[00:00:00] Mia Fileman
Are you tired of empty promises and stolen ideas? Me too! Got Marketing is a podcast for marketers and small brands who want real talk and clever strategies without the BS. Running an online business is hard, but everything gets easier when your marketing starts performing. I'm Mia Fileman, your straight shooting campaign, loving friend here to talk marketing, running a business, pop culture, and everything in between.
Let's dive in.
[00:00:40]
Hello friend. Today's episode is going to be all about how to secure more paid speaking gigs. And I'm also going to share a huge announcement during this episode. So I put a call out on social media at the end of last year, asking people, who would you pay to hear speak at a small business event? And the responses were really, really interesting. Many, many people put themselves forward as a speaker, which tells me that many of you want to secure paid speaking gigs this year. And I understand why. Paid speaking has one of the best returns on investment. So this is why I decided to run this episode today to help more of you get more paid speaking gigs.
[00:01:31]
All right, let's dive in. Why do speakers get booked? Let's start there. First of all, the topic is relevant. It appeals to the broadest audience and it is interesting. For example, Humanizing artificial intelligence, regenerative farming, social media marketing. These are the kind of topics that event organizers, conference organizers are looking for speakers on.
[00:02:02]
Event organisers also want speakers who entertain, inspire, and thought provoke, not just educate. What event organisers are looking for is vulnerability and storytelling skills. Stats and facts are boring, so they want speakers that can illustrate something with an anecdote or with a personal story. And they want speakers who are prepared to get vulnerable on the stage. People who have a brand profile that will sell tickets will obviously get more paid speaking gigs. Same deal, people who offer a different perspective. Or represent a minority group are also very attractive to event organisers. This is why I get approached for a lot of paid speaking gigs because I have such strong opinions. I am the controversial choice. I'm the one that's going to get on stage and tell people that we're doing it wrong. And this is how we should do it better. And event organisers want that because it's entertaining. It's spicy. And of course, event organisers are looking for credentials. You need to know what you're talking about, which is why doctors and award winners and experts and frequently quoted in the media thought leaders are asked to speak.
[00:03:29]
So think about your proof points. Have you written a book or published a paper, or do you have qualifications in a particular industry? That make you attractive to speak on a particular topic in order for you to get more paid speaking gigs, you're going to need to progress from an educator to an entertainer.
[00:03:50]
Public speaking is a performance. Okay. They're not just looking for someone who's going to word vomit a whole bunch of tips. They want you to entertain and inspire. So instead of focusing your preparation for getting more paid speaking gigs on how many stats and how many case studies you can put into your deck, maybe you need to look at a different approach, like doing some acting classes. Listening back to podcast episodes where you've been the guest and see if there's any sort of nervous tics that you have that you can smooth out. Watch charismatic speeches on the internet. My favorite is the West wing. Also, if you've ever heard Pete Buttigieg speak, he's. Possibly this generation's best orator. Go and have a look at Laura Dern in the movie Marriage Story, where she does the monologue. It is exceptional. And potentially put your hand up to MC an event. This is going to give you the necessary experience to become a speaker, not just an educator.
[00:05:05]
All right. The big question of whether you should be paid or not paid.
Here's my perspective on this. There is currency other than cash. Should you work purely for free exposure? Absolutely not. Definitely not. However, if someone comes to you with a speaker package that includes travel, meals, professional photography, professional videography, uh, that's a completely different story.
So it doesn't have to be so black and white. They're paying me or they're not. Go back to them and say, okay, you don't have budget. But can I get a newsletter feature to your database? Am I going to get a full length video recording of my presentation that is worth thousands of dollars?
[00:05:46]
Strong opinions are sexy.
Let's talk about pitching. People work with people that they know and they like. If you're looking to get more paid speaking gigs, rather than just commenting on a thread on Facebook, where someone puts out a call for a speaker, build relationships, connect with people on LinkedIn, send them a DM, start to build a relationship with them because you are then going to be a lot more top of mind. If a speaking opportunity comes up, please don't start your pitch with. I'm not sure if this is what you want, but you've already lost them. I can talk about brand storytelling is not a pitch. Okay. That's, that's not what people are after. Tell me exactly three things that the audience will take away from your speech. That is how we start to craft a compelling pitch. And honestly, I don't think a fancy speaker kit is required. A page on your website or a short email is more than enough. People are not going to choose you or not choose you because you didn't have a PDF document with like a speaker profile. I don't have one and I get approached all the time for paid speaking gigs.
