You're listening to Cubicle to CEO episode 215. You've heard you need to repurpose your content countless times before, but I doubt you've thought to use your podcast content for this purpose. Joining us today is Kim Rittberg, ex-media exec at Netflix, Us Weekly and People Magazine and host of The Exit Interview. Kim's case study reveals her unique strategy for booking more paid speaking engagements by creatively positioning her existing podcast content in her email pitches. This pitch approach 4xed the number of speaking gigs she booked this year alone. Keep listening to find out how Kim scored her first keynote, and how to leverage your podcast content, whether on your own show or guest interviews on other people's podcasts to get booked on more stages.
Welcome to Cubicle to CEO the podcast. I'm your host Ellen Yin. I quit my job without a backup plan and bootstrapped my first $300 freelance project into $2 million in revenue by age 28. On this show, you'll hear weekly case study interviews with leading entrepreneurs and CEOs who share one specific strategy that successfully grew their business revenue. Skip the expensive and time consuming learning curve of testing everything yourself by borrowing what actually works from the best and brightest mentors. You'll also get a front row seat to my founders journey through transparent income reports and behind the business solo episodes. Subscribe now so we can grow together every Monday.
Hey, friends, I'm so excited to welcome a longtime loyal listener of cubicle to CEO to the podcast. Hello, Kim, thank you for being here.
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Kim is wearing a gorgeous magenta jumpsuit. By the way, she got all dressed up just for us. So we're honored. If you're watching this on YouTube, you can get a sneak peek of her outfit. Looking fabulous. Kim, you have such an impressive background in media. I mean, again, if you're watching this video, you can see in her background, all of her amazing accolades and awards. You've worked at all the big media publications, especially in entertainment news, you know, US Weekly, People Magazine, Netflix. So I know that you have an extensive background in media. But I'm so excited that now you're taking what you've learned there and applying it to the online space and applying it to having an illustrious speaking career now in in, you know different areas of business. So, Kim, before we get into today's case study about how you're using podcast to curate custom pitches to get you on stage. Let's talk about your cubicle to CEO story. How did you make that final leap from employee to entrepreneur?
Sure. So the beginning of my career in journalism and media, I worked in TV for about 10 years. So I was writing segments, producing segments directing talent, and really understanding how to create a story that grabs people immediately. Like if your story doesn't sing, your story doesn't air, like that's how it goes. And I also in that experience was pitched by 1000s of people who wanted to be experts on camera. And so I got to understand what makes a great pitch because I was on the receiving end as a journalist.
And so for about 10 years, I was in TV, and then I shifted into digital video. And I launched the video unit for Us Weekly magazine. What I loved about that is like that was such like a grown up boss job, you know, and I was there and I got to basically build a startup within an existing media company, which I really was so psyched to do. I pitched so hard for that job. I started that job five months pregnant, I worked my tush off. And I joke that I had two babies like baby Lily and the baby Us Weekly video unit because I really birthed them at the same time. And I love what that experience is what I now bring into my business is we all are tasked with turning an empty conference room into a video studio. Every single person who wants to compete and has a business, you have to compete through marketing content. And so that was such a valuable experience.
And then like leaving the cubicle experience was when I was pregnant, my second child still at that job, it was going amazing what we had 17 people and they were like you're doing such a great job, Kim, and we got bought. And the new company was really excited to buy the company. But like, not everyone was excited to work for the new company. And I was nine months pregnant with my second child and everyone was quitting, and the company was being sold for $100 million. And I was like, Oh great. I'm gonna, like get promoted and get this huge. They're like, you're welcome. You get to keep your job. And then I'm like, okay, so I worked so hard. And I have this amazing team and everyone's quitting and I'm literally entering the hospital like to deliver my child. And I'm looking at resumes on my iPhone, like refilling roles, and people were quitting was just that moment of like, is this success? Like, is this really what I worked for 15 years for? And I just I had that epiphany, like, there's gotta be some other way to do this.
My dad, he was an entrepreneur, he was an immigrant, he worked super hard. And so in some ways that actually didn't appeal to me because he really worked so hard that I think the small business owner didn't like, it didn't seem to me. But I did have that nugget in my mind being like, I need to figure out how I can use my skills, where I have more control over my life, more time for my family, and then I just get to pick more flexibly, my schedule, it still took me another two years to launch my business, I like to be honest about that I took a job at Netflix, I took a job at PopSugar, but by then I really knew like, I'm ready, this is it.
And so now my business is I help business owners become thought leaders through content. So through video and podcasts, how to increase visibility, credibility, leads and revenue. And it's been so fun and really, really exciting. I won a bunch of awards for the YouTube folks, I you know, I shiny little trophies in my back, I won six awards for a big video production project I did for a nonprofit called it gets better, which has such impact. And then I just feel like I get to give back. Like I get to teach business owners how to grow their business through marketing, give them all the information that I've gathered over 15 years, it's been incredible. I write for Fast Company as well, I contribute to them. I've been featured in Business Insider, but more importantly, I just like love helping other business owners. And it's been fantastic.
Well, I can't think of a better person to teach entrepreneurs how to get visible how to establish their authority through media, having come from the other side of, you know, of the lens, essentially, or the mic, whichever Do you know, medium that you would have worked in? And I really can appreciate your honesty around how sometimes you can have that big catalyst moment that epiphany where you realize this is not where I should be, but still taking a little time to actually follow through on that. Right. I think that's really realistic for a lot of people. So I'm glad that you brought up that additional detail. It's funny, are you uh, are you a fan of Gilmore Girls by any chance?
