6 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Help Launch Your Speaking Career

As a virtual assistant I am often paired with clients who desire to grow their speaking career. They have specific expertise or a story to tell, they feel that sharing their knowledge will benefit others, and they know they like to speak.

Diving in to the world of speaking head first can be extremely intimidating, especially if you’re facing it on your own. Here are 6 areas where a virtual assistant can help you launch your speaking career off the ground.

1. Cultivating Your Social Presence

If you want to be a successful speaker, you need to have an audience of people who are willing to listen to you. Creating a community of followers who are interested in what you have to say will be the building blocks to a successful speaking career.

But cultivating community takes time and effort—and if you’re balancing a day job or aren’t naturally social savvy, it can be a lot to take on. A virtual assistant can help you draft social posts, maintain an editorial calendar for your blog, and more—helping you build follower growth that leads to more demand for you as a speaker.

2. Researching Speaking Engagements

Finding speaking opportunities that are in line with your expertise as well as your preferred location and schedule can be extremely overwhelming. Virtual assistants can take that task off your hand and find a good fit for you. They can compile a working list of potential annual speaking engagements that you can use for years to come.

3. Preparing Your Pitch Materials

The first thing you’ll need in order to pitch yourself as a speaker is your one-sheet—basically the equivalent of your speaker’s resume. This is your chance to convince someone to book you, so take your time when creating this page! Your speaker one-sheet should include:

• Who You Are – Start your page by including your name and photo. Sounds simple right? But before you go grab your latest selfie, remember that images tend to be remembered more than text. Choose a photo that best represents who you are and is consistent with your brand.

• Your Past Experiences – Include a clear and concise professional biography that tells the reader why they should choose you. Paint a picture of what it is that makes you an expert on the topic you would like to speak about. Include past speaking engagements, and relative professional experience. This is one time where it is completely okay to name drop!

• What You Speak About – This is your chance to sell yourself to the reader. Pick a few of your strongest speaking topics that are relative to your desired audience. Include the speaking title and a brief description of the topic. The reader needs to know how you would benefit their audience.

• What Others are Saying About You – Including testimonials from others is a way to give yourself credibility.  Reach out to previous event planners or audience members and ask for a short quote on what they gained from listening to you speak or working with you.

• How You Can Be Reached – Don’t forget to include your contact information! Give the reader a variety of options as everyone’s contact preferences are different. Include your phone, email, website, and social media accounts.

Sound overwhelming? Don’t panic! A great virtual assistant can help you compile the materials for your page, organize your cover letters for reaching out to conference coordinators, and even connect you with professionals to create a stellar highlight reel.

4. Travel and Scheduling

Once you get the gig, your virtual assistant can research and coordinate flights, hotels, ground transportation, and anything else you need for a great speaking trip. Your VA can also maintain your personal and professional schedule to make sure the jobs you take fit in with the rest of your life.

5. Setting Fees and Getting Paid

Creating and establishing a fee schedule document will be essential as you begin your speaking career. When booking speaking engagements you will need to send quick responses to event coordinators and conference managers and having these documents ready will help keep processes consistent and running smoothly.

Your virtual assistant can also assist you with billing and bookkeeping, ultimately keeping you focused on doing what you love!

6. Moral Support

Building a speaking career takes time and having someone by your side can encourage you to keep moving forward. Together, with your virtual assistant, you can stay focused on the big picture.

A great VA can be so much more than just an assistant. With my speaking clients, I truly feel like a partner, a cheerleader, and a friend. I am thrilled when I see my clients succeed, and I am constantly looking for new ways to make that happen.

Don’t let administrative hurdles hold you back from the speaking career you’ve dreamed of. No matter what kind of help you need, there is plenty of talent available to help you overcome those administrative hurdles and make your dreams come true!