[00:07:09]
Low hanging fruit. Make a list of the strong opinions that you have about your industry. That is the basis of your pitch, not I can talk about brand storytelling.
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[00:08:23]
Now for the big announcement. In November this year, Fi Johnston, and I are going to be running a major small business festival in Melbourne.
It is called Ripple Festival. It is going to be a two day event, and it is a celebration of small business, creativity, and purpose. There is going to be live music, there is going to be performance, and there is going to be, of course, Speakers from the small business space. This is the scariest, most exciting, most expensive, most crazy idea that either of us have ever had. And, uh, we are scared, but also extremely excited. So I'm putting it out there. This is going to cost us around 300, 000 and we will have been planning it for over 12 months. So it's big stakes, but this feels like the right thing to do. There is nothing like this. Business conferences are boring. They are focused on big business or they're focused on tech startups.
There is nothing like Ripple Festival where there is a celebration of small business and where you can get art and entertainment and music all in the one place. And you know me, you know how much I love creativity. I think those things belong at the same festival. We want everyone who comes to Ripple Festival to walk away feeling like anything is possible with their small business. And we want to lead by example, by swinging big, by taking risks and by doing the damn fricking thing. So how did this come about? I was overseas for 10 months and then I flew to Melbourne and I caught up with Fee at a Greek bakery. I took her to my favorite place in Melbourne and we had Greek pastries because I do all of my best work there. And Fi mentioned the idea to me and I loved it. Instantly, because for a really long time, I've been the sort of person that has been like, why didn't I get picked for that? Why didn't someone ask me to present or to speak at this event or do this or that? And honestly, I'm sick of waiting and hoping that the phone's going to ring. We've got to create our own opportunities. And so when Fi said, do you want to run a major event with me? I was like, yes, I will build my own fricking stage. I don't need to wait for someone to call me. Who's the actor that played George in Seinfeld? His name escapes me, but I saw a video of his, I think it was on Instagram, and he was talking about how to be a successful actor these days is not just going to castings and someone saying yes.
I'll choose you. You are the right bald man for this job. It's about creating those opportunities for yourself. It's about chasing down scripts, building relationships with producers and authors, and film studios, and creating roles for yourself. This is exactly what we are doing with Ripple Festival. Fee and I, we are not ashamed about saying that we want to raise our profile and instead of waiting for someone to come over and nod me on the head and say, here Mia, here's an opportunity to raise your profile. I'm creating my own opportunity to do that. So Ripple Festival is coming. We would love to see you there. Tickets are gonna go on sale very soon, and if you would like to get involved, please head to Ripple Festival au.
[00:12:06]
Source of truth. Have you been following the Ugg trademark? Palava?
Let's talk about this trademark battle. That will make your blood boil. If you think protecting your brand is tough, wait until what you hear, what has been happening with the iconic boot company, UGG. So the original UGG boot creators are an Australian brand and they have owned the trademark. in Australia forever.
A massive U. S. company has swooped in. They imitated the boot, so they produced the same style of boots, and then they trademarked the name internationally. And now they are suing UGG Australia, the original creators. For infringing on their own name. I mean, some people, they just have, you know, brazen. So the Aussie brand who came up with the original boot, had the original name, has been forced to rebrand and will now be known as Since74 in every market outside of Australia to avoid further legal drama. It really bugs me, this story. That small businesses who have poured their hearts into building something original end up spending their hard earned money fighting off corporate vultures. I mean, that's what they are, right? Who play dirty? It's a David versus Goliath story for sure. And unfortunately, the law doesn't always reflect common sense. So if you are building a brand, Trademark protection isn't optional. Do it early, do it right, and expect to fight for what's yours in a world where copycats are ruthless.
[00:13:50]
All right. That's a wrap on today's episode. As always, thank you so much for tuning in. Drink more water and I'll see you next week.
[00:14:17]
Thank you. You listened right up until the end, so why not hit that subscribe button and keep the good marketing rolling. Podcast reviews are like warm hugs and they're also the best way to support a small business. You can connect with me, Mia Feilman, on Instagram or LinkedIn, and feel free to send me a message.
I'm super friendly.
