There are many things that can immediately add credibility to your reputation and your business, when speaking professionally. However, there are definitely a handful of titles and badges that stand out from the rest, including the TED logo. For most speakers, being asked to speak at a TEDx event or at the annual TED Conference is a tremendous honor. Although all of these events are unpaid, they not only demonstrate your credibility in your focus industry. From the moment they’re posted to the TED talk archive, they also attract countless viewers that you may not have otherwise come across your speaking business. Luckily, that’s what we’re covering in this guide, how to get more views once you post your TED talk.
If you’re unfamiliar with TED, to put it briefly, the TED Organization is a nonprofit institution that partners with individuals to share information related to technology, entertainment, and/or design. Ultimately, their motto is “ideas worth spreading,” and their collection of ideas (i.e. TED talks) clocks in at over 3,000 videos. As a speaker, being asked to speak for a TED or TEDx event is a powerful way to demonstrate your expertise in your focus industry, your skills as a speaker, and your renown in both areas. Because of this, mastering how to get more views once you post your TED talk can turn a single talk into a powerful marketing and sales tool for your speaking business.
Share it with your newsletter subscribers.
The first way to boost the views on your TED talk is a simple one: share it with your list of subscribers. Originally, when someone signed up for updates from your speaking business, this is exactly what they wanted. Just starting the prep process for your TED talk? Include a request for ideas from your subscribers. Leaving the stage after wrapping up your TED talk? Send out an update, letting everyone know. Think of your subscriber list as the cheerleading team for your speaking business. In other words, when something good happens in your professional life, keep them in the loop. Not only will this make you more approachable and candid, as a public figure. It’ll also boost your video’s video count, almost guaranteed.
As far as writing your update email is concerned, in the experience of our marketing expert, Taylorr, there are a few things to keep in mind. Above all, keep it simple and honest. People subscribed because they like you and your message, so remember to be yourself. Second, keep it short. Your goal is to get people to watch the video itself, so keep the intro short and just drop the link to the video at the end. Lastly, make sure to ask the recipient to share your TED talk, too! Learning how to get more views once you post your TED talk doesn’t have to be a solo talk, especially if you already have a big list of subscribers and fans. Plus, the more your subscribers list shares your video, the more people hear your message, period. That’s ultimately what matters if you’re trying to make a lasting impact, right?
Flex your network within the speaking industry.
The next way to tackle how to get more views once you post your TED talk is by focusing internally. Globally, there are hundreds of thousands of individuals that speak on a professional level. On a national and local level, this includes thousands of association members for industry-specific organizations. These include the National Speakers Association (NSA) in the United States, the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) in Canada, and the Professional Speaking Association (PSA) in the United Kingdom.
Depending on where you are, one organization may be more appropriate to reach out to than another. If you’re already a member of the NSA, CAPS, or the PSA, contact your local chapter and share your success. Because most of these organizations operate with a “community” atmosphere, make sure to frame it as not only a success story for you but also an opportunity for you to help colleagues who haven’t given a TED talk. In this way, not only will your video get more views. You’ll also be able to encourage and support other speakers that want to follow in your footsteps. Win, win!
On the other hand, if you’re not a member of any speaking associations (and even if you are), reach out to the speakers you know. After your talk has been posted, simply share it with your colleagues and ask that they share it with their friends and colleagues, too. If we’ve learned anything in our work with professional speakers, it’s the power of flexing your network. From referrals to resources to business victories, the speaking industry as a whole is built on connections and communication among the speakers that make it up. Use that to your advantage when sharing your TED talk and getting the word out about how awesome it is.
Use TED and TEDx hashtags, when you share on social media.
Third on the list of how to get more views once you post your TED talk is one last place to share: social media. Although social media isn’t necessarily an immediate money-maker, it’s huge for growing your digital reputation and gaining exposure from your speaking business. Because of this, it’s also a quick and easy way for people to find your page and engage with your content. This is especially important when it comes to sharing your TED talk in that it not only provides video evidence of your speaking skills. It’s also easily shareable, so if the viewer likes your message, they can share it with their network almost instantly.
Of the social platforms out there, the big four are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Building a social presence can be a time-consuming process, even if it’s well worth it. In fact, we have an entire section dedicated to it in our ultimate marketing guide for professional speakers. That said, for the sake of time, there’s one social media tip that’s especially important, when sharing a TED talk. I’m talking about hashtags.
