In the world of professional speaking, self-promotion is mandatory. Especially when you’re just starting out.
Sure you may have a moving message to share or important knowledge to impart, but that’s not enough. It doesn’t matter how moving or important your ideas are if there’s nobody there to hear them! That’s why self-promotion is the key to spreading your message and the key to your success.
To build a career as a professional speaker you must be more than just a speaker. You must be your own agent, your own marketing professional and your own public relations firm. You must build a platform for self-promotion.
This is the first in a series of posts about how to get out there and promote yourself. There are a few promotional pieces that every professional speaker should have. We’ve talked a bit about social media already – the importance of having a website and blog, creating compelling content and promoting yourself on Twitter. But there’s an even more basic place to start: building a speaker summary or a “one-sheet” as it is sometimes called.
A speaker summary is a bit like a résumé. It’s a short, well-written document that informs potential clients who you are, what your background is and what you speak about. It succinctly summarizes what you have to say and why it is important – and why people should book you to speak at their event.
And it’s incredibly important that you have one.
If you are represented by a speaker bureau, they will want a speaker summary to send to their clients and to post on their website. A speaker summary can also serve as an “About” page on your professional website or your blog. If the organizers of a conference or event you have spoken at are asked by other event organizers for speaker referrals, they can forward along your speaker summary to anyone who is interested.
Your summary should include:
• A flattering photograph of you. The picture should be current and in colour. It doesn’t matter if you think you looked your best in the 1980s – your potential clients want to know what you look like today. If you haven’t done so already, you may want to consider getting professional headshots.
• A couple of paragraphs outlining your areas of expertise and the topics and themes you present on, as well as a bit about your background. Explain who you are, where you come from, your education and work experience, as well as any life-changing experiences you may have had. Be sure to keep it short and to include only things that are relevant.
• A list of some of the most recent speaking engagements you’ve had.
• Any references or testimonials from your previous speaking engagements.
• Links to your social media networks. List your website address and blog address, as well as links to your professional Facebook page and Twitter account. If you have YouTube videos of presentations you’ve given, include links to them as well.
• Your fees – but only if they are set fees that you never waver from. If your fees are negotiable, there’s no need to mention them. You can save that discussion for when a potential client actually contacts you.
• Your contact information, including your telephone number and email address.
You speaker summary should be short and to the point – try to keep it to one or two pages. Before you start distributing it to speaker bureaus or clients, ask a friend or colleague to proofread it. There’s nothing more annoying – and unprofessional – than receiving a promotional piece with errors and typos on it.
For more information on creating a speaker summary, visit our Speaker Resource Centre for Barbara McNichol and Karen Saunders’ teleseminar recording “Create a ‘Get-Hired’ One-Sheet: Design and Writing Tips to Give You ‘Buy’ Appeal” (scroll down to the seventh seminar on the page). You’re sure to be inspired!
