It’s time to share a strategy that I came across almost by accident…
… I learned to make (very) good friends with publishers.
Why?
Turns out, publisher relationships are some of the smartest ways to break into new high-value speaking markets. In fact, I’d happily speak for free at their events if the right people are in the room!
The conventional wisdom for speakers says that you need to constantly cold-pitch new event organizers. It says that if you want to break into a new fractal or industry as a speaker, you’re supposed to blast those association directors, pitch generic event planners, and fill out call-for-speaker forms.
But, that method is exhausting, time consuming, and not very effective.
The publishers are the ones who run events. They are the ones who drive conversations. And they are the ones who influence decision makers.
Publishers Are the Real Gatekeepers
The real reason I’ve come to rely on this strategy is that publishers are the real fractal gatekeepers. Every high-value industry has a handful of trade publications that shape the agenda for the entire market.
Think of them as the bouncers at the velvet rope of your fractal. If they don’t let you in, you’re not getting past the door.
For example, this year I’ve had a good deal of success speaking at university-run healthcare institutions. My clients have included places like UPenn and the University of North Carolina. If I’m targeting hospital CMOs, then Beckers, Fierce Healthcare, and Modern Healthcare are all publishers I should be reading.
In the past, I’ve targeted banks and credit unions for gigs. Which means, I’m looking for publications like American Banker or Credit Union Times. In higher education, I would be reading The Chronicle of Higher Ed and Inside Higher Ed.
These are the publications who are driving the conversations in their respective industries.
And these publishers don’t just inform, they also host summits and virtual events all the time. They are constantly looking for expertise and insight into their market that others might not see. And they are the ones who are relied on for a lot of the content at industry events.
They even recommend speakers to other organizations and curate the trusted voices that are introduced to the fractal as a whole.
Why the Data Backs This Up
You may be reading this for my personal opinions, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bring in some great research to back things up. The ROI of Thought Leadership is a report created by Predictive ROI.
This means that if you go to a conference held by Beckers about the future of AI, the people who are on the stage are the ones the industry now trusts because those organizations are there.
If other experts are referring to the work you’re doing in that industry or the things you’re talking about on stage, then you’re reinforced as someone they should trust.
Publisher Events = Gig Magnets
Besides your new status as a “trusted expert,” publisher’s events will also help give you a boost when it comes to winning more gigs. That’s because publisher events outperform other events when it comes to referrals and stageside leads.
Contrary to what you might think, you don’t need to keynote some fancy, glitzy high-end event to win more work. You just need a room with the right people who are already listening.
If you’re invited to speak, even unpaid at a breakout session, at Modern Healthcare’s Strategy Forum, or a virtual roundtable for Fierce Healthcare, you’re speaking directly to the CMOs, the innovation directors, the CEOs, the CFOs, the COOs, and the experienced teams who matter the most.
This matters a lot because the research tells us that 91% of professionals say they’ve recommended a trusted expert to a colleague. If they see you speaking at one of these events, you are immediately the “trusted expert” they can refer.
Thought Leadership Without the Vanity Metrics
The thing is, you don’t need a huge platform for this, you just need the right platform. A lot of speakers assume they need a huge YouTube following, a bestselling book in that industry, and a million followers on social media.
Relax. You don’t need to dance on TikTok or film yourself giving motivational speeches from your Tesla.
The data proves that you don’t need any of that… The top two things that make someone a bona fide thought leader are:
So, if a healthcare marketing executive sees that you were quoted in Health Tech Magazine and then featured in a 15-minute session for Beckers, it changes the way they think and they now see you as a thought leader.
You don’t need a sizzle reel… or a book… or a million followers.
You just need that recognition from the publishers.
Andrew Davis
The Magic of Publisher Credibility
This all traces back to the credibility the publisher can create with a wave of their magic wand. When you’re featured by them, it makes you referable.
It’s like being knighted… except instead of a sword on your shoulder, it’s a quote in Modern Healthcare.
Speakers who show up inside these publisher’s content in the form of events or quotes or coverage aren’t random. They’re vetted. And that trust transfers.
So, how do you get recognized?
Well, you speak at one of those events. Which is often where you can get noticed and eventually featured by a journalist who is likely in attendance. All of a sudden, you are recognized. This boost in credibility is disproportionate to any other lead source I’ve ever worked through.
