The Secret to Landing Speaking Gigs: What Event Hosts Actually Look For In Speakers

In today’s episode of Community, Kristina is breaking down one of the most common questions she gets: How do I get speaking opportunities at events? 

Tune in to hear how Krisitna gained opportunities to speak at several events through networking and showing up in the right rooms, and why cold-pitching won’t get you far.

If you’ve been dreaming of stepping on stage, growing your authority, and making a bigger impact, this episode is breaking down what event hosts are ACTUALLY looking for in speakers.

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Transcript

Kristina (00:00.822)
Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of Community. It is another solo episode. Trying to get better at doing these on the fly. I get to interview so many cool people and I have so many messages and things that I've been thinking about that I've been taking notes on forever and I just need to start sharing them. So today I'm gonna talk about something that I get asked about all the time and it's actually something that is like a bit of a hot take, a bit of a controversial item and it is about speaking at events.

And why I'm bringing this up is because we run an event twice a year called High Vibe Women. It's an event for entrepreneurial women in Canada. It's the events in Canada, but Americans are welcome. And what we do is we try to build like a lot of community for women to like network and really connect with each other and grow their businesses. Because if you've been listening to this podcast before or you've ever connected with me, you know that the secret sauce to growing our business was really, really about our network. So.

It was we invested early in getting into rooms, getting to know amazing people, getting awesome mentorship, and that really propelled our business so fast. And we made lots of investments. We started before we were ready, and that has been really key to our success. And so with that in mind, this has actually been something that I've been asked to speak on, and I've had the opportunity to kind go to events and speak and do cool stuff.

And with Hive Eye Women, we get a lot of requests from people to speak. Lots of people reach out. They're like, hey, I'd love to be part of this event in some way. Is there a way for me to be a part of it? And they will kind of connect. And I love getting those kinds of messages. But there's a few things that I want people to remember when you're hitting up a host for an event. And I'm going to tell you that I don't believe in my own heart that that is the way to get in on stage.

I know for myself, I've never actually done that before, but we receive probably five or six of these messages every week from people saying, I want to speak at your event. And we always respond back, say, Kai, we have our speakers already selected. We have a bank of speakers, you know, as we meet people, as we hear feedback from attendees, that's how we choose like what topics. immediately when I say, hey, unfortunately, we're we're covered for speakers, but you know, we'd love to see you at the event.

Kristina (02:19.054)
It's like, no, no, I'm busy. I'm too busy to go to the event, right? Or it's not worth it for me or it's too much of a drive or whatever. And I just want to say that one that doesn't leave like a great taste in people's mouths is just like, by the way, but the other thing I'm going to say about it is that if you are too proud or too big to go to an event, you probably shouldn't be speaking at it. And I know that that sounds like nuts because there's so many people out there who are, you know,

like huge celebrity entrepreneurs and maybe they're not going to like, you know, smaller events or whatever that looks like. But if you're in the early stages of trying to get speaking opportunities and, really trying to connect with other people, I would recommend the way to do that is to get in the room. We read hundreds of applications for speakers every, every year, right? Like, you know, our events been growing, it's been awesome, but we read lots of applications. And as we're reading these applications, something that we're really seeing is sometimes the applications kind of miss the mark.

They actually don't know enough about our audience to speak to them. So maybe their message is too advanced. Maybe their message is actually too junior or it's too basic. I don't think it's gonna move the needle for this person who's sitting there. And that's really what I think about when I'm thinking about who's gonna come on stage. When Marie and I are sitting there and like combing through these applications, trying to make more time in the day, we really realize like, okay, like I really, really wanna make sure.

that it's somebody who's gonna move the needle. And if that's the case, they're actually usually someone who's been to our event or we've seen speak somewhere else. And so that is really important for you to know is that, not for just high vibe women, but if you're looking to go to events or you're looking to speak at events, going to them is really important and getting to know the host. So I spoke a ton in 2024. I did a keynote. I spoke on a ton of panels. I went to Dallas a bunch of times to speak.

I'm trying to think everywhere. felt like I was everywhere. spoke in a bunch of places in Canada. I hosted a whole bunch of my own events. So lots and lots of speaking. And I spoke in Orlando at Entrepreneesa. So lots of really cool opportunities came my way, and I loved them. And I was really grateful for them. And a lot of them, I'm just going to break down for you how I got them and really what was the way that these things kind of fell on my lap. So the first thing is networking. And you've listened to me say this before. Your network is your net worth.

