The Speaker Lab Podcast

If you're struggling to gain traction or just get started speaking today's guest is here to help.

Dr. Sue Ettinger is a veterinarian who joined one of our programs about a year ago because she wanted to book more speaking gigs. She has been rocking it ever since!

Today we talk about how she finds gigs, why she's still nervous to quote fees, and how The Speaker Lab podcast and our program, Booked and Paid to Speak, have both helped her. We wrap up the show with a valuable teaching/coaching lesson about how to build and expand her brand, it's useful information that will also apply to you.

You're going to get a lot out of today so get ready to take some notes and then join us on episode 146 of The Speaker Lab.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• Why did Dr. Sue become interested in pursuing public speaking?
• What is her long-term goal with speaking?
• How is she landing gigs so consistently?
• How speaking gave her and her family the trip of a lifetime.
• How to begin with the end in mind.
• How to communicate when your audience is two distinct markets.
• Why growing your speaking business really is a marathon, and not a sprint.
• Is it really all about your talks?
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Dr. Sue Ettinger's web site
• Dr. Sue Ettinger on Facebook
• Dr. Sue Ettinger on Twitter
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Whether you are a newcomer or a veteran listener, I'm glad you are here! Thanks for joining us on episode 145 of The Speaker Lab. Today we have THE go-to expert for memberships, Mr. Mike Morrison of The Membership Guys.

As you might imagine, we'll be talking about memberships! We dive into what they are, why they matter and why you as a speaker should pay attention to them. We also cover what memberships should look like, and what tools and tricks of the trade to use when building membership communities and content for those communities.

You're going to like what we have to say today so get ready and join me and Mike Morrison on this edition of The Speaker Lab.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• Are Amazon Prime Video and Netflix examples of membership sites?
• What are the pros and cons of having a membership site?
• Do some topics and industries lend themselves better to memberships?
• Why it's not a "set it and forget it" business model.
• Why you don't have to have the "most stuff" to provide a valuable membership site.
• Can you deliver value just by participating in your community?
• How can you validate your membership idea?
• The early mistakes most people make and how you can avoid them.
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• The Membership Guys web site
• The Membership Guys blog
• The Membership Guys podcast
• Membership Site Academy
• Plugin comparison PDF
• The Membership Guys on Twitter
• Mike Morrison on Twitter
• Will It Fly?, by Pat Flynn
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can you imagine how you'd feel if your first speaking gig was in front of 6,000 people, and Dr. Phil was speaking at the same event? You'll hear how today's guest on The Speaker Lab felt because that's exactly what happened the first time he took the stage as a speaker!

Mitch Joel is an international speaker, author and CEO who works with major companies like Wal-Mart, Google and Starbucks. He joins us for this show to walk us through his early career days, including whether or not he rocked his first gig or he bombed. We also discuss his recommendations for becoming a premiere speaker who charges $10k, $20k or more.

And we wrap up with the three different types of speakers, examples of each and which one you should be if you are a beginning speaker. Tune in for that and so much more on episode 144 of The Speaker Lab.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• What is your content center of excellence, and how do you find it?
• Who are examples of great speakers who have gone from $5k speaking fees up to $50k?
• What is an SME and how can you be one?
• What three criteria must you meet to be considered someone with a "significant platform"?
• How do you know if you are killing it or not as a speaker on stage?
• Why being memorable is better than being funny.
• Do you have to have a large social media following to charge $15k or more as a speaker?
• What is the Louis CK model of public speaking?
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Mitch Joel's web site
• Mitch Joel on Twitter
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you like to record video content but you know your audience is on Facebook, what should you do? Here to answer that question, and so much more about content creation for speakers is our very own Maggie Rowe!

Maggie is a friend of mine and is also a member of the support team at The Speaker Lab. Behind the scenes she's been helping us create our content, including our blog posts, emails and other projects. She's an expert at writing for speakers, and content creation in general.

On this edition of The Speaker Lab Maggie will be sharing how to write your speaking bio, how to create the most impactful titles for your speeches and descriptions as well as how to choose which platform to connect with your audience and why you should meet them wherever they are online. Join us to hear all of those great nuggets from Maggie today on The Speaker Lab!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• Which aspects of your bio are most important?
• What is the cardinal sin most people commit?
• What communicates credibility to a potential decision-maker?
• What are the three aspects necessary for an engaging talk title?
• What should be included in your talk description?
• How important is it to get feedback from your actual target market?
• What is best: to be on a platform you like or a platform your audience uses?
• How often should you communicate with your audience?
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Maggie Rowe's website
• Maggie Rowe on Facebook
• Maggie Rowe on Instagram
• Maggie Rowe on Twitter
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If negotiating your fees has ever been difficult for you our guest will solve that problem today! Liz Saunders is an expert on booking speaking gigs, including how and when to negotiate your fees.

On episode 142 of The Speaker Lab, Liz shares her background as an event coordinator and road manager, and how she created The Tivich Group, an independent booking agency for speakers. She even walks us through a typical sales call for one of her clients, including the all-important fee discussion.

Liz also explains how and when to build your fees around your clients' priorities, and how to know when to lower your fees without shooting yourself in the proverbial foot. Whether you've been booking your own speaking gigs for decades or you're just starting out, Liz's information will be valuable and eye-opening. Join us to hear it all on today's edition of The Speaker Lab.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• Should you do your own bookings when you're starting out?
• What are the pricing clues to listen for in a conversation with a potential client?
• How to transition to talking about your fees.
• What is the most awkward part of the conversation with a potential client?
• How to keep your pricing from being seen as arbitrary.
• Why to shut up after naming your fee!
• What's the one step that has led to many bookings for my business?
• What does her follow up process consist of?
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• The Tivich Group web site
• Negotiate Better Contracts web site
• Liz Saunders on Twitter
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you've ever worried that narrowing your audience and your target market will hurt your speaking business, you'll want to listen to today's guest. Jill Christensen has grown her speaking business by leaps and bounds simply by focusing on one type of audience.

