When was the last time you sent a cold email to an event organizer? If it’s been a while, you could miss great speaking opportunities. Cold emailing is one of the most effective and underrated ways to land new gigs, grow your audience, and build your credibility as a speaker.

That’s why cold email platforms like Instantly have made it easier to launch and manage cold email campaigns. If you need help writing impactful cold emails, whether initial messages or strategic follow-ups, this article provides practical tips on leveraging cold emailing to land new speaking gigs.

6 Ways to Use Cold Email to Land New Speaking Gigs

A successful cold email grabs attention and motivates a response. Here are six key strategies to help you stand out:

1. Have a Captivating Subject Line

Your subject line is an integral part of your cold email, as it determines whether people open your message. It’s best to keep it short, clear, and compelling enough to grab the reader’s attention and urge them to read your message.

Try to include a question or mention a specific result the organizer would be interested in. Better yet, use cold email platforms like Instantly to A/B test subject lines to find out what works best for you. 

2. Let Your Message Be Relatable

No one wants to read a generic, robotic message. Avoid sounding overly formal. After all, you’re reaching out about an opportunity, not applying for a job. Speak directly to the organizer’s goals and show them you’ve done your homework. 

Invest time in understanding their needs and interests to achieve this, ensuring your pitch aligns perfectly. 

You can make your email more personalized by implementing these tips:

• Address your recipient by their name and mention their current role or company if necessary.

• Mention a recent piece of their work that impressed or inspired you.

• Highlight something you have in common with them, like a hobby.

• Reference a recent campaign they managed or a recent accomplishment.

A good cold email tool will provide templates to help you craft personalized and unique emails that impress the recipient. It will also help you search different online domains and social media platforms to get your recipients' verified emails. 

3. State Your Value Proposition

Apply for events within your expertise to showcase your strengths confidently. Research the event’s audience, past speakers, and topics to position yourself as the perfect fit. 

In your pitch, address specific challenges the event organizers and their audience are facing and how you can solve them. At the end of the day, a strong value proposition shows you’re not just another speaker, but the speaker they need.

4. Have a Persuasive CTA

To wrap up your cold email, you need to close strong. Your call to action should clearly state what you want from the recipient. Is it a quick call, a reply, or a chance to pitch further? Remind them why it’s worth their time.

We recommend using cold email tools like Instantly, which offer features like smart sending, inbox rotation, and spam filter protection to ensure your emails get seen.

5. Send Follow-Up Message

Remember, the work doesn't stop after sending the first cold email. Your cold email campaigns will more likely generate positive responses when you follow up. Avoid repeating the same message in your follow-ups. 

Instead, add new value or context to keep the conversation moving and avoid triggering spam filters. Some practical tips include:

• Referring to your first mail, but add new information about why your proposal is relevant and will benefit their audience

• Proposing alternative speaking opportunities or discussions with them if the original event is no longer available

• Sharing a video or reel that showcases your speaking skills and understanding of the event and the role

6. Create an Outreach Schedule

You need an organized schedule to better structure your cold email campaigns and increase their success rate. To do this, draw up a list of events you're interested in, the contact information of the organizers, and the days you plan to send the emails. 

It's also advisable to measure the success of your campaign by analyzing metrics such as open rates and response rates. This will help you identify areas that work and areas you need to improve in your next campaign. 

Get the Speaking Gigs You Desire with Instantly 

Mastering cold emails takes the right strategies to achieve success. Focus on clarity, personalization, and persistence, and you’ll start seeing results. 

In the meantime, remember to:

• Write a short, intriguing, and relevant subject line that will urge the recipient to open your mail

• Make your message relatable and state your value clearly 

• Have a persuasive CTA that encourages them to get in touch with you

• Evaluate the performance of your cold email campaigns to improve your messages and get better results.

Ready to land more speaking gigs? Turn to tools like Instantly, which gives you quality contacts, personalized templates, and reliable delivery. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How can speakers avoid spam filters when cold-emailing event organizers in 2025?

Answer:
Deliverability hinges on three critical 2025 requirements:

• Technical Setup: Authenticate emails with SPF/DKIM/DMARC protocols (mandatory per Google/Yahoo's 2024 policy updates). Tools like Instantly automate this setup and offer dedicated IPs to protect the domain reputation.

• Behavioral Signals: Avoid spam triggers by limiting links/images, excluding salesy words ("free," "guaranteed"), and keeping emails under 100 words. Never send from personal domains (e.g., @gmail.com).

• Warm-up Routine: New sending accounts require 2-3 weeks of gradual warm-up (start with 10-20 emails/day). Services like TrulyInbox simulate human engagement patterns to build sender credibility.

SpeakerHub Tip: Embed a video reel (≤30s) via tools like Klenty instead of links. Video embeds boost reply rates 3x while bypassing spam filters.

2. What personalization tactics yield the highest response rates for speaker pitches?

Answer:
Superficial personalization (e.g., "Hi {Name}") is ineffective. Top performers use:

• Hyper-Relevant Hooks: Reference the organizer’s recent event challenge (e.g., "Loved how you tackled virtual audience engagement at {Event}") based on LinkedIn/social research.

• Psychological Storytelling: Open with a 1-sentence story about solving an attendee's pain point (e.g., "A speaker once rescued my event from tech disasters—let me do the same for you").

• Mutuality Signals: Highlight shared connections (e.g., "We both spoke at {Past Event}") or niche hobbies (e.g., "Fellow rock climber here!") found via podcasts/social deep dives.

3. How should speakers structure follow-ups after initial silence?

 Answer:
Use a 4-email sequence with escalating value:

1. Day 2: Short nudge ("Did my proposal on [Topic] resonate?") + alternative CTA (e.g., "Could I send a 2-min demo video?").

2. Day 6: Social proof injection ("Since my last email, I keynoted at [Rival Event]—their feedback: [Quote]").

3. Day 12: "Zeigarnik Effect" cliffhanger ("I’ve helped organizers boost attendance by 40% using [Tactic]... Full case study if interested?").

4. Day 20: Breakup email ("Closing my roster soon—still interested?") with exclusivity framing ("Reserved 1 slot for your event").

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Disclaimer: this article includes a paid product promotion.