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Overview
Most small business owners sit on one of the most powerful marketing channels available and never use it. In this episode, John Jantsch welcomes Jess Ekstrom, founder of the Mic Drop Workshop, to show that speaking on stage is no joke. It’s lead generation, product development, and audience growth strategies that come together over time.
Jess built her first company, Headbands of Hope, almost entirely by convincing professors to let her speak in class. He didn’t know he could charge points until the university sent an email asking for his money. Now she teaches entrepreneurs and founders how to turn their story into a signature pitch that gets bookings, builds an audience, and drives business without feeling like a sales pitch.
This episode covers the difference between a keynote speech and a lead generation speech, why sharing your failures is better than your wins, how to build a speech backwards from the outcome, and a mindset shift that eliminates stage fright almost instantly.
About Jess Ekstrom
Jess Ekstrom is an entrepreneur, two-time best-selling author, and Forbes-rated speaker. She founded Headbands of Hope as a broke college student and grew it into a nationally recognized brand before it was discovered. She is the founder of Mic Drop Workshop, where she helps women tap into their voice and build careers as confident, paid speakers. His TED talk about spotlight vs. lighthouse speaker mindset has drawn significant attention to his framework. He hosts the Amplifier podcast and can be found at micdropworkshop.com.
Key Takeaways
- Speaking is a marketing channel, not just a job. A keynote can drive awareness, build an audience, and generate leads without directly selling anything on stage.
- Know which route you are on. Talking about key means that speech is a product. Lead generation speaking means you give up your payment for the right to sell from the platform. Both work. Pick one and be serious about it.
- Build a conversation back. Start with a promise of change: after people hear you speak, what do you want them to do, believe, think, or feel? Everything else builds to that effect.
- Light speakers ask what everyone thinks about them. Lighthouse speakers ask what everyone needs from them. A second mindset makes you a better speaker and kills stage fright faster than any practice trick.
- Share what went wrong, not just what went right. Audiences are not associated with winning. They meet the arc. Accepting a $10,000 line from a fake manufacturer is better than any highlighted reel.
- Create one signature speech and stick with it for three to five years. Changing your title every year means no one has time to associate your name with the solution.
- Use the slide deck as a lead magnet. Offer to send notes, discussion questions, and slides via QR code before your closing. It converts better than any other stage-based list building strategy.
- A false last line is a big trap. You don’t need a certain number of followers, income number, or website to start talking about yourself. You need a topic that you want to know about with pleasure and a willingness to do reps.
- Make it simple, don’t complicate it. The best speakers remind people of something they already knew but had forgotten. Novelty is limited. Clarity wins.
Time stamps
[00:00] Opening hook: the most underutilized marketing channel for small business owners is the platform.
[00:37] Jess’s background: building headbands of hope by speaking in college classrooms before knowing that speaking was a paid career.
[01:37] That’s when he realized that speaking could be an income channel, not just an advertising channel.
[02:22] The difference between an elevator pitch and a keynote, and why a keynote becomes a product.
[03:18] Content marketing versus lead generation marketing: two lanes, two different business models.
[05:03] How to weave what you do into a key note without feeling like a sales pitch.
[07:14] A QR code slide deck is used as a lead magnet from the stage.
[08:26] It’s the difference between wanting to be on stage and having something worth saying.
[09:09] Spotlight vs. lighthouse framework from his TED talk, and why it changes everything about how you appear.
[11:18] Why sharing failures comes better than sharing wins, and that requires you to give up hope.
[11:36] His key note building framework: promise change, work backwards, simplify.
[17:35] Why talking about one signature is more than being a Cheesecake Factory speaker.
[19:52] Billboard activity: the easiest way to find out what to talk about.
Memorable Quotes
“The keynote becomes the product. It’s not about selling your product with a keynote. It’s about raising awareness and most importantly, sharing a story in a way that inspires someone to act on it.”
The more you give, the less fear you have. And sometimes that means not looking good.”
“No one wants to learn from someone who is always on top. We need an arc.”
“Stop making people think too much. The best speakers remind people of something they knew they might have forgotten.”
“If you’re not willing to continue the event for three to five years, don’t do it. You’re not giving anyone time to associate your name with the solution.”
Connect with Jess Ekstrom at micdropworkshop.com or find her on LinkedIn.
