FINAL SEASON, FINAL EPISODE: Digital Marketing Philosophy For Creatives with Gresham Harkless
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
Release Date: 01/09/2026
Episode 8: Using Your Podcast To Attract Speaking Opportunities
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
Most speakers underestimate the power of podcasts when it comes to getting booked and paid to speak. Podcasts are not just interviews. They are stages. In this episode, Sean Douglas explains how professional speakers can use podcast guest appearances to build credibility, create social proof, and attract speaking opportunities. If you want event planners to see you as an authority, podcasts allow you to demonstrate your expertise while expanding your visibility. Sean also explains why appearing on 50 to 60 podcasts per year can dramatically increase your exposure, why targeting the right...
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Episode 7: How Social Media Actually Gets Speakers Booked
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
Most speakers use social media the wrong way. They post random content, react to the news cycle, or treat their platforms like a personal diary. Then they wonder why event planners never reach out. In this episode, Sean breaks down how social media actually fits into a professional speaking business. Event planners are researching speakers online before they ever reach out. Your content, tone, positioning, and visibility all influence whether they see you as a professional speaker or someone they should avoid putting on their stage. You will learn how to position your social media profiles to...
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Episode 6: Why You're Not Getting Booked to Speak and How to Become Visible
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
If you are a talented speaker but still struggle to get booked consistently, the problem is rarely your speaking ability. The real problem is visibility, positioning, and systems. Many speakers are excellent on stage but invisible to the people who actually hire speakers. In this episode, Sean explains why most speakers fall into what he calls the Invisible Speaker Trap and how to break out of it. You will learn why speakers must think like marketers, how positioning determines your speaking fee, and what event planners are actually looking for when they search for speakers. If you want to...
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Episode 5: Free Gigs, Pay To Play, Or Paid Speaker and the Truth Speaker Coaches Never Tell You
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
The speaking industry looks glamorous from the outside. Stages. Standing Ovations. Photos. Travel. Behind the scenes, there are very different types of speaking opportunities and not all of them build a real speaking business. In this episode, Sean breaks down the four types of speaking engagements: • Free gigs • Speak to sell • Pay to play • Paid keynote engagements Most importantly, how to decide which lane you want to build your career in. If you’ve ever wondered: • Should I speak for exposure? • Is pay to play worth it? • Can you really make more money speaking to sell? •...
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EPISODE 4: Speaker Fees | How Much Should You Charge (And Why You’re Not Getting $10K Gigs)
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
Everybody wants the $10,000 keynote. Very few speakers understand how speaker fees actually work. In this episode, Sean breaks down the real numbers behind speaking engagements, how event planners think about budgets, and what you must do to command higher fees without pricing yourself out. If you’ve ever wondered: • How do I get from $1,500 to $5,000? • When can I charge $10,000+? • What do associations really pay? • How do I talk about my fee without losing the deal? This episode answers all of it. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Intro & Why Everyone Wants the $10K Gig 01:05 – What...
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Episode 3: How To Land Paid Speaking Gigs | Events, Podcasts, Media and Category Positioning
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
If you want to get booked and paid to speak consistently, you must know where the opportunities are and how to position yourself as the right speaker for the job. In Episode 3 of The Booked and Paid Speaker Blueprint, Sean breaks down the real world systems he uses inside The Success Corps to land speaking engagements across stages, podcasts, corporate events, ERGs, associations and media appearances. You will learn where paid speaking opportunities actually live, how to build a repeatable lead pipeline, how to respond when you get rejected, and how to frame your speaking business using...
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Episode 2: The Speaker Marketing Toolkit You Actually Need (Website, Speaker Reel, and Getting Booked)
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
In Episode 2 of The Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint, Sean continues building the foundation of a successful speaking business by breaking down the speaker marketing toolkit event planners actually look for. Most speakers waste time building assets that do not get them booked. In this episode, Sean explains why you do not need a one sheet and what you must have instead if you want consistent paid speaking opportunities. If you want to get booked and paid to speak consistently, your website and speaker reel are two of the most important assets you can build. In this episode, you will learn: ...