Hashtags originated on Twitter years ago but have since grown into a norm on most social platforms today. In your own posts, these can be used contextually, as seen in “To all my #professionalspeaker colleagues…”. On the flip side, you can also add them at the end of your post in a group. However you choose to add them in your posts, when sharing your TED talk, the key is to use TED hashtags. That way, people already following TED can easily find your post about your TED talk in addition to those already following your page or profile. Below are some commonly used TED hashtags, to get you started:
- #ideasworthspreading
- #tedspeaker
- #tedtalks
- #tedxspeaker
- #tedxevent
Build off of the content of your TEDx talk.
At this point, if you’re wondering how to get more views once you post your TED talk and you think sharing is the only option, think again. Sharing it great, but the best way to keep it circulating is to build something bigger. This not only gives you collateral to show that you know what you’re talking about. It also keeps your TED talk front and center. That way, event organizers and meeting planners see it upon meeting with you and think, “Huh. My event needs something like this”.
For example, think about your existing sales pitch. Generally, you start with a call and/or email. In that initial conversation, the goal is to get your foot in the door and show your speaking skills. While the balance between communicating your value and being too pushy can be hard to find, having a TED talk under your belt makes it easier. After all, what better way to subtly suggest your skills than to simply say, “Check out my TED talk”?
From there, after the event organizer theoretically watches your TED talk, the real sale can begin. Ask them, if they liked the TED talk, do they want to hear about your training course built off of it? How about your consulting? Ultimately, the goal is to demonstrate that your TED talk is simply a starting point. That way, your TED talk will get more and more views, as you pitch more decision-makers and as they share it with their team. Plus, they still get the value of working with you!
Pro Tip: The TED-Ed platform is a great way to “contextualize [your talk] with questions, additional resources, and discussions”. If you need a little inspiration before turning your talk into content, this is a great place to start.
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Build it into your existing sales funnel.
Another way to boost your talk’s views is to build it into what you already have. I’m talking about online courses, sales pitches, anything you use to demonstrate your speaking skills and industry experience. If you gave a TED talk about self-motivation, turn it into a mindfulness workshop. If you spoke about women in the workplace, turn it into an online course for women in corporate positions. Regardless of your topic, think about the goal you ultimately wanted to communicate to your audience. Then, take that goal and put together a kit of sorts so that audience members can turn your words of inspiration into action.
After your new content, tool, or course is created, make sure you work it into your existing sales funnel. A great example of this can be seen on the website of Dr. Brené Brown, a speaker and researcher at the University of Houston. After speaking at the 2012 TED Conference, Dr. Brown’s reputation exploded, and her TED talk went viral within a matter of weeks. Building off of this, Dr. Brown’s website now includes a ton of resources, paid and free, including a podcast, a book, and a host of videos to keep you inspired.
In the same way, in your own speaking business, your TED talk should act as an eye-catcher at the top of your sales funnel. Combined with additional free resources, your “TED speaker” title then persuades potential customers to invest in your paid offerings, such as courses, ebooks, etc before they hire you for their event (the bottom of the funnel). In light of this, taking the time to work your TED talk into your free and paid offerings is well worth the time.
Re-share it every so often, based on the topic of your TEDx talk.
Finally, the last part of how to get more views once you post your TED talk is to periodically recycle it. Besides re-sharing it when it reaches new highs in number of views, try to be creative about events or circumstances that make it worth bringing up again. Below are a just a few examples of times you would share your TED talk again:
- It’s the anniversary of the day you originally gave your TED talk.
- There’s an event in the news relating to the topic of your talk. This is also a great opportunity for you to reach out to podcasters or bloggers to offer your insights regarding the news on their next podcast/blog.
- Your talk was featured on a list of awesome TED talks.
- You’ve reached a milestone in your speaking business and want to mention the talk as the turning point for it.
That’s about it, as far as learning how to get more views once you post your TED talk is concerned. For more information about TED and TEDx talks, check out our guide to the fundamentals of TED. Additionally, if you’re preparing to give a TEDx talk, virtually or in person, sometime soon, talk a look at our previous blog, “How To Write A TED Talk In 7 Easy Steps”. In both articles, you’ll find tips, tools, and examples of powerful TED speakers to inspire your own talk.💡
