How to get people to attend your live talks

Last week I shared my super simple email script for landing speaking engagements.

Once you have venues lined up and dates on the calendar, you may think that all you need to worry about is the content of your talk.

The content is important, but you will also want to devote time and energy into making sure people show up for your talk.

Have you ever lined up a speaking engagement, spent days planning your talk and materials, and felt defeated when you show up the day of the event to an almost empty room?

I have been there and it’s not fun!

After experiencing this during my health coaching days, I quickly developed strategies to insure that people showed up.

Today I am going to share these strategies with you, so you can make the most of your speaking engagements.

Here is my simple system for marketing your live speaking engagements.

1. Look for venues that can draw an audience.

When lining up talks, look for places that have foot traffic and ideally an email list. (You are not looking for a space to rent.)

2. Look for groups that have regular meetings with guest speakers.

This is an ideal scenario because you’re guaranteed to have an audience.

For example: When I was a health coach, I spoke at my local mother’s club and a parent education event at my daughter’s preschool. In both cases I didn’t have to worry about showing up to an empty room.

3. Create a marketing plan WITH the venue.

Once you have a date and time scheduled, have a phone or face-to-face meeting with your point of contact, and determine how they will market the event.

Take the lead by saying something like, “what typically works well is…”

And then outline what you’d ideally like them to do to promote the talk, such as:

• Posting flyers
• Sending an email out to their email list 10 days before the event and then a reminder 2 days before the event.
• Posting a blurb on an events page or calendar on their site, if applicable.

4. Make it effortless for venues to promote your talk.

• Create professional flyers and hand-deliver them to the venue so you can help post them prominently.
• Create a sign-up sheet and leave it with a clipboard at the venue. When people sign up in advance for something they are more likely to show up.
• Provide text for emails for the venues to send out to their list. (Ideally they will have a list and be willing to send something out.)

5. Check in with the venue a week before the event.

You will want to be in communication with your point of contact so you can get a pulse on how sign ups are coming along. If very few people are signed up, brainstorm with your contact person about ways to get the word out. Suggest sending out another email or having instructors (in the case of a yoga or Pilates studio) announce the event during class.

6. Email registrants a reminder.

Copy the sign up sheet 2 days before the event and send an email reminding them that they are registered for the event.

 
Have questions or comments?
Please post them below so I can support you in using speaking engagements to build your business. I’d love to hear how these and other strategies have worked for you.