How Much Should I Charge for Speaking?

Dear Innovation Women,

“Help! A group asked me to come speak early next year to their group. I am known for the content I write about my experiences but not as a speaker – yet. The group asked me for more information, specifically my speaking fees. I have never been paid to speak before but am very interested. Do you have any resources you can point me to? What should I tell them?” ~ Natalie

Dear Natalie,

We get this question a lot. The easiest way to deal with this is ask what their budget is and see if it makes sense for you. But it’s rarely that simple. This is more art than science. Here are a few questions to ask and some different ways to think about it.

Find out more about the speaking engagement.

How big is the audience and who is in it? Are the audience members of a particular group? Is the event open to the public? Is the organizer selling tickets? How much are the tickets? Is it part of a larger event? Are there other speakers or activities? Where will the event be held? (There’s a big difference between an event held at a convention center and one in the local church basement, for example.) This information gives you an indication of what range the potential budget might be.

Who has spoken to this group in the past?

Is there someone of comparable experience you could ask about their fees to the same group? Are the previous speakers people who speak for a living, or people who do something else interesting and who get asked to share their story?

To learn more questions to ask, including about the type of group, your speaker business model, your value as a speaker, calculating a speaking fee and more, read the full article on LinkedIn.

Or, learn more about how to get leads for speaking opportunities with My Speaker Leads.