The financial reward for professional pubic speakers is very attractive. A professional public speaker could charge from a few hundred dollars per speaking engagement to thousands of dollars for every presentation. A well established public speaker could be invited to speak in other cities, states or even outside the country with travel fees paid for by the organization.
Since public speaking is not necessarily daily work, professional speakers could spend more time with their family. A successful public speaking career is practically a dream job for anyone as it could give you a lot of free time while being paid lucratively every speaking engagement.
Various Opportunities from Public Speaking
A good reason why public speakers could easily reach financial independence is the number of earning opportunities available. A starting public speaker doesn’t have to charge thousands of dollars per speaking engagement but would still earn enough for daily sustenance. In fact, a public speaker doesn’t have to focus on directly getting paid to speak since there are other ways a public speaker could use their skills and earn.
Sponsored Speeches
Sponsored speeches is basically asking various companies to sponsor your speech as you visit various businesses giving free seminars related to the industry. Instead of charging various businesses a fee for your speech, your presentation will be paid for by companies related to your subject. If you’re speaking about productivity, you could ask sponsorships from office supply companies. You don’t even have to tell business that they have to work with your sponsor; you just have to inform them that your free speech on productivity is sponsored by an office supply company. You can obtain sponsorships by sending out proposals to their public relations office.
3rd Party Companies
If you are having a hard time finding a speaking engagement, there are 3rd party companies that can assist you in landing one. Usually referred to as the “Speakers Bureau” they will book you to speeches and they would earn a cut from your salary. While this arrangement sounds great, the cut could be as high as 30% which means your small salary for every speech will be further cut by 3rd company companies.
Online and Phone Seminars
This type of seminars does not require you to leave your home. Your can conduct phone seminars where participants could join by dialing the number you provide in your advertisement. This is often done by small to medium sized businesses who seek clients for certain services.
A good example is a financial company who offer assistance to those facing bankruptcy or foreclosure. You become a salesperson but your discussion is on dealing with their financial problems. Online seminars or “webcasts” also takes on the same format but are only done using the internet.
Working with Training Companies
Another way to earn through public speaking is to seek training companies wherein they will add you to their talent base. They will get in touch with you in case they need someone with your expertise. You are basically hired as a freelancer but you become their representative.
They are often established training companies so businesses and organizations get in touch with these companies for training and seminars. The pay with training companies is relatively lower than an actual freelance (without any middlemen) work.
Pathway to Success
If your aim is to become a successful public speaker, these techniques on how to find speaking engagements should never be permanent. Your earnings through webcasts, working with PR department and other training companies is just a small amount compared to what you could earn if you are fully independent and a well established public speaker.
Use these engagements to improve your speech skills so that you can offer something better when you are ready to become fully independent. It might take time before you can achieve success in public speaking but these stepping stones could provide great help along the way.
Last but not the least; improve your knowledge regarding your chosen industry. Do your research everyday in order to gain the latest news about the industry you work with. Your knowledge about the industry is your best marketing tool to attract clients and invite you to more speaking engagements.
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