Tips for pitching a Button talk

Choose your topic wisely.

Button attendees tell us again and again: Session topics are why they show up at our conferences. But nailing the perfect topic is perhaps the most challenging aspect of pitching a talk.

First and foremost: We’re looking for topics that fall in the category of “advanced learning for content designers.” Here’s how to narrow in on yours.

• Crowdsource ideas: Ask your peers what they want to learn about, and see what fits with your area of expertise.
• Don’t play it safe: This is not the conference for general talks to help basically anyone.
• Pitch the kind of talk you’d want to hear, yourself: Your audience is made up of your peers. Go straight for the good stuff.
• Choose topics about process, methods, and tools: Go deep. Be specific. Avoid broad strokes. Sometimes would-be speakers think the topics they care about most are too niche … but that’s exactly what our audience is looking for.
• Consider talks to inspire new thinking and brave action: Be real. Those who can speak hard truths and inspire new ways forward are always welcome on our stage. Guidance on concrete actions required. But be careful not to get preachy or just vent! There’s enough of that on LinkedIn.

Focus on your takeaways.

Your audience may gain insight from your lived experiences or a strong case study, but your proposal needs to emphasize what the audience will take away with them. As you pitch your talk, consider these audience benefits and how you might fulfill them:

• What skills or new perspectives will they have after listening to you?
• What examples, templates, or tools can you share with them?
• Why would their boss pay you to teach them what you know?

That last one may sound strange, but that’s ultimately what happens when you appear onstage at a conference. The more you can demonstrate the value of what you’ll teach the audience, the more likely you’ll have your presentation selected.

Ditch the sales pitch.

While it’s true that conference audiences are open to hearing about new tools and services, they reeeeeeally don’t like thinly veiled promotional tricks. Don’t pretend to pitch an educational talk when you really want to demo a product or sell your expertise. When you offer unconditional educational content, you’re sure to earn more trust in the long run, whether as a practitioner or a product evangelist.

Be brave: One speaker is better than two.

Audiences consistently give higher ratings to individual speakers than teams. That’s because co-presenting is really, really difficult to do well. Uneven speaking styles and awkward transitions tend to weaken a presentation.

The exception to this rule is when two speakers offer significantly different perspectives. One of our most popular talks in recent years was given by a content designer and her eng partner. That’s good stuff.

If you’re just feeling nervous about taking the stage alone, that’s not a good reason to add a second speaker. Hey, don’t sweat it — some of our most popular sessions have come from first-time presenters!

Talk titles: Skip the cutesy and go for clarity.

While it can be tempting to infuse your title with something bizarre or playful, never do so at the cost of clear language. It’s possible to add tone or flavor without sacrificing what the talk actually is. And business jargon is a no-go at Button.

Here are several examples of titles that miss the mark, aiming for comedy, curiosity, or business-speak without communicating value:

• What’s the Buzz? On bees, honey, and content design
• Lessons from Ferris Bueller: UX writing’s day off
• Innovations for Maximizing B2B Content Engagement
• Sweet Melty Goodness: Seven ways content design is like ice cream

As we review proposals, we won’t know what any of these things mean. It’s OK to use fun storytelling devices later, when you develop your slides or the narrative arc of your talk. But your title should clearly describe what your talk will teach our audience—or how it will help solve their problems. Here are a few titles that balance a playful voice with understandable value:

• Content Design Systems: How to manifest your wildest dreams
• Too Many Cooks: Overcoming content interference
• Never Say No: Strategies for handling stakeholders

Ready, set, GO!

With all these handy new tips in your back pocket, surely you’re ready to pitch your Button talk? We look forward to hearing your great ideas!