Create the Stage You Want to Speak On
Want a keynote? Make the event you're keynoting at.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 85%
Johnson's speaking framework opens with what she herself calls a slightly problematic tip: to get started speaking, create your own events. Want a keynote? Make the event you're keynoting at. Build a conference, a get-together, a retreat — you're guaranteeing the gig rather than petitioning for it. From there the mechanics mirror her job-search protocol: post every day to be findable, connect with 200 conference organizers, and follow up on LinkedIn with everyone. She's explicit that you can circumvent the entire application by reaching a staff member directly — 'seems kind of sneaky. It is sneaky.' And when organizers claim no budget, she suggests the budget just lives in another department: consulting, marketing, somewhere.
Origin
Johnson applied to be a main speaker at South by Southwest and didn't get it. Rather than treating that as the end, she made her own South by Southwest event, drew a crowd, and keynoted her own mini-conference — the concrete proof that authorization to speak is something you can issue yourself.
Core principles
- 01You can guarantee a speaking gig by owning the event.
- 02Rejection from a stage is not a verdict, it's a prompt to build your own.
- 03Connect with 200 conference organizers the same way job seekers connect with 200 recruiters.
- 04Applications can be circumvented by reaching one staff member directly.
- 05'No budget' usually means no budget in that department — there's always a budget somewhere.
How to run it
- 1
Make the event you want to speak at
Put together a conference, a retreat, or a get-together with others and speak at it. This is the best way to get started because you're guaranteeing it.
Pro tip If a big conference rejects you, run your own event alongside it — Johnson did exactly this at South by Southwest.
Watch out Johnson flags it as 'a little bit of a problematic tip' — it's self-authorization, and some will find that uncomfortable.
- 2
Post every day
To monetize speaking you have to be posting daily. Visibility is what makes you bookable.
- 3
Connect with 200 conference organizers
The same rule as recruiters for job seekers: if you want speaking gigs, connect with 200 conference organizers and event planners. They will reach out.
- 4
Follow up on every application
Follow up with everybody on LinkedIn after applying to speak.
- 5
Circumvent the application
Reach out to one of the people on staff directly and bypass the formal speaking application entirely.
Watch out Johnson concedes plainly: 'Seems kind of sneaky. It is sneaky.'
- 6
Get sneaky with the budget
When they say there's no budget to pay you, ask about other departments — consulting budget, marketing budget — and offer to throw something else in.
Pro tip There's always a budget you can find; 'no budget' is usually 'no budget in this line item.'
In the wild
Johnson applied to be a main speaker at South by Southwest and was rejected. Instead of accepting the outcome, she made her own South by Southwest event.
→ A ton of people came and she keynoted her own mini-conference — turning a rejection into a guaranteed speaking credit.
Common mistakes
Waiting to be selected
Treating conference committees as the only gatekeepers leaves you with no speaking credits, which is the reason you keep getting rejected. Owning the event breaks the loop.
Accepting 'no budget' at face value
Organizers often have no budget in the speaker line but do have a consulting or marketing budget. Not asking leaves money on the table for a gig you were going to do anyway.
Is it for you?
Best for
Creators, authors, and personal-brand builders whose end goal is paid speaking engagements.
Not ideal for
People unwilling to do event logistics, or contexts where the tactics read as too sneaky for the culture.
From the transcript
“You want a keynote? Make the event you're keynoting at.”
“Last year at South by Southwest, I applied to be a main speaker. I didn't get it, so I made my own South by Southwest…”
“In the same way that if you're job hunting, you got to be connected to 200 recruiters. If you're looking for speaking gigs, you got…”
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