Speakers, speakers, everywhere, but not a soul that suits your webinar series?

The struggle is all too real, innit?

In a recent study by Vimeo, 64% of participants said the quality of their speakers drive them to register for an event or webinar.

So clearly, no pressure there 😛

But the fact of the matter is that finding the right speakers doesn’t have to be difficult; it just requires a smart approach.

In this tactical piece, we'll give you five easy steps to find the right speakers for your webinar series.

Step 1: Define your target audience (and their interests)

Who is your typical audience? What topics are they interested in learning more about? What challenges are they facing in their industry? Answering these questions up top will help you identify speakers who can provide relevant insights and solutions to their problems.

Step 2: Create a speaker persona

Once you have defined your audience, go ahead and create a speaker persona that outlines the ideal characteristics of your speakers. Consider the essential superpowers - their experience, expertise, communication skills, and their ability to connect with your audience. This will help you pick the best of potential speakers who can deliver a message that resonates with your audience.

Step 3: Let the search begin!

There are various ways to find potential speakers for your webinar series. Start by looking at industry events, webinars, and conferences to see who the keynote speakers are. You can also use social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to search for thought leaders and experts in your industry. While you’re at it, check out guests of competitor webinar series - this way, you can not only get a feel of their presence in a conversation, but also ensure you approach them with a fresh topic that they haven’t covered elsewhere - two birds in one stone!

Step 4: Finalize that beautiful speaker list

Once you have identified potential speakers, you need to evaluate them based on your speaker persona. Review their experience, expertise, and communication skills. Look for any public speaking videos they have available online to assess their presentation style and ability to engage an audience.

Step 5: Reach out to your final list of speakers

After you have evaluated potential speakers, reach out to your selected candidates. Send them an invitation to speak at your webinar series. 

• Be sure to introduce your webinar theme for context. 
• Also, highlight the reasons why they are a good fit for your audience
• Make sure to include the date and time of the webinar series, as well as any additional details about the event, so that you can quickly lock in on a calendar slot (most speakers have super busy schedules!)

With these 5 steps, you’ll be able to streamline the process of not just getting the right speakers for your webinar series, but also building a pipeline of speakers way ahead of time so you don’t have to hustle every time you have a new edition to put out.

Need some ready examples to help you get started? This checklist is all yours - you’ll find a step-by-step approach, email templates and much more!