The Public Speaker Survival Kit

Whether or not you are actively pursuing public speaking as a full-time career, dabbling in it, or even considering the possibility, there is one unequivocal truth: being a public speaker is hard. Now, don’t get us wrong…there are much more difficult things in life than getting up in front of an audience and captivating them with a full-on performance (ok, that actually does sound kind of difficult), but that doesn’t mean the life of a public speaker doesn’t come with some challenges. With that said, the Kirkpatrick Agency has put together a list of 4 “must-haves” when navigating the competitive, busy, and yet super exciting world of public speaking. 

A Strong Social Media Presence

Newsflash: It’s 2023. If you’re in the public speaking space, you better be on social media. And we aren’t just talking about starting a Facebook page and calling it a day. In today’s fast-paced, competitive marketplace, content is king, and there’s no better place to share yours than on social media. Make sure you get yourself set up on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and yes, even TikTok, to make sure whoever is looking will find you. According to this study, almost 76% of consumers are using social media as a search engine to discover new products and services, and almost 69% of consumers have made a purchase based on something they saw on social. Simply relying on Google searches and a nice website just isn’t cutting it anymore. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, we get it. That’s why we recommend starting small. Get your accounts set up, invite your friends and family to follow you, and start capturing your day-to-day activities. Record a video of your travels. Share photos to your Instagram stories of you interacting with clients and/or audience members, or videos of you speaking about your keynote topics, like our speaker Sara Frasca. Search TikTok for sound bites that pertain to your preferred subject matter and lip-sync along. Keep it simple and share news updates and thought leadership content on LinkedIn, like one of our speakers, Ted McKenna. Remember, social media doesn’t have to be agonized over. In fact, according to this study, 88% of Millennials (you know, the people who are actually booking you for events) prefer authenticity to anything else on social media. In other words, be yourself and you’ll likely reap the rewards.

Still not sure where to start? Contact our friends at That Random Agency to inquire about how they can help you conceptualize and execute on a social media content strategy that will help gain you followers and bookings. They truly know their stuff.

Mountains of Video 

Yes, MOUNTAINS of video. You’re a public speaker, right (or at the very least you want to be)? Sure, you can create impressive bios to slap on a website or even take some professional headshots to impress event planners, but without dynamic, engaging video content, you’ll just be another smiling face that might make for a great booking — but without video, how will anybody know?

Video content can come in many shapes and sizes. First, we recommend finding somebody who can travel with you that has the ability to record video. This can be you walking through airport terminals and talking about how excited you are for your next event (to post to social media, of course) or to take video of you presenting on stage, doing your thing. If you’re feeling extra brave, feel free to take this task on yourself (and pick up a selfie stick/smartphone tripod while you’re at it).  Next, look into downloading some graphic design/video editing software like Canva or Capcut; both will help you create professional looking video without a ton of effort. Or hire a team like That Random Agency to help you edit video your content and discuss ways to market it.

Once you’ve captured your video, think about where you want to feature it. Social media is the obvious choice, but there’s also YouTube, which functions as a search engine in its own right (since it’s owned by Google). Angie Witkowski, one of the speakers on our roster, has a strong YouTube presence, where she posts her podcast Bet On You, as well as inspirational YouTube Shorts that are easy for watchers to consume. The more video content posted here, the better the chance you’ll have of being discovered when event planners are searching for speakers. 

Another place to feature video, of course, is your website. This can be done in numerous ways, from having an auto-playing video featured at the top of your website like speakers Sara Frasca and Matt Dixon, to showcasing your highlight reel (something every public speaker should have) like Paul Long. 

However you slice it, if content is king, video is the crown. Start leaning into this type of content now, and thank us later when your calendar is booked.

An Airlines Reward Program

This one may seem obvious, but since the pandemic has slowed, public speakers are getting out from behind their computer screens and are back out in the world, doing what they do best. This, of course, means travel, travel, and more travel. 

The best way to get the most out of your travel is to open an airlines reward program. U.S. News has compiled a list of the best airline rewards programs in the country with tons of great information about airlines like Alaska Air (Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan), Delta (SkyMiles), United (MileagePlus), American Airlines (AAdvantage), JetBlue (TrueBlue) and more. So get reading and find out how to capitalize on the (hopefully) constant travel you will be doing.

A Trusted Board of Advisors

Oftentimes being a public keynote speaker can feel very isolating. Sure, there are superstar public speakers that likely travel with an entourage, but unless you’re Magic Johnson or Jimmy Fallon, you are likely keeping things small and budget conscious.

That said, it is important to not make every decision in a vacuum. You will be faced with lots of choices to make, from how you want to brand and market yourself, to what speaking events are the right ones to pursue, and which ones are helpful to avoid. Start to take stock of who is in your orbit that may be a good addition to your team. This could be a close family member or friend, preferably someone who is organized, opinionated, and truly cares about your mission as a public speaker. If you’re starting to see great success with your speaking engagements, you may want to consider expanding your small team to a larger one, and put together a board of advisors that can help you brainstorm new ideas, give you crucial feedback, and hold you accountable when it comes to your overall strategy. 

Whatever you do, keeping your ideas fresh and yourself organized is paramount when it comes to building a successful public speaking business. You’re going to want somebody (or multiple somebodies) to get your back.

Contact Us

If you’re interested in finding out more, give us a follow on LinkedIn or reach out directly to stephen@thekirkpatrickagency.com to chat about how we can help you build your brand and keep you busy for a long time to come!