When I started applying to speak at conferences, I knew nothing about submitting CFPs (Call for Papers). I spent days searching online on how to write and structure abstracts. I had to look into dictionary what even is an abstract.
Interestingly, most how-to guides focus on academia and have very specific “rules” about writing talk proposals. But iOS conferences have no set of rules how to write a talk proposal. They are lenient and give you more freedom.
I recently had the opportunity to review CFPs for an upcoming conference. After going through hundred of proposals, I noticed a couple of things that set the good ones apart. I want to share what made a difference.
If you’re wondering why you should apply to speak and what do you have to share with the world, read my post Why Speak at Conferences and How to Get Started. Everyone has something to share!
A Seat at the Speaker’s Table
Most conferences have a mix of invited speakers and speakers chosen from a selection of CFPs.
Getting a Direct Invite
If you’re lucky, you might get invited to speak at a conference. Everything is easier then. You’ll still have to come up with a title and a talk description, but you’re already one foot in.
Conference organizers might invite you to speak if they think you have something interesting to share with others. Maybe you wrote an interesting blog post and they want you to talk about it. Or you published an amazing new app and they want you to share your experience.
In any way, I hope you accept the invite, because speaking is rewarding and everyone should try it!
Applying to Speak
Organizers announce the CFP a couple of months before the conference. It’s usually a Google Form you have to fill out with your personal details and details about your talk. The most important things here are your talk title and talk description or abstract. You’ll see different naming conventions, but they are the same.
I won’t get into details on how to write those, you can read more here. Instead, let’s see what you can do to make your CFP submission stand out from the crowd.
A Standout Proposal
Conferences get hundreds of talk proposals and have to choose a couple of talks. It’s hard and competition is big. Let that not deter you and instead do something to make yours stand out.
Keep the Talk Description Short(er)
TLDR;
Some CFPs define number of words or characters for the talk description so it’s easier to stay within the limit. But some don’t. For those that don’t, pretend they do.
It’s easy to explain something when you have almost unlimited writing canvas. It’s harder to be short and concise. Give yourself a limit and write within that limit.
Something around 100 - 150 words should be more than enough to make your point across.
Be Specific
Being specific is hard.
Sometimes you know exactly what the talk is about - the title and description fall into place. Other times you only have a broad theme in mind, and at submission time you’re still not sure what the actual talk is yet.
That’s normal. But reviewers can only judge what you give them, so a vague idea won’t help you. Even if the full talk isn’t worked out, you should still define the concrete angle and the topic you’ll focus on. If the topic is too broad, split it into two talks.
Define the Audience
While the CFP submission goes through the reviewers first, your proposal is for the audience. It’s what the audience will see when they open the conference website to decide if they want to attend the conference. Write your proposal for the audience and write something you’d like to see yourself.
Choose the audience experience level. Some CFPs ask for this explicitly and others don’t. Either way, decide who the talk is for. Maybe it’s broadly useful, but more often it’s aimed at a specific group - beginners, intermediate, or more advanced developers.
Knowing who you’re speaking to helps you write a clearer proposal, narrow your scope, and decide which concepts deserve more focus.
State the Takeaway
Let the audience know what they’ll learn from your talk. What’s the key takeaway you want them to walk with at the end of your talk?
I’ve seen some speakers hide their takeaway in the description very neatly and don’t specify it explicitly. Some mention it very explicitly at the end of the description. I depends what your talk is about and how your proposal is structured.
You’ll get better at writing with experience. Adding one key takeaway at the end will definitely make your proposal clearer for the reader.
Focus on Your Unique Experience
Add a sprinkle (or a handful) of your own experience to your talk. This is the secret ingredient.
After all, you want to give this talk because you want to talk about this topic. Either you found a cool way of doing something or it’s a topic you’ve learned about and want to share it with others. In any way, you have experience with it, so make sure you mention it in the proposal.
Make it yours.
Use the Additional Notes Field
Some conferences include an extra field for additional notes and details. Don’t skip it. Reviewers often rely on this section to understand the structure and motivation behind your talk.
Use it to add context you couldn’t fit elsewhere - why the topic matters now or what real examples you’ll cover. It helps reviewers see the talk more clearly and makes your proposal easier to evaluate.
Also, same rules apply. Make it short, clear, and concise.
I learned about this website called speaking.io and I find myself re-visiting it when preparing for a conference talk. I suggest reading it, it has some great tips on everything, from the talk idea, on how to structure your slides, to how to present your talk.
Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to submitting a CFP. It greatly depends on the conference organizers and CFP reviewers. It’s very subjective and there’s no way around it.
Best way to learn is to read the conference schedule. Most conferences post their schedule online and include the speakers’ talk title and description. Read the descriptions and see how other speakers are writing theirs.
You can write an amazing, out-of-this-world, proposal and still get rejected. It doesn’t mean your proposal was bad, but maybe another proposal was better or had a topic the organizers were looking for.
If you don’t get accepted, don’t get discouraged and apply again. Apply next year. Apply to other conferences. Don’t give up. Learn how to structure better talk proposals and a seat at the speaker’s table is right around the corner!
Please feel free to reach out on X (Twitter) or Mastodon if you have any questions, comments, or feedback.
Thank you for reading!