Grant Baldwin, Speaker and creator of the SPEAK Framework, shares tips on how to become a paid speaker and build a profitable speaking business. Topics include treating public speaking as a business, creating compelling demo videos, acquiring paid speaking gigs, and the value of mentors and community.
Treating speaking as a business is crucial for building a profitable speaking business.
Speaking for free can be strategic and lead to valuable opportunities beyond monetary compensation.
Deep dives
The Speaker Lab: Building a Profitable Speaking Business
Grant Baldwin, founder and CEO of the Speaker Lab, shares his comprehensive speak framework for aspiring speakers to build successful and sustainable speaking businesses. Grant's own journey in the speaking industry started with a desire to make an impact and a lack of resources on how to navigate the business side of speaking. He emphasizes treating speaking as a business, not a hobby, and emphasizes the importance of consistency and putting in the work to see results.
The Five Step Speak Framework
Grant explains the five-step framework known as the Speak Success Roadmap. The framework focuses on selecting a specific problem to solve and being clear about the audience you want to reach. It also highlights the importance of preparing a compelling talk, establishing yourself as an expert through a website and demo video, acquiring paid speaking gigs through proactive outreach and lead generation, and knowing when to scale your speaking business and align it with other ventures.
Speaking for Free with Purpose
Grant addresses the debate around speaking for free, acknowledging that it can be acceptable as long as there is a strategic reason behind it. He provides examples of situations where speaking for free can lead to valuable opportunities, such as generating leads for other businesses or building relationships with event planners. Grant advises speakers to think beyond monetary compensation and consider the value they receive in exchange for their speaking engagements.
Self-Study vs. Coaching
Grant discusses the option of self-study versus seeking guidance from experts like himself and his team. While there are valuable resources available, such as his podcast and book 'The Successful Speaker', he highlights the benefits of coaching and mentorship. Working with experienced coaches can offer a faster path to success, provide guidance in navigating challenges, and offer accountability and support throughout the journey of building a speaking business.
Do you want to be a speaker? That’s great! Do you want to be a paid speaker? Well, that’s different. In this episode, my guest, Grant Baldwin, explains how you can use his SPEAK Framework to become a paid speaker and build a profitable speaking business.
Takeaways
- Hear how the SPEAK framework helps you build your speaking business
- Why you should treat speaking business as a business
- Learn how you can get more opportunities to speak and get paid to speak
- Know what you should take into consideration when speaking for free
- Discover your two most important marketing assets