123: The Key Elements You Need to Get Paid Speaking Engagements with Li Hayes

You’re going to love this episode, so much so that you may want to listen to it more than once.

It’s packed with what you need in order to get paid speaking engagements.

There are 5 key elements that event planners look for in speakers they hire.

In this episode, you’ll learn what these key elements are and how to position yourself as a paid speaker.

My guest is Li Hayes, who is a speaker manager and also facilitates speakers’ exchange groups.

Li has been on both sides: helping event planners find speakers and helping speakers get paid gigs, so she knows exactly what speakers need - and what they’re lacking that’s preventing them from getting paid engagements.

Li and I talk about:

• “Famous is relative”
• Finding your inner dominatrix (well, *you* don’t have to find your inner dominatrix, but this is a great example of an interesting topic)
• Why there are very few women keynote speakers who make more than $10,000
• How to promote yourself as a premium speaker
• The importance of video clips
• The difference between a PR person, a speaker manager, an agent, and a bureau
• Tips for speaking for lead generation
• Speaker fees and how much associations tend to pay
• Tips for negotiating your fees

This episode is sponsored by Modern Traction, a web development and content marketing company.

We used Modern Traction to design our new website for https://www.speakingyourbrand.com and we are beyond thrilled with the impact and ROI we’ve already received less than a month in.

Melanie Richards, the founder of Modern Traction, was on the podcast in episode 121 sharing what a powerful marketing and sales tool your website can be, especially to position yourself as a premium and paid speaker.

Learn more about how they can help you with a website refresh, a complete overhaul, or done-for-you content marketing at https://www.moderntraction.com and schedule a consult call. I can’t recommend Mel and her team enough.

About My Guest: Li Hayes is a professional Speaker Liaison who facilitates the business communications and contracts between top quality business speakers and great events. Prior to founding GoLeeward, the un-agency for business speakers, she spent over 15 years in Human Resources on the other side of the speaker industry – planning conferences and business meetings first in the service and hospitality industries and then in Big Dia/Pharma. Li planned national conferences, as well as leadership retreats, and employee training events utilizing professional speakers, consultants and agencies. She has worked with speaker bureaus and directly with speakers and learned the ins and outs of hiring speakers, from the client’s point of view. She proudly supports a small stable of top business speakers and helps clients create successful, engaging events.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/123

Li’s website: https://goleeward.com/

Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999.

Need help identifying your topic and audience? Sign up for a Strategy Session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy.

Ready to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call.

Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review!

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 59: Why You Shouldn’t Sell from the Stage – and What to Do Instead
• Episode 60: Finding Your Presentation’s Spine & Why It Absolutely Needs One with Joanna Sapir [Coaching]
• Episode 68: Getting Paid to Speak and Negotiating Speaker Fees
• Episode 69: What Event Organizers Look for in Speakers with Erin Smith
• Episode 71: Using Humor in Your Talks Will Get You More Speaking Gigs with Kathy Klotz-Guest

Become Bookable Live Online Workshop - April 15, 2026
If you want to speak more but you’re not sure where to start or your efforts haven’t produced the results you want, I’m hosting a live online workshop called “Become Bookable: How to Get Speaking Invitations” on Wednesday, April 15th.

A lot of brilliant women assume they just need to pitch themselves more. But the real reason speakers get invited isn’t because they pitch harder — it’s because they’re positioned as bookable.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop live on Zoom, I’ll show you how speakers actually get invited — and help you clarify the positioning that makes event organizers say yes.

As a podcast listener, use the coupon code “Podcast100” to save $100 on your registration.

Learn more and register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/bookable