I have a confession to make:

I STOLE the title of this newsletter from one of you lovely people, almost verbatim.

BUT:

This was a response I got when I asked a new subscriber (hi Sandro!) about what he wanted to learn from this newsletter, which I think is both an ethical and smart form of theft.

Especially because if Sandro wants to know, chances are you might too.

This topic - positioning for speakers should help everyone who wants to:

• book more speaking gigs,

• raise their prices,

• and have more fun onstage.

So let’s get into it, shall we?

How do you position yourself as a speaker in a way that feels both authentic and impactful?

First of all, let’s ask:

What the fuck is positioning, bro??

The “world’s foremost expert” on the subject April Dunford says:

‍"Positioning defines how your product is a leader at delivering something that a well-defined set of customers cares a lot about."

In layman’s terms:

“What makes you DIFFERENT, AND MORE VALUABLE than others who are similar, and to WHOM, SPECIFICALLY?”

Next, the question:

What TF do “authentic” and “impactful” mean?

These terms are both overused in corporate circles, and yet like most clichés, used for a reason.

Here’s how I define these terms, for our purposes today:

Authentic = true to your unique character, beliefs, ideas, and values, all of which derive from your life story.

Impact = signals that your work helps people, is valued, appreciated, and in demand

So, for positioning to be both authentic and impactful, it has to:

1. Reflect what is unique about you, your passion, your experience, and your skills (which you can also draw from your 3-Act Origin Story, as well as the exercise below)

2. AND get you positive results like interest, gigs, and referrals

How to create such positioning, Will?

Copy and paste the following questions into a document, and spend some time thinking and answering them:

• What was unique about my CHILDHOOD that is also relevant to my current work?

• What CAREERS or JOBS have I had along the way that other speakers and audience members might not have had?

• What was my TURNING POINT for getting into this work, and why does that make me so passionate about it now?

• What am I really good at HELPING people do? Which people?

• How would it benefit an ORGANIZATION as well as the individuals?

• What exercise or framework can I TEACH them in 30 minutes or so?

• And what is my PERSPECTIVE on this work that may go against conventional some way?

Next, take those answers, and use them fill out the following Speaker Positioning Template:

“I’m a former {past career(s)} turned {topic/category} speaker.

I do {type of talks} to {audiences} to help them {solve problems} so they can {outcomes}.

I believe that {differentiated POV 1} and {differentiated POV 2} which sets me apart from other speakers on this topic."

If you want some examples, read my LinkedIn post here (which has my “speaker positioning statement” and a bunch of others’ in the comments).

And if you wanna learn more about this concept of positioning, follow these people on LinkedIn. They know their shit:

Anthony Pierri

Troy Assoignon

And of course, the OG:

April Dunford

THAT’S IT for this week! As always, please reply with any questions about this stuff or (almost) anything else.

Greenblast… OUT 🚀

P.S. If you wanna work with me, you can start by book a Strategy Call here.