Speaker Tip: Let people know about your blog and website

I typically submit a bio and description of my talk to organizations whenever I give a talk. I've never thought much about it. It includes the basics with a little effort to try to make my talk and bio sound good.

For several years I have participated in the New England Family History Conference which is held every March in Franklin, MA.  I was scrolling through the speaker bios and I noticed one of the speakers had an active link to their web page. "Hmm, that's interesting," I thought to myself.  I checked the bios of the other speakers.  No, they didn't all have links to their websites.  Clearly this speaker knew something that all the other speakers didn't - "If you include it, they will print it". 

I learned something very important that day.  Ever since then I have started including a link not only to my website but also to my blog, in my bio.  The worst that can happen is that it will get edited out of publication.  If you're lucky, and most of the time you will be, at least one of the links will remain for readers to follow through and learn more about you.

Just tonight I was checking my presence on the web.  I have an upcoming house history talk in Swampscott, Massachusetts on October 12th.  What do you think I came across? A live link on the local newspaper website with both my blog and my website included as active links.  What better chance for people to learn more about me before coming to hear my talk.

I knew that people were making it to my blog from this newspaper because I was seeing the hits in my stats. But this newspaper is a large franchise covering many towns, so until tonight I wasn't sure where exactly they were coming from.   Now I know it was because I inlcuded the links in my bio for that specific talk.

The next time you send out your bio for a talk,whether for a conference or a society meeting, do yourself a favor and include links to your blog and your website.  You'll be amazed at how often they do get published.