How to Become a Keynote Speaker: Your Complete Guide for 2025
Siri Co-Founder Adam Cheyer and Google Researcher Peter Norvig on stage with Speak About AI Founder Robert Strong.
Are you interested in how to become a keynote speaker or start a career in public speaking? Whether you're looking to become a paid speaker, launch a professional speaking career, or specifically target speaking at conferences, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential steps to establish yourself as a sought-after voice in your industry.
Understanding the Speaking Industry
Before diving into how to become a professional public speaker, it's crucial to understand the speaking industry landscape and how to navigate your entry into it. The industry offers a variety of opportunities for speakers at different experience levels, from local events to major international conferences.
Types of Speaking Opportunities
1. Keynote Speaking at Conferences
Conferences range from massive events like WebSummit and Rio Innovation Week with 70,000+ attendees to your local conference with a few hundred to a few thousand.
While they can feel daunting, they’re often a great way to get started. They often do not pay, but they can provide excellent speaking experience and professional footage of you on stage.
2. Corporate Events
There are typically two types of corporate event speaking opportunities: internal and external. If you’re new to speaking, it's a great idea to seek out opportunities to evangelize your company at events or educate other employees through training.
If you’re an experienced speaker, there’s a lot of opportunity as an external expert brought in to speak at company summits or to executive teams. It’s common for large companies to want motivational speaking at corporate events.
3. Workshop Facilitation
If you come from a technical background, workshops could work for you. Workshops typically require much more preparation than a keynote and specific customization for each audience.
Workshops are also usually niche in nature, which limits their broad appeal and, therefore, the total market of potential clients.
4. Virtual Talks
Many events have been switching to online, the fastest growing category in speaking during and after COVID. Podcasts, webinars, and online conferences are popular formats.
While virtual engagements are usually the easiest to secure, many speakers make the mistake of creating a highlight reel early on using only virtual engagements. Compared to in-person professional footage, it does not generate the same level of social proof and can be shot by anyone with a webcam. However, virtual engagements can be a great supplementary form of content that you can use to promote yourself across social media and other channels.
If you've already built your brand as a speaker, virtual keynotes can be a lucrative and low-commitment opportunity to supplement in-person events.
Building Your Foundation as a Professional Speaker
Establishing yourself as a professional speaker requires a thoughtful approach focused on expertise, audience understanding, and content development. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the essential elements:
1. Developing Your Professional Speaking Platform
Before stepping on stage, you must identify the skills, expertise, or message you want to share. In the keynote-speaking world, this could be a motivational story about how you overcame adversity or the strategic insights behind how you solved a specific problem or leveraged an emerging technology. It should feel authentic to you, your personality, and your brand.
This also includes crafting your keynote. Take the time to research your theme and understand how it fits into the general ecosystem. Many speakers develop frameworks or methodologies to help attendees think about the topics they discuss, and your goal should be to dive deeper than just what pops up on Google.
2. Building Your Online Presence
Clients prioritize speakers with an online presence. That means you need to be visible, whether that's through your LinkedIn website or videos of you speaking. Your most valuable asset is your online brand; you’ll need every advantage possible to stand out.
Start creating content and sharing your perspective online if you're not already. Examples include featuring on podcasts, posting your talks on YouTube/ LinkedIn, and starting a newsletter. When considering who to book, event planners consider how many people you already have consuming your content. The larger your following, the more social proof that people are interested in your insights.
Lucien Engelen on stage in Singapore speaking to ST Engineering.
3. Understanding and Reaching Your Target Audience
You need to know the profile of who’s going to book you for a talk. The more niche you start with, the better. While brand is important, your goal should be to compete on client fit. Come up with a hypothesis of who you think needs to hear your message. Take the time to understand your specific audience's pain points and challenges, and tailor your talk around how to solve them.
For example, if you’re an expert in cloud computing, start by looking for event planners, marketing managers, and conference directors in the cloud technology space and touch on the current problems the industry is facing. Chances are, you’re not the first to try to speak to that audience, so look at your competitors who are already getting booked and see what they’re doing well.
4. Finding Your First Talk
When you start keynote speaking, no one knows they can book you. Initially, it’s your job to create awareness through marketing and direct outreach. While alerting your network is a fantastic starting point, those in your circle often won’t be booking keynote speakers. It’s up to you to reach out to and connect with your target persona and event to let them know that you’re a speaker and are interested in working with them.
