Many think speaking without getting paid is like giving your product away for free. Others think it’s unfair. Some even think accepting free gigs can hurt the speaking industry as a whole and devalue public speaking as a career.

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Other speakers see it as a rite of passage: It’s how you pay your dues when you’re starting out in the industry. But they also think that once you’ve established yourself as a speaker, you should never go back to the dark days of doing free gigs.

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I get it. The idea of speaking for free can feel surprising, shocking, or even insulting. But it’s not a snub, it’s actually smart business that can help you get paid what you’re worth. And speaking for free can lead to valuable opportunities, connections, and leads.

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How to Assess the Value of Free Gigs

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Speaking, like any other business, product, or service transaction, is a value exchange. What you offer your event organizers and audiences and what you receive should be equitable and fair.

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But what you get in return doesn’t have to be cold, hard cash. Value is much more than that.

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Just take the Super Bowl halftime show for example. Did you know that no one gets paid to do the Super Bowl halftime show? Not Kendrick Lamar, not Coldplay, not U2, not even Michael Jackson.

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So why do huge artists perform for a stadium packed with fans and over one hundred million live viewers without getting paid? Well, they’re all willing to do it for free because it’s immensely valuable to be the Super Bowl halftime-show performer. The value comes in the form of prestige, recognition, future album sales, and massive exposure to a huge, worldwide audience.

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It’s probably the most sought-after free gig in the world, precisely because it is so valuable to artists.

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When you consider the value you get out of any given event with this new perspective, you might realize that speaking for free isn’t so bad after all. In fact, it can often be highly beneficial to you, the speaker. Especially if you speak in exchange for:

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Access to an audience with a high-referral potential.
The opportunity to branch into a valuable new fractal.
Putting in more reps to improve and iterate your speech.
The opportunity to add a prestigious brand to your client list or website.
An impressive speaker video at an iconic or beautiful venue.
Solidifying a relationship with a longtime client in the form of a generous favor.

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When it comes to deciding whether to take a free gig or not, you can use the Three P’s: passion, politics, or profit. Consider taking free gigs when you're deeply connected to the organization’s mission in a meaningful way, when it’s good for your reputation or business relationships, and when it’s profitable to you. We dive more into this and other savvy speaking-business strategies in GRAD | Speaking Business Mastery.

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There are lots of ways to exchange value without talking about money. And, surprisingly enough, some of them might just be more valuable than your speaking fee. Keynote speaker Andrew Davis once shared that many years ago he did a free breakout session that, through stageside leads and referrals, earned him $342,000 in revenue over the following years.

Full Transcript

Don't

scoff at opportunities to speak for free.

shift your thinking; start seeing new ways to bring value and, in turn, get value out of every speaking opportunity (free or paid).

The Key to Getting Paid What You’re Worth

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Once you understand that speaking is a value exchange, you’ll realize that the key to securing higher fees onstage is to consistently deliver more value than you’re asking for.

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How? Through craft, performance, and professionalism. As you master the craft of speaking and performing, you’ll be able to deliver a referable speech: a reliable performance that consistently earns you stageside leads.

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You can over-deliver in professionalism by being easy to work with, and by using an all-inclusive fee structure that allows you to include other services like book signings, VIP sessions, and fireside chats.

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When I do a keynote, my fee is for the entire day. I usually say something along these lines to my clients: “I want to partner with you to make your event amazing, so if there are other things you’d like me to participate in, like a panel discussion or breakout session, I’m up for it.”

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This simple strategy delivers more value to your clients, makes you more referable, and it makes you seem like a great deal. When you constantly deliver more to them than they deliver to you, event organizers notice.

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Leverage the glowing reviews and the great referrals and stageside leads you earn at those free events where you deliver way more value than what you ask for. As you continue to go above and beyond, you’ll be able to raise your fees with confidence and without objections.

Don't

always try to make sure the value equation is off-kilter in favor of your client.

Three Ways to Use Free Gigs to Get Paying Gigs

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Over-delivering in value is the prerequisite to going from free gigs to paying gigs. But what are the practical steps to make it happen? These three guidelines can help you as you make the transition from free to fee:

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#1 Work Backwards Towards the Keynote Stage

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There are a lot of organizations that have both big national conferences with paid speakers, as well as local and regional chapter events that don’t have budgets for speakers. These smaller, local events are constantly looking for new speakers and new content.

