The Speaker's Hierarchy of Fees
And Level 5 is not just about the money...
⏱ 3-minute read.
1. Level 1: Free 99
I get it.
In “When Should I Speak for Free: Rihanna Has an Answer for Speakers in the Struggle” we identified two career stages when it makes sense to “waive your investment level”:
Rookie - You’re just launching your speaking career and need to get more reps and build a reputation.
Free Agent - You’ve been speaking in one topical area and you want to switch to a second area (i.e., from marketing to mental health).
2. Level 2: “Here’s a Gift Card!” 😀
At this level, the organizer recognizes that you are providing value. Perhaps their budget is small (or non-existent) for speakers. At this stage, the audience is probably smallish (under 50) and the talk may be short (15-30 minutes).
Nevertheless, they see value.
Will Baggett and I went through this phase (Daron = Starbucks card | Will = Chik-fil-A card).
Hovering over this level can be frustrating, but buy yourself some coffee (or waffle fries) and gear up for Level 3.
3. Level 3: Flight + Hotel
Now, we’re getting serious.
There’s a budget for speakers and they’re willing to get you there, put you in a bed, and get you home.
A lot of speakers get frustrated at this level because they’d rather see some of these travel and lodging expenses converted into cash.
Again, I get it.
Just know that you if you deliver at this stage and leave your audience (and event planner) with a good impression, you will get paid.
4. Level 4: Money
You have enough reps and speaking collateral (pics & videos) to command a price in the marketplace.
The #1 Question: How much should I charge?
This topic would take an entire newsletter for me to explore.
Level 4 may seem like it should be the peak, but there’s one more…
5. Level 5: Money + Referral
To create a sustainable speaking business, you gotta have people who are marketing for you when you’re not around.
You want conversations to sound like this:
Event Planner #1: “You have any good speaker recommendations? I have to build out our spring conference in two weeks.” (Sigh…)
Event Planner #2: “We brought Megan Washington in for our fall conference last year and she crushed it. Very easy to work with and does a great job on stage. Want me to tee up an email intro?”
When this referral flywheel starts spinning, you’ll start getting inbound requests from people you’ve never met.
MYM can help you reach that level. This is where the magic happens.
The Mic Drop 🎤
No matter where you fall on the ladder, just know that the only way to build a speaking business is by speaking.
Our “Get Paid to Speak” course shows you, step-by-step, how to go from Level 1 to Level 5.
That’s all for this week, MYM Familia.
One last thing: Have a topic you’d like us to explore in a future newsletter?
We’d ❤ to hear from you. Email your question by clicking here.
Ready to invest in your speaking business?
Schedule a discovery call with our co-founder, Will Baggett, to learn more about our limited 1-on-1 coaching opportunities.
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Take the Stage.
Get Paid.
Buy Your Freedom.
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