On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, Jill shares how being a member of Booked And Paid To Speak has helped her narrow her target market, why doing so has been tremendously successful for her and her advice for creating that same level of success.

We also talk about why some speakers don't get traction, the importance of hard work and what to do if you find yourself stuck. Check out that and much more on episode 141 of The Speaker Lab with Jill Christensen!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• How did she choose her target audience and create her signature keynote?
• What aspects of her research does she outsource, and why?
• According to Jill what are conference planners really looking for in a speaker?
• Why being a published author really helps grow your business.
• How to make yourself stand out from hundreds of other quality speakers.
• When has she spoken for free, and does she ever now?
• What is the definition of an expert, and how do you know if you are one?
• Why it's important to "pick a lane".
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Jill Christensen's web site
• Jill Christensen on Twitter
• Jill Christensen on LinkedIn
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Could public relations (PR) help you get more speaking gigs? This isn't an area I've paid much attention to but our guest for episode 140 changed my tune. Janet Murray is an author, speaker and PR wizard with 16 years of experience working with publications like The Guardian, The Telegraph and Huffington Post.

On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, Janet joins us to talk about why PR will help you grow your personal brand, your audience and get you more speaking gigs. She also shares her thoughts on quality versus quantity: is it better to be featured in a lot of publications, or a few select outlets?

You'll hear the details on those topics as well as how she started her current work helping entrepreneurs and business owners become featured in the press. Listen in to hear her thoughts plus her lovely British accent on this edition of The Speaker Lab!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• The two ways PR helps your credibility.
• Are high profile media outlets still effective?
• Is it better to write a freelance article, or to be featured by someone else?
• What social media outlets are journalists active on?
• How to do the necessary research before pitching your ideas.
• How much of connecting with the media is based on relationships?
• Should your approach vary depending on the medium?
• Is it better to be in the New York Times or to be in a specialty magazine?
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Janet Murray's website
• Soulful PR, Janet's podcast
• Your Press Release Is Breaking My Heart, by Janet Murray
• Janet Murray on Twitter
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever considered running ads on Facebook, YouTube or Google to get more speaking gigs? If not then you'll reconsider after hearing today's guest, Rick Mulready. Rick is an expert who has been in this world since the days of AOL and dial-up! He's worked with companies like AOL, Yahoo, and Funny or Die.

Today on The Speaker Lab he talks about how this whole online advertising thing works. You'll come away with an understanding of the basics of each online platform, and which is the easiest to start with.

You'll also learn about how to use online advertising to better automate leads on this edition of The Speaker Lab!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• The pros and cons of the different online advertising platforms.
• Are there really over a billion people on Facebook?
• How much should you spend on your ads?
• What are the keys to a successful online advertising campaign?
• Why reverse engineering is necessary when creating your online ads.
• Is YouTube a beneficial place to run ads for your speaking business?
• What is a lead magnet and how do you use it most effectively?
• How to use online advertising to position yourself as an expert.
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Rick Mulready's web site
• Art of Paid Traffic podcast
• Rick Mulready on Twitter
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When you think of improv do you think of sketch comedy, Saturday Night Live or do you think of becoming a better speaker? It can be all of the above! So says our guest for episode 138 of The Speaker Lab, Mike Ganino.

Mike is a former self-proclaimed restaurant guy with an intereste in theatre and in improv. After leaving the restaurant biz he became a consultant and learned to use his improv skills to help his clients become leaders. Soon he found his niche speaking about building organizations for the present and the future, and working with public speakers with Michael and Amy Port.

On today's show we dive deeper into his personal story, as well as how to use improv to improve your speaking skills and why improv doesn't always mean funny. You'll learn about that and more on this edition of The Speaker Lab!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• What is blocking, and why should you avoid it?
• How much improv training should you take?
• Why improv isn't the same as "winging it".
• A few things you can do to practice by yourself.
• What's the only cure for bombing on stage?
• What is the "last word first word" technique?
• Why the time you put into rehearsal is so critical to your success on stage.
• Is improv always funny?
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Mike Ganino's web site
• Mike Ganino on Twitter
• Mike Ganino's Improv For Speakers giveaway
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many of you have been asking about the mastermind I'm in and how to start and run a mastermind of your own. To fill you in on all the details I've gathered the other three members for episode 137 of The Speaker Lab.

On today's show you'll hear from me, Jeff Rose, Bryan Harris and Joe Michael. The four of us will chat about how we got started, what our format is and how we run the group - including our inside jokes! You'll also hear how the group has evolved and changed over the years, what advice we all have if you're not yet in a mastermind but want to be.

I guarantee you a funny, lively and educational conversation so tune in and check it out on episode 137 of The Speaker Lab.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:  

• What is a mastermind exactly?
• How each of us have benefited from being in a mastermind.
• How do you find, form and/or create a group of your own?
• How should you structure your mastermind?
• Is it okay to change your format of your group over time?
• How should you communicate with your mastermind: Slack, retreats, phone calls, or something else?
• What does BAAS stand for and how do you use it?
• How and when to leave a mastermind.
• And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Bryan Harris' web site
• Bryan Harris on Twitter
• Jeff Rose's web site
• Jeff Rose on Twitter
• Joe Michael's web site
• Joe Michael on Twitter
• 7 Proven Steps to Finding And Booking Paid Speaking Engagements
• Get Free Speaker Resources
• Book a Call with The Speaker Lab
• Calculate Your Speaking Fee
• Join The Speaker Lab Community on Facebook
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.