One of the biggest benefits of speaking is getting paid to share your brilliance. However, if you are just starting out, speaking on a pro bono basis is a great way to get experience and hone your message.

Speaking for free doesn’t mean you have to accept every invitation that comes your way. You want to make sure it is a fit for you and your business. So, how can you be strategic about selecting unpaid engagements? Here are a few things to consider:

The Audience
Who will be attending the event? If you opt to speak to a group, you want to make sure you are speaking in front of your ideal target audience, prospective clients or customers. Work with the event organizer to learn more about who attends the event – what industries are represented? How many people attend? If it is a monthly or annual event, the event organizers will have data they can share to help define the audience. Once you review this information you can determine if the event is a valuable investment for you.

The Organization
If you’re not familiar with the organization (and they are local) attend one of their events before agreeing to speak for the group. This is particularly helpful if the event has “open” registration, meaning attendees do not have to register for the event. Attending a program can help define who the audience is, how many people attend and what the venue. While at the event, network with the other participants to get their feedback on the organization, their events and the attendees.

Your experience
If you are a new speaker or you are working on a new presentation, speaking for free can be a great opportunity to practice your speaking skills. The more you speak, the more you will build your stage presence and improve your delivery. Likewise, if you are working on a new topic, speaking for free give you an opportunity to test out a message on a smaller scale to see what’s working and what’s not.

If you are speaking in front of a group of prospective clients, one or more of the prospects could chose to work with you privately, and become a paying client. Additionally, speaking to one group often leads to more speaking invitations. And some of those groups will have a speaking budget. So, speaking for “free”can lead to paying opportunities in the future.

Now it’s your turn. Do you speak for free? How has it helped you as a speaker or business owner?