How To Secure More Speaking Gigs

Ann Handley · 27 Jul 2026

Ann Handley did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
AI writing tools can be used for editing help without letting them take over work that has personal meaning.

Their wordsYou can use AI without handing it the work you love doing, or the work that means something to you.
Our reading
Doing free work early on builds the reputation that eventually leads to being paid.
Mental modelPlay long games

Their wordsAnd at the beginning, free is how you build your reputation. Free is how you ultimately get paid.

Keep reading

The other pieces are the ones whose claims are worded most like this one's. That measures language, not agreement: they may argue the opposite.