Become Speaker Bureau Worthy: Episode 15

How to Know You’re Speaker Bureau Ready: Fees, Materials, Reputation, and Consistency

The episode explains why speakers shouldn’t approach a speakers bureau until they’re “bureau ready,” noting bureaus typically want speakers already booking plenty of work and consistently earning about $7,500–$12,500 per talk, and that some speakers sign with bureaus yet book nothing. 

Jenn outlines key readiness factors: professional speaker materials (a speaker kit/portfolio with a clear signature talk, audience takeaways, bios, professional headshots, testimonials, and both editable drafts and polished PDFs so bureaus can add logos), reputation (responsiveness, warm referrals, industry relationships, and a strong online presence), and consistency (fee integrity, consistent branding, visible event activity, and audience fit). 

She also discusses tradeoffs of bureaus—25% commission, expectation to say yes, and benefits like negotiation, logistics, and access to ongoing event-planner relationships.

00:00 Bureau Ready Warning

00:22 Why Bureaus Say No

02:49 Who Bureaus Want

03:21 Build Your Speaker Kit

04:50 Professional Assets Checklist

05:28 Public And Private Versions

07:24 Reputation Matters Most

10:19 Boost Your Visibility

11:56 Consistency And Fee Integrity

13:54 Lifestyle Fit Reality Check

15:22 What Bureaus Actually Do

18:10 Wrap Up And Next Steps

Have a question or suggestion for a future episode topic? Email me jenn@jennspingo.com.

Ready to deliver mic drop moments in your next presentation? Schedule a call to learn more about coaching www.calendly.com/jennchat

Looking to book a speaker for your corporate or association event on topics including leadership and communication? View my programs at www.jennspingo.com

Transcript

Bureau Ready Warning

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Don't go to a speaker's bureau before you're ready. Well, that sounds great. But how do you know when you're ready? Today's episode, we're gonna dive deep into what it takes to become speaker bureau ready. In the meanwhile, let's make sure we know we're well-paid speakers. Let's dive right in.

Why Bureaus Say No

SPEAKER_01 0:22

One of the things I do as a speaker coach is I help people get to a point where they're speaker bureau ready. I specifically focus on folks who are not already working with bureaus for a particular reason. Bureaus don't want to work with you unless you're already getting plenty of work. It's one of those catch-22s that frustrates me about this industry. And it might frustrate you as well. I can't tell you how many coaching clients and potential clients I've connected with who told me, well, Jen, I've been on this bureau list for several years and I have not booked a single speaking engagement with them. And these are people who are well known in their industry, who are well published authors, multiple published authors, and still not getting a single speaking engagement after they sign with the speaking bureau. So I want you to get gigs regardless of whether someone's taking a 25% commission off of you or not. So let's talk deeper about what they don't usually talk about in the industry and what it really takes to become bureau ready, if that is something you'd like to do. One of the reasons why I care so much about people who aren't yet bureau ready is because you are not considered professional speakers. I had an entire conversation with someone who manages a bureau about how people who are charging less than $10,000 per presentation are emerging speakers. And I took offense to that because you can be speaking for many years in the industry and still not be receiving $10,000 speaking fees. That doesn't mean that you are an emerging speaker. You could be quite an experienced speaker. In fact, I'll put in the show notes what you should charge as your speaking fee because I think there are some misconceptions in the industry about what it takes to become a professional speaker. I use those air quotes for a reason, but I'm here for the people who maybe don't want to be traveling every weekend and keynoting in faraway places. Maybe they don't want that kind of lifestyle. So I'm here for the people who, yes, they believe in their worth, they have a message on their mind, but maybe the level of business they want to do is something that they want to manage on their own with a VA's assistance, but not necessarily getting to a bureau level.

Who Bureaus Want

SPEAKER_01 2:49

So who do speaking bureaus usually work with? Speaker bureaus are interested in you once you're consistently earning anywhere between $7,500 and $12,500. If you earn more than that, they've probably already been knocking down your door and said, please hire us, please let us represent you. And the interesting thing is they don't want you. Even if you're getting those kinds of fees consistently, they don't want you if your materials are no good.

