Promoting Your Speaker*
You've Found the Right Speaker, Now Fill
the Room!
Chances are, the reason most of our attendees renew their
dues each year is because they can't afford not to. Organizations
like NABFEME provide the networking and educational tools
people need to be successful, and much of this dynamic takes
place at meetings.
The importance of finding the right speaker
to facilitate the learning process can't be overestimated,
but promoting your speaker once you've found them is just
as critical. Here are some tips from the National Speakers
Organization (NSA) on how to build excitement and registration
numbers once your have found the perfect speaker for your
group.
Tantalizing Titles
Get off to a strong start by assuring the session has a catchy
title, advises Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) Chris
Clarke-Epstein. "Start with a short, spiffy and clever
title followed by a subtitle that explains the benefit of
the session."
Successful brochures contain titles that capture attention
but also immediately answer the question, "so what?"
The subtitle should contain phrases such as "how to,"
"10 tips," "master five steps," etc. For
example, here is a title from one of Clarke-Epstein's presentations:
Whatever Happened to Ward, June, Wally and the Beave? Learn
How to Manage Change Creatively.
Most importantly, make sure the session
matches the description. "Hold speakers responsible for
delivering what they promise," says Clarke-Epstein.
Work Your Web Site and Create a Buzz
with E-Mail
Familiarity breeds attendance, and your organization's Web
site is a great tool to introduce your speaker to your potential
audience. NSA member Jeff Blackman, JD, CSP, offers the following
tips to help you make the most your organization's technologies.
E-mail is another easy and inexpensive way
to promote your event and your speaker. Use it to remind your
attendees to register. Send them links to information and
online registration forms. Generate a pre-program buzz by
sending an e-mail questionnaire to your attendees. The responses
should go to the speaker, who can reveal the findings during
the presentation. Add a personal touch by having the presenter
send a "welcome" message to each of your attendees.
Word of Mouth
One of the best ways to promote your speaker is to get other
attendees talking about them, according to professional speaker
and former Olympian Vincent Poscente. Find out where your
speaker is going to be presenting between the time when you
hire them and when they will be presenting for your group.
Invite attendees of your board of directors or event committee
to see the presentation when your speaker is in their city.
Consider having the speaker address your
chapters. Often, a speaker will negotiate fees when you book
them for a number of presentations. Chapter newsletter editors
often need additional material for their newsletters, so look
into submitting an article on or from your presenter. Send
them flyers to distribute at local meetings. Chapters are
often the heart of an organization; so don't overlook their
potential to spread the word about your presenter.
The Write Stuff
Chances are your speaker may have written many articles on
the subject at hand. You can also ask the speaker to craft
a customized article for your group or have a member of your
staff conduct an interview. Not only do these articles make
a great addition to your organization's publication; they
might also be a good fit for the publications of other industry-related
organizations you are building relationships with. Provide
links to the articles on your Web site as well. This builds
the speaker's credibility and offers value-added information
for your attendees.
If your speaker is published, use the speaker's
book to build excitement for the presentation. You can give
attendees the book when they register. For added panache,
have a book waiting to greet attendees in their hotel room
along with a welcome letter from your president. "Books
can even be personalized…depending on the size of the
group," says Blackman.
The Media: Get Ready
Gather everything you need to promote your speaker to the
media. Request that the speaker provide you with photos. They
can be black & white or color, either headshots or action
shots. Have the photo scanned and saved as a TIFF file. For
Web publishing, 72 dots per inch will be fine. For print,
save the image at 300 DPI.
The speaker should also provide you with a short biography
and a brief write-up on the program including key points,
what the attendees will learn and why the he or she is qualified
to speak on the topic.
Prior to the event, send a short news release to the calendar
editors at local daily newspapers and industry-related publications.
Invite key editors to attend the event and make sure they
get a copy of the program and other promotional materials.
Contact local print and broadcast media to arrange interviews
for your speaker and your key organization leaders.
The Media: Get Set
Find out when your speaker is going to arrive and when they
are available for interviews. Keep a close eye on the news
the week of your event. Is there a way to tie your speaker's
expertise into a current news peg? For instance, if your speaker's
area of expertise is technology, perhaps they can talk about
the latest hacking scandal. If you want local media to cover
the speech, you must determine the news angle and pitch it
hard. Think about what events would generate good photos or
visuals for television cameras. Make follow-up calls to make
sure the journalists have the information you sent them. Find
out if the speaker has a publicist or PR firm and if so, partner
with them on generating publicity. You want to get exposure
for your organization as well as the event, so give your speaker
some short key messages to prepare them to discuss your group.
The Media: Go!
On the day of the event, messenger packages to key media.
Write a media alert telling them who, what, when, where and,
most importantly, why their audience needs to know about your
event and your speaker. Add some goodies such as the speaker's
book, a video, a program and your organization's press kit
and stuff it all in an attractive portfolio, preferably one
with your organization's logo.
Finally, be prepared for the media when they arrive on site.
Have one of your staff or a trusted volunteer free to squire
them around. Introduce them to the subjects they need for
interviews. Have a good place in mind to conduct the interviews
and take photos--try to get your organization's name or logo
in the background.
The Party's Over
Professional speakers know that a program is not a one-time
event, but an ongoing process. They will often offer to send
an e-mail to attendees with some value-added links to additional
information. Your attendees should be able to benefit from
the presentation long after it is over, and your organization
should continue to gain exposure as well. Look for anecdotes
from your attendees about how they were touched or motivated
by the session. How do they plan to implement what they have
learned? Select the best photos and combine them with after-the-event
news releases for ongoing exposure.
*Courtesy
of National Speakers Association
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