Yeah, it was a part of my maternity leave TV watching. I think I got through four seasons and then was like, There's eight more seasons.
Fair. Well, actually at four, you are basically halfway done. So kudos, you watched far enough to get the reference if you remember or for anyone listening, who's also a Gilmore Girls fan. The scene you described of you like literally looking for someone to replace the people who are quitting while in your hospital bed reminds me of, I can't remember if it's season three, I think it's season three, where um Sherry, who is going to marry Rory's father, Chris is literally in the hospital like working nonstop. And her friends have to like pry her phone away from her laptop away from her so I can I can literally like viscerally see you doing that. And I'm so glad you're in a different place now where you have the freedom and the flexibility to call your own shots.
Which brings us really right into today's case study all about how you were able to 4x, the number of speaking gigs that you've booked over the last year compared to the year prior using podcast episodes, both episodes on your own show as well as those you've guested on as a pitch. And I'm so curious about this because most of the time people get on podcasts and they guest on other people's podcasts. And the podcast is the media feature is the end goal. But for you you're utilizing that you're repurposing this content in a really interesting way to get you on sometimes an even bigger stage or at least in person, right.
So early hot take question for you. Why not leverage your extensive media background and all of your on air footage that you've captured over the last, you know, decade plus, to launch your national paid speaking career? Why did you instead choose podcasting as the vehicle or the gateway to get your foot in the door on the stages?
So that's really, really a great question. So as I shifted from digital video, and then layered podcasts on top, like as a, I'm an executive producer, I'm like a video and content strategist. As I layered podcasts on top of video, I started to really understand and help my clients understand, how do you use these podcasts to build an audience to build your credibility to reach different audiences. And that is a very, very different thing than with video.
So the thing that happened for me this podcast is launching my own podcast in, I launched it in June of 2022. Having my podcast was sort of a catalyst to me promoting myself more because you're trying to grow your podcast you're putting yourself in these places. I also do collaborations on social and other things like that. Putting myself out there for the other podcasts gave me a peek into their audiences, which is performing well where I'm getting the best ROI and you can almost leave laser focus and laser target what's working? So basically when you do a podcast tour or your podcast guesting when, you know, when it airs, you're almost seeing like a before and after. And one of my big paid speaking gigs came directly from a podcast, I asked every person who comes to through the door how to do here with me. And so he said, Oh, I heard you on a podcast. And he wasn't even sure which one. He said, I was listening to a podcast, and you were the other guest. And I want to book you for my conference. And it was just a realization of like, not only are yes, you're getting clients, but you are ending up in new places in new ears. It's all strategic.
But many of you can do your direct and say, I know exactly where I'm going with that one. But the more you're putting your personality, your perspective, your unique perspective, your selling points in different places. It's getting there. So that one came in directly through a podcast appearance. And I couldn't even track which one. But that was a really concrete example of him saying, I heard you on a podcast, I was listening for someone else, you were the other guest. And I was booking for this event, and I want to hire you.
That's amazing. I mean, I can totally affirm that experience of you never know who's on the other end listening. And, and oftentimes, and there's data that proves this, people who listen to podcasts tend to be in like decision maker roles, to book someone like yourself at at a conference. And it's interesting, I had a similar experience, not necessarily for speaking, although I'm sure that many of my speaking gigs have, whether directly or tangentially been related to someone hearing or knowing about me through the podcast.
But a direct paid partnership that we actually got was through our show, there was someone on, I think the executive team at Shopify, who happened to listen to our show, and I have no idea who this person is, I've never they've never personally reached out to me. So thank you to this nameless person, whoever you may be for advocating for us. But apparently, they listened to our show. And they reached out to the agency that represents Shopify and said, Hey, we really love this show. We would like to explore advertising on this show, can you get in touch with this podcast host and, you know, we got the inbound lead from that agency than, you know, contracting to work with us. And, you know, I could have never predicted that because I would have never known that someone from their team was listening. So I really love the way you described, how it just it creates a new opportunity to get in front of decision makers and to develop a different type of relationship with them. So I think that's really wise.
And one of the other things I forgot to mention earlier, this is my second time around as a business owner, I had a side hustle jewelry business when I was in media, and it was a side hustle, but like I was selling it in Bloomingdale's and Henri Bendel on the weekends of my media job. But I have that experience of like being on the other side. So I was a journalist receiving pitches. But as a jewelry owner, I was pitching and so I know how hard it is. And I know how to craft a pitch but I know how hard it is to send out pitches and to be rejected and to feel personally offended when people don't want to buy your jewelry, your future your jewelry and a magazine.
But um, I do think about all of these things as I craft my podcast appearances, my press appearances, I really think of every single thing as a headline, and a catchy hook. So what is someone going to walk away with as a nugget? And do they feel like they know me, and that's something that I work with my clients, but I, you know, on my own, you're your own first guinea pig, right? You're always your own guinea pig on anything you're teaching to your clients. But one thing I had focused on was really bringing more of Kim Rittberg to every single appearance. Because when I first started, even though, like I do media training, or I've trained CEOs, members of Congress founders, like celebrities, but when you're doing it for yourself, it is hard to separate yourself from like, the business person that you are and like the real you, and merging those together in a way that's really authentic, but also professional. And that's something that I've worked on doing for myself, as I've gone from basically, like, when I was in corporate, I was not in front of the camera at all. I mean, I was in front of a camera for TV, but like, you don't really have a social media presence, you're not really promoting yourself, you don't do that when you have corporate when you're in corporate, and you're in corporate clients.
