Kyle Dendy is a well-known speaker based out of Dallas, Texas. He began his speaking career at the young age of 17, and his first goal was simple: to give a TEDx talk. As Kyle was dreaming of stepping on that stage, he figured that dream invitation was just going to arrive out of thin air, but turns out, that was far from the case. Fast forward a couple years, he found himself speaking in many different venues, speaking to people of all ages and backgrounds. Kyle knew he had a story, and he knew he had value. He even created a program (Speaker Secrets) to give people a consistent strategy for booking engagements. After talking with Kyle, he listed out three steps from his program to help you land a TEDx talk in the next 30 days:
1. Finding your unique story: Kyle explains, “Not everyone has the hardcore story about a traumatic past, but everyone has a powerful story.” When giving a TEDx talk, you have a set amount of time to share an idea that is worth hearing about. The goal is to choose a subject you want to share that people have a desire to hear about in a simplistic and appealing way.
2. Getting in touch with decision makers: This part is one of the most simple steps, yet the most important. You can go to the TEDx website and search out events in areas that are near you. Find the organizer of the event, and contact them with an email or message on social media. A bonus tip is to find something you have in common with the organizer, and build a connection with them. Understand that on the other side of the email is another person that wants to create a successful event, and you could be the wow factor that makes it a success.
*Keep in mind that TEDx events are not paid gigs. In the course Speaker Secrets, Kyle goes in depth about landing paid speaking opportunities and using email automation to land gigs. The key to starting a speaking career is playing the numbers game. The more messages you send out to land these gigs, the more of a chance you have of booking them.
3. Pitching your story to the decision makers: When you find who to reach out to, YOU DO NOT NEED TO SHARE YOUR WHOLE LIFE STORY WITH THEM! Present a short message that includes the value of what you plan to bring to their event. You can also include a link to a video of you speaking so the organizer can get a sense of who you are. Another major key to sending an effective message is to keep the subject line short and sweet. If your message looks promotional or like spam, it will quickly be deleted. Here is a good example of a sample message:
“Hi *Name*! I’ve spent the last few years speaking about ________. It would be an honor to speak at your TEDx event. Are you still booking speakers?”
A big part of being successful in this industry is being prepared. As you are contacting organizers, and reaching out to those decision makers, practice your flow and style. Perfect your craft as a speaker, and continue to grow and improve. These are some practical tips that will help you land a TEDx Talk quickly and effectively.To learn more about Kyle, you can follow him on Instagram (@KyleDendy) or join over 7,000+ students in his on demand speaking program Speaker Secrets to quickly find available gigs and land them with email automation.