You spend hours searching for contact information for event organizers across the nation. Maybe you even buy an email list so you can quickly have access to hundreds of potential clients.

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You think: “Jackpot! I’ll write a thoughtful and insightful email to all of these meeting planners—and they’ll absolutely want to hire me!”

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Your fingers start to fly on the keyboard as you type up a charming, persuasive, and informative email. You introduce yourself, share the topics you speak about, and attach your dazzling speaker reel in the P.S. (this is sure to win them over).

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After you give it one last read-through and make last-minute edits, you hit send. Swoosh.

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Now you wait.

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And wait.

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And wait.

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Why This Almost Always Fails

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If you’ve ever tried this approach—and, let’s be honest, most of us have—you know that 99.9% of the time, it fails.

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Why? Because meeting planners get hundreds of unsolicited emails from speakers who are the “perfect fit” for their upcoming event—every single week. Your carefully crafted, thoughtful pitch? Well, it’s drowning in that sea of messages.

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Even if you pour hours and hours into personalizing, editing, and revising flawless emails to send to each meeting planner, you may get just a 1% open rate—if you’re lucky.

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Even then, this type of cold outreach rarely leads to a gig. Why? Because meeting planners don’t find keynote speakers in their inboxes. They get them from referrals.

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In Michael Port and Andrew Davis’s book, The Referable Speaker, they say “the top three ways meeting planners secure their speakers is by referral.” These referrals come mostly from speakers, other meeting planners, and other people in their organization—including editors.

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Full Transcript

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At HEROIC, speakers don’t just learn how to craft ovation-worthy speeches and perform them majestically onstage—they also learn how to maximize their speaking potential and master the business side of speaking.

Stop Bombarding Event Planners. Befriend Editors Instead.

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Instead of bombarding event planners with emails and chasing single gigs, here’s a smarter approach to filling your speaking pipeline and developing relationships—specifically with editors. This approach focuses on building a mutually beneficial network, one that can sustain your speaking business for years to come.

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You see, editors are invaluable resources for speakers. Specifically, editors that work at magazines (and host events). It’s often easy to find them with a quick google search for popular magazines in your subject area. Both online and print magazine editors are fantastic options.

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Editors are particularly interesting because first off, they don’t generally get a lot of attention from speakers. Plus, most are extremely well connected. And their publications and associations often have events—and they have enormous influence over who speaks at those events.

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Best of all, they’re constantly looking for fresh perspectives and expertise to feature—both in print and potentially onstage. What’s more, editors know as much—if not more—about the industry and audience you’re targeting than pretty much anyone.

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So who better to refer you to event organizers than an editor?

Don't

send unsolicited sales emails to every event organizer on planet Earth.

find editors who work in your area of interest—and offer value to them.

One very popular association within the Mergers and Acquisitions space is the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). I was first connected to ACG’s corporate office in 2018 and met with the editor of a publication called Middle Market Growth. That connection led to writing an article and being featured on their podcast in 2019.

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From there, I was invited to participate in their National Conference, first as a moderator of a panel in 2019, and then as a full-fledged panelist in 2022. Since then, I’ve spoken at five of the ACG Chapters across the nation, which has further raised my awareness in the space.

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This strategy takes time—it doesn’t happen overnight. But results do come. Rather than just landing one gig, this strategy helps you become a referable speaker and a trusted partner in your target industry.

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Here’s how you can apply it in your speaking business:

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Compile a list of three to five editors.

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First, find editors who work in your area of interest. Start small—create a list of just three to five editors you’ll target who serve your industry. Ideally, you’ll choose editors who cover topics that you could write for.

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For example, I work in Mergers and Acquisitions, so I have targeted editors who have change management as an area of interest. If I were to widen my approach, or if I were just starting out, then I would also look for editors who are a little higher up, like change management in Fortune 500 companies or change management for tech startups, or the like.

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Identify gaps you could fill.

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Time to think about what you’re going to say to the editors on your list. And forget about selling yourself as a speaker. Your goal is not to just book one gig, but rather, position yourself as a valuable resource for their readers—and for them. This will help you build a relationship that leads to much more than just one gig.

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So instead of suggesting yourself as the next best speaker for their upcoming event, review their recent content and identify gaps you could fill. Get a feel for their writing style and brainstorm topics that you could pitch as a possible article.

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Here, I often connect with a thought partner or use AI to get a variety of fantastic ideas that I’m excited to share. It’s also important to make sure that the specific unique insights you’re offering align with their editorial calendar.

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After researching and brainstorming, I might draft something like this to pitch to an editor: “I noticed your upcoming issue focuses on change management. I’ve guided teams through ten successful merger-and-acquisition deals, and along the way, I’ve identified three powerful counterintuitive strategies that most companies overlook when navigating change. Do you think your audience would be interested in a guest article about that topic?”

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Build visibility.

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But before you reach out to an editor, you want to start by building visibility. Comment thoughtfully on their articles. Share their content on social media (with your added insights.) Connect with them on LinkedIn.

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This will help you start building a relationship with the editor—before you even send that first email. You see, it really is all about serving them and their needs. Taking a thoughtful and personalized approach will demonstrate that you’ve gotten to know them, their content, and their interests.

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Begin with a smaller ask.

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When you do make that first direct contact, again, don’t pitch yourself as a speaker. Begin with a smaller ask. Offer to contribute a guest article about the topics you’ve identified, or propose a webinar for their audience.

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Whatever creative idea you decide to propose, make sure it’s (1) valuable to their audience and (2) within your wheelhouse of experience.

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Send your session description.