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Episode 1: The Foundation Every Paid Speaker Must Have
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
In this first official episode of The Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast, Sean breaks down the most important foundation every paid speaker must build before worrying about stages, fees, or visibility. This episode is not about becoming a better performer on stage. It is about building the business foundation of a speaking career so you can get booked and paid consistently. You will learn: Why speakers must be known for one clear problem they solve Why trying to speak to everyone guarantees you get booked by no one How category design helps you create and own your speaking lane ...
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Episode 0: Why We Rebranded Into The Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
In this episode, Sean explains why the Create Launch Monetize podcast is officially rebranded as The Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast, a show dedicated to helping speakers get booked and paid to speak consistently. After producing over 25 podcasts, launching multiple businesses, and building a paid speaking career, Sean kept hearing the same question: How do you actually get booked and paid to speak? This podcast exists to answer that question. In this episode, you will learn: Why most speakers fail to get booked and paid consistently The real reason paid speaking gigs feel so...
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FINAL SEASON, FINAL EPISODE: Digital Marketing Philosophy For Creatives with Gresham Harkless
Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint Podcast
This is the FINAL episode of our show, Create Launch Monetize. What a journey it has been over the last 5 years! This show was about creation, launch, and monetization of anything and everything, and we laid out the processes and strategies to do this correctly. We talk about everything from podcasts, real estate, business category design, and ALL in between. Now, we are shifting this show in to the Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint. I wil discuss the traps speakers fall into, how to get booked & paid to speak, and how to build a speaker business that gets you booked consistently. If you...
info_outlineThis is the FINAL episode of our show, Create Launch Monetize. What a journey it has been over the last 5 years! This show was about creation, launch, and monetization of anything and everything, and we laid out the processes and strategies to do this correctly. We talk about everything from podcasts, real estate, business category design, and ALL in between.
Now, we are shifting this show in to the Booked & Paid Speaker Blueprint. I wil discuss the traps speakers fall into, how to get booked & paid to speak, and how to build a speaker business that gets you booked consistently. If you are a speaker, this show is for YOU! Stay tuned for the rebrand and for the upcoming episodes of the NEW show.
Our last and final guest on Create Launch Monetize is my friend Gresham Harkless. Gresh is the founder of Blue 16 Media, CBNation, and BlueStar Franchise. Blue16 Media uses media & technology to change lives. These media properties include Blue 16 Marketing-a digital marketing agency providing digital marketing services including web design, website support & SEO services. CBNation consists of media properties (blogs, podcasts and videos) helping the business community succeed. Central to Blue 16’s marketing philosophy is that You Are a Media Company (He started his first at the age of 10 in the form of a family paper that he sold) and that every organization is in the media business and can strategically leverage marketing tools, platforms, and “ingredients” to reach their goals. Blue Star Franchise helps connect first-time and seasoned entrepreneurs, CEOs, and business owners with their ideal franchises.
Gresh is a proud graduate of Howard University & Georgetown University. He was selected in 2022 as a 50+ Black Marketer on the Rise in the Influencer & Media Innovators category. He also is a graduate of the 2020 Leadership Center for Excellence Young Professionals Program in 2016, and he was recognized for being 40 Under 40 in Northern Virginia in 2022 and Alexandria in 2020. He has recorded over 1600 podcast episodes of the I AM CEO Podcast and shared the 100+ business lessons he has learned from recording the episodes in the I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3.
Connect with Gresham here:
Do you want to be a consistently booked & paid speaker? This guide will break it down step by step how to become a bookable speaker, where to find the gigs, and how to close them. This guide is guaranteed to add paid gigs to your schedule. I created this guide for speakers who are struggling to get booked. Get the guide here and transform your speaker business: https://bit.ly/getbookedtospeakguide