How to Hire A Great Marketing Keynote Speaker
After decades of professional keynote and conference speaking, hundreds of hours on stage, tens-of-thousands of audience members, and a flawless reputation as one of the best marketing keynote speakers people have ever seen, I know a thing or two about hiring a business keynote speaker.
What Makes a Business Keynote Speaker the Perfect Speaker For an Event?
What are the top three things you need to insist on, before hiring a keynote speaker?
-
Watch their speaker demo reel from the perspective of your audience.
First off, if a speaker does not have a demo reel, you may question their expertise or longevity, or both. You should be able to at the very least Google them and see a wide array of articles, videos, feedback, etc. to help you determine if they are a fit or not.When I say “watch from the audience perspective” I mean do just that. Put yourself in a seat in the audience, know the audience and what’s important to them right now. Watch the video and pick the pieces that were intriguing, thought provoking, profound, spoke to you (as them), and made you want to hear more. When you have a conversation with the speaker, let them know what specifically you liked in the reel and discuss how it can be used for your audience.
-
A good portion of the keynote should be specifically relatable to your audience.
Being a keynote speaker, I’ve seen good and bad speakers. In my opinion, the bad ones are generalists, never really connecting the dots to actionable value, specifically for the audience in front of them. Speakers that are all motivation and no substance, tend to present tired concepts (The Man in the Glass) of others they have memorized, that may be a good soundbite for a newly minted businessperson, but has no real meat on the bone, nothing an audience member can directly apply to their issues.Top keynote speakers will understand the issues facing your attendees. They will do their homework and adjust and align their presentations to the industry and specificity of the audience and event, even go as far as tying into the theme of the event. My keynote presentations are at least 50% new material each time I present. I adjust my topics, data, discussion points and takeaways specifically to meet the needs of the audience. Every time I step on stage, I’m presenting information for the very first time, it’s exciting for me, but creates a deep connection to the information and concepts I’m presenting.
-
Determine how committed they are to your event’s success.
Do they talk about themselves, or you? Simply put, a keynote speaker works for you. They are there to make you (and your event) look good, not the other way around.
They should be asking questions about what your goals are for the event, what the event is meant to achieve, what are the takeaways you want the audience to leave with, and ultimately, how they can seamlessly integrate into the message of the evet.
If the keynote speaker is the opening keynote, they need to plan to get the audience excited for what’s to come. If they are the closing keynote, they need to get them excited about the future. A great keynote speaker understands and can skillfully navigate all of these event nuances.
A professional keynote speaker needs to be an extension of the event, leaving the audience better for having seen them, and ultimately, enhanced the value of the event in their eyes.
Now That You’re Better Equipped to Choose the Perfect Keynote For Your Event, Here are Some Great Places to Start Looking For the Best Business Keynote Speaker You’ve Ever Hired.
Start with me
Fortunately for me (and for you), I tick all three of these boxes. My job as a professional keynote speaker is to elevate the event, send people out of the room excited for what’s next and thrilled they attended your conference.
Learn more about my career as a best-selling-author and professional business keynote speaker. Watch my speakers demo reel, view speaking topics (all customizable) and see who has hired me in the past.
If you need help, there is help.
Not everyone needs them, but speaker Bureaus are another effective way to find professional keynote speakers. Not everyone can be represented by a speakers burau, especially the big ones (Big Speak, Gotham Artists, Global Speakers Bureau), so when a speaker is listed with some of the biggies, you know they are for real. Speaker bureaus are selective as to who they represent, there is a rigorous process to be accepted and if you don’t delight their customer (you) they won’t use you again.
Speakers’ bureaus want to make you happy so you come back next time you need a speaker, so they will find the best keynote speaker for your event, price range, audience, etc., and even give you a few to choose from and speak to.
Speakers make less money when you use an agency, however, I like working with them as they also do a lot of the work for you (and me) by coordinating everything, and the three I linked to above, I have personally seen do a great job for their clients.
Looking to hire a keynote speaker?