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In GRAD | Speaking Business Mastery, we also recommend sending your session description to editors, but not to ask them to refer you for an upcoming event (that’s a big ask). Instead, you’ll ask them for their feedback on your session description (that’s a smaller ask).

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You might say something like this: “I’ve read numerous articles you’ve written and published and have really gotten a lot of value from them. I’m bringing out a new speech for this particular audience [describe your audience—and it should be the same audience they serve].

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“Nobody knows this industry / this audience / this space like you do. I’d love to send you a short session description for my speech—it’s just X number of words. It would be so helpful for me to get your feedback on it, and I’d love to know if you think it would resonate with this audience.”

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Now, you won’t always get a response (and that might be a sign you need to refine your session description a little more), but more often than not, editors will respond with some feedback. After all, that’s what they do—editors are great at giving feedback—and if they’re really interested in your speech, it could be the beginning of a valuable business relationship.

Don't

focus on selling yourself, focus on developing relationships.

include something impactful and valuable in your email signature—your latest work, your speech demo video, an article you were featured in. It's a simple way to build credibility.

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Following these five simple steps will help you build your credibility. Instead of being just another cold contact, you’ll become a known entity who offers value and insight.

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The Secret to Successful Follow-up

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There’s always the conundrum of when to follow up. It’s one of the most frequently asked questions speakers have about this type of outreach.

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With editors, it’s important to keep in mind that they work on specific timelines that are tied to their editorial calendars. If you know what those cycles are, you can time your outreach accordingly—and increase your probabilities of success.

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For example, if I find that a certain publication has October scheduled for their change-management month, I’ll calculate that probably about six months before, in April, they’ll be looking for content and writers specialized in that topic. When my email pops up in an editor's inbox at the beginning of April, like manna from heaven, I’m much more likely to get a positive response.

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That being said, if you don’t hear back, don’t take it personally. I typically follow up about a week to ten days later. If you like, you can follow up again five days later. In the meantime, I focus on connecting with a different editor on my list.

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But here’s the secret: follow up with value.

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Don’t say “I see you haven’t responded to my email… blah blah blah.” Follow up with a relevant news item, article, or case study you’ve read that reinforces the topic you offered to write about. Or share a piece of content that could be of interest to them. Demonstrate that you’re a thoughtful and valuable resource, not just another person asking for something.

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How Susan Is Connecting With Editors

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HEROIC Alumni and innovation strategist Susan Robertson tried this strategy herself—she sent her speech’s session description to seven different editors and asked for their feedback. She got two responses—both a resounding yes, their audiences would be interested in her speech.

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One of the editors even responded: “I like this so much, I’m going to feature you in my next issue!” She sent Susan ten interview questions to get background for a 1,200-word story about her work and speech. Susan is becoming something author Joe Calloway calls a category of one—a unique, valuable, groundbreaking expert who stands out in an industry. She’s solidifying a relationship with that editor and demonstrating value, credibility, and expertise.

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Now, the gigs might not come immediately—after all, building a trusting relationship doesn’t happen overnight. But as you focus on intentional outreach and relationship building, speaking opportunities will come.

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“A couple of editors have offered to introduce me to folks in their industry who run conferences,” Susan says. She continues to reach out to editors and share value and insight—and develop and strengthen valuable relationships with editors.

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Focus on building relationships.

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Remember, your goal isn’t just to get one speaking gig. It’s to become a referable speaker. It’s about becoming a true professional—a valuable, sought-after, and reliable event partner. And that’s someone editors actively want to feature, work with, and help.

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You see, the most successful speakers in our industry realize this important truth: relationships are key to speaking-business success. The better you become at creating, nurturing, and valuing relationships with event organizers, editors, fellow speakers, and business leaders, the more sustainable your speaking business will be.

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Because it’s so much more than just booking the gig. It’s about delivering transformational experiences, living the speaker lifestyle you’ve dreamed of, and achieving the impact you know you’re capable of making. It all starts with relationships. Relationships you can start building today—by reaching out to editors.

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If you can build genuine relationships with targeted editors based on mutual value, the speaking invitations will follow. And a plethora of other unique opportunities as well.

Don't

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Speaking Business Mastery

Strategies that help you create a dependable flow of new inquiries and boost your speaking business—one valuable relationship at a time.

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Stop Bombarding Event Planners. Befriend Editors Instead.

‍

So who better to refer you to event organizers than an editor?

Dont

send unsolicited sales emails to every event organizer on planet Earth.

find editors who work in your area of interest—and offer value to them.

‍

Here’s how you can apply it in your speaking business:

‍

Compile a list of three to five editors.

‍

Identify gaps you could fill.

‍

Build visibility.

‍

Begin with a smaller ask.

‍

Whatever creative idea you decide to propose, make sure it’s (1) valuable to their audience and (2) within your wheelhouse of experience.

‍

Send your session description.

‍

Don't

focus on selling yourself, focus on developing relationships.

include something impactful and valuable in your email signature—your latest work, your speech demo video, an article you were featured in. It's a simple way to build credibility.

Following these five simple steps will help you build your credibility. Instead of being just another cold contact, you’ll become a known entity who offers value and insight.

‍

The Secret to Successful Follow-up

‍

There’s always the conundrum of when to follow up. It’s one of the most frequently asked questions speakers have about this type of outreach.

‍

But here’s the secret: follow up with value.

‍

How Susan Is Connecting With Editors

‍

Focus on building relationships.

‍

If you can build genuine relationships with targeted editors based on mutual value, the speaking invitations will follow. And a plethora of other unique opportunities as well.

Don't