A New Twist on Sending Your Speaker Onesheet
By Wendi McNeill
Sending a speaker Oneheet is still important today and one of your top marketing pieces. ALL speakers should have one on hand, digitally and hard copy.
Staying ahead of the pack is what will get you noticed. So will your uniqueness, creativity and the special attention you give to each and every single proposal you submit.
Here is my idea for you. Research is very important. Find an event that’s perfect for you and get ready to send your OneSheet to the planner. Be sure you locate the right person to send it to even if that means making a few phone calls. Be diligent and patient – don’t rush this process.
Once you have found your very best contact person, put your OneSheet in an envelope large enough so that you don’t have to fold it. A colored envelope is your best choice – you just need to look. If you do not use a colored envelope, use a colored pen to hand write the address information on the envelope. When you hand write the address, it shows you’re interested in that job and have taken the extra time to be personable.
Okay, so you know this already, but how about this?
Before you send out your Speaker Onesheet, you’re going to customize it for each planner and event. You will already have a template for it to make customization easy, or you’ll have someone change it up for you. However you do this, your goal here is to meet the very specific needs of that event. You want to show the planner you did your homework and bullet the benefits for that very specific audience and the take-aways. Bam! Now you have made a personal connection in your attempt to land this job. The planner sees the extra steps you’ve taken and it makes them very comfortable in hiring someone who went the extra mile to make a Speaker Onesheet specifically for them. You have now become the purple cow in the field.
Your Speaker Onesheet should already be done and you should only need to tweak a few things and adjust the copy to make it target specific. This takes a minimal amount of time and can translate into huge results.
Now wait! I’m not done, the best is yet to come! Because I am a huge advocate of all speakers showcasing video clips on their website, (this is a must now, you simply can not be without one). I want you to do a quick 2-4 minute video (no longer) specifically for this event. Sit down in front of your computer and record yourself talking to the planner just as if you were sitting in their office. Don’t go over 4 minutes, you’ll lose the planner’s attention. Just briefly say ‘Hi”, introduce yourself, tell them quickly why you are a perfect fit for their event. Please stay away from the “I did this” “I am this” “I’ve rubbed shoulders with” chatter. Talk only about ‘how’ you can help their audience and the take-aways they will leave this planner’s event with.
That’s it. Quick. Simple. Takes no time at all – well a little bit of very well invested time.
Now, put this video on a special webpage on your website all by itself specifically for this planner. Then, add the video URL to that webpage, front and center on the OneSheet you created (tweaked) specifically for them. Don’t hide the URL. It must be prominent on the OneSheet, as this will help make you stand out from the crowd.
See how that works? Pretty awesome right? Now, you try it. Remember your video doesn’t need to be perfect, but try and make it as professional, yet personable, as possible.
Members of Charli Jane Speakers, I am happy to take a look at your video and if it needs a quick edit or cut I am happy to do this for you at no charge. This is a new benefit for you as Members.
Most computers will come with Windows movie maker which is a free platform for you to do simple edits. It won’t render the professional styles but enough to make your video look polished.
Whatever the case, this process should take no longer than 15 minutes total and will increase your chances of hire by ten-fold.
Best of luck and do take your time and be very target specific to each and every event you submit for.
On a side note: I want to make myself clear and that is to only send the Speaker Oneheet when trying to get a job or future ones. Do not send proposals (unless specified and there is a call for speakers open) no DVDs, or a bunch of marketing material as most times it won’t get read or reviewed. A simple well designed, eye-catching, target specific, OneSheet with the video URL on it is going to be perfect…just enough!