Episode 237 - How to get booked to speak from LinkedIn with Fiona Walsh

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Connect wisely on LinkedIn for powerful business connections.

That’s what my guest, Fiona Walsh, did, and she’s seen a huge increase in business opportunities. After working together, Fiona posted relevant content consistently on LinkedIn, which led to increased engagement, valuable, relevant connections, and paid speaking opportunities. In this episode, she offers advice on securing paid speaking gigs and emphasises the importance of networking and following up both on and off LinkedIn.

About Fiona Walsh

With 25 years in corporate, Fiona Walsh has seen her fair share of bad slides. As an IT Manager/Trainer, she became the primary go-to person for help with anything PowerPoint-related.

Fiona set up Empower Presentations to provide bespoke PowerPoint training to organisations. She loves it when a client gets an ‘aha’ moment as they realise there’s a more innovative way to do something, and it will save them time. She is passionate about teaching people how to create slides that are fit for purpose and engaging.

Fiona also focuses on presenting confidently, including best practices in the boardroom, at a conference, and online, for example, with MS Teams. Fiona is a certified Microsoft Master Trainer and became Director of Education for the Presentation Guild (a global organisation for presentation professionals) in January 2023.

Business Opps from LinkedIn Connections

When Fiona and I first started working together, we focussed on creating a monthly content plan for LinkedIn. This plan takes so much stress and pressure off a business owner who is trying to create consistent content on the platform.

Soon after Fiona started posting consistent and relevant content, she noticed her engagement increase. Her use of relevant hashtags enabled the right people to find her, leading to increased valuable connections, speaking opportunities, and business growth worldwide.

Fiona soon started receiving opportunities for paid speaking events on LinkedIn, which has taken her to a number of conferences. Her advice for landing paid speaking gigs on LinkedIn?

1. Look for what events are out there

2. Look at the companies that host those events

3. Connect with key people at those companies

4. Take the conversations off LinkedIn

The art of the Follow Up

Fiona has mastered the follow-up conversation, often reaching back out to someone she’s worked with in the past. She also says that she often connects with people who don’t send her a message – in fact, these connection requests often come from her ideal customers. If she feels they may be a good connection after viewing their profile, she’ll send them a message after connecting. This often leads to a business opportunity.

Fiona also shares how she’s made powerful connections on LinkedIn that led to a mutually beneficial referral relationship. Without LinkedIn, she would not have found her referral partner and increased sales.

Finally, Fiona and I discuss the benefits of having a Creator profile on LinkedIn and why it’s so important to post consistently.

How has posting consistently on LinkedIn resulted in more sales, speaking events, or opportunities for you? Let me know in the comments on the episode page.

• How creating a monthly content plan for LinkedIn takes the pressure and stress off you [3:30]

• When Fiona’s business growth started to change [5:45]

• How LinkedIn can open opportunities [6:15]

• How to find events in your niche [8:15]

• The power in a follow-up conversation [10:30]

• How LinkedIn connections can result in powerful mutual business collaborations [14:00]

• Why it’s good practice to check out everyone’s profile who sends you a connection request, even if they don’t send a message [18:00]

• What you need to know about the Creator option [20:00]

• Why it’s important to post consistently on LinkedIn [24:00]

Key Takeaways

Fiona’s Top Tips to Get Started on LinkedIn

1. Think about how you’re going to use LinkedIn

2. Consider a topic for each month

3. Try to post at least once a week for the next four weeks

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Find Fiona Walsh Online

Follow Fiona Walsh on LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

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Podcast Ep. 202 – Six Simple Guidelines For Using LinkedIn in Your Business

Podcast Episode 200 – Are You Selling Or Marketing On Linkedin?

Episode 199: More People Are Noticing You Than You Think On Linkedin