Stop Begging for Speakers. How to Build a Pipeline of Expert Talent That Wants to Work With You
Let me paint a picture of your current speaker outreach process:
You spend three hours crafting the "perfect" email to a potential speaker. You research their background, customize every line, explain your event vision, and hit send with hope in your heart.
Crickets.
Two weeks later, you follow up. Nothing.
You try a different approach, maybe offering a speaking fee, travel reimbursement, or promotional opportunities. Still nothing.
Frustrated, you lower your standards. You reach out to your friend's cousin who "speaks sometimes." You book the local business coach who's available (because no one else wants them). You end up with a lineup that makes you cringe, but hey, at least you have speakers.
This is Speaker Desperation Syndrome, and it's killing your events before they start.
Here's what you don't realize: While you're chasing speakers, the best event organizers have speakers chasing them. They've built what I call a Speaker Pipeline—a systematic approach that makes talented experts eager to be part of their events.
Today, I'm giving you the blueprint.
The Fundamental Shift: From Transaction to Relationship
Your speaker outreach fails because you're thinking like a buyer instead of thinking like a partner.
Desperate Event Organizer Thinking: "I need someone to fill this speaking slot. What can I offer them to make them say yes?"
Speaker Magnet Thinking: "I'm building something amazing. Which experts would benefit from being associated with this community and this experience?"
The difference? One approach makes you a beggar. The other makes you a collaborator.
Step 1: The "Value-First" Speaker Cultivation System
Stop reaching out when you need something. Start building relationships when you don't.
The 90-Day Cultivation Calendar:
Month 1: The Introduction
Share their content with thoughtful commentary on social media
Leave meaningful comments on their LinkedIn posts (not generic "Great post!" but actual insights)
Send a brief email: "Loved your recent article on [specific topic]. Your point about [specific detail] really resonated because [personal connection]."
Month 2: The Value Add
Invite them to your events as a VIP attendee (not a speaker, just to experience what you do)
Introduce them to other people in your network who they'd benefit from knowing
Share opportunities that might interest them (other speaking gigs, partnerships, media features)
Month 3: The Collaboration
Now you reach out about speaking, but it's not cold outreach anymore
You're not asking a stranger for a favor; you're inviting a colleague to be part of something they've already seen and experienced
Step 2: The "Speaker Magnet" Event Experience
Here's the secret: Great speakers don't just want to speak. They want to speak at great events. They want to be associated with excellent experiences and top-tier communities.
Make your events so good that speakers feel lucky to be included.
The Speaker Experience Audit:
Pre-Event: Do you send speakers a detailed brief about the audience, your expectations, and how you'll promote their session?
Day-Of: Do you have a dedicated speaker liaison, green room, professional AV setup, and clear timeline?
Post-Event: Do you send speakers professional photos, video clips of their presentation, and data about the engagement their session generated?
Most event organizers treat speakers like vendors. Speaker magnets treat speakers like VIP partners.
Step 3: The "Referral Multiplication Method"
Your best speakers should become your recruiting team. Every great speaker knows other great speakers. But they'll only refer people to events they're proud to be associated with.
The Post-Event Speaker Survey: Within 48 hours of your event, send every speaker this simple form:
"On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend speaking at our events to a colleague?"
"What was the highlight of your speaker experience?"
"Who are 2-3 other experts in our space who would be perfect for our next event?"
"What would make our speaker experience even better next time?"
Speakers who give you 9s and 10s become your unpaid recruiting team. They'll refer their network, post about the experience on social media, and often volunteer to speak at future events.
Step 4: The "Expert Advisory Board" Strategy
Here's the advanced move: Don't just book speakers for individual events. Invite your best speakers to become ongoing advisors for your community.
The Advisory Board Offer: "I'm building an Expert Advisory Board for [Your Community Name]. It's a small group of 6-8 industry leaders who help shape our content, suggest event topics, and occasionally speak at our signature events. It's a 1-year commitment, involves quarterly virtual meetings, and comes with some amazing perks..."
The Perks:
First access to speak at your premium events
Cross-promotion to your entire community
Networking access to other board members
Revenue sharing on events they help design
"Advisory Board Member" credibility they can use in their marketing
The Result: You now have a curated group of experts who are invested in your success and actively helping you book other great speakers.
The Compound Effect: When Your Speaker Pipeline Becomes Self-Sustaining
Here's what happens when you build the system correctly:
Month 1-3: You're doing the cultivation work and improving your speaker experience. Month 4-6: Your first round of cultivated speakers start saying yes and having great experiences. Month 7-9: Those speakers start referring their networks and posting about your events. Month 10-12:New speakers reach out to you asking to be considered for future events.
Year 2: You have more qualified speaker applications than you have speaking slots.
You've built what every event organizer dreams of: A waiting list of great speakers who want to work with you.
The Time ROI: From 40 Hours to 4 Hours
Before the Speaker Pipeline:
40+ hours per event chasing speakers
60% rejection rate
Settling for available speakers instead of ideal speakers
Starting from zero for every event
After the Speaker Pipeline:
4 hours per event confirming speakers from your cultivated pipeline
90% acceptance rate
Choosing from multiple qualified options for each slot
Building on relationships that compound over time
You didn't just solve your speaker problem. You created a competitive advantage.
Ready to build your speaker magnet system?
Great speakers want to work with great organizers. They want to be part of communities that value their expertise, treat them professionally, and help them reach the right audience.
If you're tired of begging for speakers and ready to become the event organizer that experts actively want to work with, let's build your speaker pipeline together.
