While exact acceptance rates aren’t published, this is what anyone in PR (at least for startups) will tell you:
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How do you get your clients coveted FREE speaking opportunities at industry trade events?
After 17 years of pitching events for my startup clients, and a recent, very interesting conversation with Uzo Okereke (a PR pro who specializes in events)… let me tell you how it’s done.
I’ve submitted more formal ‘call for speaking’ proposals than I can count. And very few of them result in an opportunity (unpaid) for my client.
Instead, I get a lot of offers for sponsorship packages. Are calls for papers a lead gen strategy? Absolutely. Do people get selected through the calls for papers process? Also yes, but not often as I pointed out above.
So how do you really get selected as a speaker (without sponsorship?)
According to Uzo, it’s all about building relationships and the long game. Hmm… where have I heard that before?
In essence, you have to use the fundamentals of great PR. Not as you would to journalists, but to the event organizer(s) and whoever is on the selection committee for speakers.
Who selects speakers for this event? Figure it out and get to know them intimately. It’s them you’re pitching.
PR pros (like Uzo and I) can help you.
The hardest part (by far) is building relationships with event organizers.
PR pros spend hours on crafting the right pitch and proposal topic, and we’re relentless at driving earned visibility to make you stand out. But we face many challenges (time being one of them) when it comes to authentic, genuine relationships with event organizers.
How do you build relationships with event organizers?
Here are 6 best practices:
As a startup, what does it take to craft a compelling pitch? For starters, a good story. The key is getting other faces involved in that story to participate, too.
But that doesn’t mean they have to actually speak at the event itself.
Pros like Uzo and I can help:
To secure a coveted, unpaid speaking spot at a major industry conference, submitting a generic bio and a jargon-filled topic won’t cut it. This is especially true at events that are flooded with hundreds (if not thousands) of proposals.
Event organizers are under pressure to deliver engaging, relevant content, and they need to know your speaker will deliver.
Every session should be a headliner.
Your submission has to stand out from the start. That means building a pitch that’s more than just a good idea, it’s a proof point. You need to position your speaker as the expert they can’t afford to ignore, pitch a topic that fills a gap (not blends in), and offer credibility up front.
Here’s 5 assets every startup (and their PR team) should prepare before submitting a speaker and why these elements matter more than ever):
Need an events specialist? Book some time with Uko.
Want to incorporate events into your existing 2025 (and beyond) PR plans? I’m here to help.
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