If you’re interested in becoming a keynote speaker, you’ll need a highlight reel to pique the interest of event organizers. I’ve just come out with a new video and I wanted to tell you the story of this journey and pull out a few key ideas you can use to create a keynote speaker reel for yourself.
First, to understand what I’m about to discuss, you would benefit from seeing my new speaker reel! Here it is.
Now … that is one fancy video, right?
But this is my THIRD speaker video over a 10-year speaking career — and I can assure you that my first one was not so glamorous (here it is!)
However, all of my videos contained the same key elements. In fact, every great speaker video has some common qualities. So even if you’re just starting out, you can begin to plan for the creation of your own speaking video, with a few key steps.
Key elements of a keynote speaker reel
The three big cost elements to a speaking video are
- the raw video
- the script
- the editing
Here are simple steps you can take to start your path to a keynote speaker reel in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
1) Start collecting video NOW.
In my video, I have snippets from 10 different events! It took me two years to accumulate those shots. So every time you speak — especially if you’re speaking for free — ask for the video or the opportunity for a friend to collect some quality video for you. Having a lot of high-quality video options will save you time and money down the line.
This is not as easy as it might seem. The lighting at many events may be poor. A videographer might not be able to get near the stage. So keep collecting as much as you can and put it in a file folder for your future keynote speaker reel.
2) Start envisioning a script.
Every great speaker video has these common elements:
- Explains who you are
- Describes why you’re an expert in something
- Samples of a talk that show your style
- Testimonials
So to save time and money, have all of these elements ready for a video editor. Think carefully about what you want to be known for … what problem do you solve?
3) Spend on an editor.
Unless you are a professional video editor, I recommend outsourcing this step.
For my first two videos, I just used local freelance videographers. If you have all of the elements I’ve talked about here ready to go, you can probably have a very good video produced for under $2,000. In fact, my first video from around 2013 probably cost me less that $1,000 because I had everything ready to go.
It was time for me to upgrade, so I spent a lot more than that for the new video, but I’m at a point in my career where I can justify that expense. 90 percent of the budget for this video was still spent on the actual editing.
The customer is the marketer
There is one element of this video that was unique. Did you notice the video testimonies? This was important to me because my book Marketing Rebellion was all about the idea that the customer is the marketer. So getting real human voices in there was modeling this idea.
The videos were simply filmed over Skype and I liked that simple and raw quality. Adds to the authenticity I think.
Video impact
I’ve posted my new video on LinkedIn and Facebook and it’s already resulted in a few new speaking inquiries. I think it was just a reminder to people that I’m out there and ready to rumble! I don’t do a lot of self-promotion but even this little bit seemed to provide a little jolt!
If the new video is interesting to you, I’d love to hear how I might help you with your next event, conference, sales meeting, or company workshop.
Of course you can connect with me directly (I always love to hear from you). We’d love to work with you!
Thank you for your ongoing support of my work!
Mark Schaefer is the chief blogger for this site, executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions, and the author of several best-selling digital marketing books. He is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant. The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak to your company event or conference soon.
