Public Speaking as an Alternate PR Tactic

Let's face it: press releases, articles, websites and flyers are not always enough to effectively grow your business, which means that you might be seeking other forms of PR. When you are trying to promote your products or services, you have three main goals: (1) Reach a large audience; (2) Convey a need; and (3) Create a sense of urgency. Those three goals combine to drive traffic to your store or website and to give incentives to potential customers. During my last year or so of practicing law, I participated in a number of public speaking venues, and for the weeks following each engagement I received more phone calls and e-mails than in the previous year combined.

Public Speaking as an Alternate PR Tactic: Why It Works

One of the current PR trends is writing articles for some of the article submission sites in order to garner interest in your products or services. However, one thing that article writing lacks is the ability to physically entice your customers. You can't control how much they read or how they interpret your writing; it's a crap shoot, at best. With public speaking, you have a captive audience right in front of you, and you have a way to form relationships with those people in person. Relationships are the key to effective PR.

Public Speaking as an Alternate PR Tactic: How It Helps Your Business

There are numerous ways in which public speaking can boost your business. First, the very act of public speaking identifies you to your audience as an authority figure and an expert on your topic. Further, you are giving something to your audience for free. Just by attending your seminar or speech, they are learning valuable tools for their own lives. And lastly, you can talk with the audience after you are finished speaking. They can sign up for your mailing list, ask you questions about your products or services, and they can see you as a real person, and not just an anonymous identity on a computer screen or in an advertisement.

Public Speaking as an Alternate PR Tactic: Where Can You Speak?

This is probably the most difficult part of getting into public speaking, though there is no shortage of venues via which you can arrange a speech. For example, do you live near a major university? Colleges and universities often ask speakers to come in and give lectures to students both during and after school. Churches, chambers of commerce, community centers and business functions are just a few additional ideas.

Public Speaking as an Alternate PR Tactic: How Do You Get People to Attend?

This is another frequently asked question. Just because you are giving a speech doesn't mean that anyone will show up, so how do you ensure a high attendance? My best advice is to send out flyers near the location of your seminar or workshop and include the topics you will address. Gear your speech toward issues that your target audience is known to have. For example, I once did a series of speeches on basic legal knowledge, such as fighting speeding tickets and suing family members for personal loans. They were highly successful.