Marketing Assets for Landing Public Speaking Opportunities
Liam Sandford
Liam Sandford is a public speaking coach, marketing leader, and 2x Best Selling Author, including the book Effortless Public Speaking. He helps introverted professionals and leaders take control of public speaking anxiety and use speaking to market themselves, build influence, and communicate with impact.
Landing speaking opportunities isn’t easy, especially if you don’t already have experience that you can document to help land other speaker slots. Talent alone isn’t enough. Expertise alone isn’t enough. Great speaking ability alone isn’t even enough. You need the combination of speaking ability and expertise, but landing opportunities to speak it is completely in your control.
Event organisers, conference planners, and podcast hosts receive hundreds of requests to guest, or be part of an event. To stand out, you need marketing assets that clearly communicate your expertise, showcase your speaking style, and make it simple for organisers to book you.
Marketing assets are more than optional extras, they are essential tools for building credibility, visibility, and trust. They act as your professional toolkit, helping organisers understand the value you provide, visualise your session, and feel confident booking you. Without them, even highly skilled speakers may struggle to secure consistent speaking opportunities.
Think of these assets as a bridge between your knowledge and the events you want to be part of. While your skills and insights are the core of your value, marketing assets provide tangible proof of your abilities. They reduce uncertainty for organisers, provide social proof, and allow you to build a consistent personal brand which is critical in a market where first impressions are made in seconds.
Speaker One Pager or Media Kit: Your First Professional Impression
A speaker one pager or media kit is often the first impression organisers will have of you. It summarises your expertise, signature talks, outcomes, and credentials in one concise, visually appealing page.
Key Components of a Speaker Media Kit
A media kit should include:
High resolution professional headshot
Short, impactful bio highlighting achievements and credibility
2–3 signature topics you can speak on with clear, measurable outcomes
At least one testimonial from a client, organiser, or attendee
Contact information and social media links
Organisers are busy, and a one pager allows them to evaluate you quickly without wading through long bios or irrelevant details. Even if you are just starting, you can emphasise transferable skills, relevant professional experience, or insights from your industry. The goal is to demonstrate value and professionalism in under a minute of reading.
Visually, a clean, well structured layout is key. Use headings, bullet points, and white space to make your one pager easy to scan. Incorporate your brand colors and logo to make it memorable. A clear call to action at the bottom, like “Email [your email address] to discuss your next event,” ensures organisers know the next step.
Speaker Website: Your Digital Hub for Bookings
Your speaker website is your central marketing hub. While a one pager is great for outreach, a website gives organisers and audiences a deeper look at your expertise, style, and professional credibility. It is a way to show you are a seasoned professional speaker with a central place on the internet.
Why You Need a Speaker Website and What to Include
A speaker website demonstrates authority and professionalism while providing a repository for all your marketing assets. Key pages and features include:
A homepage with a strong headline and call to action
An about page telling your story, background, and speaking focus
A speaking page listing signature talks, workshops, and outcomes
Embedded video clips to showcase stage presence
Testimonials and social proof
A contact page with clear next steps
You can also use your website to host blogs and articles showcasing your expertise. Optimise your titles and headings or questions people are searching for online, and optimise for SEO. This will help you generate traffic to your site. For more on how to implement this, check out the Ultimate Guide to Public Speaking in Marketing.
Video Content for Speakers: Show, Don’t Just Tell
Video is the most persuasive marketing asset you can have as a speaker. It shows your energy, style, and stage presence in ways text and images can’t. Now, this isn’t always easy, especially if your previous events weren’t filmed, or the quality of footage is poor. But this is where social media videos become your show reel. There really is no excuse not to have footage of you speaking on the internet.
Highlight Reels, Short Clips, and Demo Videos
A 2–3 minute highlight reel captures audience reactions, engagement, and energy. Short clips for social media, LinkedIn, or YouTube function as micro portfolios that organisers can view quickly. Even a simple 1–2 minute recording of an insight or story can demonstrate clarity, confidence, and delivery style.
The key is to make video content actionable. Include tangible takeaways in short clips, and ensure your personality shines through. This gives organisers a realistic sense of what it would be like to book you for a live event. It shows the event organisers a taste of what the audience will get from your speaker slot.
Create Long Form Video Content
Full presentations of 10–15 minutes provide depth, allowing organisers to assess content structure, pacing, and delivery. Use the Nano Speech framework to structure your videos. Even brief clips benefit from this framework, providing clarity, engagement, and a professional demonstration of your speaking style.
Video content is versatile: it can be embedded on your website, shared on social media, attached to email pitches, or used as part of a lead magnet. Creating video content that consistently reflects your style, brand, and expertise significantly increases your likelihood of being booked.
Branded Presentation Templates: Consistent, Professional Visuals
Branded presentation templates reinforce your credibility and make your talks look polished and professional. If all of your branding aligns across in person and online marketing material, you will come across as professional. It will also save you lots of time when preparing for different speaking engagements. You build the templates once and use them hundreds of times.
