book, Online Video

How Do I Get Paid to Speak About Online-Video Marketing?

16 Comments

Hey, readers. I like to share on this blog, and not ask you for help. But I’ll be damned if I’m not stuck.

I’ve been speaking at industry conferences and corporations, but haven’t figured out how to get paid. Now that I have a book contract with Wiley (tentatively named “Beyond Viral Video: Online Marketing Strategies and Tactics”), I believe I can fetch $5-$15K to speak at companies or events. Heck- I’ve seen my former employers pay $50K for some dopey book author who gave a generic powerpoint for an hour. I’ve got unique knowledge as a marketer and most-viewed YouTube guy, and I love informing, engaging and entertaining audiences.

Here’s my credentials page I just wrote up (it’s pretty compelling so click here and memorize it). Would appreciate any tips on how to have someone else market or represent me… ideally someone that’s the “go to” firm for corporations needing specialized marketing skills.

I’m not right for a motivational-speaking firm, but maybe one that companies go to when they need to experts on specific topics like mine (emerging media, video marketing, social media, etc.). For that matter, I’d like to start charging conferences (which I know is tough unless you’re a former CEO or celebrity). Conferences are a nice chance to network and build street credibility, but I’m doing 4 conferences in the next week from Nevada to Canada, and giving away free tips about online-video marketing… Would be nice to get some cash for the time it takes. The free airfare and hotel are nice, but they don’t cover the mortgage.

And just look at that face? Don’t you just want to pay this guy to get your company jazzed and informed about emerging media, online video, social media, and marketing!?

Killer Emerging-Media Marketing Speaker & Evangalist
Killer Emerging-Media Marketing Speaker & Evangalist

16 thoughts on “How Do I Get Paid to Speak About Online-Video Marketing?”

  1. Wow, Kevin. I’d pay you $20K to come talk to my corporation. Oh wait- that’s more than our annual sales. Never mind.

  2. Hi Kevin,

    Here are a few thoughts:

    1. You should get a speaker’s bureau to represent you. They can get you booked all over the place and try to place you in relevant opportunities.

    2. You need a video of your speaking so people can see what they’d get. Check out this speaking page for ideas: http://www.un-marketing.com/blog/speaking/

    3. You should have a PDF of your credentials and pretty face so that people can print it out and put it on their boss’s desk (since bosses don’t use the internet).

    4. You should settle on a fee that you’d like and be consistent with it and put it on your speaking page. Talk to an agent first though or someone that knows more than me.

    5. Create a couple sample presentations and put them up on slide share and add those links to your speaking page.

    Hope that helps and good luck!

  3. Morgan- BIG help. I’ll turn that webpage into a PDF, and videotape my next speaking gigs. I have no clue how to approach a speaker’s bureau that would know this space…

  4. Yeah, the speaker’s bureau is a hard one. One thought is to talk to the one’s that rep the social media people and see what they think about the video space (like it or not we get lumped in w/social a lot these days by the general public). Here’s a post by Shel Israel on his experience to-date with the bureaus – could be a decent starting point. Beyond that I’m clueless. Good luck!

    http://redcouch.typepad.com/weblog/2009/07/why-i-chose-five-star-as-my-speaker-bureau.html

  5. I want to get paid to NOT speak at an event. I think it would be a good investment for the company because I would just lie to them anyways.

  7. I think you would get more interest if you didn’t list a video called “Farting in Public” as one of your main accomplishments.

    I’ll pay you a thousand bucks if you and Spencer and the hamster come hang out with me one afternoon. Alex isn’t invited.

  9. Sure. I’ll throw in an additional $500 for each WVFF back row denizen.

    How sad is this? I’m talking about buying friends.

  10. Have you tried approaching Youtube and other social media sites to speak to businesses on their payroll? Not as a salesman, but–whatever it is you do (with, perhaps, a tiny bias since they’re paying you). I’d think it’d be valuable to them, because you’re not just informing them on how to utilize social media sites to their benefit, you’re also hyping up the medium, which can only be a good thing for them.

  14. I’ll give you a dollar if you fly to my house and ring the doorbell and say, “Hi, this is UncleNalts!”

    Will you do it? Huh? Huh? Huh? Will you?

  15. In this economy, I don’t see a lot of companies paying thousands for “just speaking.” Maybe at one time, but not anymore…

    Is there a hands-on workshop you could develop? A program or session, at the end of which, attendees have something tangible they can use, like a viral video for their brand, or an online campaign, or the skills to create one?

    $15K should buy more than a talk… You’re a dynamic, intelligent, HIGHLY creative guy… Brands need you to show them cool stuff, not just tell ’em.

    I have several ideas on how you could make it work, even when you’re NOT working… You call me sometime, we’ll have a nice chat, yes? Yes. Good.

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