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Titles Matter:6 Ways to Write Presentation Titles that Sizzle... and Sell!!If you only read one line of this week’s newsletter, don’t miss this: Your presentation title will often be the difference in whether you get serious consideration for a speaking engagement or not – it’s that important. Remember that prospective clients are most likely looking at several speaker candidates, so you have to set yourself apart from the crowd. Don’t take it for granted that someone will read your full bio and see all the great experience you have. Don’t even take for granted that someone will read your presentation description to learn about your unique take on “Change Management” – especially if you list “Change Management” as a presentation title (that’s a topic, not a presentation title!). Presentation titles and article headlines share a common purpose: to capture attention… to make someone pause and say, “That sounds interesting! I need to check that out!” If your presentation titles aren’t interesting, you may not even get a look before the potential client says “Next!” and moves on to the next speaker. So how do you capture attention? There are few ways, and you should make sure your presentation titles accomplish at least one if not a combination of the following: 1. Communicate a distinct benefit/solution. Everyone is asking, “What’s in it for me?” Meeting planners and business leaders are no different. If your presentation title makes it easy to see what’s to be gained by putting you in front of their audience, they’ll come a step closer. Byrd Baggett’s presentation, “Drought Proof: How to keep your business green and growing during turbulent times,” clearly states what’s to be gained from his presentation: keep your business growing during turbulent times. Perfect! 2. Spark curiosity. “Getting Naked” is Patrick Lencioni’s newest presentation title (based on his book by the same name). Are you curious to know what it’s about? If so, you’d be likely to read beyond the title and learn that it has to do with a “revolutionary and counterintuitive approach to client service that yields uncommon levels of trust and loyalty” – and if you’re interested in generating “uncommon levels of trust and loyalty” with your clients, you’re likely to take a closer look at booking Pat and this presentation. 3. Establish credibility. After asking “What’s in it for me?” a prospective client is likely asking “Why should I listen to you?” If I, Shawn Ellis, offer “My Secrets for Excellent Customer Service,” a few people might be interested, but most will wonder, “Who’s Shawn Ellis?” And, “Why should I trust what he has to say about customer service?” But when Joseph Michelli offers “The Starbucks Experience: Lessons in Leadership to Spark YOU and Your Business to Unimaginable Success,” I may not know Joseph Michelli, but I know Starbucks, so I’ll read further to see what he has to say and how he knows what he knows. (That’s borrowed credibility, by the way, and it works just as well!) 4. Demonstrate your (or your presentation’s) uniqueness. It’s hard to be more unique than including the word “differently” in the presentation title, as Marcus Buckingham does with his “What the World’s Best Managers Do Differently” presentation. If I see that title, I know – or at least I’m led to believe – that this is not just another “My Take On Great Management” presentation. And I would argue that this presentation title also establishes credibility, because to be able to deliver this content, Marcus is apparently somehow connected with the world’s best managers. 5. Appeal to the client’s needs/challenges. Jill Konrath has a presentation titled “Speed Up Your Sale.” For a sales executive whose division’s numbers are down because her salespeople are all stuck in the mud with clients who can’t make decisions or who just won’t take action, this presentation is potentially the perfect solution for their troubles. Jill is asking, “Are your sales taking longer than you’d like?” If the prospective client answers “Yes” in his mind, Jill is saying, “I can help you speed up your sale.” That’s a presentation title that connects with potential buyers. 6. Create a sense of urgency or action. There’s nothing worse than having a presentation title that leads a meeting planner to read it and think, “That sounds nice. Maybe next year.” If you can create the sense that your presentation and/or its prescribed action is needed right now, you’ll get more attention and more consideration for events. Rolfe Carawan’s “Run to the Roar” presentation title doesn’t have a blatant sense of urgency, but it does allude to action which has a similar effect on the reader. If you’d like some additional resources on crafting great titles, here are a few suggestions:
Thanks, as always, for reading. Would you share your feedback on the blog? Love it, hate it, or have something to add to it, let me know! Until next time… Succeed Speaking!
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Kathy - Thanks for your question! The college/university market is a great one to tap into. As for researching opportunities, it really depends on what kinds of engagements you're seeking. If you want to address the student body, I would suggest joining the American Student Government Association which would give you access to student leaders at universities nationwide. As an alternative to joining, look for opportunities to speak at their regional conferences -- I know for a fact that this has led to speaking engagements for other speakers. If you're looking for other points of entry into colleges and universities, you can find other associations where your target clients are gathered. For instance, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business would be a good place to access business schools. Another option is to contribute your expertise to The Chronicle of Higher Education (submission guidelines are here) -- the Chronicle is widely read by college and university faculty members and administrators. They also have a calendar of higher education conferences, by the way -- see if any would be a fit for your speaker's presentations. Those are a few options to get you started... I hope it's helpful! -- Shawn E. Have a question? Just ask!
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| Who
is Shawn Ellis? Shawn is the founder and president
of The Speakers Group, a firm that serves to optimize connections
between professional speakers and meeting and event planners.
He has been working with top speakers since 1999 and is known
as a trusted partner to speakers and planners alike, having
booked speakers for hundreds of events over the past decade.
With the Succeed Speaking newsletter, Shawn aims to combine
his knowledge of the speaking profession and the meetings industry
with a passion for entrepreneurship and small business optimization
to help professional and aspiring speakers build successful,
sustainable speaking enterprisees. |
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