Why Templates Matter and How to Use Them
Templates save time, maintain visual consistency, and ensure your presentations are cohesive. Include:
Cover slides with name, tagline, and logo
Layouts for headings, bullet points, visuals, and key takeaways
Brand colors, fonts, and visual elements consistent with your overall style
Templates allow you to focus on content rather than design. They also make it easy to adapt talks for different audiences without compromising brand consistency.
Speaker Pitch Email: Crafting Your First Personal Connection
Your email pitch is often your first personal interaction with organisers. A strong pitch can be the difference between getting booked or overlooked. This is particularly the case with podcast hosts who get pitched to hundreds of times per week.
Structure and Tips for Effective Pitches
Start with a compelling hook through an insight, statistic, or question relevant to the organiser’s audience. Present a concise value proposition, linking to your media kit, videos, or website. End with a clear call to action, such as scheduling a 15 minute call.
Focus on outcomes for the audience rather than credentials alone. Even with limited speaking experience, you can highlight expertise and tangible benefits attendees will gain. Keep paragraphs short, use bullet points where possible, and personalise each email to the organiser’s event or audience.
A professional, confident, and actionable pitch communicates credibility and makes it easier for organisers to engage, increasing your chances of being considered.
Social Proof and Testimonials: Build Trust and Credibility
Testimonials are one of the strongest speaker marketing assets. They reassure organisers that you consistently deliver value and engage audiences effectively. It’s hard getting testimonials when you have a small amount of experience, but you can leverage local events, businesses, and your network to get you started.
Collecting and Displaying Testimonials
Ask for feedback immediately after a talk, webinar, or workshop. Encourage short, specific quotes that focus on the tangible impact of your session. Video testimonials are particularly persuasive, as they show engagement and enthusiasm.
Display testimonials strategically across your website, media kit, social media, and email pitches. Multiple sources of social proof reinforce credibility and build confidence in organisers considering booking you.
Lead Magnets and Downloadable Resources: Extend Your Value
Lead magnets provide tangible value for audiences and organisers, reinforcing your authority and expertise beyond the stage. Your value goes far beyond what you can showcase on a stage or podcast episode. If you are speaking as a marketing channel, you must have an offer or product that people can purchase. The goal of speaking in this case is to get people to buy. This is where gathering audience details is critical in the lead generation journey.
Why Lead Magnets Work and How to Use Them
Lead magnets such as worksheets, checklists, guides, or slide decks give audiences actionable content. They also grow your email list and provide organisers with tangible proof of your expertise.
For example, a leadership speaker might offer a worksheet called “3 Steps to Build High Performing Teams.” Attendees apply the framework immediately, while organisers see practical evidence of your content in action.
Lead magnets can also be used across multiple channels, including social media, email follow ups, and your website, increasing your visibility and reinforcing your credibility.
What to Prioritize if You Are Starting to Create Marketing Assets
Starting out can feel overwhelming. Focus on assets that deliver immediate impact and build credibility quickly. What is the first step you need to take to get booked? Usually this is evidence that you will be a compelling speaker. Start by creating videos for social media and go from there.
Core Assets to Begin With
One-pager/media kit: A concise, visually appealing snapshot of your bio, signature talks, and early testimonials.
Short video: A 1–2 minute clip demonstrating delivery and insight.
Simple website: A single-page hub with bio, talks, video, and contact info.
Early testimonials: References from colleagues or mentors that boost credibility.
These foundational assets allow you to begin pitching quickly while providing a base to expand and refine your marketing assets as you gain experience.
How to Get Your First Speaking Gig Without Experience
You don’t need a long track record to land your first speaking gig. Having a set strategy on how you will land the speaking opportunities is the way to start. Without strategy you are just hoping.
Strategies for Landing Your First Opportunity
Leverage existing professional expertise and package it into actionable talks.
Target smaller events, community groups, webinars, or meetups to gain experience.
Co-present or join panels with experienced speakers for credibility.
Host your own workshops or webinars to create portfolio content and video assets.
By focusing on accessible opportunities, you can start building your reputation, collecting testimonials, and producing content that will make it easier to secure bigger events.
TL;DR
Strong speaker marketing assets help you stand out, demonstrate expertise, and make it easier for organisers to book you.
Create a one pager/media kit with bio, talks, outcomes, and testimonials.
Build a speaker website with videos, talks, resources, and clear contact info.
Use video content and the Nano Speech framework to showcase delivery and impact.
Collect social proof and testimonials to reinforce credibility.
Prioritise foundational assets first: one pager, short video, website, and early testimonials.
More From Liam Sandford
Read my book: Effortless Public Speaking. Learn how to speak confidently, reduce stress, and turn public speaking into your competitive advantage. These actionable public speaking tips will help you improve your presentation skills for any audience.
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