Kristina (04:41.324)
I really feel like I've made connections that have paid me for years and years and years and not in cash, right? Like in opportunities, in introductions, those have been really great. joining Masterminds, being connected with people, like a lot of the people, and I've quoted this before, Lori always says, don't worry about the people on stage, worry about the people you're coming up with. And that couldn't be more true because you get these amazing people who are awesome.

And you get the chance to be like, okay guys, like what is the scoop? Like, you know, what are you working on? How do we support it? And we rally for each other. So actually a lot of our speakers are people that we've known in other masterminds. and a lot of the opportunities I've gotten to speak have been because I've been in other masterminds. So a friend's putting on a vent and they need a buddy. They have a podcast launch, they want me to come. Like that's kind of the thing that happens. And then you actually start to build that social proof of like, I'm a speaker, right? And so,

Networking has been the biggest thing and the other thing has been going to events and meeting people, right? So you sit next to someone at an event, you talk about what you're good at. I recently just got asked to speak at an event I was so excited about, but I will be quite pregnant at that time, so I can't fly. So it was just stuff like that where, you know, it totally came out of nowhere, which was amazing. And these opportunities come out of nowhere, but really just having those conversations is so crucial. And so going to events is a great way for you to be meeting with people, following up with people and going to, you know, your friends' events. That's a big thing.

I'm always so amazed by how many of my friends buy tickets to our events. And I'm always a little like, don't buy a ticket. I'm nervous now that you're going to be there. But some of my best entrepreneur friends are at every single one of our events. They're the first people who are always rallying for us, are always connecting for us. And so with that in mind, really going to events, supporting people, and asking people, how can I be of service? I've had that happen before where I'm like, how can I be of service? People are like, could you do this panel? And I'm like, yeah, totally. Last minute, could you do this? Of course.

And I've also done other things for friends, right? Where it's like I've emceed something for them or you you can think of different ways that you're able to really connect with people. The other thing too is that if you are really trying to get into speaking, you know, maybe even hosting some of your own mini events. And so what that could look like is, you know, maybe it's like a little like panel that you're hosting with some food like, you know, for 30 or 40 people.

Kristina (06:57.294)
get lots of photos, get lots of video, but like, it doesn't have to be a huge 200 person event, right? We know this, our first event had 100 people, our second one has 150. Now we're going on to our third 150 person event. Like we're really excited about it, but it doesn't have to be that big. And actually sometimes the magic is those smaller rooms. So if you're like, okay, I have a message on my heart and I really want to talk about it and I know people want to listen to it. That's also really key is like whatever you're talking about, you want to have like a really compelling message. Really making sure that

You could set something up for yourself as long as people are interested in the topic. Which leads me to my other point, which is that you should kind of be known for something, right? So often when I get asked to speak on something, it's really about community. So it's either I'm talking about building community online, I'm talking about in person, I'm talking about social, I'm talking about podcasting. Like I kind of talk about the same things over and over again. Even I did a keynote this year and the person messaged me and they were like, can you talk about content? Like how to create like viral content? And I was like, no, I can't.

And can I? Yes, but it's so far from my message that I and actually don't like love virality. So it's just it's not worth it for me to talk about anything to get on stage. So really having that finessed message will be helpful for you to be able to get those speaking opportunities, right? So someone's like, I'm looking for someone who's gonna talk about community. I want to be the first person anyone thinks about. I want to be the first person that someone's like, yeah, yeah, that's great. Or I'm looking for someone to talk about podcasting, Christina. Christina knows what she's doing. So think about that as a way to do it.

The other thing that I've done is I have applied to speak places. So when speaking opportunities come up, I'm not too shy to be like, hey, I'm going to put my name in the ring and see what happens. I have been rejected from speaking, right? Like I have been accepted to speak. I'll give you an example. recently applied to something I kind of thought was a slam dunk and didn't get accepted. And I was like, that's interesting. And I emailed it. I just asked for feedback. said, thanks so much.