When crafting your outreach, frame it as what’s in for them and answer their “why.” This is where your client research fits in to help you stand out in someone’s LinkedIn feed or email inbox. People are overstimulated with messages, so your goal should be to help them understand why you stand out.
5. Practicing Your Keynote
Executing a truly stand-out keynote takes a lot of practice, research, and refinement. While it’s impossible to cover everything that makes a truly stand-out keynote, here is a starting checklist:
Ashley Tarver speaking at Speak About AI’s Keynotes at Microsoft.
Content Development
Define clear learning objectives
Create compelling opening hooks
Develop memorable stories and examples
Include interactive elements
Visual Elements
Design your own custom slide deck
Limit text and focus on graphics/ visuals
Incorporate multimedia elements (if simple for AV/tech)
Delivery Techniques
Practice stage presence and body language
Develop vocal variety and pacing
Incorporate audience engagement techniques
Perfect timing and transitions
Prepare for Q&A sessions
When starting out, speaking anxiety is very common. According to a Forbes communication expert, 80% of people experience a fear of public speaking. To help develop your stage presence, work your way up with the size and stakes of an audience, and most importantly, record and review your talks. Not only is recording a great way to share your speaking abilities with others, but it’s also essential to level up your skills and become more confident and composed on stage.
Transitioning to Paid Speaking
Lital Marom speaking at the 2018 CIMC conference.
Making the leap from free to paid speaking engagements requires strategic planning and proven experience. While many speakers begin by accepting unpaid opportunities, establishing yourself as a paid speaker means demonstrating clear value to event organizers. Start by documenting your speaking journey through high-quality recordings, collecting testimonials, and building a portfolio of successful engagements.
Most importantly, treat every speaking opportunity - paid or unpaid - as a chance to build your reputation. Each presentation is a potential gateway to future paid engagements, as audience members often include decision-makers for other events. Focus on delivering exceptional value and maintaining professional standards regardless of the fee.
What Sets Paid Speakers Apart
Flawless Execution & Clear Positioning
The most successful paid speakers leave nothing to chance. They've rehearsed their keynote dozens of times, mastered their timing, and can adapt their presentation on the fly. Every element of their talk - from the opening hook to the closing call-to-action - is carefully crafted and consistently delivered. They arrive early, test all technology, and always have backup plans for potential technical issues.
Top speakers know exactly who they serve and why. They've developed a unique perspective or methodology that sets them apart in their niche. Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, they focus on being the perfect fit for their specific audience. This clear positioning allows them to command premium fees and attract ideal clients.
Professional Operation & Strong Brand Presence
Elite speakers run their speaking business like a well-oiled machine. They respond promptly to inquiries, provide clear documentation, and make life easy for event planners. Their marketing materials are professional, their technical requirements are clearly communicated, and they're adaptable to different event formats and audience needs.
Successful paid speakers maintain a consistent and professional brand across all platforms. They regularly produce content that demonstrates their expertise, engage meaningfully on social media, and have a professional website that makes it easy for potential clients to book them. Their online presence serves as a 24/7 marketing engine for their speaking business.
Industry-Wide Network
Success in the speaking industry often comes through relationships. Top speakers are often well-connected to event planners, agents, and industry leaders. They join professional speaking associations and speaker bureaus, attend industry events, and build relationships with decision-makers in your target market, recognizing that every connection is a potential gateway to speaking opportunities.
Conclusion
Building a successful speaking career is a journey that requires dedication, continuous improvement, and strategic positioning. Whether you're just starting or aiming for elite opportunities with organizations like Speak About AI, focus on delivering exceptional value, maintaining professional standards, and building strong relationships within the industry.
Remember that success in speaking comes not just from what you say on stage, but how you operate your speaking business as a whole. Stay committed to excellence in every aspect of your operation, from your presentation delivery to your client communications.
For those aspiring to join top speaker bureaus like Speak About AI, focus on building genuine expertise, developing compelling presentation skills, and maintaining a strong professional presence in your industry.
Ready to take your speaking career to the next level and join an international community? Apply below to join our roster of 50+ top AI keynote speakers.
