Getting paid to speak starts with being exceptional at something. Keynote speakers make between $5,000 and $50,000 per talk sharing what they know. They talk about their career highlights, teach what works, inspire the audience and help them succeed. They’re no smarter than you, with no more charisma. They’ve simply cracked the system.
Turn your experience into speaking opportunities that pay. Build your reputation, conceptualize your message, and position yourself as the go-to expert in your field. Here’s the exact system successful speakers use to build their speaking business from scratch.
Get started as a paid keynote speaker: what successful speakers do
Build authority through content creation
Share your best ideas online. Write articles that showcase your knowledge. Start a podcast or YouTube channel where you teach what you know. Speaking opportunities are offered to people who already have an audience. Your content proves you know what you’re talking about.
Write one article per week about your area of expertise. Share daily tips on LinkedIn. Record short videos teaching your methods. Keep showing up until you’re known as the expert in your space.
Package your expertise into signature talks
Pick three topics you could speak about for hours. Create a title and description for each one. Make each talk available in 30, 45 and 60 minute versions. Your talk topics should solve real problems for your target audience and be inspiring and entertaining as well.
Write strong talk descriptions that grab attention. Include the challenges you address and the solutions you provide. Add numbers and results wherever possible, ideally from the case studies of your own clients. When you have speaker testimonials, you can use those instead. Make it clear why someone should book you to speak.
Start with free local events
Message ten local business groups and offer to speak at their next meeting. Join online entrepreneur networks and raise your hand to present. Get practice sharing your message with real audiences who need your help. Get known by the group and jump start the referrals.
Record every talk you give and review the footage. Turn 60-second clips from your talk into YouTube shorts and LinkedIn posts. Note which stories land best. Keep the good stuff and cut anything that doesn’t work. Speaking is a skill you build through repetition.
Create your speaker website and materials
Build a simple website showcasing your expertise. Your media page. Include professional photos, video clips of you speaking, and testimonials from event organizers. List your signature talks with compelling descriptions.
Add “speaker” as a current position on your LinkedIn profile, and include what you cover in your keynotes. Create a one-page PDF with your bio and talk topics for easy reference. Include your speaking rates and where in the world you are based or willing to travel to. Make it easy for people to book you.
Raise your rates strategically
Set an initial fee that feels right to you, then increase it by $500 each time you book three paid gigs. Keep raising your rates until you hit resistance. Some speakers charge $50,000 for a one-hour keynote. Celebrity keynotes command $100,000 plus. When you get really good, the limit is high.
Once you’re a pro, act like one. Don’t speak for free once you’re established, unless there’s a really good reason to do so. Get the practice in without undervaluing your expertise. Time is your only finite resource, so treat it that way.
Land paid speaking gigs: proven methods that work
Standing out as a keynote speaker takes work but it’s worth it. Create valuable content and build your brand, package your expertise, practice at local events, build your materials, and raise your rates steadily.
Start taking action today. Pick your talk topics and write your first descriptions. Reach out to groups about speaking opportunities. Record yourself practicing your signature stories. You have what it takes.
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