Crafting a Winning Conference Talk: Lessons from a PyCon US Reviewer
If you’re hoping to land a spot at PyCon (or any tech conference), here’s what you need to know to write a proposal that stands out.
Over the past few months, I had the privilege of reviewing talk submissions for PyCon US 2025. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear — my own proposal for the year didn’t just fall short, it completely missed the mark.
So, based on my missteps, the information that follows constitutes what you need to know to develop a proposal that stands out.
Context: My Proposal
I submitted a talk proposal for Kill ’Em With Kindness Development, discussing how positive community engagement can drive open source tools to success, with Pydantic as a case study.
I still stand by this theory, but I don’t stand by my proposal.
Focus on the Focus (of the conf)
If the focus of your talk does not align with the focus of the conference, you need to rethink your proposal.
My mistake: my talk for PyCon US barely had notes of Python — it was clearly off topic. Though my idea was interesting, that doesn’t really matter. Where was the relevant subject matter?
Reviewers quickly lose interest in a proposal if the topic isn’t aligned enough with the conference itself. Don’t give reviewers an easy reason to reject your ideas.
Ask yourself, as an attendee of this conference, would you be surprised to see your talk on the lineup? If so, it’s probably not the right talk for said conference.
RTFM
More accurately, RTFP — read the #$@^ing prompt. Just do it!
Imagine you’re a reviewer. You have 500 more talks to get through. The one you just pulled up didn’t follow basic abstract / outline instructions. Why would you give it the time of day?
The best thing you can do with your submission is to follow the simple instructions. Pay attention to word count, anonymity requests, required details, structure, etc. Make sure you select the right talk track / category, if that applies.
We all love to skim. It’s fun! How important could each detail really be? The answer: crucial. Save the skim for your milk.
Just. Be. Thorough. Please.
If you have details to share, please do. Details are sexy. Details showcase effort. Details prove that you know what the heck you’re talking about.
My mistake: I talked about a lot of high level, theoretical ideas. I needed to drill down into my case study more with details (data!!) and examples.
I understand that an abstract should be, by definition, abstract. But surely there’s a section of your CFP where you can provide more substantive information. You should do that, and do it well.
Warning! LLM Slop!
If you prompt an LLM to generate an abstract + outline for a talk, it will likely skimp on the details. Many of the talks that I reviewed this year were generated by LLMs — it’s usually pretty obvious.
Naturally 😉, I asked an LLM how one could identify text generated by an LLM. Google’s AI overview indicated that generated content often uses “generic and vague language” and avoids “complex or nuanced topics”.
You want to do everything in your power to not fall into those patterns.
- You don’t want your proposal to look like it was generated by an LLM. Your proposal will be rejected.
- If you’re using generic and vague language and avoiding interesting topics and details, you’re not telling reviewers anything interesting. Your proposal will probably be rejected.
Get The Outline (and timing) Right
I recommend spending the greatest amount of effort on your outline. Your outline conveys to reviewers how prepared you are to discuss the material at hand.
If your CFP requests an outline with time boxed sections, take the time to get this right. It’s very clear to reviewers who has thoroughly considered their talk structure and section timings. If your outline timing is off, your submission looks haphazard.
My mistake: I submitted about 20 minutes worth of content for a 30 minute slot.
As a reviewer, when I saw a strong outline, I was very likely to do my part to push said talk to the next round of reviews.
Establish your Audience
Why is the talk that your proposing a good talk, rather than a brief (or rambling, to each their own) blog post or poster?
My mistake: my talk probably would have been a better blog post — perhaps it’ll be my next! I failed to convey why a talk was the best medium for my ideas.
Conference talk slots are limited, and perhaps becoming even more so by the year due to the expanding tech industry and increasing conference attendance demand.
First, make sure that the talk your proposing really makes sense as a talk. If another form makes more sense (see above), pursue that avenue! There are many great ways to share your ideas.
If a talk is right for you, make that clear to your reviewers. Who would attend your talk? Why do they care? What is demand like for this oh so special knowledge of yours?
Conferences are all about sharing ideas. Make it clear who you want to share yours with.
Final Thoughts
You’d be surprised at how many conference talks are submitted with some combination of:
- Irrelevant content
- Lack of compliance with prompt guidelines
- Missing details
- Unrealistic outlines
- No clear audience
If you can avoid these common mistakes, you’re on a fast track to a talk acceptance! Happy writing!
