Welcome to Pitch Perfect, the podcast that helps you master the art of communication and captivate your audience. Hosted by Jaimie Abbott, award winning speaker, public speaking coach and PR expert, this show is your go to resource for building confidence, crafting your message and leveraging the media to grow your brand. Download Jamie's free PDF checklist. Visit jamieabbott.com speakerguide get ready to pitch, persuade and thrive. This is Pitch Perfect.
Well, today we're diving into one of the most important, uncomfortable and liberating conversations in your speaking career. And that is how to set and raise your speaker fee. Now, first of all, doors are currently open for Paid to Speak. They will close Tuesday 17th of June at 11pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. If you want to join and launch your paid speaking career, just go to jamieabbott.com.au paidtoseak or just go to my website, jamieabbot.com jamieabbot.com.au we'll put the link in the show notes and you will find the link to Pay to Speak. We've already had over 200 people go through the course over the last three years and many of them are now scoring 10k plus speaking gigs. But today I wanted to talk about how to set and raise your speaker feet. Now, talking about money can feel icky, awkward, or even arrogant. But here's the truth. If you don't value your voice, no one else will. So whether you're just starting out or you've been speaking for a while and you'still not charging what you're worth, grab a pen and a notebook. Or heck, just open up your notes app and let's talk numbers, mindset and strategies that'll start getting you paid like the pro you are. So first of all, let's talk about why speakers undervalue themselves. Let me start with a confession you might have heard. My very first paid speaking gig was actually 30 bucks. Yep, 3 0. It was a rotary type breakfast. And I spoke for 45 minutes and was paid the same amount a teenager makes for babysitt. And I was thrilled for about 20 minutes. Then I thought, hang on. This took weeks to prepare. Like years of building up my knowledge in my head. Plus I had to travel to get there. And it helped their audience. Why was I not charging more? So here's the truth. Most people undervalue their voice because of impostor syndrome, lack of benchmarks, the fear of losing the gig, or this very loud internal narrative. Who am I to charge that much? If that sounds like you, I want to interrupt that thought. Today, because the moment you start treating speaking like a business and a hobby is the moment that you open the door to abundance. So let's talk numbers now. And we're talking about setting your initial fee. How much should you charge? If you've never been paid to speak before, here's a helpful starter formula. Have a think about your experience level plus the value of your content plus the market, and that equals fee. Let's break that down to make a bit more sense. So your experience level, if you've never spoken before, maybe start around 500 doars to $1,000 for small events. If you've got 5 to 10 gigs under your belt and glowing testimonials, you might want to jump that to, I don't know, $3,000. If you're delivering tangible results to high level audiences, you want to start at $5,000. So hopefully that gives you a bit of a ballpark figure there. Now, the value of your content, which we're adding to this. Are you, teaching. Are you sort of teaching a mindset that's valuable if you are. But are you showing a sales team how to convert more clients? That's money in their pocket, so you should price accordingly. And then the market, small, not for profits. Have different budgets than, say, large Fortune 500. Know your audience. Be flexible but firm. And remember this, you are not being paid. You're not being paid for the hour that you're on stage. You're being paid for the decades of experience behind that hour. When and how to raise your fee. Now comes the fun bit. Let's talk about raising that fee. So when is the right time to raise your speaker feet? Here are five signs that it is time. Number one, you're consistently getting booked out without negotiation. Number two, you are improving, so you've got better stage presence, better outcomes. Number three, clients tell you you're a bargain. Number four, you've added more to your offer. So you've got workbooks, maybe a course thrown in, some travel included, perhaps some coaching. And number five, your calendar is full. So how much do you increase it by? A good rule is raise it by maybe 20 to 30% every four to six months, especially if demand is high. Now, how do you raise your prices as a speaker without freaking out? Try this line. When you respond to inquiries, you might say something like, thank you so much for your interest. My current keynote is five and thousand, five thousand, which includes a pre event strategy call and tailored content for your audience. Say it with a smile. Confidence is contagious. And if they can't afford you. That's okay. You can offer perhaps a virtual offer at a lower rate, perhaps a shorter keynote, maybe a pre recorded version. Or refer them to a rising speaker, in your network. You don't have to say yes to everything, you just need to say yes to on lines. For you. Communicating your value, raising your fee is just one thing, justifying it is another. But guess what? People don't pay for time, they pay for transformation. Here is how to communicate your value. Share testimonials with tangible outcomes. So you might sort of say after Jamie's Talk, we raised $10,000 in sponsorships. Show before and after results in your proposals Higher sor. Highlight media exposure or PR success, especially if you're a known expert in your space. Mention your unique story or perspective, especially if you've overcome something relatable. Use your speaker asset. So your bio, your show reel, your website inside PA to speak. I show you how to put all of this to you actually get a four page, Canva speaker bio template. You get a one page one, you get a six page one. So jump in, go to jamieabbot.com.au paidt to speak. This will really help you ooze credibility. You're not just a speakr, you are an experience, a business investment, an event enhancer. and pricing yourself accordingly sends a message that you are the real deal. Algh. Let's wrap up. Let's recap what we covered. You're allowed to charge. In fact, you should start with a fair fee based on your value and audience. Raise it gradually as you grow. And don't justify, just deliver. Communicate your transformation, not just your talk. So your action steps this week is to set your current speaking fee, even if you've never charged before. Number two, decide your next level fee and when you're going to implement it. And then number three, practise saying your fee out loud until you can say it with ease and pride. If you are ready to take this further and you want the tools, the templates and the pitch scripts that I've used to go from dollar gigs to five figure paydays, come join my Pay to Speak course. Doors and now open. They will not open again until later in the year. We only open the doors twice a year. Go to jamieabbott.com.au paid to speak. And if this episode gave you a light bulb moment, please screenshot tag me on Instagram at Jaimie Abbott. I'd love to cheer you on. Until next time, go out there, own your worth and never forget, don't go chasing speaking gigs, let them come to you or just start pitching. However you wantugh to take that advice, just start getting out there and getting these speaking gigs. I'll see you on the stage. Thanks for listening to Pitch Perfect. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review it and share it to social media. If you'd like to download my free paid speaking resources, go to jamieabbott.com.
