It’s easy enough to land a speaking gig: every organization in your city wants a speaker to come in every once in a while. But that’s not the same as driving home a paid speaking gig.
To actually receive payment, beyond travel expenses or an event ticket, requires a different approach. You need to be more targeted, at the very least, in order to get paid for your talks.

There Has to Be a Budget

The biggest mistake new speakers make when trying to land a paid speaking gig is to approach organizations or events that just don’t have a budget for paid speakers. If there isn’t money, it’s rare that they can magically come up with some just to bring on a new speaker.
Before you even think of approaching an organization with a proposal, you need to do some digging. Have they paid speakers in the past? Is there a budget available for upcoming events? Like any other business, success lies in knowing who has the money and what they’re prepared to spend it on.
If you’re having a hard time finding out if there’s a budget, take a look at the level of event being put on: a small, organizational meeting is far less likely to have a budget than a large corporation putting on an annual event. There aren’t any strict rules; some events (like conferences) will include a mix of paid and unpaid speakers). But making an educated guess can at least reduce the time you might otherwise waste on pitching event planners who can’t afford you.
Knowing who has the money, however, isn’t enough to guarantee you a gig. It’s just the start.

You Have to Be Worth Paying For

If an event planner visits your website, can she immediately tell that you’re an excellent speaker and that everyone who hears you talk loves you? Can she tell that you have something new and interesting to say? Can she tell you’re available for speaking gigs, at a price, and willing to travel? The answer to all of these questions has to be yes. Furthermore, your website is just the starting point of your marketing efforts.

The people who hire paid speakers for conferences and other events base their decisions on past performance.

Until the right people can clearly tell that you’re available, it’s a lot harder to land a paid speaking gig, or even an unpaid opportunity. If you’re relying on your professional site for another career to get you speaking opportunities, make sure that you at least have a page devoted to speaking. List your availability for paid work, as well — otherwise, an event planner may contact you assuming that they can get you to speak for free.
You also need to make your niche clear. There is likely a specific type of audiences who you best connect with and who you have something crucial to tell. It’s practically impossible to land a speaking gig if you’re trying to be an expert in a wide variety of fields at once, so narrow things down. Be obvious about telling event planners your niche, so there can’t be any mistakes.
The people who hire paid speakers for conferences and other events base their decisions on past performance. That’s why you may see the same speakers over and over again in certain circles. You need to be able to show these people a professional speaker’s reel, with examples of past talks you’ve given. That can require investing time in some unpaid speaking gigs and some money in developing a professional reel.
It can take some time to build a reputation as a great speaker. It’s like every other profession in that regard. If you need to sink some resources into building up your appeal as a speaker, do so before spending any resources on trying to land paid speaking gigs.