You need video to get booked as a speaker but what can you do if you don't have any footage?

Bookers need to see you speak so that they are confident to book you. In an ideal world they would see you speak live at an event before booking you. That's rarely possible. The next best thing is video.

But if you are starting out or if you haven't been recorded at events you won't have anything to share.  The solution is to create some video and later when you have footage of you presenting on stages, you can then create a showreel.   In the meantime, here are 4 videos you can create that don’t require an audience.  But do ensure that you have high quality sound and video, you might need hire a studio if you don’t have a good set up at home.

An introduction video

An introduction video for me is a video that tells me a bit about who you are and what you do.  A booker is looking to see how you speak and speaking on camera these days is just as important as on stage.  Especially as virtual is here to stay.  

An intro video should tell the booker about:

• Your experience
• Your credibility
• Your expertise
• What you talk about
• Who you talk to
• And most importantly the 'so what?' - what outcome you deliver.

Here’s an example of an intro video created at home that answers the above.  Ian Hawkins created this after I’d shared a post about what bookers needed to know.  Very clever of him.  

A TED style 15-minute video

If you have a TED or TEDx then use it, they are usually filmed in high quality, though they may not be on the topic you are wanting to get booked for, they are great to show you in action.  If you don’t have one, don’t wait to be invited, record your own.  You don’t need an audience; the audience is the booker on the other side of the screen viewing your video, speak to them.  Best done in a studio so that you can have more than one camera angle but if you have the gear you can replicate at home.

About your topic video

This is a video I encourage speakers to make, I don’t see nearly enough speakers doing this.  From a booker’s point of view, it’s invaluable, from a speaker’s point of view it means you aren’t going to suffer from Chinese-whispers; your message will get across as you want it.  This is a little video, 1 to 2 mins, nice and short explaining how you tackle a topic you speak about.  If you have several topics, you can create a video for each.  These can be done in your home studio.

How you work video

I love this kind of video.  It’s a video explainer sharing how you create your speech, how you work, what makes you that bit different.  A great example of this is from Andrew Davis who has a video on the 7 things that make a great speech and how he applies them to his speaking – no audience required. What’s very clever about this video is he is giving a lot of value and showing how he works at the same time.  He’s another very clever chap.

I hope that these have given you a little nudge to get going on some video footage.  If it has I’d love to see what you create, do share, you never know, yours might be the example next time I share content on the topic.