How to Get Clients from Public Speaking: 10 Steps That Work

By: Andy Richardson
Executive Director of Free Speakers
October 2026

Andy Richardson presenting to a seated audience Can a talk to a local group really bring you new clients? Yes, even when the talk is free. Our own PR firm landed McDonald’s as a client from a talk at a Rotary club. The speakers who get clients from speaking teach something useful, give the room an easy next step and follow up fast.

The short version:

Teach the audience something they can use this week. Don’t sell from the stage.
Collect business cards with a raffle or a sign-up sheet (ask the host first).
Offer a free meeting, session, assessment or consultation.
Follow up within 24 hours, post about the talk and give it time. Some clients show up months later.

Why speaking brings in clients

When a group invites you to speak, they’re telling the whole room you’re worth listening to. That’s credibility you can’t buy. For 30 minutes or so you also have everyone’s full attention, which is why we think speaking is one of the best marketing tools a professional has.

Don’t expect a line of new clients at the door, though. After a good talk, a few people ask for your card. Some of them call. One or two may become clients, and some of those stay with you for years.

Here’s an example from our own PR firm. We gave a talk at a Rotary club on how to get PR and earned media. A vice president of McDonald’s was a member, and he took a business card. More than a year later, a special project landed on his desk. He knew of one PR pro in the area, and we got the job. McDonald’s stayed a client for several years and led to other clients. It was a real feather in our cap.

FreeSpeakers.org has been connecting speakers with community groups since 1996. Here’s what the speakers who get clients from their talks do differently.

10 steps to get clients from public speaking

1. Pick a topic your ideal clients need

Start with your best clients. What problem keeps coming up for them? Build a talk that solves a piece of it, and give it a title that says exactly what people will get. Program chairpersons often pick a speaker by the title alone.

Who books speakers? Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs, chambers of commerce, libraries, church groups, women’s clubs and retirement communities, to name a few. An audience might be a dozen people or 100. Ask the host who usually comes, so you can aim the talk at the people you want to work with.

2. Show up prepared and on time

Showing up is the most important task of all. An unpaid booking is still a commitment, and program chairpersons talk to each other. Arrive early, join the meal if there is one, and hand the program chairperson a written introduction to read before you begin.

Get to know the members, too. I find that breaking bread with new people is always interesting: I learn something new and make a new connection every time. A good relationship with the program chairperson often leads to the next booking, and those bookings often turn into paid speaking opportunities.

Larry Bergnach, a longtime Free Speakers speaker, presenting to a room of seniors Larry Bergnach is a great example. A retiree from Oak Lawn, Illinois, he started giving free nostalgia talks through Free Speakers in 2004, on topics like old-time radio, the big bands and Chicago’s Riverview amusement park. Those talks grew into a real speaking business, Reminiscing with Larry, and at one point he was giving about 100 talks a year. By the time he retired from the circuit in 2018, he had given some 250 talks through Free Speakers alone.

3. Teach, don’t pitch

Give people something they can put to work that same week. They’ll remember who gave it to them.

But teaching isn’t enough by itself. If you give away everything and never mention a next step, people leave happy and you leave with no leads. Teach, show what’s possible, and then tell them how to get more help from you.

4. Share client stories

Talk about real people you’ve helped, with their OK or without names. When listeners hear a story that sounds like their own situation, they start picturing themselves as your client. Spread a few stories through the talk instead of piling them up at the end.

Share a little of your own story, too. Why do you do this work? People hire people they feel they know.

5. Gather business cards with a raffle

Business cards are still the easiest way to leave with names, and a drawing gives people a reason to hand theirs over. Pass a bowl before you start, draw a winner at the end, and you go home knowing who was in the room.

How to run it:

Ask the host first. Many are happy to say yes, and some will even announce it for you.
Pick a prize that fits your work, like a free session, a signed book or a useful report. A gift card gets you plenty of cards, just not from the people you want.
Collect entries before you speak. Pass a bowl around or put slips on the chairs.
Draw the winner at the end, right before you mention your free offer (step 6).
Add a checkbox to the slip, something like “Yes, send me occasional tips.” That way people expect to hear from you.