As a business owner, I started realizing I really need to be out there. If I want to have business owners want to work with me, they have to know who I am, like hiding from the camera is hiding from clients. I don't want to hide from the camera, I don't want to hide from the microphone. So that's something of really working to hone your communication skills to be both onpoint and good with a message and teaching, but also bringing your authentic personality in your backstory and being vulnerable.
Like, that's also been a part of it like the it took me a while to be honest about the fact that I was you know, working in the delivery room and then I was like scared. I was scared that no one's gonna hire me. I had probably earned $7,000 through freelance work before then. That's not a salary. Yeah, so it's taken me a while to kind of merge the professional Kim like the pantsuit Kim and then like the real Kim, who you know took improv comedy in her 20s, then is like more fun and wears magenta jumpsuits, and it taken me a while to merge up. I think that's also been a really important part of getting more speaking gigs of clarifying your message, being authentic about it and then amplifying it in all of these different places.
That's an excellent point. And I would even add to that, that sometimes when when people are thinking about speaking gigs and getting booked for speaking that you're thinking, Okay, how do I appeal to the audience that this conference or event is going to serve, but they almost forget that the very first person they have to connect with the gatekeeper is the person who's booking the speakers, right, and showing more of who you are and your authentic self. And those parts of you that may not show up in your business like like the stand up comedy, which I love learning about you, Kim, I think things like that you never know what other interests outside of work that the person booking the speakers may have, and where you might find that connection point with them, and make a deep enough impression on them that they, you know, want to advocate for you to be at the event. So I think that's an excellent point.
And I'd like to get now into a little bit of the numbers of this, you know, this from being a listener of the show, we'd like to get really tactical. So prior to this year, when you weren't using... by the way, if you're listening, we'll get into the how of like, how do you use a podcast to pitch yourself for speaking opportunities. But for now let's let's first look high level, how many paid speaking engagements did you have last year when you weren't using your strategy? And how many paid speaking engagements did you book so far this year in 2023, from implementing this process?
Yeah. So before this year, I mean, I probably had one paid speaking gig like I, you know, I did, like so many other business owners, you're just promoting yourself, wherever you can be I probably one. And then this year, and it's not even full year I have had five. And they Yeah, thank you. And then one thing I like to remind people is, it doesn't even not that it doesn't matter. The actual dollar amount per paid speaking gig is more of yes, it's in your bank account, but it's in your mental bank account.
Once you become paid, you put every opportunity through a different filter. So traveling for speaking engagement, and not being paid. And maybe even not even having your transportation or hotel paid. It has to go through a different filter once you're paid. So I think about those things. And it's not that I will never speak for free, but it has to be a really perfect audience match. It has to be the sort of thing we're definitely I'm gonna get clients out of it. 100%, I feel confident that I'm going to walk away with enough client leads that it makes it worth it for me. So I think it's yes, it's revenue. The other aspect of it is, when you're a keynote speaker, or you're doing a huge workshop, people know that you are being paid or that you are elevated on that stage, even if you're not paid. If it's a big enough speaking event, you are sort of seen as on this pedestal. And people are more interested in working with you, because you're getting that proof of concept, that third party credibility. It's like being featured in a magazine. It's like being featured on TV.
And so in addition to the actual value you're getting from the paid speaking gig, whether you're getting paid $100 or $10,000, or $50,000, you are people who are going to be interested in working with you from there, see you in a totally different way. So I did a keynote. And yeah, I got paid for the keynote. But I got business from that. And the way people see you, because you were on that stage, because you were that keynote speaker, because you delivered on your promise is just in a totally different way than if you're doing an Instagram Live or doing a social collaboration, which I think still has a lot of value. But I it's to say it's worth it to push to just keep pushing yourself to say, I want to be on those stages.
And I even think before that to like mentally adjust yourself and say I deserve to be on those stages because a lot of clients that I work with, they don't believe it yet. And a lot of my job is okay, we're pitching you to be on podcasts or pitching you to be here we're creating better video content, like I help people become thought leaders. But we have to believe you can be a thought leader, you have to believe you are the expert. And you have to do that mental work first. Because once you get there, it's great and and unlock so much, but you have to believe you deserve to be on that stage.
That's a great mental shift, I think to remind people of and a lot of great distinctions about when it's appropriate to speak for free versus really advocate for yourself and realizing that it's not just the time that you spend on stage like your 20 minute presentation or your one hour workshop. But it's also like you said the time you take away from your regular life and work schedule to travel there. The other costs associated with traveling there and I think this is the piece that most people often forget about the intellectual property that you have spent years accumulating, mastering understanding that you are sharing it in a condensed way for for the attendees. And I think access to your brain really is where the value lies. And so I am really glad you you made those extra distinctions from a revenue perspective.
So I know that you said, for you in your business model, a lot of the appeal of speaking from a revenue growth perspective comes after your time on stage when people who saw you speak become clients or whatnot. But if let's say you exclude that piece of revenue that comes in after the fact, and we're just looking at what you're making, from, you know, that pay up front speaker fee. Can you compare how that has shifted from before versus now using the pitching strategy that you have? Have you been able to command higher rates? And what are the average speaking rates that you are charging for different types of speaking engagements, because I know that piece that pay transparency would be so helpful to our listeners who are trying to get into this world and thinking, Wait a second, I don't know what's appropriate to charge for a panel versus a workshop versus a keynote, right?
