first year
The pattern holds for most speakers we see: the free rooms produce the proof, and the proof produces the referrals that pay. For what those fees turn into after commission, see our guide to how much speakers get paid.
Common questions about getting speaking engagements
How do I get my first speaking engagement?
Start in a narrow niche, ideally the industry where your own results happened, and with rooms that are easy to get, such as local meetups and industry association chapters. Offer a specific talk with a clear takeaway, and make sure you leave with footage and a quote you can use for the next booking.
How do I find speaking opportunities near me?
Look for local chapters of your industry’s professional association and meetups in your field. Search for the event name plus “call for speakers,” and tell your network you are looking for rooms.
Do conferences pay speakers?
Most do not, outside the headline keynotes. Many offer a free pass and sometimes travel. Paid speaking comes mainly from internal company events such as sales kickoffs and leadership offsites.
How far in advance do conferences book speakers?
Usually six to twelve months ahead, through a call for proposals. Internal company events often book on shorter notice.
Should I pay to speak at an event?
Generally no. A slot you pay for is a sponsorship, and the audience usually knows it. The exception is when the room is full of your ideal buyers and you treat the cost as a marketing expense.
When should I approach a speakers bureau?
Once you have paid bookings and a reel from real stages. Most bureaus won’t take on talks under $5,000, so build your fee and your proof first.