Corey Poirier is a keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, author, founder of The Speaking Program, and expert on public speaking. He is the author of The Book of Public Speaking: Learning to Speak for Purpose, Impact and Profit. We will talk about his book, how to get booked for a TEDx Talk as an author, and how to get speaking gigs. Speaking is a wonderful way to promote your book and your brand, and many authors are interested in booking more speaking gigs. Anything ranging from podcast appearances to public speaking can have a considerable impact. I have an entire chapter about this in my book.
I talk to Corey about why he wrote his book and how he promoted it. There are a lot of takeaways, but going where your customers are and speaking directly to decision-makers is promotion gold. Corey also shares tips for landing a TED Talk, including how he got his first one and what he would suggest for subsequent talks. Once you find those decision-makers, it’s a good idea to build relationships with them. We talk about getting noticed and pitching clearly yet piquing the listeners’ interest. It’s essential to find ways to stand out.
He also shares a valuable tip for answering the questionnaire and insights for delivering your talk on stage. We talk about titles, and Corey gives examples of titles that will drive curiosity and pique the listener’s interest. He also has excellent advice for people who don’t feel ready to be public speakers. We talk about the structure and putting together the talk. We also talk about learning about different speaking styles from other great speakers and focusing on emotional connections.
Show Highlights
- [02:14] Corey decided to write The Book of Public Speaking, to introduce people to his back end business and to build a funnel.
- [03:56] His marketing strategy was to drive as much traffic as possible to the book while it was free. He then had a sign up form for a newsletter that put those emails in a funnel. The focus was on Kindle and promo sites.
- [06:32] Corey booked his first TEDx Talk by going to a local event and approaching the organizers. He pitched and they had a cancellation and he got to jump ahead. Big lesson. Go directly to the decision maker.
- [11:13] When pitching TEDx lead with your book. If it’s on your speech topic even better. Share your idea in a way that people haven’t heard before but can still understand. Make a meaningful and lasting impression. Add value to the organizers. Stand out as a person. They are looking for a new, fresh idea.
- [18:05] Finding organizers comes down to creative research. You can find the events on TED.com and often they list the organizers. Try to find the names of the organizers. You can also search LinkedIn through hashtags.
- [21:00] You need to know how to deliver a TED talk on stage. Get your talk in front of the right views. Go on social media and test your idea.
- [25:01] Typically speaking you want a short title that tells people what they’re going to get from it while also peaking their interest.
- [30:28] Changing a book title can be a strategy to add in a search term and get more people interested.
- [32:12] Corey’s advice for non-speakers. There are very few natural born speakers. There are fundamentals that always work. Always work in threes. Have three or less main points you want people to walk away with. Have a hero and a villain. Go through your talk and make sure there’s a hero and a villain. Watch great speakers with different styles. Focus on an emotional connection just as much as the content.
Links and Resources
- Children’s Self Publishing School
- Visit Self Publishing School Online
- Book a Call with Our Team
- SPS Free Training Course
- Corey Poirier
- Free Resource from Corey
- Conversations With PASSION
- bLU Talks
- The Book of Public Speaking: Learning to Speak for Purpose, Impact and Profit
- How People Crush Fears and Expand Comfort Zones | Corey Poirier | TEDxCanmore
- Corey Poirier LinkedIn
- Corey Poirier Instagram
- Corey Poirier Facebook
- Corey Poirier Twitter
- POP!: Create the Perfect Pitch, Title, and Tagline for Anything