Episode 124 - How to get paid to speak

June 09, 2025

In this powerful solo episode of Pitch Perfect, award-winning public speaking coach and PR expert Jaimie Abbott shares the exact roadmap to go from speaking for free to getting paid well to step on stage.

Drawing on her journey from $30 gigs to $10K keynotes, Jaimie lifts the curtain on what it really takes to get paid to speak, including mindset shifts, practical tools, and the biggest mistakes to avoid. Whether you're an aspiring keynote speaker, MC, or workshop facilitator, this episode is packed with no-fluff strategies to help you build a thriving speaking career.

Listeners will learn:

Why mindset is everything when it comes to charging for your voice
The four non-negotiable tools every paid speaker needs
How Jaimie booked three paid gigs in a week—and how you can too
The top mistakes new speakers make (and how to dodge them like a pro)
Why Paid to Speak is the ultimate shortcut to becoming a high-paid speaker

🔗 Join Jaimie’s Paid to Speak course and finally turn your message into money: www.jaimieabbott.com.au/paidtospeak

Episode Transcript

Jaimie: Hey there, speaker legends! I’m Jaimie Abbott, and welcome back to the Pitch Perfect podcast—where we turn your voice into your most powerful business tool.

Now today’s episode is going to hit close to home for so many of you. Because we’re talking about a BIG shift: going from speaking for free—or for a fruit platter and a thank-you card—to getting paid, properly, for sharing your message.

And yes, spoiler alert, I’m going to tell you how I went from a $30 gig to charging $10,000. And I’ll walk you through how you can start getting paid to speak too—no fame required. Just strategy."

[PART 1: THE REALITY CHECK – 2:00–7:00]
"Let’s rewind to 2021. I was saying yes to every speaking request—MCing fundraisers, speaking at panels, running workshops… all for free. Exposure, they said. You’ll get visibility, they said. And hey, some of that had value—but I was burning out and not paying my bills with applause.

Then one day I had this moment—maybe you’ve had it too—where I realised: wait a second, other people are doing exactly what I’m doing… and getting paid thousands for it.

It wasn’t that they were better speakers. It was that they knew how to pitch themselves, package their value, and position themselves as experts. That’s the day I stopped waiting to be discovered and started treating speaking like a business."

[PART 2: THE SPEAKER’S MINDSET SHIFT – 7:00–11:00]
"So if you’re listening and thinking, ‘But who would pay me?’ Let me tell you—every industry has paid speaking opportunities. From conferences, corporate events, internal training sessions, associations, retreats… you name it.

But here’s the kicker—you need to shift your mindset first. If you undervalue your story, your skills, or your stage presence, so will everyone else. You’re not ‘just talking’—you’re delivering transformation, insight, and inspiration.

One of the biggest breakthroughs for my clients in my Paid to Speak course is when they realise that their lived experience, their frameworks, and their voice are a business asset. And yes, assets deserve to be paid."

[PART 3: WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED – 11:00–18:00]
"Let’s get practical for a sec. You don’t need a fancy speaker agent or thousands of followers. You do need a few key tools:

1. A signature talk – one killer topic you could speak about in your sleep.
2. A speaker bio and one-sheet – the kind that screams ‘book me now.’
3. A pitch email that gets opened, read and replied to.
4. Confidence to charge what you’re worth.

Inside my Paid to Speak course, I give you all of that—templates, scripts, examples. But more importantly, I show you how to use them. There’s no fluff. It’s practical, plug-and-play strategies that work even if you’ve never been paid to speak before."

"Want to know how I booked my first $10K keynote? I didn’t wait for the phone to ring.

I created a strong positioning statement, got super clear on what I speak about, and started pitching myself—consistently and confidently.

I made it ridiculously easy for organisers to say yes. I sent my bio, a few testimonials, a short video reel, and I followed up. Politely, but persistently.

And here’s what I teach in the course: your first paid gig won’t likely be your biggest one. But it will open the floodgates. Because one paid gig leads to another, and another. You just need to get that first yes."

"Let me save you some time with the biggest mistakes I see aspiring speakers make:

1. Being too generic. ‘I can talk about anything’ isn’t a strategy—it’s a red flag.
2. Undervaluing yourself. Pricing yourself too low makes people question your quality.
3. Not following up. Event organisers are busy. One email isn’t enough.
4. No social proof. Even a few testimonials go a long way.
5. Not investing in your growth. Free YouTube videos will only take you so far.

That’s why I created Paid to Speak—to give you the shortcut I wish I had."

"If you’re nodding along right now and thinking, “Okay Jaimie, I’m ready”—then listen up.

Doors are officially open for Paid to Speak and I want to invite you in. It’s a six-month program where you’ll learn everything from creating your speaker toolkit, to pitching like a pro, to landing high-paying speaking gigs.

You get video modules, live coaching calls, my templates, speaker agreements, and even contacts of people who book speakers.

This is the program that’s helped hundreds of people go from free gigs to five-figure gigs. You can join at www.jaimieabbott.com.au/paidtospeak.

Or if you’re on the go, DM me the word GUIDE on Instagram and I’ll send you my free checklist to get started."

"Alright, that’s a wrap for today’s episode. If this fired you up, please share it with someone who’s ready to stop giving away their brilliance for free.

Remember, your voice is valuable. Your story is powerful. And you absolutely deserve to be Paid to Speak.

Until next time—keep showing up, speaking up, and charging up. I’ll see you on stage.

Episode 124 - How to get paid to speak

BECOME A PAID SPEAKER