Build Your Speaker Kit

SPEAKER_01 3:21

So let's talk quickly about your speaker materials because that's part of being bureau ready. And part of the work I do with many of my coaching clients is getting them started with some professional looking materials. Now, I call this your speaker kit. It also might be your portfolio, your marketing materials, your assets. It should be something that describes who you are, what you speak on, what you do, and who you do it for. Now, your speaker kit should include all of the things that an event organizer would need to know from you and be in an easily accessible place. The interesting thing about a speaker kit is you have lots of different options, and we have lots of different tools that can help us create a speaker kit, but it all starts with your speech, right? Do you know what that signature speech is? If you don't know what that is, or you have so many different speeches that you just customize on the fly, then you need to commit to one of those speeches and use that as your branding for your speaker marketing materials. Now, some people create speaker marketing materials on their own. I remember back in the day, I got a template that was on Word or something like that, and I used what I had, and it was okay. It was good enough. A lot of speakers work on good enough. I certainly have done that. But it wasn't something that looked professional. Luckily, today we have templates in Canva that we can use. We have other templates that we can purchase on Etsy. There are many templates available to you that you literally just plug and play,

Professional Assets Checklist

SPEAKER_01 4:50

but you need to put something in there. And that something is, of course, your speech, your audience takeaways, your bio, the short version of your bio, of course, professional headshots. And this is not something that you take in your backyard in front of a tree or your family members are taking of you when you're wearing a beautiful dress for Mother's Day. This is not how this works. You work with a photographer, you work with professional lighting, you at least have a neutral background and you focus on both action shots and candid shots. That's what professional headshots are. If it's been several years since you updated yours, it might be time for a refresh, and that's okay.

Public And Private Versions

SPEAKER_01 5:28

But you also might add hockey materials as a newbie speaker, and speaker bureaus will identify that. Word to the wise, what I do connect with a lot of Speaker Bureau agents and speaker bureau friends, both here and across the pond in the UK. I've also coordinated with those in New Zealand and Australia area. And here's what they tell me it's fine for you to have a PDF version attached to your LinkedIn profile, to your website, but they also might want to have something that they can take and put their logos on. If they're getting ready to represent you as a speaker bureau, they want to be able to put their logos on your content. So it's helpful to establish both working drafts of your speaker marketing materials or your speaker kit, in addition to the professional PDF versions that nobody can change. So have both, have one in your back office, have one more publicly displayed, and make sure you tweak it so it's current. So if anything changes, if you refresh your website, if you upgrade, if you get new client testimonials, if you work with big brands, include that on your speaker marketing materials, include that on your website, include that on your speaker directory profiles. If you have profiles that exist out there, there are services like Thumbtack, there are services like the Bash, there are services like eSpeakers. You can put your profiles out there, make sure it has the most current updated information because speaker bureaus will sometimes look at those. I'm not saying they're gonna, you know, put you on their roster from those, but having a presence out there is part of what they're gonna be looking for in terms of determining your readiness to work with them. Your speaker kit has to be professional, has to be put together, has to be consistent, has to be both public and private. The private is so that you can then share the materials with them so they can officially put you on their roster and welcome you to their agency or their bureau.

Reputation Matters Most

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Now let's talk about reputation. Yeah, this is the tough one. Reputation refers to both your reputation as a speaker and their reputation as a bureau and your agents. So their reputation is on the line. They are constantly coordinating with people within the industry. And what matters to them is not necessarily how professional or how good you are on stage. What matters to them is your responsiveness. What matters to them is do they know someone who they've already worked with as a speaker who knows you and refers you to them. So that's part of why knowing the right people in this industry is so important because they'll drop your name in rooms where you want your name to be dropped. If you're not already establishing yourself out there publicly, at least make those private connections wherever you hang out. Go attend meetings, meeting planner meetings, go meet speaker bureaus and speaker agents and speaker managers. They exist out there. Some are harder to find than others, but make sure you're cultivating those connections before it comes to a time for you to work with a bureau because they will know who you are and at least get a sense of how you show up and develop that relationship. They won't refer you if they don't have a good reason to believe that you're gonna deliver the goods for their client. Speaker bureaus are not working for speakers, they're working for the event planners. So that's important to know. As a speaker, how do you know what your reputation looks like? Well, I work in a couple of speaking groups, I participate in several of them, and this is a question that depends on the speaker. Some speakers are more than willing to make a warm introduction between one of their colleagues and an event that is not a fit for them. And when I'm working with my clients, I just automatically do this. If I am looking for a speaking lead and it's not a fit for me, but it works perfectly for one of my clients' topics. I will absolutely make a warm email introduction. I will absolutely share their name with them. I even share names of people who I know their content inside and out. Again, usually it's people I work with, but not necessarily. If I know you're so consistent with your branding and what you're presenting on, because I see you all over LinkedIn, because I see you on YouTube, because I see what kind of clients you're working with, I will drop your name in a conversation. So that's just how I approach it. But some speakers want to know that you can deliver on stage. Some speakers want to know that your topic, you've spoken for that industry before. I usually speak for companies and associations, but I don't speak as much for education or nonprofits. So it's very unlikely that someone will recommend me to one of those events, knowing that I usually speak for companies and associations. And that's okay. Like every speaker has their own comfort

