Hi Fam,
It’s officially booking season!
For many speakers, this time of year brings more inquiries, more conversations and more confirmed dates on the calendar. While that momentum is always valuable, it’s also where I see a lot of missed opportunity.
Most speakers focus on getting the gig confirmed, then immediately move on to the next inquiry without pausing to ask how that confirmed engagement could work harder for their business as a whole. This is where a simple but powerful strategy comes in.
Using one booked gig to create more booked gigs. When you treat each engagement as a standalone event, your calendar fills in fragments. Travel costs stay high, outreach stays scattered and income can feel unpredictable even when you’re busy.
The Anchor Gig Strategy takes a different approach.
Instead of seeing a booked engagement as the finish line, you treat it as a starting point.
One confirmed gig in a specific city or region becomes the anchor that allows you to intentionally pursue additional bookings nearby during the same time window.
Same travel. Same preparation. More paid stages.
Over time, this leads to more consistency, stronger regional relationships and a calendar that feels stable rather than pieced together.
Why booking season matters here:
- This strategy works best when inquiries are already in motion.
- During busy booking periods, you have legitimate reasons to reach out to nearby organizations.
- You’re already scheduled to be in the area, which shifts the conversation from a colder pitch to a practical, mutually beneficial opportunity.
- You’re not starting from zero. You’re building with intention.
How to apply this without overcomplicating things…
You don’t need a sophisticated CRM or an elaborate system to make this work. At its core, this approach requires that you:
- Know where and when your confirmed gigs are
- Have your existing leads organized by location
- Reach out intentionally while dates are still flexible
- Track convos so follow-up doesn’t fall through the cracks
A simple Google Sheet is often more than enough, without adding the friction of a new platform or tool.
You can even visualize on a map where your leads are clustered, which makes planning outreach around an anchor gig feel strategic rather than reactive.
I walk through how I do this in a quick video linked here.
A quick check-in on mindset:
This is not about discounting yourself or filling your calendar at any cost. It’s about respecting your time, your energy and the business side of your speaking enough to design systems that support sustainability.
- Fewer isolated trips = more time at home with loved ones.
- More intentional blocks of work = leveraged impact.
- Better use of opportunities you’ve already earned = more predictable income.
Your turn:
If you’re currently booking dates, take a look at what’s already on your calendar. Is there a confirmed gig that could serve as an anchor for more work in that area? That single question, asked consistently, can quietly evolve the way your year fills in and how you show up!
Celebrating your success always,
Tay