You have worked hard putting together mind-blowing presentations. You have taken the first steps towards building your speaking business. You might even have some consistent gigs going, so it is time to start thinking about getting more clients. That means improving your promotional strategy.
Promoting yourself as a speaker is not an easy task in the ever-changing market we’re in today. To get recognized as a speaker, you must stand out from the rest. Whether it be your personality, your unique approach to your topic, or the experience you offer on stage, promoting yourself as a speaker is a big part of running a successful speaking business.
Here are four ways to promote yourself and gain recognition as a professional speaker.

Keep the buzz going — in a good way!
You may have heard that publicity is always good, even if it’s bad. But we want you to stand out for all the best reasons. Highlight the most positive, interesting, and engaging parts of your brand to get your prospects excited.
Another way to keep the buzz going is by staying relevant. Update yourself and your speech to address recent issues your audience is interested in. Perhaps the government just announced a change in economical politics. You can find out how that affects your target clients and weave it into your topics! Or maybe a movie that features the topic you are an expert on just got released. You can use this to create an opening with a wider audience in your presentation.
These small details can help you keep your message fresh and gain exposure for your speaking business.

Join the digital stage
For several reasons, the global market has turned to the digital world over the last decade. If you are here, you’re probably aware of the power of the internet to promote a business. Most small businesses today even opt to promote themselves through social media and websites only. This is usually more cost-effective and efficient when done right.
As far as marketing and promotion are concerned, having a website should be your top priority if you don’t have one already.
Promoting yourself as a speaker means you have to put yourself out there and showcase what makes you different How can you stand out in a sea of speakers? How will your website start that discussion for you?
After working over 15 years developing websites for speakers, the best way I can put is this: your website is your stage.
Think of it, when you are on the stage, you have got to shine. You have to make people care. Websites are just the same. The purpose of your website — besides promoting yourself as a speaker — is also to showcase your brand and how you are uniquely capable of solving the issues your target clients face.
And, if you already have a website, give it a thorough look. Ask yourself:
- ‘Can they look at it and immediately identify that I am the answer to their pressing issues?”
- ‘Am I saying everything I need to be saying to my potential clients?’
Ultimately, updating your website can help your potential clients answer many questions and save you a lot of time you can use to grow your speaking business.
Promoting yourself as a speaker is much easier with a website designed specifically for speakers.

Build a social media presence
One of the most recommended ways of promoting yourself as a speaker is by building a strong social media presence. The reason behind that is rather simple.
You see, social media’s main goal is for people to connect. Being a speaker who wants to promote their personal brand — and by extension, your speaking business’s brand — social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are the perfect place to show yourself in the most authentic way possible.
One effective tactic to implement when promoting yourself as a speaker on social media is to create a content plan that balances your expertise and professional life with your everyday life.
I have a couple of blogs dedicated to the importance of social media marketing and social media strategies you can check out to improve your results there!
However, I do want to make this clear. I don’t mean for you to get all technical and start seeing every interaction on social media as a numbers game. This often happens when you are creating a social media strategy. The idea is for you to share content that you find exciting and enjoyable as well. So then, you can transmit that same passion to your followers.
The key to social media is consistency, diversity, and engagement. Create content that adjusts and promotes these three words and you’ll be in the right direction!
One last tip to grow your social media presence: use your hashtags! Most social media platforms have their own search engine that works with hashtags. Do a little bit of research and make sure to include a couple in your posts to encourage more views and attract the right people to your profile.

Finally, we can’t forget about the classics
Paid advertising and search engine optimization are almost a staple when it comes to marketing. I couldn’t let them out when talking about promoting yourself as a speaker through social media or through your website.
A good strategy here is to use a mix of both, paid and organic advertising to improve your reach. It will depend on your budget how much you want to invest here. And you don’t have to spend an entire month’s worth of salary to obtain positive results. This is one of those situations where, when done right, you can scale quickly for very little.
Additionally, the data you collect from advertising can help you improve your strategy even more. Looking at how long are people staying on your website or what link do they find interesting, just to mention some indicators, can tell you a lot about your clients’ intentions and interests. Knowing this allows you to implement changes when needed to achieve your business goals more quickly.
Even though there is a lot more to say about promotion for speakers. I hope this short list has given you some ideas to evaluate your marketing strategy and start promoting yourself as a professional speaker.