Don’t wait, do this:
- Develop authority in your niche and be public about what you’re working on. Be active on social media, write for blogs, etc.
- Have 2-3 talk proposals prepared with attractive titles and a description of what people will learn in 3-5 bullets.
- Get a high quality recording of a talk you’ve done; if you don’t have it, it’s easy to record yourself these days.
- Identify all the events you want to speak at. Make a list.
- Take note on which events open a public call for speakers. There’s a lot of them. Apply.
- For events that don’t call for speakers–don’t pitch yourself cold, there’s a very low chance of success. Instead:
- Identify the organizers. Start engaging with them on social, and get yourself on their radar. Events book speakers 6-12 month in advance. You can’t ask to speak at an event that takes place 2 months from now.
- See who is speaking at an event you want to speak at. Know anyone? If so, ask that person to put in a good word for you. Look at past lineups to identify people you know.
- You get more invitations to speak at events once you get on the stage, and you speak well. Event organizers are constantly exchanging notes (e.g. I regularly check in about speakers with Oli Gardner, Andre Morys, Andy Crestodina, Ton Wesseling, etc.)