What's the feedback? They're like, we have so many people who can talk about social that we actually don't need anybody else. And I was like, fair enough, right? That was really helpful. It wasn't about me. It wasn't about my speaking. Even though I had some greater opportunities that I was able to leverage, it wasn't really about me. And so being able to use that as like, OK, don't be afraid or too proud to ask for feedback. You'll be surprised. So even with high-five women, rarely do people ask us for feedback on their applications. And so many times I wish people would because I could be like, actually, it's

Kristina (09:21.558)
It actually wasn't about the fact that you already had some with your topic. Maybe you need to finesse your message more. This isn't clear. This isn't the right audience for this. And really being able to help people with that. The other piece I'm gonna say too is that when you get speaking opportunities or you wanna speak about something, a great place for you to start is just going on podcasts. Being somebody who talks about this topic often, become a thought leader in what it is that you're talking about. So you want it to be something that you're like, okay, I want people to know that I know about this.

and then people are excited to learn from me. And you want a lot of social proof around that. So whether that be clips on social, you know, if you're ever speaking anywhere, getting a lot of photos, making sure that's out there. I've had people in my life who have spoken at events and they bring their own videographer, no shade. Like honestly do it, bring somebody there that's gonna capture what you're doing to build that authority and that social proof. And the last thing is I'm gonna say is you wanna build a reputation as a great speaker.

That is not only what happens on stage, right? So you wanna be well prepared, you wanna be excited, you wanna make sure you're timely. Like that's a big one. I have some people on my list I will never ask to speak again because of the amount of time they took up was way more than I was expecting. And that was a very respectful of the schedule, right? So you start to think about those types of things. Like what are things that are important to you? And how do you show up well? Something that I really live by is I like to try to add value. Like that is my thing. So.

I will always go to the host of the event and how can I have the most value? And they'll be like, okay, can you do this session? Could you help me pack swag bags on the Friday night? They're like, would you mind doing this? Can you come to the VIP day? I'm never too proud to really do much. So I am always happy to help however I can because I want this to be a success. But the other thing is I will always ask like, what are you looking for most right now with your event? Of course I'll help you sell it. Of course I'll send it to my email list. Of course I'm going to do all of that. But what are you looking for the most? And I've been surprised about how I've been able to help people sometimes where

it's a swag bag option. They're looking for something to go in a swag bag. And I have an awesome partner who's looking to get into more stuff. And maybe it's, hey, I'm looking for somebody. I had one, this was like a total fluke, I had a friend. I actually, she's a friend now, but I had reached out and I had applied to speak at our event. I got accepted. And her and I were chatting and I said, what can I do to add the most value to you? And she was like, I'm kind of looking for like a banger keynote. And I said, great. And she's like, do you like having ideas? I was like, yeah, I can think on it.

Kristina (11:42.434)
And then I was like, who are some of your dream keynotes? And the dream keynote, said, was a friend of mine. And I was able to make a connection and my friend went and spoke at the event for free. Right? So don't be afraid to ask, like, you how can I have the most value? You might not be able to do much, but I have always been the most enamored by people who like apply to speak on our events, get accepted. They're posting their stories. They're showing up. They're sending the emails. They're codes being used.

That is the way I'm, even if their code's not being used, but they're showing up and they're talking about it often, that is like the most I can ask for. And so I think as much as you can, be a gracious speaker. Like show up, be great, and then people are gonna be like, even if you never speak at that event again, they'll see you be gracious, or they'll have somebody else who will be like, I'm looking for a speaker. They're like, I had a great experience with Christina, and I'm gonna make a connection for you.

So really when you're thinking about getting into speaking, this has been such a new territory for me. I've always kind of been into speaking. I've always had little stuff. We've been running our own events kind of for a few years now, but now kind of getting out there in the world and speaking in other spaces has been so amazing. Like has been so, so tremendous, but it also has come with a lot of learnings as well as, you know, choosing speakers and learning from that as well. So I just wanted to give you guys kind of the like 411 on that. lot of people asked me how I kind of got into getting some speaking opportunities.

things I would try. And also the things I wouldn't do, right? Which is I wouldn't be like cold DMing people and not going to events. You have to meet people. You have to. Like it's like socials being social, going to events. You want to see what's going on. And honestly, I've been so impressed by the people who come to our events and then they have a really amazing experience. you know, and then the next event they're speaking on stage. We've had people who've been to all of our events and they're coming up on their first speaking opportunity, right? Like it comes with time. And so

Again, really showing that commitment, showing that commitment to the community is so important. And I just wanted to share that with you. So I wish you all the best in all of your speaking endeavors and whatever that is that you look for or are looking for. But let me know what resonated with you, what you're going to try, and your dream stage. I would love to know your dream stage.