HOW CAN YOU BECOME A PROFESSIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER?

Wondering how can you become a professional keynote speaker? It’s among the most common questions put to our team. As 20+ year veterans of the professional keynote speakers circuit, we thought we’d offer some handy hints, tips and notes below…

• Develop an area of expertise through education, training and experience that provides value to audiences. Become known as a thought leader.
• Start speaking for free at local engagements to build your portfolio and refine your style. Volunteer to give talks at industry events, nonprofits, etc.
• Create content for your talks including customized presentations, workbooks, assessments, etc. Have a clear takeaway for audiences.
• Get experience as a master of ceremonies, panel moderator and workshop leader. This builds skills as a public speaker.
• Promote yourself through a speaker website, demo videos, social media and networking to establish your brand.
• Consider joining professional speaking associations like the National Speakers Association to gain visibility and learn the business.
• Work with a speakers bureau or booking agency to get exposed to more paid gigs. They have established relationships and can negotiate deals.
• Set your speaker fees based on your expertise, audience size, event type, location, etc. Fees often range $2,000-$10,000 for pros – but can be much smaller for those starting out and looking to build a reputation and video reel.
• Invest in resources like travel, marketing materials, a speaker coach, and equipment like microphones and displays.
• Continue improving your skills through practice, training on latest presentation tools, getting audience feedback and studying other professional speakers.
• Provide exceptional value at every gig and collect speaker testimonials to grow your reputation over the long-term.