This guide is about the ask: what to request from whom, where speakers can reach people you can't, and how to follow up. For what to send them once they've said yes (the image, the link, the posts to paste), see what to put in a speaker promotion kit.
Make it part of the agreement, not a favour
The moment you invite someone to speak is the moment you're giving them something: a stage, an audience, a line on their profile. That's when asking costs nothing. A week before the event, the same ask is a favour, and favours get postponed.
Put it in writing, in the invitation and in the confirmation. Keep it to one specific thing with a date: "Could you share the event once, around 3 March? We'll send you everything you need." A vague "please help us spread the word" has no first step and no deadline, so nothing happens.
Be honest that it's an exchange. Most speakers want a full room and will gladly help once they know what's useful. If you're paying a speaker, you can make promotion part of the brief; if they're speaking for free, keep the ask small and the work for them close to zero.
Match the ask to the speaker
"Post on LinkedIn" is the default ask, and for many speakers it's not the best one. Ask for the thing their audience actually reads.
| Speaker | Best ask | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter writer or author | A line in their next issue | Their readers chose to hear from them; a mention reads like a recommendation |
| Regular conference speaker | A slide or a mention at their talk before yours | A room of the right people, primed to care about the topic |
| Someone at a large company | An internal email or a post in their team's channel | Colleagues trust it, and it reaches people who don't follow anyone on LinkedIn |
| Active on LinkedIn | One "I'm speaking at" post, and inviting their connections | Their network is built around the topic |
| Podcast host or guest | A mention on an upcoming episode | Listeners chose to spend an hour with them |
| Community organizer | A post in their Slack, Discord or meetup group | A group already gathered around the subject |
| Customer speaking about your product | A note to peers in their industry | Peers trust peers more than vendors |
| First-time speaker | Telling five people they'd like to see there | Small, personal and easy, and it fills the front row |
Ask about this in the first call: "Where do people who'd like this usually hear from you?" The answer is often somewhere you'd never have thought to ask.
Eight places speakers reach that you can't
- Their own LinkedIn or X post, in their words, to their followers.
- LinkedIn Event invitations. LinkedIn lets attendees as well as organizers invite their first-degree connections, up to 1,000 a week. A speaker who marks themselves as attending can invite the connections who'd want to come.
- Their newsletter, or the newsletter of a group they belong to.
- Their email signature, for the two weeks before.
- Their talks and slides at other events in the meantime, with a QR code on the last slide.
- Their company's channels: the internal newsletter, the team Slack, the company Page.
- Their communities: Slack and Discord groups, forums, meetups.
- One-to-one: a message to a handful of people they'd like in the room. This is the most effective and the most overlooked.
You don't need all eight. One or two channels where their audience actually is will beat a checklist.
Give every speaker their own link
If speakers share your generic link, you can't tell what each of them brought, and neither can they. Give each one a link of their own: a short link that is the source, so it still counts when it's pasted into a newsletter or a chat. It also lets you thank people with a real number, which is what makes them do it again.
Follow up once, with a number
A reminder that says "just checking in on the promotion" feels like nagging. A note that tells them something is welcome:
A follow-up two weeks before
Subject: [Event]: [number] registered so far, and a quick ask
Hi [name], We're at [number] registrations for [event], and the questions coming in are mostly about [theme], which is right in your area. If you haven't had a chance to share it yet, now's a good moment: [their link]. Everything you need is here: [kit link]. And if [one channel from the table] works better for you than a post, that's even better. Thanks, [your name]
One follow-up is enough. If a speaker doesn't promote, they've still agreed to speak. Don't let it sour the relationship.
Use friendly competition carefully
A leaderboard of who brought the most registrations motivates some speakers and embarrasses others. It works for partners and sponsors, who expect to be measured. For speakers, send each their own number privately, framed as thanks, and save the public leaderboard for the ones who'd enjoy it.
Thank them with what they brought
The day after, tell each speaker how many people came through their link, along with the recording and anything the audience said about their session. Speakers who know their post filled seats will post again next time without being asked. It's also the fairest way to decide who to invite back.
Doing this in Programmable Talk
Each speaker gets a kit: their own way in with a link, a short link and a QR code, a share image with their face and name, and posts to paste. With your own AI key connected, posts can be drafted for each platform. Every registration through a speaker's link counts to them, and the leaderboard shows who brought whom, for you to share or keep private. Speakers accepted from a call for papers get their kit by email straight away.