Yeah, yeah, definitely. So I definitely think the more you have your portfolio built up your sizzle reel, your PDF, and the more experience you have, the more value you can bring, the more money you can command. The other thing is, you know, the biggest dollars commanded are by celebrities, or really big influencers. That's the truth. Celebrities have speaking agents, they get them gigs, because there's big payout. It's based on commissions and things like that. For regular humans who aren't celebrities, I'd say the pay can vary. So for workshops, like if you're doing a workshop, like for a corporation, depends how big or small they are, you have to compare it to like an event, right?
So if someone's having an event planning thing, and they're bringing in vendors, you have to kind of be in alignment with the vendor rates that they might have consideration. So a smallish event is not going to pay you $10,000 They probably have 1000 or 3000, or 5000. And the goal is always to ask for more. Basically, everyone's trying to get people for free. If they can get you for free, they'll take you for free. So I think that it's always on people to say, what's your budget for this? I've had people say, Yeah, we want you to travel to this place in the Middle East. And I say, okay, great. What's the budget? And they say, oh, there's not a budget for speakers. And they said, Okay, well, I remember speaking like, Okay, well, email me, what's your fee?
So generally, people want to get away with not paying people. So I think that it's on you to follow up and say, what's your what's your budget? I think that they can range like workshops can range from like, low 1000s to high 1000s. It depends how big that company as you're talking about Nike, it's a totally different ballgame than a smaller business, speaking fees, when you're going somewhere, those can be in, you know, 2500, 5000, 7500, 10,000, I read somewhere that I think on average, it's like 7000, I don't know if that's for keynote, or just a speaker. That's not a celebrity fee. Again, we're talking about like regular humans bringing value to a large room of people. And so that's, I think, the range 10,000, 15,000, you're going up from there. That's really good. Yeah, that's, that's generally what it is.
And I think that it is really important to keep in mind that the revenue generated from speaking, I think it takes a while to be like, that's a huge chunk of my business. But you can bring in an even larger chunk of your business, like I've made a lot more money from the speaking engagements I brought in clients from my group coaching, I brought in clients from my one on one work, I brought on clients whose strategy work so like it has brought in more money than just that speaking engagement. But I do think it is a percent of my revenue, that's great, it's a small percent of my revenue, it's not like 50% is probably 25%, or something.
That's actually still quite significant, I would say. I mean, even I travel quite a bit for speaking throughout the year. And I would say speaking, I mean, I would have to look at my books more closely again, but I would be shocked if it made up anything more than 10% of our total revenue, it's probably more around like 5%. So 25% came, I think, is actually very,
It's probably closer to like 10, you're better with numbers than I am. That's why I invest in coaches. I'm like, I invest in financial coaches, because they helped me with my Google Sheets. It's probably closer to like 10%, but the other revenue on top of that ends up being significant,
The stacking effect of it. Right. Exactly. Yeah, that totally, totally makes sense. And to your point, I agree completely with that. I think so many of the other paid opportunities that we've gotten have come from someone discovering me on a stage or, you know, having that first interaction that way and it is such a fast way to nurture a relationship because similar to a podcast where you know, you're in someone's ear for an hour, someone meeting you in person and getting to feel your energy in a room and hear you speak I think the layer of connection, the depth of that is so different than if they We're exposed to you through different mediums. So I can totally relate to that.
Let's talk about the women's Investment Summit, your very first keynote that you ever booked. So you pitched for this first keynote speech, you said you were very, very assertive and your pitching process. Why did you choose this summit in specific to pitch for a keynote? And can you expand on what being assertive looked like to you? How like that whole process from the moment you realize this summit existed to when you got it? What did you do in between to actually land this gig?
So I saw this good opportunity be posted on a networking Bulletin Board. It's such an old school way bulletin board, you know, like a forum, like an online forum. And I clicked on it, and it was looking for a speaker on fear. And we spoke earlier about how we don't necessarily believe that we're ready for it that we deserve to be on the stage. I have done so much like inner work and being like, I'm ready for it. I want to be on bigger stages. I believe in my business. It took me a long time, it took me like a year to launch my podcast took me a while to put myself on social video. And now I'm like, I believe in it, I believe in myself. And I pushed my clients into it. At this point, I was so ready. And this topic is something that I have been more open about and more vulnerable about the fear that I had to launch my business.
I left a really glamorous, high profile media career. And I was absolutely terrified that I would have no clients that all my former colleagues would laugh at me and think I was a loser for promoting myself on social media that I was like, desperate and sad. And I had so much noise in my head about the self doubt. And I had the confidence my skill that never was a question. I'm amazing at what I do, I totally lacked the confidence in perception of what I was doing, and all of that. And I heard a lot of the negative voices in my head. And at this point, when I saw this note, I was like, this is exactly what I can talk about.
And I had already been talking about the fear on my podcast, it had come up on certain episodes. And there was one episode on my podcast, that it was entitled, Why I launched the show and how I fought back fear something similar to that. And so I pitched the Booker of the conference, and I was like, I can definitely speak about this topic. Here's information about me, this is great. Here's my experience. And she was like, Okay, I've watched some of your videos. I really like your energy. But I see you're teaching a lot about how to make amazing video and how to make amazing podcasts to grow your business. I mean, that's my business. That's my company. So she was saying, you know, this keynote really is about fear. Do you have anything like that?
So, first, I mean, when I tell you, I was assertive, I was like, I'm not giving up on this. This is my keynote. This is gonna happen. Like, you know, when you just have a vision. I'm like, it's happening. So I get home where I'm filming right now is my home office, which is my studio, I put my ring light on, I filmed myself and I started talking about fear. I upload it to YouTube on an unlisted link, I send her that we talked on the phone, or we follow up on email. And I also send that episode on my podcast about fear. And I was like, this has been the driving factor of this podcast. The podcast is a top 1% podcast. And the show is called The Exit Interview. My podcast focuses on people betting on themselves, who growing their businesses, but also want to have work life balance. And it's really appeals to women, especially who want to work hard, but also have a life and see their family or dogs or whatever. And I just went so hard and I went really explicit on like, why I believe in this why this message resonates. I sent that YouTube video, I sent the podcast link. And at that point, she was like, yes, when she booked me I was like, This is great. And she said, I listened to that podcast episode, you should be our keynote speaker.