Boost Your Visibility

SPEAKER_01 10:19

level. But in terms of your reputation as a speaker, part of it is what you publicly show online. One thing I will do when I'm first connecting with speakers, I'll look at their website. I'll look at what they're posting about, I'll look at where they are on social, I'll look at their assets, their speaker kit, I'll look at all of these things before I even get in a conversation with them. And you know, if I'm doing that, event planners are doing that, and speaker bureaus are doing that. So once your name gets in front of a speaker bureau, they're gonna look you up and they're gonna determine do you speak, are you specific enough with your topic, with your audience? Do you add something to that conversation that their current client list does not add? Those are questions they're gonna ask, and that's gonna be whatever they can find on you. So you can do the Google test on yourself. Just Google your name, see what shows up, see what photos pull back, see how you can, I won't say manipulate, but see how you can iterate on your digital presence so that it looks more professional. You can also attend industry meetings like National Speakers Association, International Speakers Association. There's quite a few associations you can attend. You can write for different magazines, trade and industry magazines to establish your thought expertise and thought leadership. You can host a podcast, you can write a book. These are all things that increase your reputation as a speaker. Now, they're not going to replace that warm introduction and knowing someone in the room who knows you, but they will help add favor to your reputation as a potential speaker who's ready to work with a bureau or an agency.

Consistency And Fee Integrity

SPEAKER_01 11:56

And lastly, let's talk about consistency because part of the work I do with clients, all of it has to do with consistency. You can do anyone can do one thing one time really well, but can you do it consistently every time very well? That's the mark of a great speaker. So consistency when it comes to being bureau ready means are you consistently charging and receiving a certain fee. Now nobody has access to your tax documents, nobody knows what you're being paid, but what are you posting publicly out there as your speaking fee? If you don't post it publicly, maybe there should be at least one place where you do post it publicly so they can see what level of speaker you are. Because again, they will consider you if you're below a certain monetary compensation. Now, if you're putting that you're a $15,000 speaker and you've never ever earned that, they may or may not know that. Let's be real. Like people don't know what you're actually getting paid for your speaking engagements, but there is fee integrity involved with that. So it's fine to shoot for the number you wish to have before you have it, but it's also important to for them to see that you are speaking at events, you're posting about them, you're thanking the people who brought you into the room, you are out there, you have video footage of you being in certain rooms, you are participating in different discussions around the industry. That will be important for them. So the consistency is your fee integrity, the clients you're showing up in front of. Again, if you speak for a certain market, like college or universities, if you typically speak at college and universities, and suddenly you submit an RFP for an event at a corporate retreat, how can you assure them that you won't make them look like a fool? Like, how can you assure them that despite your lack of experience with that particular audience, you will still deliver what you say you're gonna deliver? Now, sometimes you need multiple conversations to add that assurance, but it's important that what you put out there is consistent with what you're trying to put in the future as well.

Lifestyle Fit Reality Check

SPEAKER_01 13:54

And finally, this one is the one reason why I personally haven't worked with a speaker bureau yet. Uh, I mean, there's various reasons they do take commission from you, but more than that, they don't want you to say no to different speaking opportunities. So if they put a $12,000 speaking opportunity in front of you, and you're a person who doesn't want to be gone on nights and weekends or doesn't want to travel and spend a red-eye flight somewhere else, and you say no, they're probably not going to try to put you in front of other events. They're not gonna book you. So you have to be willing to say yes, even if the conditions are not ideal. So I'm really picky about the speaking opportunities I take. And I like to control that aspect of what I'm booking, what I'm seeking, what I'm connecting with. I may not be a fit for a speaker bureau. And let's be real, if you're a person who has family members at home and you are an important part of their daily life, you may not be speaker bureau already yet. I'm noticing a trend of many people who work with bureaus and some work with multiple bureaus at the same time, tend to be empty nesters, tend to be gray or white-haired folks who have been in the industry for decades. There's a reason why. They have more time to commit to these things, they have fewer things that are preventing them from saying yes to all the business that is being sent their way. So the more you say yes to the business, the more likely they're gonna send business to you. That's another thing to understand.

