Whether you’re just starting your public speaking business or you’re a little more seasoned, it’s very possible that you haven’t been paid to speak publicly. Let’s face it, it’s much easier to source and book free public speaking opportunities. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with free speaking engagements as you build your business, you have decided that it’s time to explore ways to generate multiple steams of income with your public speaking skill set.

1. Perfect your skills

You know you are passionate about an industry or topic. You may have even identified your niche and audience. But being passionate and prepared isn’t enough; you need to make sure you are an excellent public speaker. Consider this step an investment in yourself and your speaking business. By investing in yourself today, you are only helping your public speaking business in the future. This is your opportunity to educate yourself about your craft and develop your messaging and content. Perhaps you want to find some trainings that help you grow your skillset or grow your business. Either way, developing yourself as a public speaking business owner should be high on the priority list.

In addition to perfecting your public speaking skills, you may want to explore your message and mission. Spend some time figuring out your unique value proposition and the best ways to communicate that. This could mean investing in self-help books or seminars, spiritual or mental advisors, or a life coach. The key is to identify your areas for improvement and invest in developing them. Prioritizing and empowering yourself in the beginning could mean a more successful and profitable public speaking business in the future.

2. Train Aspiring Public Speakers

You obviously have the skills, the desire and the knowledge to be a public speaker. Once you have developed your skills and identified your expertise, you can share it with individuals, organizations or businesses that could benefit from your help. I’m sure you have learned a lot while building your business so why not make money teaching others how to achieve success? You can help more junior speakers identify their brand and create content or rehearse speeches with aspiring speakers to make their message more compelling. There are many facets to public speaking, and you know your strengths. To monetize, you need to determine which areas you can provide the most value and connect with aspiring speakers in your industry.

3. Create Relevant Content

Public speaking isn’t just about speaking. Your ultimate goal is to share your knowledge or message with an audience. 2020 alone forced many public speakers to get creative in the way they shared their message. As a business owner, you have to constantly explore ways to get your message out to your intended audience. Creating pertinent, industry related content is an excellent way to relay your message without being face to face. Many public speakers write books, but this takes time. Creating collateral such as podcasts, blog posts or a webinar can provide a regular stream of income while you build your public speaking business.

4. Do Guest Work

While you build your public speaking business, you may want to explore getting paid to do guest work. Whether you’re a guest speaker on an industry-related panel or getting interviewed on a podcast, you can get paid for sharing your message.

This is also an opportunity to get exposure as a public speaker and as an expert in your industry. Brian Olds, founder of Black Speakers Network says, “Doing guest work has been one the most rewarding and successful moves I’ve made to get the BSN name out there.” This is essentially marketing for your business only you’re the one getting paid to do it. It’s a win-win.

5. Market Yourself and Build Relationships

You are an amazing speaker but how will anyone know about your skills if you don’t market yourself? For someone in the beginning stages of their public speaking business, social media is a great place to start. The beauty of social media is the various platforms available to you that provide opportunity for multiple forms of content. Post videos, create hashtags, and build your brand on social media to increase your exposure to your niche market.

In addition to marketing yourself online, you also want to build relationships with people in your industry. If you have done free public speaking work in the past, you may want to check in every so often to see if they have budget for a speaker. You can also attend networking events or webinars that speak to topics in your industry.