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That's amazing. I think it's really cool that it's almost like a teaser, like she got to sample what your keynote talk might be like, because you know, she got to hear you talk about sad subject. And I think that's really smart that you also added a video component to it. So she could see like your body movement in language through YouTube. And you just posted it as an unlisted link and shared it with her because you know, to her knowledge, when someone's receiving that link, they don't necessarily know if it's a public video or unlisted. So that's actually a really smart way, I think to just kind of give someone that extra level of competence and booking you as a speaker.
That's really helpful to hear how you were able to come back to her when she was a little bit like I'm not sure if this was going to be the perfect fit. I am curious, when you send that podcast episode, did you hyperlink it in your email and just say like, what you shared? Hey, this is an episode I did about the topic of fear. Or did you actually give timestamps and pull out like a soundbite or specific segment where you really feel like you shined in that area? I'm just curious if you did anything like that, either then or now, you have just what are best practices around sharing the episode, I'm just thinking through how some, you know, event hosts may not have the desire or the time to listen to an entire full length episode. So I'm just curious how you approach that.
That's a great question. Bookers, journalists, everyone, they never have time to do a full podcast episode. You're 100%. Right, Ellen, you are right. For that one. I agree. Definitely. You should timestamp it, you should link to that moment that you want people to listen to the YouTube video was like two minutes. That was custom for her. It was two minutes for the podcast episode was really my story. And it started out and like I'm being honest here. I'm an award winning executive producer, that episode was really well produced, I use a lot of really interesting sounds like hospital beeping, the sound of the shows I worked on, it was a very well edited episode. And so it's gripping right from the beginning. So I made sure that in the first three minutes of that she's going to start hearing my story. If my story came in at 20 minutes after, I would absolutely have time stamped it and said, Listen at minute 20. But that's a great point. No one has time.
And so if you're pitching and you're saying, here's what's going to sell you on me, listen to this. I think that's really, really explicit. And one thing that you mentioned earlier that I wanted to fly about taking advantage of these opportunities also is so as we remember, we're on stage, but it's the same everywhere. Like I'm a big advocate of like, think of your whole business model and how you do content marketing, which is marketing for your business through content, marketing for your business through video through podcasts, anywhere where people can hear or see you and they're interacting with your brand. Just like if somebody were to interact with you on Instagram, you might message them and say hey, thanks for the follow, greet them get to know them. It's the same with when you're speaking Same with the podcast too.
It's it's hard you don't always see who's listening to your podcasts, obviously. But when people are interacting with you at these events, like really try to make those one on one connections. Many clients have come through these events. I try to individually meet as many people as I can they already see you on stage. They already like you. They already know you they resonated with their message. They're going to come on after and connect with you. And so it's the same thing as social media, you're trying to build those authentic relationships just like you don't want to spam bot people on Instagram, when you see them in person, like be real.
In addition to that, I also get testimonials after the speeches. And testimonials can just be as simple as your iPhone, someone would come over when I did my keynote, women came over to me and they had tears in her eyes. But one woman said, your words just really resonated with me. And it stopped me from doing so many things. And I really want to break through that. Thank you. And I was like, can you say that on my iPhone. So they they see you on stage, they know that I'm going to say that, like they feel my energy and they know that I'm going to laugh and ask them to do it again, for camera. But get those testimonials that's going to help you get more speaking gigs later, try to get quotes from the event planners try to get even if you can't get people on video, anything that people say to you after screenshot, if they post on social media screenshot it, even if you have one speaking event, even if you have two speaking events, even if it's your local library, your local chamber of commerce, a women's networking group, like my first event was just a women was a women's networking group, it was a virtual thing. I wasn't that good. To be honest, I was like, not that experienced, I definitely didn't have my FREE download. I didn't have my framework yet. I still try to make a bigger moment of it.
And that's something I believe in for my business across the board. If you speak to three people in a room, make a moment of it, because they still went out of their way to book you to bring you in, you still took time to plan and prep. You came and you're teaching whether it's two people, 20 people or 20,000 people, you have to make a moment of it. Because we don't always brag. And humility does not pay the bills. You have to let people know that you're doing things and that you're good, and that you're good enough to be booked places. And if you don't like the word brag, then don't say brag. Let people know what you're up to. People do really like to follow along. I I've had so many people be like, Oh, that's so cool. You're speaking at Fast Company innovation festival. That's so great. And I don't even think of it as bragging. I'm just like, I'm actually speaking at this thing. So like, it's a Share,
It's a share, share, totally just share. And I'm with you because I mean, I know not every company necessarily thrives in the model of building in the public. But as a consumer, I have always loved following brands who build in public because there's something about getting to really see the journey within that makes you feel so much more invested in their success. And so I'm with you there.
And I love that make a moment of this, I feel like that needs to be a mug, or a shirt or a sticker I don't know can like make something that you can you can pass that maybe pass out your future speaking gigs. Because I really love that reminder that's so potent and so powerful, I think to remember that yeah, like you said, if you're speaking in front of three people, like if you can take out your phone, like you said and grab someone's video testimonial that comes up to you after ask the event organizer to send you a nice testimonial written testimonial that you can put in your speaker sheet or whatever. That has just as much impact as if you had spoken in front of 3000 people because to your point, the future people who are booking you, when they see that video testimonial, or they read that written testimonial, they don't know if that was a three person event or a 3000 person event they weren't there, right. So I love that you're thinking of all the angles, like how can I expand it just make this more than what it might just be on on surface level?