What Bureaus Actually Do

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Does your life change when you work with a speaker bureau? I'm not speaking from personal experience, but I will say I've spoken to a lot of people who are disappointed and their lack of business through Speaker Bureau. I will say some of the things that Speaker Bureaus will add to your life is they negotiate and handle logistics for you. So if you hate negotiating contracts, if you struggle with the sales conversation, they'll take all of that off your plate. They will even uh send materials on your behalf, they will even uh arrange travel and those types of things for you. It's like having a VA and they're there for you, and they get paid a fee as well. So they handle some of those planning and logistics for you. If you hate that aspect of it, that might be a good fit for you. They also have rosters of ongoing clients. So people who come to them every year, every few months, and say, I'm looking for a speaker on such and such a topic. Who do you know? Now, if you're a speaker on that topic, they will put you forward. I'm not saying they're always going to put you forward. There are some other things they're considering in the balance there, but they have ongoing clients who have event needs and probably at a bigger frequency than you're doing on your own, where you're struggling to find speaking leads or struggling to close those speaking leads on your own. There's a lot of time in that. And finally, they understand intimately what event planners need because they have established long-going relationships and they've cultivated those relationships over time. The conversations they're having are very different from the conversations that other speakers are having. So, unless the speaker has worked with the event, they may or may not know what that event needs, but speaker bureaus know what that event needs. They're constantly talking to them about what they're looking for, their challenges in the industry. Um, they know those things even more than you. Even if you've worked with a client, there are limited opportunities for you to connect. Sometimes there's not time for you to do a pre-event call, sometimes there's not time to do a follow-up call. So you may not have access to the right people that a speaker bureau would have access to. So there are definitely benefits to working with a speaker bureau. Please don't hear that I'm anti-speaker bureau. I think it's a choice that you should make as a speaker. But what I want you to know is they will never come seeking you out, the speaker bureaus. And once they do, it will be a decision for you as to whether that would add value to your speaking journey or not. So again, this is is it a good fit for you? It just might. Speaker bureaus might be a great fit for you. If you want them to handle logistics, if you want them to book you and keep booking you, if you don't want to speak just a few times a month, maybe you want to speak 18 times a month, and you have the ability to travel and prepare your presentations accordingly, speaker bureau representation might be for you. Of

Wrap Up And Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 18:10

the things we talked about today, your speaker kit having professional speaker marketing materials, both in a publicly visible way as well as a private way where people can take it and add their logos to it. Do you have that currently? If you don't have that, I'd love to have a conversation with you because that's something that I help clients with. Do you know what your reputation looks like within your industry if you're not already connecting with speaking colleagues? You don't know what they're looking for. Maybe attend some industry events and learn more about what they're looking for. Look at different speaker bureaus. Maybe in the future there might be a bureau that you would really want to work for. Now, some bureaus do specialize in women and people of color in specialty topics. Certain bureaus might focus on certain advocacies or other things that others wouldn't. Maybe they have someone on their roster that you really admire as a speaker and you are along their style. You have a similar speaking style. They might be a bureau worth pursuing when you reach that place. And then finally, consistency. Are you able to be consistently on stage? Are you already getting so much business that you are turning people away? Then that might mean you're someone who is ready for a speaker bureau. And know that your schedule matters. So if you prioritize speaking over anything else in your business right now, make sure that you are prioritizing those things that get you closer to speaker bureaus, speaker agents, and speaker managers. Today we talked about different ways to become speaker bureau ready. And I will say there are changes happening in the speaking industry in particular when it comes to finding speaking leads, even if you're not working with a bureau. You can find leads through AI and you can use cold outreach, but none of those things will be quite as effective as somebody who already has those relationships within the industry. Let me know what sparked for you today. In the meanwhile, I will see you on stage.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

I'll see you on your next stage. In the meanwhile, don't forget to visit my website, Jen with two n spingo.com.