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One strategy is to seek out a big stage you’d like to keynote for, then work backwards. Find the organization’s local chapter and start to form a relationship with those event organizers.

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You might say: “I’m willing to speak for free at this local event and deliver my keynote speech. My goal is to find my way to that big stage. Would you be willing to help me get my content in front of those decision makers?”

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You could invite those decision makers to attend your speech or share a video with them from the local event. Even just opening a door, making the introduction, and over-delivering in value can lead to future opportunities and paying gigs down the road.

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I’ve found that when I explain that I’ve got to be able to see a pathway to revenue for the work I do as a professional speaker, people understand and are willing to help. Being willing to work for free if there are potential doors that can be opened that will lead towards revenue is a smart business move.

Don't

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“Thanks to HEROIC, I have a referable speech and a solid plan to bring it to event organizers.”

Cyndi Weis

Founder & Owner at Breathe Yoga, Speaker

#2 Seek out diverse audiences.

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Last year, in 2024, I wrote a new keynote. The very first time I delivered it was to a networking organization that puts on lunch-and-learns, unpaid lunch events where speakers can share their message in front of company leaders. I decided it would be a great opportunity to practice, get feedback, and put in the reps for my new speech.

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At the end of the event, a CEO who was in the room came up to me and said: “We’d love to have you come give that speech at our company meeting in a few months.” That particular free gig led to a valuable stageside lead and a paid gig just a few months away.

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Speaking for free in front of diverse audiences leads to more opportunities for stageside leads. Diverse audiences are groups with people from a variety of different organizations, associations, and places.

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It’s much harder to earn stageside leads at private company meetings where everybody is an employee of the same company. Your chances of earning referrals are low. However, by strategically seeking out free gigs among diverse audiences, the opportunity for potential leads and referrals is much higher.

Don't

seek out free gigs among diverse audiences like membership organizations, Rotary Clubs, chambers of commerce, and trade groups.

#3 Leverage Breakout Sessions

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At large conferences, often the keynote speakers are paid while the breakout session speakers are not. In those cases, if you can’t land the keynote stage quite yet, accept a breakout session and tell the event organizer these two important things:

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First, mention that your goal is to be on their keynote stage. Show them you’re serious about speaking and able to deliver on your promise.

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Second, request that a decision-maker, team member, or someone from the committee that selects the keynote speakers attend your breakout session (for at least ten minutes; but the more they see, the better).

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You’re not asking for a guarantee to be selected as a keynote speaker for next year, you’re just asking for a chance to be considered for a future keynote. Then, go in there and crush it in the breakout session. Over-deliver and earn that envied keynote spot.

Don't

use breakout sessions to build relationships with event planners and work towards paying keynote gigs.

Deliver Value, Build Relationships

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For each of these strategies, building relationships with event organizers and key players is essential. Remember, you’re not in the speaking business, you’re in the relationship business.

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As you continue to make those valuable connections and over-deliver in professionalism, craft, and the quality of your speech, you’ll be able to land more and more paying gigs while consistently increasing your speaking fee.

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Seeing speaking as a value exchange is a powerful mindset shift that can impact everything you do as a professional speaker. By focusing on giving each of your clients the red-carpet treatment, you’ll form long-lasting relationships that fuel a sustainable and profitable speaking career.

Don't

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Speaking Business Mastery

The strategies, mindset shifts, and fundamentals you need to build and grow a sustainable speaking business.

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The Key to Getting Paid What You’re Worth

‍

Once you understand that speaking is a value exchange, you’ll realize that the key to securing higher fees onstage is to consistently deliver more value than you’re asking for.

‍

Dont

always try to make sure the value equation is off-kilter in favor of your client.

Three Ways to Use Free Gigs to Get Paying Gigs

‍

#1 Work Backwards Towards the Keynote Stage

‍

One strategy is to seek out a big stage you’d like to keynote for, then work backwards. Find the organization’s local chapter and start to form a relationship with those event organizers.

‍

Don't

“Thanks to HEROIC, I have a referable speech and a solid plan to bring it to event organizers.”

Cyndi Weis

Founder & Owner at Breathe Yoga, Speaker