Totally. And one thing I've learned from journalism, and I now try to apply to when I speak and when I try to build up things for myself and for my clients. We're not always comfortable with asking open ended questions or allowing like pregnant pauses. But if after an event, you ask an open ended question, like how to go or like, if someone's like, Oh, that was gonna be like, great, like, what did you really enjoy? Or like, what was your biggest takeaway or some open ended question? They're gonna give you some great compliment that you can just jot down in your notebook and quote, as long as it's real.
So I think that we're not all so comfortable with, like, asking, but people if they're coming up to you, and they're saying they enjoyed it, feel free to follow up with that, because it does become hard, except from the event planner, it becomes very hard to ask people afterwards. Yeah, they forgot they're on to dinner they're on to tomorrow. It's just gets busy. So when you're there, if you can on video, or even in a voice memo, like say, Oh, could I just record it? I'm just going to I'm going to use just the quotes, even if you don't use the audio, like, can I just like what did you think of that session? They're gonna say stuff and then you know, you could say, What was your biggest learning? You know, anything like that. And then you can just use that quote later again.
We're doing a lot in our life, or spending a lot of time making content for social media promoting ourselves whether it's a newsletter or videos or podcasts like when you take the time to do something, build it up. I'll tell you, people will see my speaking. I post try to post a reel afterwards that was behind the scenes of how I prepped, I probably spend 10 hours prepping for one speaking engagement between prepping the actual thing doing some like work, practice work, I work with a coach, like, I spent a lot of time. And so when you really think about that time, and how you value that time, whether you're using any or like, Google spreadsheet of money and time is money, or you're just thinking, how do we make more of this? Like, how do I make this a bigger thing, put that logo on your Instagram, put that logo on your website, put that logo in your newsletter, you know, you can say here I spoke at this event.
And then you can also post do another social posts or in a newsletter. Three things I learned from this event, three things I'll do differently. Five things I should have done and forgot to do. Like one thing, I'm writing an article for Fast Company about three things to do before every speaking engagement. But the idea is to stretch those things out. Because it does mean a lot. And just because it goes by quickly, it doesn't mean that value isn't really big, it is really big. And so you should be proud of yourself, pat yourself on the back and then amplify it.
Love that reframe. Love that reframe so much. And I just want to pull out that golden nugget, that speaker hack that you shared for our listeners to make sure you really jot this down what Kim just shared, the idea that you don't necessarily have to phrase getting feedback as hey, can you give me a testimonial about my speaking tonight, it could literally be as simple like she shared as Oh, you enjoyed my session? Awesome. Like what was your favorite aha moment or highlight or whatever. And then like you said, just you taking the burden of of work of writing it down jotting it down in the Notes app on your phone or in an actual notebook.
And then I think then asking in the moment, like, Hey, are you okay with me, republishing this on my social or on my website or whatnot. And I think now that I think about it from the other side, like when people ask me for testimonials, it's so much easier for me to support them in that way. When they do ask me in person, they're doing the work of writing it down. And then all I have to do is give them permission to use it. That's so much easier than having it sit in my Google to do tasks in my Gmail inbox, right? Like, Oh, I gotta write this person, this testimonial, and it just sits on your to do list forever. So that is such a great hack. And I'm really, really glad that you brought up that point. Make sure you jot that down if you're listening.
I did want to ask for other speaking gigs. So that was for your first keynote at this women's Investor Summit. You've obviously landed many more speaking engagements since then. How else have you used your podcast episodes, either ones of your own versus ones you guessed it on to creatively pitch booker's? Can you think of any other pitch where you maybe utilize it in a slightly different way? Do you always only choose one episode to highlight? Or have you ever done like a mashup of different episodes all compiled together? Like I would just like to hear any other ways that you've successfully repurpose podcast for the purpose of pitching yourself for speaking gigs?
Yeah, that's a great question. So if you have a podcast and you're doing the sort of podcasts where you do I do, where you have solo episodes, and it's just you. Ideally, you can also have those episodes be video, that's just more bang for your buck, I teach my clients I work a lot about efficiency, like, you got to make the most of whatever you're doing. So efficiency wise, if you can, when you're filming, like a solo episode, recording a solo episode for your podcast, if you can already make that a video moment, and then use that to pitch I have used that for a lot of my podcast content does overlap with the sort of social media I would be making anyway. So where I can I try to make it dovetail and I pull out the exact moment. So sometimes it's reverse.
I did a how to sell yourself in 30 seconds, as a speaking engagement, I then reverse engineer that and then turned it into a podcast episode a Fast Company article, I'm now pitching it as other speaking events. So it can also be in the reverse, where I think a lot of times we think of like, what am I making for social? What am I doing for newsletter? How am I doing lead generation and I believe very, very strongly like, I'm not a video person. I'm not a video expert. I'm like a business development expert through content on the thought leadership expert through content. So when you're thinking about that 360 It can be I've taken a podcast episode or the video part of that podcast episode, I have used that to pitch successfully speaking engagements.
