Speaker Spotlight for Sale: Are Paid Magazine Features Legit?

“You’ve been selected as one of the most influential keynote speakers to watch in 2025!”

Sounds impressive, right?

Imagine opening your inbox to find an exclusive invitation to be featured in a prestigious industry magazine. They promise to showcase you alongside other top speakers, promote you to 150,000 business leaders, and give you a 10-page feature article—complete with a cover story placement.

There’s just one catch: It’ll cost you $1,999.

Oh, wait—good news! There’s a holiday special for only $1,250. But you have to act fast.

So, the question is: Is this a once-in-a-lifetime credibility booster? Or just a glorified pay-to-play scheme?

That’s exactly what we’re diving into in today’s edition of Worth It or Walk Away.

Introducing “Worth It or Walk Away”

Before we dive into the (potential) opportunity above, we should probably share a little bit about this new feature we cooked up.

Rachael and I have been looking at all of the countless opportunities we’re often offered as professional speakers…

“Get featured in this magazine… earn a bajillion gigs per month… sign up to connect with these industry leaders.” 

You know the ones I mean.

Some of them seem promising, but others feel downright S-H-A-D-Y. 

We thought it would be a valuable experiment to test out different opportunities and see which ones actually work – and which ones are a waste of your time and money.  This way, we can assess their real value and share what happens along the way.

(Phew… Rachael wanted me to say that so we don’t get in trouble.)

Anyway… to kick things off, we’re starting with paid placement articles – those tempting offers that promise sky-high visibility in exchange for a fee.

Let’s dive in.

The Empire Magazine Opportunity

The Empire Magazine "Most Influential Speakers" issue is the first opportunity we’re reviewing. It all started one day, when I received an email like this:

SUBJECT: Exclusive Invitation for Andrew Davis in The World's Most Influential Keynote Speakers to Watch in 2025

I hope this message finds you well.

I’m following up to see if you had a chance to review the proposal I shared for our upcoming issue “The World's Most Influential Keynote Speakers to Watch in 2025,” I’d love to hear your thoughts or answer any questions you may have about this exciting opportunity. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything I can clarify or assist with.

Looking forward to your response!

Best Regards,

Kimberly Jose, The Empire Magazine Crown for Global Insights

The pitch they presented is very similar to the countless other pitches speakers receive from various magazines. That subject line, “Exclusive Invitation…”, sure sounds impressive.

According to their second email, 150,000 business leaders will read the issue, which will feature a cover story profile in a premier publication.

Sounds like a credibility jackpot, right?

To their credit, Empire Magazine was upfront about one thing: It’s a paid placement. I appreciate the honesty. Many of these so-called “opportunities” hide that fact until later in the process.

The cost? $1,999.

But wait—since this pitch arrived in December, they were running a Christmas special for $1,250.

What’s Included in the Offer?

On the surface, the offer sounds great. Here’s what they promise in return for the fee:

• A cover placement
• A 10-page feature article
• A certificate of excellence (not entirely sure what that entails)
• Five hard copies of the magazine
• Website promotion and a brand awareness campaign (though it's unclear what that really means)
• Examples of past issues featuring other speakers

The past issues included two other speakers who I won’t name here. The titles were along the lines of:

• "The Most Iconic Keynote Speakers Inspiring the World"
• "The World's Most Inspiring Keynote Speaker"

At first glance, it’s tempting. A polished magazine feature, some physical copies to show off, and the implied credibility of being recognized as an “influential keynote speaker.”

What’s the harm, right?

Well…

Red Flags: Is This Too Good to Be True?

I completely understand why this kind of opportunity seems attractive. The magazine even encourages you to use the feature for credibility-building, suggesting you could display a picture of the issue on your website.

They position it as a way to:

• Establish yourself as a thought leader for 2025
• Gain social proof
• Receive industry recognition
• Capitalize on the fear of missing out—implying that this is an exclusive opportunity

However, if you’ve ever received one of these emails, you’ve probably wondered: Is this legit? Or is it a scam?