Selecting Your Most Ideal Target Audience?

How to Select Your Most Ideal Target Audience?

Even if you're just starting out in speaking — or restarting — there are organizations actively seeking speakers like you right now.

But,

1. “How do I know which target audience to focus on?”

2. “I have multiple groups I can speak to. Where should I start—or which one is best?”

You Don’t Need Multiple Target Audiences. You Need ONE to Start.

Just one.

One association.

That one “squirrel” is enough to build a legitimate, profitable, sustainable speaking business. It did for me. And it continues to drive my business to this day.

Here’s the reality most speakers miss:

YES, you can speak to many industries.NO, you should not start that way.

You need to choose one industry you want to serve first. Once you gain traction within that industry’s premier association, you rinse and repeat your way into the next one.

A few well-known examples:

• Educators → Educator associations

• Students → Collegiate or high school associations

• HR professionals → SHRM

• CPAs → AICPA

• Real estate → NAR

• .... and so on.

If you’re struggling to choose which industry to start with, default to the one that is most qualified using two criteria:

My 2 Core Criteria for Finding PAID Speaking Engagements

(1) Structure + (2) Events

These two criteria are the backbone of Module 3 in PAID to $PEAK—and the backbone of every sustainable speaking business.

1. Structure

Identify an industry’s premier association that has:

• Local chapters

• State councils

• Regional zones

• A national office

• Committees and leadership positions

  
  

Structure creates:

• Multiple entry points

• A visible ladder to climb

• Predictable and recurring speaker opportunities

• Repeatability and scalability

  
  

If there’s no structure, there’s no speaking ecosystem. You might get a one-off speaking engagement … but nowhere to go next.

2. Events

Events are what convert structure into speaker demand.

Qualified industries host:

• Monthly or frequent chapter meetings

• Annual or state conferences

• Leadership retreats

• Trainings and workshops

• Regional meetings

• Summits

  
  

Events = registrations + sponsors = a speaker budget.

A qualified target audience has BOTH structure AND events.

Most speakers skip this vetting process—and that’s exactly why so many spend years speaking for free with no upward path or consistent income.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Use these to qualify your ONE starting industry and association:

• Which industry do I want to serve first?

• Which industry do I have the most experience in?

• Which association is the premier association serving that industry?

• Does that association have statewide structure and recurring events?

  
  

These are the exact questions I ask when evaluating whether an industry can consistently hire speakers—and whether they can pay speakers.

If choosing your target audience feels challenging, that’s OK. It’s normal.

The solution is FOCUS. What I’ve outlined above should help you lock your focus in.

And yes—Module 3 inside PAID to $PEAK teaches you exactly how to do this without guesswork.

But What If You Have 3 Industries That ALL Look Great?

Let’s say you find three industries that all appear qualified, each with strong structure and events. How do you choose?

Here’s the truth:

They aren’t actually equal. Not in my experience.

Every industry has a premier association that stands above the rest. It’s your job to find it.

This is also where a speaker coach matters.

After 5–10 minutes of research using the process I teach, I can usually see distinctions, advantages, patterns, or deal-breakers most new speakers miss.

But let’s assume—just for one magical moment—they really are equal.

Then:

1. Choose the industry you have the most experience with.

2. If experience is equal, choose the one that resonates with you most.

3. If they’re STILL equal?

   
   

Just pick ONE.

Movement creates clarity. Action beats analysis. Momentum comes from choosing.

And If Selecting Your Target Audience Still Isn’t Straightforward …

Then it’s time to:

• Re-review Module 3, or

• Schedule a conversation with me.

  
  

A focused 20–30 minute coaching call could save you months—if not years—of wasted time.Choosing the wrong target audience leads to endless free gigs, slow progress, and zero consistent speaking fees.

Choosing the right audience transforms everything.

This decision may be the most important step in your speaking journey.

Earn greatness today! Onward and upward.

---

Want to speak professionally, part-time or full-time?

Not getting PAID speaking engagements?

I've been honored to present for over 1,000,000 people through 1,150+ audiences in all 50 states and several countries. Whether I'm on a stage or in a training room with professionals or students, I absolutely LOVE motivating and inspiring people for higher performance. And in addition to my own speaking business, I have a passion for helping and coaching speakers learn how to catapult their speaking whether part-time or full-time. My book, PAID to SPEAK, outlines a proven model for speakers and is now an online course as well! Click here for online course info!

If you are serious about becoming a professional speaker, explore my coaching and mentorship options. I don't want you to flounder like I did and be frustrated.