But also, when you have ideas, don't forget to do it across if you notice in your newsletter rates, you would a high open with this subject, make a video out of it, make a podcast episode out of it or if you don't have a podcast, use that as a guest pitch and I'm even say in the pitch to be a guest on a show. This newsletter topic got a 70% open rate or a 55% open rate like a really high open rate. And you're like Oh, I I think that my audience would like that too. So I think it's it's about like holistically thinking about headlines, topics and value. So if you had a podcast episode that really hit use that to pitch, and likewise, if you had a speaking engagement that really hit use that again, for more content and for other speaking engagements, so I just think of it as our business content can be thought of as bullets, headlines, topics, and then you're sort of using them in as many places as possible and the directionality can vary.
I can really see your journalist side shining on him.
That so much I'm like, I'm going way too deep. But maybe I think for your audience, it's deep enough because your show is smart and full of smart listeners.
Oh, 100% our listeners are brilliant. I mean, I am floored by the caliber of listeners that we have, I feel my brain kind of like sparking in in different moments, like as I was listening to you talk, namely, this idea of okay, I two thoughts here. One, it kind of reminds me of I was just watching. So my favorite comedian is Nate Bargatze. And I last night, we were just rewatching, one of his standup specials on Netflix. And I was thinking about what you were saying, in a similar light as how comedians you know, they use their different stand ups as an opportunity to test new jokes, right? It's like, they don't know yet if the material that they created is going to land or not. So they kind of see like how the audience reacts. And then they're like, Okay, so like, that joke went really well. So I'm gonna pull it again for something else or use it at my next show.
It kind of reminds me of how you're saying, okay, like, if you're using your newsletter as a testing ground for a topic, or you're using an in person speaking opportunity and saying, Okay, this one piece seem to land really well. So I'm gonna pull that nugget out and create it, like you said, 360, across all of my content. I think that's so smart. And it I mean, at its core, it's just repurposing content. And that's a tale as old as time. But I think the way that you specifically framed it, it sparked something new for me, especially the piece that you mentioned about pay, like if an email got way above average, open rates, actually using that to pitch a podcast, and then being able to use that podcast segment to then pitch a speaking engagement. It's like, it's like a three fold strategy. And I think that's so so smart. So thank you.
And in the same way, like right now, when we end, like, I'm going to make us take a photo and video, and I'm going to post that on Instagram, and I'm like, Oh, my God, I just got interviewed by Ellen, I'm so excited. This is such a great podcast, then I'm going to promote it later. I think it's just that idea of like, people need that repetition, A., of content. But at the end of the day, we're always testing. And so if you make 50 pieces of content in X amount of time, you're gonna look at that content and say, What's my 10 highest performers, but don't stop there? Don't say, Okay, then I'll make them into blog posts, say this is resonating. Why is this resonating? Who could this be good for? Then, you know, the main tenants of like, amazing content, right? It's like, what are you bringing people? How are you bringing value? It's educational, emotional, or entertaining.
Like, those are the three E's I teach, it should be educational, emotional, or entertaining, the content you're making, right? So when we're thinking about this content that's really going to connect with people, it's what is really going to bring value be super hyper educational, and then what is going to be really relatable and emotional. So those two tenants of content, but it's the same thing with speaking engagements, and those podcasts, when you're elevating yourself in people's minds and trying to get speaking events, but also you're trying to elevate yourself in people's minds. That's really what it is also, it's that education and that authority piece, and the relatability.
So here's an action item, look at your content, your newsletter, your social content, look at the analytics go in the back end, I'm such a data geek, like when I was in me there, I always get the reports. I'm such a data geek, I'm not really like financials, but I'm great with data. And you're gonna look at those analytics and say, What's connecting, because as a journalist, I'm like, if that's connecting with people, more people want to learn about it. And that's connecting with people. Is that a good article? Is that maybe a good TV segment? Is that a good speaking event? Is that a good podcast topic. So you can kind of use your audience as your testing ground to then hype that up, you get pitched all the time, like, hundreds and hundreds and 1000s of pitches. I'm sure you've got for your podcast. And you need that headline that you're like, wow, yes. And that headline, I mean, I pitched so hard to be on the show. I'm so excited.
You were you were persistent and detailed. And I loved that about, Sabrina and I talked about this. Behind the scenes, we were like we really love Kim's enthusiasm and your willingness to work with us to find the right case study for our audience. So you weren't like rigid in saying like it has to be this thing or else you know, like that. That's what I want to talk about. You are so open to being like, Okay, what might your listeners want to hear exactly what you're saying just exploration and trying to figure out what would be the best fit. So kudos to you for being excellent. That way.
I'm now going to turn that into content. It's gonna be like how I got on a top 10 podcast by persistence. Like I think to that point is really like workshopping, it's the same way I would go to speaking engagements, the same thing I did for like keynote. Again, I try not to be like, super annoying. And each email I tried to like, show my personality and be like, I really want to make this happen. Let me know how I can help. Like, you have to be human in those emails.
And I just actually I talked about this interview on a different podcast, I was like, Oh, you did gotta be persistent. I said, I really wanted to be on this podcast. And I could tell the producer like wanted to book me, but it wasn't exactly right. I go, so I emailed her with two more topics. And I emailed her with two more topics. And I said, I just knew because you can tell when someone's on the fence. And they want to say yes, but it's not perfect fit. It's like, you have to make it work for them. And so, yes, I agree with you 100%.
The other thing I want to say about the headline is, I always make sure to put my accolades in the very first line of the headline with the thing. So like, I worked at Netflix, I launched the video unit for Us Weekly. I always put that in the first paragraph when I pitch places, because there's so many people out there, and it's very hard for Booker's of speaking events, podcasts, everything to separate people, you have to shine you have to brag I joke that my mom used to brag about me when I was in high school, and she'd be like, oh my daughter she's going to Ivy League school. And I was so embarrassed. And I looked at my sneakers with red face and I just hated it. As I got into my career without my pro bono publicist, Mom, no one knows who you are.
