Whether you like it or loathe it, pitching is an essential part of building your presence as a speaker and getting yourself onto event agendas.
Whilst some event organisers invite speakers directly to participate in their events, many also open speaking opportunities for speakers to pitch for. This not only gives speakers the chance to put themselves forward for consideration, but also helps event organisers discover fresh voices and perspectives that may not already be on their radar.
What’s more, unless you actively express an interest in speaking at an event, organisers are unlikely to know you’re available or keen to be involved. You can’t wait for organisers to come to you.
This is why whether you’re a first time speaker, or seasoned pro, proactively pitching to speak at events is the best way to solidify your position in the speaker circuit.
But how do you pitch to speak at an event and give yourself the best possible chance of success?
Here’s your guide.
What Marketing Event Organisers are Looking For
To begin, let’s take a look at what event organisers are looking for when reviewing pitches, as this will help you to ensure that your submission stands out from the crowd.
1. Content vs credentials.
Many event organisers are less focused on your job title, company, or previous speaking experience, and more interested in the strength and relevance of your proposed talk.
That being said, it’s important to remember that every event has its own preferences when shaping its agenda.
Some may prioritise experienced or well-established speakers, which can help drive ticket sales and event reach,while others may seek out new speakers and structure their agenda to cater for emerging voices in the industry.
2. Educational and actionable.
The best talks are the ones where the audience has learnt something new, and also come away with actionable steps/changes/strategies to implement.
Remember the audience are going to events to learn something so that they can be better at their jobs, and event organisers are looking for talks which can help them do that.
3. Unique perspectives
Whilst there will always be core topics and perspectives covered on the agenda at marketing events, organisers are often on the lookout for something fresh and unique too.
Have you been exploring a newly emerging PPC platform and want to show people how they can get started? Have you found a different way to build a content strategy which doesn’t involve AI? Do you disagree with a SEO best practice and have a case study which backs up your feelings?
These types of pitches are what really stand out to event organisers when they’re reviewing submissions.
4. Event relevance
Every event has its own objective and audience, and organsiers need to ensure that their agenda is relevant to what the audience want and expect to see covered.
This may mean rejecting incredible pitches because they are not relevant to their event.
Research
With what organizers are looking for in mind, the very first step you need to take before writing a pitch is to do your research.
By researching events and speaking opportunities, you can build a pipeline of opportunities to pursue throughout the year. This will also help you to better understand how to frame yourself as a speaker, and work out which events would best suit your specialism and interests.
1. Attend events
Successful speakers don’t only take to the stage, they also spend time attending events and learning from others. Gaining first-hand research is essential for understanding what makes an event and talk successful and growing your reputation as a speaker.
2. Make a pitching calendar
Most events will announce their date and pitching deadlines well in advance, so make sure you are aware of these and plan accordingly.
This will help guide you on when you need to pitch and also ensure that you keep your diary clear should you be successful. Who wants to get accepted to speak at an event and then realise they’re on holiday?!
3. Think about your specialism
You need to be confident and experienced in the topics you plan to cover in your talks. There is no point in pitching to speak on a topic which you are only tangentially experienced in or can only offer top level coverage on.
Start by making a list of topics you feel confident speaking about. Think about what other members of your team would come to you to ask advice on, or what you often talk about in social and blog content.
Tip: It’s also important to choose topics that genuinely interest you. Building a deck takes time and effort, from researching and building your slide deck to rehearsing and delivering the talk. Having a genuine passion for your subject will make the process much more enjoyable and help you deliver a better talk to the audience.
4. Create a Speaker Bio
Along with your title and description, you will be asked to provide further information about yourself.
More often than not, this will simply be a personal biography that event organisers use to assess your suitability for the topic. If your pitch is successful, it may also be used in promotional materials, such as the event’s speaker page.
It’s very important that you take the time to develop a speaker bio which summarises your specialism and experience.
Think of it as a TLDR about you. What must the organisers know to trust you to be able to deliver your proposed talk?
