I remember the first time my 1st grade teacher, Miss Page, came into our classroom and told the story of how she was scared to be away from her family and come to school for the first time. I immediately went from being unsure of my surroundings to smiling in nervous agreement with the other 3 footers around me.

Right then was my first taste of the power of connection and the importance of pointing the finger inwards in order to truly effect your message outwards.

The difference between good and extraordinary speakers is that they deliver carefully crafted messages that immediately engage audiences using one simple technique: personalization.

This highly effective and well-known approach incorporates the use of personalized stories in order to make you relatable to the audience and break down walls. If done correctly, your message will shift their paradigms and make a forever imprint on their hearts.

Wait… What About Potential Clients & Bookers That Haven’t Seen You Live?

How do you PROMOTE your brand to them in the same captivating way?

Introducing…

1. The YOU Factor:

• An additional step taken by highly successful speakers that engages audiences before they ever hear them speak.
• The majority of speakers ONLY showcase their personal stories during live events or taped broadcasts.
• In the world of digital advertising and social media platforms, countless potential clients and bookers never get to see you live. Your first impression sometimes is based solely through promotional content.

The YOU Factor is the use of incorporating your unique story and message through the life of the sales copy; hence, always marketing the most powerful version of you. It takes the end result (an engaging keynote) to the beginning of the sales cycle (a powerful and enticing biography).

2- Is Your Biography a Boring, Eyes Glazed Over List of Credits?

• Think about it: most executive biographies are a mind-numbing list of credits and career highlights that end up reading like a resume versus a personalized approach to creating excitement around you.
• With a captivating biography, the end result is always the same: your reader craving more. And…Event managers and conference planners love the connecting point of raw, in-your face, “I can totally relate” stories and one of the most successful methods to getting that story across is with your biography.

How to Write Emotionally-Charged Copy that Sells YOU

Every moment you spend promoting yourself without clear and concise copy that successfully sells you is wasted. Wasted time is not just wasted money, its wasted momentum.

You can’t go back to meeting planners with new copy after they have already passed on you.

Even if you’re not a sales and marketing guru, here are some ways you can maximize your WOW factor, clearly define your platform, and connect with your audience by applying psychology-driven techniques that sell you on paper.

4- For a Heartfelt & Dynamic Biography (Apply these insider tips):

• Research your target audience to identify their pain points and areas of hesitation
• Select and write a personal story that reflects those findings
• Begin your first paragraph like a conversation with a friend using one or all of the following: emotion, inquisition, and heavy details.

5- For a Powerful Headline that Entices Readers (Ask yourself these questions):

• What separates you from the competition?
• What are the top five solutions you can offer your audience and clients?
• Have you created and implemented any innovative systems, methodologies or models that have been successful?

WTFT HINT: Extraordinary speakers understand the POWER OF CONNECTING with their audience and that this connection needs to stay true during the life of their brand.

Their promotional copy is equally as persuasive as their keynote. This instrumental branding strategy improves competitive differentiation, grabs events planner attention, AND increases booking ratios.

The most successful way to optimize your platform is to capitalize on your strengths… and your story should always be at the top of that list.

As Miss Page always said to us, “When your eyes smile people can’t help but smile back.” As a speaker, remember how simply that phrase can be transferred to your brand. When your story is shared in its full glory (both live and in print), audiences won’t be able to help but lean in and devour more.

Blog post written for eSpeakers by Lisa Cafiero. Lisa is a psychology-driven copywriter & brand strategist, executive resume writer, speaker one sheet writer & branding expert. For examples of Captivating Biographies, Click HERE: http://tinyurl.com/WTFTBios. Feel free to forward your Biography to lisa@writethefirsttime.net for a FREE Brand critique.