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Thread about getting paid for speaking. Let me start by sharing some context. First, I have been speaking at conferences for almost 15 years. For a number of reasons, I don’t charge a speaking fee. /1
Let me be clear, I don’t charge a speaking fee for recruiting industry conferences. If I ever take the main stage at Dreamforce or CES you’d better believe I’ll make some bank /2
I do, as part of consulting, charge for speaking to corporate groups. /3
Also, more context, I co-founded and ran an industry conference for 7 years . We did not pay speakers. The margins were too thin. /4
We did pay for travel expenses when needed. Speakers also got an extra registration so they could bring a friend or colleague. We thanked our speakers profusely because we knew the sacrifice they were making and the value of the gift they were giving /5
Why don’t I charge for speaking at industry conferences? First, because it’s my little way of giving back. If I have anything worthwhile to speak about, it’s because many many people have helped me and inspired me and I am grateful /6
Second, I don’t charge because speaking at conferences isn’t how I make money. Speaking is - to be frank- a marketing platform for me. I get lots of business by presenting compelling info in an hour-long preso. Leave them wanting more /7
Speaking also lends a certain amount of credibility with my clients and, I get to hone a skill that in turn is very lucrative. And, I get to test new ideas, generate interesting discussion and learn from audiences /8
I work really hard on every presentation - whether it’s a big national conference or a small local gathering. In exchange, I have some expectations/asks of conference organizers /9
Because I am speaking for free, I spend three minutes talking my experience, what I do and @RecruitToolbox (see what I did there) Only 3 minutes - never over do it - for my commercial. The rest is all relevant content /10
I also insist on my own slide design and the freedom to create content however I see fit (within reason of course). I do require paid travel expenses, but because I know how thin the margins are, I’m never a diva about it /11
I sometimes ask for an additional conference pass, or I ask the organizers to leverage their marketing lists by promoting something on my behalf. There is more than one way of getting paid /12
Being asked to do something for the mere payment of “exposure” sucks. Sometimes big companies want me to work for free for the privilege of calling them a client. Ain’t nobody got time for that. But sharing ideas in front of hundreds of colleagues has measurable value /13
Maybe one day I’ll write a book/host a talk show/compose a viral tweet thread that will command big speaking fees. Until then I do it pretty much for the fun of it and to attract business /14