Go Mom, go mom for being the best. And first publicist, that's amazing. You're so right, though, like you said, it's it doesn't have to be a brag, you're telling a truth, you are disclosing a truth. And that doesn't have to have a negative connotation to it. So great reminder.
To wrap up this case study, I just want to clarify one last detail about how you're utilizing podcasts to pitch for speaking gigs. And that was surrounding the format. So you mentioned earlier that whenever you record a solo episode, you also try to record a video component to it, so you can easily use it for future pitches. I'm curious, based on your since you mentioned you like data. If you've reviewed your own data from all of the pitches you've sent out recently using the strategy? Have you found there to be a higher response rate or a higher booking rate when you utilize solo episodes versus interview style episodes in your pitch? And also, have you noticed a higher booking a response rate if you use content from your own podcast versus when you guest on someone else's?
Great question. When you're having a guest on your show, you're shining the light on them. So you want to shine the light on yourself. So if you're going to share your podcast episode, again, use Ellen's tip always use a timecode. Tell them where to listen. If your episode short, and you get right to the point at the beginning and you feel like you shine and it's a really good example of your personality. Use that.
Again, because speaking events are in person, I would pair that with a video or ideally, take that podcast episode that did perform, you can see that on your own analytics, you can see that the topic performed film your own YouTube video, keep it short, one minute, two minute, three minutes, they're not going to watch longer than that be well lit make it look like a nice video. It doesn't have to be listed. It could be an unlisted video, what I have done is I've taken the high performing podcasts, I've turned them into short videos. If I don't already have a video, I would use the podcast but you can then link the video so someone can get your body language, your stance, your whole personality. I mean a podcast to be honest, they know you can talk and they know you can captivate so I think that that's important, but it is helpful for them to really see you on video. So yeah, and I, I think that if you're a guest on a big podcast, that's well known sure if you shine on that podcast, but again, I would clip the podcast, make sure you're jumping to the timecode make sure you're saying something similar to what you would say in that speech.
And then when you're down the road, and you have a really tight, meaty speaker sizzle reel, I would then start using that. And if you're targeting your pitches, like let's say one speaking event is for women entrepreneurs, another speaking event is for male coaches or something like that. I think that's helpful. Instead of you making all these different assets that are like slightly different. You could say, Here's my speaker reel. And here's a podcast episode where I was advising male coaches how to raise their revenue through this one tip. And so you're customizing it, but you're also sharing your sizzle reel, which shows your confidence and your poise and your cadence and your relatability. So I think you can use those together.
And again, like confidence and persistence, you have to believe you want to be on that stage. And you have to really just stay on top and be positive and in every communication like keep it light like thanks so much. I have this additional piece of information I wanted to share with you. I think I'm a really great fit for this. Here's why. And here's another podcast I did with Person X who's really well known in your field. So share things that build you up the light should be shined on you. So, if you're interviewing someone else, that's not a great example for speech, for a speech because the spotlight is not on you.
Right. So other than that, though, if you are either being interviewed on someone's show, or you're just doing a solo episode, you haven't necessarily found a difference in the reception of your show versus someone else's show. It's more about whether or not you're shining in the spotlight, in my understanding correctly.
Agreed. I think to be honest, I think it's more powerful when it's your show, because you're like, This is my brand, this is who I am. So I personally think if you love some angle, I think you should figure out a way to turn that angle into your own content, I think you should try to own that content. So your brand is being brought up. So I want someone to think Kim Rittberg, knowledgeable about video and on camera confidence. And she's really fun. I don't really want any of that spotlight shine on someone else when I'm going for a speaking event.
That makes sense. Thank you for that distinction. And I also really liked the distinction that you made that regardless of where the original, quote, or soundbite or segment came from, that you're essentially looking at all of your podcast content, whether it came from your own show or someone else's show, and you're using that as source material to then pull out the best ideas like you said unlisted one to three minute videos that you can customize, to send for different pitches. That's so smart. I think that's going to be a game changer for a lot of people listening to this who are already active speakers, or maybe shooting for their first speaking engagement. So if you do end up using Kim's strategy, please send her a DM and thank her for that. I think that's just the best way to give back to our amazing guests who share so transparently their own best secrets. So, Kim, thank you so much for being on our show today. Where can our listeners continue to connect with you?
Thank you so much. Well, I have a free download of how to make amazing video that grows your revenue, and a bonus, how to be on camera confident. That's all at kimrittberg.com/newsletter Instagram, I'm @KimRittberg, and LinkedIn. I'm also on YouTube. I love hearing from people and very friendly and very open information. So I would love it if you'd say hi, I'm a big fan of the show. So I'll be friends with the other listeners as well.
Amazing well all of those links will be below for you in the show notes on the podcast and in the description if you're watching on YouTube. Thank you all for joining us for another amazing guest interview.
Hey Ellen here. Thank you again for tuning in to Cubicle to CEO. If you enjoyed today's episode, follow our show on Instagram @cubicletoCEO for more bonus content and hop on the last Tuesday of each month to watch our live after show with recent guests. If you want to support our podcast, text this episode link to a friend, leave a positive review on Apple podcasts or rate our show wherever you're listening right now. Please make sure you also hit the Follow button on Apple it looks like a plus sign. Or click Subscribe on your favorite podcast player so you don't miss out on our new episodes every Monday and friends until next time, keep dreaming big!
