5 Must-Have Elements for Every Speaking Engagement Pitch

“What do you mean I only have one sheet to convince you to listen?”

That’s what happens when you pitch speaking engagements. You have one sheet to convince your target you have something of value to say, that you can say it with authority, and that their audience will benefit.

With digital enhancements, you can make your one sheet pitch more informative than ever. Each section can and should include links for learning more about you with a click of their mouse.  This keeps your pitch in the format they expect to see, but extra convenient for them to learn more without much effort.

We’ve listed the 5 elements of a speaking engagement one-sheet pitch below, including ways you can incorporate blog posts, videos, and social media to make your one sheeter a force to be reckoned with.

1. Your Name and Photo

Put your best shot forward, but also include a link to a hidden media page on your site where conferences and events can view and download a myriad of promotional photos of you. Include different sized logos as well. This will eliminate emails back and forth once they have accepted your proposal and make it more efficient for them to promote your talk.

2. Your Speaking Topic and Benefits

It’s important to include exactly what you will be covering and why their audience will benefit from your participation. Ensure that you will be solving a problem their audience has, but go a bit further and include links to blog posts you have written on the subject and your speaking reels that support the topic. If this interests them, they can immediately take it one step further and learn of your expertise. While this may mean you need to modify your one-sheet for each pitch, it’s worth the effort, especially in securing a high-profile event.

3. Your Bio

Of course conference organizers will want to know who you are in relationship to the talk you want to deliver. Write a short biography on your pitch including why you are an expert, what you do for the industry, and facts to support your work. Include live links within your content to videos or recaps of previous speaking engagements so they can click through to see where else you have appeared.

4. Testimonials

It’s great to include what others have said about you (as long as it’s good!). But go one step further and add your reviewers’ Twitter handles so your reader can connect with your references directly.

5. Your Contact Information

Make sure to list all the ways your target can get in touch with you or your assistant if they are interested, but also include a link to a special form on your website where they can quickly reach out without even having to click into their email.

Remember, no digital enhancement can make up for a poorly targeted speaking topic. But after you know exactly what and to whom you want to pitch, put some extra effort into creating a one-sheet pitch that can actually do the work of many.

image source