Keep it a free drawing with no purchase required, and check the host’s rules. No raffle? Bring a useful handout, show it during the talk and offer to email it to anyone who gives you a card.

6. Offer a free meeting, session, assessment or consultation

Your talk gives people a taste of what you know. A free next step lets the interested ones try you out with no risk.

Match the offer to your work:

Financial advisor: a free retirement or portfolio checkup
Real estate agent: a free home value estimate
Personal trainer: a free fitness assessment
Bookkeeper or accountant: a free review of last month’s books
Life or business coach: a free 30-minute discovery session
Marketing consultant: a free website or marketing audit

Limit the number, like five free sessions this month, so people don’t put it off. And make it easy: put a QR code on your last slide that goes straight to your calendar.

7. Follow up within 24 hours

Most leads go cold in the first few days. Before the event, put an hour on your calendar for follow-up. If it’s not on the calendar, it won’t happen.

Same day: sort the cards, note what each person asked and thank the host.
Within 24 hours: send what you promised, mention something from your conversation and invite them to book your free session.
About a week later: check that it arrived and offer to answer questions.
Every month: send a short email or newsletter with one useful tip, so you keep making impressions.

A personal note with an article you wrote stands out.

8. Ask for a testimonial and referrals

While the talk is still fresh, ask the host for a short testimonial, and ask which other groups might want a speaker. A quick evaluation form with a line for comments will give you quotes you can use, too. A good word from one group can land you the next booking.

9. Turn one talk into content for every channel

Get more mileage out of every talk. Posting about it reminds the people who were there who you are, and it shows everyone else that groups want to hear from you.

Before the talk, announce it on LinkedIn and tag the group.
Afterward, post a photo or a short clip with one takeaway, and thank the group.
Recap the talk in your newsletter and link to your handout.
Add it to a speaking page on your website, along with the host’s testimonial.
Turn the talk into a blog post or an article for a trade journal.

Many groups also send press releases about their speakers to the local papers. That’s free publicity for you.

10. Be patient: if you build it, they will come

Some talks bring in a client the same week. Others pay off a year or two later, when someone finally needs what you do and remembers your talk.

Every talk gets your name and your brand out in the community, in front of people who talk to other people. Referrals start coming from people who weren’t even in the room, and for some speakers, free talks grow into a paid speaking career. So keep at it.

Remember the McDonald’s story? It took more than a year, but it brought us a client for years. Too many people are short-term thinkers about speaking. I hear people judging their return after one year and a handful of talks. In most of our cities, a basic membership in the bureau is $34.99 a year. Stay in for 10 years and you’ve spent about $350. That’s got to be the least expensive marketing spend available. For low-cost marketing, it’s hard to beat. Somewhere along the way, your talks will connect with someone who does business with you, or at least refers you to a friend, colleague or neighbor, especially if you follow the steps in this guide. If you build it, they will come.

Frequently asked questions about getting clients from public speaking

Can a free talk lead to paying clients?

Yes. Unpaid talks regularly lead to long-term clients, referrals and paid speaking work. They pay off fastest when you teach something useful, offer a clear next step and follow up within a day.

How do you get clients from a speaking engagement?

Teach rather than pitch, collect contact details with a business-card raffle or sign-up sheet, and offer a free meeting, assessment or consultation. Then follow up within 24 hours with something personal.

What should I offer at the end of a talk?

A low-risk next step that fits your work: a free consultation, assessment or first session, a checklist or report, or a raffle prize tied to your service.

How soon should I follow up after a presentation?

Within 24 hours. Send what you promised and mention something from your conversation, then check in again about a week later.

How long does it take to get clients from public speaking?

It varies. Some speakers land a client within days, while others see results months or years later. Give it a year before you judge the results.

Where can I find speaking opportunities?

Libraries, chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs, senior living communities and professional associations all book speakers. Free Speakers lists speakers in seven metro areas, plus virtual speakers who present online nationwide, and more than 90% of its speakers have been requested by a group.

Ready to turn your expertise into clients? See our speaking opportunities in seven cities and nationwide.

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