Pitch Yourself to Meeting Professionals – Part 2

In Part 1, we talked about when to pitch and how to pitch to Meeting pros. Let’s talk about what your initial email pitch should contain.

Initial Pitch Content
In your initial email pitch, keep it brief. Use the subject line, “Speaker Inquiry”. In the body of the message: “My name is______________, your business title. I found your “name of their event” while researching events”. Share what you genuinely like about their mission, their event, and then say, “I wondered if you are looking for speakers for your events?” Remember to proof your email before sending to make sure you’ve spelled the contact person’s name correctly and your spelling and grammar are spot on throughout the email. You don’t get a second chance at a first impression.

Go to LinkedIn and connect with them in a personal message, and if possible, seek a warm introduction by checking ang 1st degree connections.

Track the activity with each of your contacts on an excel sheet or your contact management software. Your consistent follow-up will show your dedication to serving their organization.

Don’t lose hope or give up. It may take 5 – 11 touches or more, but even if they are booked for this event, offer your services for future events or if someone cancels.

Remember, every step of the way, speaker coordinators are evaluating your professionalism. Stretch out your touch points, so you can deepen the relationship. If your initial pitch is too long, it will get deleted. To minimize this from happening, break your communication points into small sound bites…one key point per email.

Most Importantly When Pitching
Think about your contact’s audience/ members. What do you know that could be helpful to your contact’s audience? Capture the essence of these comments in your communications and you’ll increase your chances of booking a speaking engagement.

Equally important is to ask yourself, “What actions (improvements, changes of behavior, increased revenue, minimize liabilities, etc.) does the speaker coordinator want for their audience derived from your presentation? Answer that question in your communications and you are likely to get an opportunity to speak to their audience.

In Part 3, we will learn 5 great subject lines you can try the next time you pitch yourself as a guest speaker, as well as, What Speaker Resources you need to prepare beforehand.

There is a lot to prepare to become a successful speaker. If you’d like a proven path to speaking success, join us at Engaging Speakers learn from those who have travelled the road ahead of you and won. Check out Engaging Speakers at https://engagingspeakers.com/

Gail Brown, Founder of Engaging Speakers, gail@engagingspeakers.com