Hiring an Ethiopian Virtual Assistant to Book Speaking Gigs & Guest Podcasts
We work with a lot of incredible entrepreneurs, female founders, and coaches who are looking to book events and guest podcasts.
This is a personal case study on how hiring a Virtual Assistant to book speaking gigs and guest podcasts can be a tremendous way to grow your business. We know it works-- because we use this exact strategy for our own business!
Why Book Speaking Gigs
Booking speaking gigs can become a great stream of revenue. While you may not get paid a lot in the beginning (and even may need to do a few for free), you can work yourself up to earning great money.
The average newbie can make around $500-$2,000 per each event. The average public speaker earns a little over $100,000 USD per year. However, it is not unheard of to earn up to $1,000,000 per year.
Speaking gigs are also great for credibility. Having just one Ted Talk under your belt can open countless doors.
Speaking at events is also a great excuse to travel, meet people, and promote your business.
Why Book Guest Podcast Opportunities
According to Elyse Archer, an International Sales & Money Mentor, joining as a guest podcast is one of the most efficient sales strategies.
This makes sense when you realize that 82.4% of podcast listeners spend over seven hours listening to podcasts each week!
The average person also only subscribes to six podcasts. This translates to a deep trust and loyalty to the host. What it means for you is that instead of having to do the hard work in developing the relationship over time, you can leverage the audience's trust in the host to promote your business, products and services.
Podcasts also live on! Whereas a blog article easily gets buried, a new podcast subscriber will scroll through old podcasts and listen to them months and even years after they first aired.
Why Utilize an Ethiopian Virtual Assistant
At CRDLE, we are all about promoting African talent. We have a team in Ethiopia that connects the best Virtual Assistants to our clients around the world.
Utilizing an Ethiopian Virtual Assistant to do the cold outreach for you will save you incredible time and is very affordable. Booking just one event or a couple of podcasts per month will pay for itself.
How to Get Started
Step 1: Identify the Correct Speaking Gigs/Podcasts
Once you have onboarded your Ethiopian Virtual Assistant, it's important to set criteria for what kind of speaking gigs or guest podcast opportunities you want.
For example, for podcasts you may want to specify:
- The category of podcasts (podcasts focused on business, entrepreneurship, retail, women, etc.)
- Podcasts that have at least 50 episodes (if they are too new, they might not stick around or have enough followers)
- Podcasts that have published within the last month (don't pitch podcasts that haven't published recently)
- Podcasts that will compliment your work not compete with it (if you sell coffee, you may not want to join another coffee brand's podcast. However, a podcast for baristas or retailers may be a good fit)
You can find podcasts through ListenNotes (a podcast search engine), Google, or scrolling through wherever you listen to podcasts
Step 2: Reach out to 5 Per Day
According to Elyse Archer, it's about quality over quantity. Have your VA start pitch at least five potential podcasts or speaking gigs per day. This allows the VA to really do quality outreach.
If your VA is focused on this alone, they can do more. However, five a day is a good starting point if they have ever tasks for you as well. (Not sure what else a VA can do for you, check out our top 29 Tasks to Delegate to a Virtual Assistant).
We recommend creating a shared Google Sheet where the VA can list the Podcast Name, Host Name, Date Contacted, and Response so that you can track the results.
The goal should be to book at least one event or podcast per week-- or up to a 2 a week if you are really pushing sales or a big launch.
Step 3: Make a Great Template
To make things easier on your VA and to make sure they are representing you and your brand correctly, it is a good idea to create a template message.
However, template messages need to be personalized to be effective.
We recommend having your VA listen to at least one podcast (or at least partially listen to it) before pitching to make sure it's a good fit for you and to be able to include a personal message.
The template should include:
- A personal statement that helps the host know it's not a cold email. For example, "I listened to your recent episode about __________ and found it so helpful because of ____________."
- The VA needs to do an explanation about you. For example: "I work with (Your Name) at (Your Company)." Then include a 1-2 short sentences about you like, "She has over a decade of experience coaching female entrepreneurs to take control of their finances and earn more. She has been featured on Yahoo, HuffPost, and more!"
- Add your request. For example: "I think she might be a great fit as a guest for your show and wanted to see if you are currently accepting new guests?"
- Suggest 3 potential topics of conversation in bullet points. It should be topics that will inspire, educate, or help their audience in some way.
- Tell them that you are attaching your media kit (more on that in the next point).
- Tell them how you will help them. For example: "If (Your Name) seems like a great fit, we are happy to help promote you and the episode to our growing followers on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook."
- Signature. Make sure your Virtual Assistant signs their name with a professional signature that links to your website and social media handles.
Step 4: Include a Media Kit
The Media Kit is key. Do not skip this step. You should include a stunning media kit that is 5-7 pages long. It should include:
- Your Name
- Several Photos including a professional headshot
- Your Bio
- Two or Three Themes of what you can talk about plus specific questions and topics of conversation
- Where You have Been Featured (if applicable)
- Other interesting facts about you
Creating and including a Speaker Reel is also another way to stand out. For example, one of our industry friends and up-and-coming top speakers, Temeika Isaac Devine, created her speaker reel which highlights the amazing speeches she has given and shows the range of topics she can deliver on.
Step 5: Create a Cadence
In our own work, we have found that if you do not get an answer back either way within a week, it is great to have your VA reach out again with another template message. We typically write our initial response, a follow up within 7 days, and a final follow up 7 days. If we still do not hear back with a response, we drop it.
You can also have your VA reach out to the host on LinkedIn (using your credentials) asking to connect and mentioning that your team reached out to be on their podcast. This creates another personal link.
Step 6: Get Prepared
When you do book an event or guest podcast, it is important to do your own preparation. Your VA got you the gig, but you need to make sure you show up fully.
For example, if you book a guest podcast episode, make sure you listen to at least a couple of their podcasts first so that you know their style, their audience, and what would serve them best!
Final Advice
While booking event or guest podcast is an extremely effective sales strategy, it may take some time to see the full fruits. Commit to doing it for the next 6 to 12 months before changing course.
Need a Virtual Assistant? Start a 30 Day Trial!
If you do not already have a Virtual Assistant and want to get matched to one, we would love to connect you.
We are so proud and confident of the amazing talent we work with (all based out of Ethiopia or other African countries!), that we offer a 30 day trial where you can cancel anytime. After that, it's just 30 day written notice to cancel. Don't get stuck in lengthy contracts that do not deliver. Instead partner with CRDLE and make your dream of speaking come to life!
To learn more, setup a call with our team: https://calendly.com/crdle