A strong speaker bio will let the organisers know:
- Who you are and your role
- What you specialise in
- Your experience in the topic you are proposing to talk about
- If available – your previous speaking experience
You may be asked to provide a headshot along with your personal bio. Be considerate about the image that you submit and try to provide a recent, professional image if you have one available. It’s less than ideal to be submitting a photo of your from a night out at a club for your professional profile!
Tip – Don’t have a professional headshot? Grab some books to act as a tripod and take a photo of yourself against a plain background, ideally with your full face and shoulders framed in the center.
Write Your Title and Description
This is where your event research becomes invaluable, as your pitch should be tailored to the audience, objectives and overall agenda of the event you’re targeting.
You wouldn’t try out for a rugby team if you’re a footballer, so don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to your pitches!
For every pitch you will be asked to provide a title and a description.
1. Title
Your title should make it immediately clear what your talk is on, without the event organiser needing to read your description.
Whilst clever and funny talks titles go down well with the audience, aim for clarity above all else when choosing your talk title.
2. Description
This is where you summarise your talk by outlining the topic, the problem you’re addressing and key learnings, often in between 80-100 words. .
The event organisers need to be able to understand the value of your session and what content you will be covering, so do not rush this part!
Here are some things to keep in mind when writing your description:
- Be specific – Many events reserve a limited number of slots for broader strategic or theoretical talks, with most of the agenda focused on practical, technical, and specific topics.
Don’t be afraid to propose a more focused talk that dives into a particular challenge, case study, or area of expertise. These can often stand out more to event organisers, and can provide greater value to attendees than high-level topics.
- Offer measurable results – “Trust me, it worked” is not enough for event organisers to confidently include your content in their agenda.
For example, if you’re proposing a talk on how a new approach to keyword research improved your organic performance, both the event organisers and attendees will expect to see clear, measurable results to support your claims.
Tip: Always make sure that you review the submission guidelines of the event you’re pitching for as some events will have specific requirements.
What To Do After You’ve Submitted Your Pitch
Once your pitch has been submitted, there’s little left to do but wait to see if it was accepted. Trust that you’ve put your best foot forward and allow the event organisers the time they need to review applications and make their final decisions.
It is recommended that you do not chase the event organisers to follow up on the progress of our submissions, unless you have had specific instructions or discussions to do so.
What to do if your pitch is accepted – Then congratulations are in order! It’s time to carefully follow the next steps provided by the event organiser and start prepping for your talk.
What to do if your pitch is not accepted – Whilst it can be disappointing for a pitch to be rejected, try to not take it personally and consider some of the common reasons why a pitch is unsuccessful:
- The organisers had too many strong pitches to choose from and a limited number of slots available, so had to be selective
- Your topic was already covered in another selected talk
- The organisers did not feel that your topic was relevant to their audience
- Your pitch did not clearly communicate what value would be provided to the audience
Try to not let a rejection stop you from pitching for other events, or even the same event in the future.
Rejection is unfortunately just a normal part of the pitching process.
Note that many events do not contact unsuccessful applicants and/or offer feedback. Due to the volume of pitches they receive and the admin it would take to contact each individual with an explanation of why their pitch wasn’t submitted, you may not hear back from them.
Other Tips and Advice
Here are some further tips and advice to help you along your pitching journey:
- Work with an experienced speaker to review your draft pitch and get their feedback on how it could be improved
- Avoid overly excessively promotional content, particularly if you work for a tool or software
- Always submit your pitch before the deadline – most organisers won’t accept a late submission
- Avoid using ChatGPT or other tools to write your description, as event organisers want to gauge your confidence in and direction for the topic, not what a chatbot suggests
- Give your submission a thorough spelling and grammar check before your click submit and make sure you have filled in all the required information
Summary
Pitching to speak at events is a key part of building your event profile and establishing yourself as a speaker.
While the process can be time consuming and competitive, taking the time to craft a high-quality pitch can significantly improve your chances of securing a slot.
Even if your application isn’t successful, a strong submission can leave a positive and lasting impression on event organisers, increasing the likelihood that you’ll be considered for future events.
So don’t wait for event organisers to knock on your door, get out there and pitch!
If you’d like to learn more about pitching or submit a pitch to speak at our next event, please head over to:
