There are many reasons why authors would pursue a side hustle, ranging from financial motivations to increased flexibility, among many others. One option for a side hustle that carries enormous financial and personal upside is public speaking. Here are the top 5 reasons why public speaking makes a great side hustle for authors:
Extra Income
The first and most obvious benefit of public speaking as a side hustle for authors is the extra income it provides. Having a side hustle not only provides additional income but also diversifies your revenue streams, which is important since income as an author is often inconsistent.
Because public speaking is remarkably flexible and provides the opportunity to choose which gigs to pursue, it’s easy to develop it in a way that works for your specific schedule and doesn’t detract in a major way from personal or writing related commitments.
How much income does it provide exactly? This obviously varies with the number of gigs booked, but even deciding how much to charge per gig can be confusing. Especially when you start out, it’s a balancing act of acknowledging your level of experience while not underselling yourself.
The generally accepted starting rate is $1000 per event, there are factors that can make it reasonable to charge more or less than that.
Flexibility
Another incredible upside to public speaking as a side hustle for authors is the flexibility it provides. Because you can choose how many gigs to book and which specific events to pursue, you can schedule them around other time commitments.
Additionally, with the rise in virtual events, opportunities are available even if your ability to travel is limited. If you can travel, you can use speaking gigs as opportunities to visit parts of the world you’ve always wanted to see while being paid to do it!
Increased Exposure
The next benefit of public speaking as a side hustle for authors is the increased exposure it carries. Your talk will be seen by those in the audience, but often, talks get posted to YouTube and other online video platforms. This increases name recognition, helps to build a personal brand and drives book sales to a much wider audience than you would ever reach otherwise.
Successful and widely viewed talks can lead to other forms of exposure like increased views on social media or published interviews. All of this collection has the compounding effect of landing more speaking gigs which leads to even more exposure and sales.
Establishes Credibility
Another benefit of public speaking as a side hustle for authors is the additional credibility it provides. By speaking at progressively larger events and garnering online exposure, you gain the ability to showcase your expertise and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.
This can lead to even more opportunities to diversify your side hustle, such as consulting, media appearances, or teaching. Setting up a professional website and demo video can go even further to establish your credibility.
Networking Opportunities
Finally, public speaking as a side hustle for authors supplies excellent networking opportunities and ways to connect with other speakers in your field. Public speaking provides you with an opportunity to forge relationships with other authors and industry experts which, in turn, can lead to partnerships that help to expand and grow your brand.
Especially as you start out, building relationships with experienced speakers and authors is incredibly beneficial. They can pass on insights and experiences from their careers to help you grow your side hustle and writing career even further.
Conclusion
Public speaking makes a great side hustle for authors for a variety of reasons, both personal and financial.
It provides additional funds and diversified revenue streams, and the inherent flexibility allows you to proceed on your schedule. Additionally, the increased exposure and additional credibility both lead to more book sales and more opportunities both in speaking and other forms of media. The networking opportunities it provides can lead to beneficial partnerships and advice from those who have gone before.
If you’re ready to get started and interested in learning how to start your public speaking side hustle, check out this free live training, and explore other resources on thespeakerlab.com
