008: [Coaching] Positioning Your Topic for a Keynote with Danielle Liss

What kind of topics are worthy of a keynote versus a presentation you would do in a workshop or breakout session? How can you position what you offer so that clients see you as a go-to expert rather than a one-time or infrequent purchase?

Both of these questions are key if you’re looking to expand your business and get paid as a speaker.

My guest, Danielle Liss, is a lawyer, but don’t worry - she’s not like the attorneys you’ve met at your typical chamber of commerce or networking meeting. Instead, Danielle and her partner have been called “cool lawyers”. That’s because they understand online entrepreneurship and the new economy.

In this episode, I help Danielle come up with a messaging strategy to make legal topics less boring and more appealing when she’s pitching to conferences, especially for keynotes, and to podcasts.

I also put my business hat on and help Danielle think about a way she can increase her own company’s revenue by offering a new type of service to entrepreneurs who are in a growth stage.

We end the episode talking about how and why to track and measure the results of your speaking.

About my guest: Danielle Liss is a partner and founder of Hashtag Legal. As former Chief Marketing Officer and General Counsel of FitFluential, an influencer network concentrating on health and wellness initiatives, Danielle has intimate knowledge of the challenges facing influencer networks and social media professionals. Danielle has extensive experience creating and negotiating contracts, interpreting FTC guidelines, and creating website policies. Danielle is also an accomplished speaker and has spoken at dozens of conferences on legal issues related to bloggers and social media professionals.

We talk about:

• How Danielle works with her clients, who include entrepreneurs, influencers, bloggers, and speakers
• Two key things that should be included in your contracts as a speaker
• How to position Danielle and her legal business so that it’s not boring or fear-based
• The current presentation topics Danielle speaks on
• The difference in content between a keynote and a workshop or breakout session
• The value proposition we come up with that Danielle can use to appeal to entrepreneurs as they’re growing their companies
• Finding the right places to pitch (whether conferences or podcasts) that have the best audience for you
• My recommendation that Danielle not offer prospects free strategy calls and why
• How and why to track and measure the results of your speaking

Links:

Connect with Danielle on her website at http://hashtag-legal.com

DIY legal forms at http://www.businessese.com/

LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielleliss/

Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/hashtaglegallc

Twitter = https://twitter.com/danielleliss

Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/.

Sign up for a strategy session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy-session/.

Say hi to me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/carolmorgancox/.

Subscribe to the podcast, so you don’t miss out on future episodes!

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