Hey Fam,
If you’ve been grinding away trying to land more paid speaking gigs and it feels like an uphill battle, I’ve got you. The good news? A few small shifts can make a huge difference in how often you get booked — and for how much.
Here are 3 simple shifts that can help you start landing higher-paying speaking gigs faster:
Shift #1: Stop Selling a Speech — Start Selling a Solution
Most speakers pitch their talk like a product: “I have a great keynote on leadership!” But event planners don’t book speeches — they book solutions to problems their audience is facing.
✅ Instead of saying: “I give motivational talks on leadership,”
Try: “I help organizations reduce leadership turnover by teaching teams how to foster resilience and retention.”
Make it crystal clear how your talk solves a real challenge for their audience. When you do this, you become a must-have, not a nice-to-have.
👉 Action Step: Rewrite your speaker bio and program descriptions to focus on outcomes, not just content.
Shift #2: Ditch the Mass, Cold Emails — Start Building Real Relationships
If you’re sending out cold emails that say, “I’d love to speak at your event” and hearing crickets — you’re not alone. Event planners get hundreds of those emails. What works better? Relationships and referrals.
✅ Start by engaging with event organizers, association leaders and ideal clients in your industry.
✅ Instead of pitching right away, build a relationship — comment on their LinkedIn posts, attend their events or share a valuable resource first.
✅ When you do reach out, make it about them and their audience — not just you.
👉 Action Step: Make a list of 10 event decision-makers and start engaging with them before ever sending a pitch.
Shift #3: Raise Your Fees — And Stop Negotiating Against Yourself
One of the fastest ways to get taken more seriously as a speaker? Charge more.
✅ Research the market rates for speakers in your niche (most professional speakers charge $5K–$15K+ per talk).
✅ Instead of asking, “What’s your budget?”, confidently state your fee and pause. If they push back, share a key stat or ROI insight that demonstrates the value you bring — helping them see the investment as a smart decision.
✅ If they ask for a lower rate, add value instead of lowering your price: offer your book for each attendee, a VIP workshop, Q&A session or an extra training.
👉 Action Step: When the time is right, increase your speaking fee by at least 20% and see how decision-makers respond. You may be surprised.
Final Thought
When you start positioning yourself as a problem solver, focus on relationships over cold pitches and confidently charge what you’re worth, your speaking business will change. Fast.
Let me know which of these shifts you’re going to focus on first — I’d love to hear! Hit reply or connect with me on LinkedIn and let’s talk about it.
Until next time, keep owning that stage!
Celebrating your success,
Coach Tay