Why they’ll pay others $10,000 to speak (but not you)

Find Your Superpower newsletter 095

Read time: 5 minutes

Topics covered: Public speaking, monetizing your brand, personal branding

I know lots of industry experts who secretly (or openly) want to be paid to speak.

The kind where an event organizer approaches them saying:

"Hey, my CEO would like you to keynote at our annual event. Our budget for this talk is $10,000. Is that OK for you?"

Now wouldn’t that feel great.

It would be hugely validating.

It would surely feel good.

It would also be their way of giving back to their community and creating impact in their industry niche.

But here’s the sad truth: most industry experts will never be paid thousands to speak on stage at a commercial or corporate event.

Hold on, hold on.

I know what you’re going to say next.

"But Juliana, I don’t care about the money, I just want to create impact. I just want to spread my ideas and help others."

How did I read your mind?

If that was your answer, you’re unfortunately missing the point.

Because you haven’t solved the mystery as to why the event organizer, with their sizeable speaking budget, is always:

• Inviting the same old 5-10 speakers and paying them whatever they ask for (typically $10-25K per talk) and sometimes bending over backwards to accommodate their packed schedule including shifting the conference dates for them
• Perpetually scratching their head and brainstorming who "can speak" when you definitely "can speak"
• Booking someone from overseas at an incredible expense, flying them into town in business class and putting them in expensive accommodation (on top of their eye-popping speaker fees) 

When all this time, your calendar is wide open, you cost a fraction of any of them (actually, what they don’t know is that for the right audience you’d be willing to speak for free), and you live literally 30 minutes away from the conference venue?

Why, amidst all of these obstacles, are event organizers not making the obvious choice?

Let me help you understand why this is happening, at the root of the problem.

I really hope this gives you a lightbulb moment today.

1/ There is currently no demand for your ideas

Let me rip off the Band-Aid here: if the organizer pays you $10,000 to speak, will your presence at their event lead to $30,000 in ticket sales?

Most industry experts don’t think that far.

They may think to themselves: "I value my experience and expertise at $10,000 to the event."

But is it really? Event organizers are running businesses, not charities. They need speakers who are draws, not just experts.

To do: How do you increase demand for your speaking and coaching services? If 1,000s of people want to hear you speak, event organizers will be bending over backwards to book you to speak.

2/ You do not have a signature message

Yes, you may be a respected industry elder.

Yes, you may be well-liked by your peers.

But what are you going to teach us today that is exciting and refreshing, that we haven’t already heard before?

So many leadership coaches talk about the "importance of leadership." So many finance coaches talk about the "importance of investing."

Oh please! What exactly do you champion? We still don’t know.

Event organizers need to know what you stand for. Without a signature message, they won’t be risking their keynote spot (and possibly their jobs) on you.

To do: Create a signature message that allows you to stand out from the crowd. What novel, disruptive, unique idea do you have that is highly relevant today and applicable to a large group of people?

3/ You do not have an offer ladder 

Industry experts who have high-ticket offers like consulting services, 1:1 coaching, corporate workshops and of course, that elusive keynote speech, need to create something called an offer ladder. 

An offer ladder is a series of offers, starting from a free offer, all the way to a high-ticket offer.

Yes, you may occasionally write some LinkedIn posts. Yes, you may (in rare cases) even have a weekly newsletter. But other than that, it’s crickets.

If you’re a coach or speaker, then where are the video reels of you speaking persuasively and convincingly?

Low-ticket offers like a book (that shares your signature message) and mid-ticket offers like an affordably priced workshop are key to bringing your stakeholders along on a journey of increasing value with you.

To do: Create an offer ladder that organically builds a relationship with your potential clients and helps them to know you, like you, trust you and, finally, book you. As their trust and interest in you grows, so will their budget $$$!

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My friend, I teach all of this in my Brand Builder Mastermind.

This is my last call for my March 2025 intake, which is already 90% full for the month. 

We will close by midnight today (Sunday, March 23, 23:59 GMT+8). 🚨

Once onboarded, your Mastermind subscription will launch in April 2025.

I look forward to welcoming you into our rocketship.

To your speaking success,
Juliana

PS: Here’s what happens when you join my 12-month virtual Brand Builder Mastermind: You’ll gain clarity on how to create demand for your speaking, coaching and consulting services, craft your signature message that clients will pay to hear, and build an offer ladder that makes decision makers come to you.