1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 The speaking industry looks glamorous from the outside. Stages. Standing Ovations. Photos. Travel. Behind the scenes, there are very different types of speaking opportunities and not all of them build a real speaking business. In this episode, Sean breaks down the four types of speaking engagements: • Free gigs • Speak to sell • Pay to play • Paid keynote engagements Most importantly, how to decide which lane you want to build your career in. If you’ve ever wondered: • Should I speak for exposure? • Is pay to play worth it? • Can you really make more money speaking to sell? • How do I position myself as a paid keynote speaker? This episode answers it directly. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Intro &amp;amp; Why the Speaker World Looks Glamorous 01:00 – The Four Types of Speaking Gigs 02:00 – The Truth About Free Speaking Engagements 03:00 – “Exposure” vs. Paying Your Bills 04:00 – Speak To Sell Explained 05:00 – Why Some Speakers Swear By It 06:00 – The Hidden Downsides of Pitch Fest Events 06:30 – Pay To Play: What It Really Means 07:30 – The Risk And Reward Of Paying For Stage Time 08:30 – Why I Only Choose Paid Speaking 09:00 – If You Look Like A Free Speaker, You Attract Free Gigs 09:30 – Matthew McConaughey And Breaking Positioning 11:00 – Repositioning Yourself As A Paid Speaker 12:00 – Keynotes vs. Breakout Sessions 13:00 – Speaking As A Marketing Tool 14:00 – Why I Avoid The “Run To The Back Of The Room” Model 15:00 – Relationship Building vs. One And Done Gigs 15:30 – Leveraging Introductions Instead Of Pitching 16:30 – Choosing Your Speaker Lane 17:00 – What’s Coming In Episode 6 In This Episode, You’ll Learn: • The real difference between free, low fee, pay to play, and premium gigs • Why exposure rarely pays the bills • The business model behind speak to sell events • The financial math of pay to play stages • How to stop attracting free speaking requests • Why positioning determines what you attract • The importance of choosing your lane intentionally • How to build long term relationships instead of chasing transactions The Core Lesson If you position yourself as a free speaker, you will attract free gigs. If you pay to speak, you will attract pay to play opportunities. If you position yourself as a paid keynote authority, you will begin attracting paid keynote engagements. The market responds to how you position yourself. Choose your lane. Then build toward it. Resources Mentioned No BS No Fluff Guide To Get Booked To Speak - https://bit.ly/getbookedtospeakguide No BS No Fluff Guide To Podcast Marketing - https://bit.ly/podcastmarketingbook Booked &amp;amp; Paid Speaker Blueprint - https://bit.ly/BookedPaidSpeakerBlueprint Email: Sean@TheSuccessCorps.com If this episode helped you: ✔ Subscribe ✔ Leave a review ✔ Share it with another speaker Next Episode: Marketing and Visibility and How to Position Yourself as the Expert Event Planners Want to Hire. See you in Episode 6! Booked &amp; Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast https://sites.libsyn.com/294467 <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/40246565/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/200673820