Being a good speaker and being a well-paid speaker are two different things. I learned that the slow way, going from my first $500 talk to keynotes at $10,000 and up. Here is what actually moves the needle.
I have delivered more than 250 keynotes and workshops over 21 years. This guide pulls together what I have learned about the business of speaking, not just the craft. If you want to get paid, and paid well, the craft is only half of it.
Good and paid are not the same thing
Some of the highest-paid speakers are not the best presenters. They have a profile and people want to hear them, and credibility and demand more than make up for any rough edges. Meanwhile some of the best speakers you will ever see, genuinely funny, sharp, memorable, never collect a cent, because nobody outside the room knows who they are.
So there are two jobs. Get good on stage, and build the profile and demand that let you charge. Most people only work on the first one and wonder why the money never comes.
Where the money is: speak to other industries, not your own
Here is the trap. Speaking inside your own industry, a marketer at a marketing event, a financial planner at a planning conference, is great for credibility and almost never pays. The room sees you as a peer, and peers do not get a fee.
The money is in being the outside expert. When you come in to educate someone else's crowd, they expect to pay. Over the years I have spoken to mortgage brokers, financial planners, accountants, real estate agents, funeral directors, chefs, travel agents, entrepreneurs and plenty more. As the visitor with something they do not already have, you are worth a fee. It is also easier, because you are no longer the most expert person in a room full of your own peers.
The fee ladder: how I went from $500 to $10k+
There is no right price, and a lot of it is holding your nerve when you quote. For the record, here is roughly where I was at each level.
| Fee | Where I was |
|---|---|
| $500 | After a handful of free "practice" talks and working with a speaking coach, I landed my first paid gig at $500. |
| $1,000 | One paid talk gave me the confidence to double the rate for the next one. |
| $1,500 | Around 30 talks in, with a Top 20 Australian business blog and some national press. |
| $3,000 | My first international gig was free, but being "global" gave me the confidence to double again to $3,000. |
| $6,000+ | Book published and a podcast. I sat here for five to ten years because it was a sweet spot. Rather than raise the fee, my speaking coach suggested I bundle in workshops and repeat bookings to build the value. I was often booked for $8,000 or $10,000, but that meant a keynote and a workshop. |
| $10,000+ | Where my keynotes sit today, with breakouts from $8,000. |
The number climbs with proof, not with time. Every jump lined up with a new piece of credibility, a book, press, a podcast, not just another year passing. And once you hit a sweet spot, the smart move is often to grow the engagement rather than push the fee, which is exactly what I did.
How to get booked
These are the things that actually bring the bookings in.
- Be visible. Especially on Google and LinkedIn. When an organiser searches your name, they need to find you looking like a speaker.
- Have a highlight reel, or a very good endorsement. Unless someone has seen you live, this is what gets you over the line.
- Build credibility. A book, a blog, a podcast or a compelling story all work. You need a reason for the room to listen before you have said a word.
- Hold your nerve on price. You set the fee. Most of the wobble happens in your own head at the moment of quoting.
- Build relationships with conference organisers. Speak well once and you get rebooked, and one good organiser talks to others.
Grow the engagement, not just the fee
The best advice I ever got on pricing was to stop trying to squeeze the maximum out of a single keynote. Keep the keynote fee in its sweet spot, and grow the engagement instead. Add a workshop, a masterclass, a panel, MC duties, a coaching session, signed books.
Rather than push one presentation to its ceiling, turn one booking into several.
Most of my larger bookings are not single keynotes. They are multi-part engagements across different sessions, cities and formats, at a sensible rate per session and a much larger total.
Deliver so you get rebooked
None of the above matters if you do not deliver. Getting rebooked is the cheapest marketing there is. This is the checklist I still run.
- You are the main event, not the slides. If you use slides, keep them a supporting act. One idea at a time, few words on screen.
- Bring your own gear. Your own laptop, your own pointer, your own adaptor, a backup on a USB stick. If you rely on someone else's kit, something breaks, and you look silly, not the AV crew.
- Stop your laptop falling asleep. Your opening slide can sit on screen for a long time before you are on. You do not want to be typing in a password as you are introduced.
- Own your introduction. Hand the MC a 60-second intro in large font, and carry a spare. Accomplishments first, your name last, so it builds and lands.
- Use a lapel mic and use the stage. Get away from the lectern. Stand still when you make a point, move when you tell a story.
- Dress equal to or better than the room. If one person is in a suit, so are you. It also makes you feel more confident.
- Finish on time. Factor in the MC and a few minutes for questions. If the day is running late, ask the organiser whether to trim.
- Have a question ready to open Q&A. "A question I am often asked is..." gets hands up. Repeat each question for the room, and gently wrap up anyone who rambles.
- Close your other apps. Email and anything private should be shut before your deck goes on the big screen.
- Rehearse, and know your first and last 60 seconds cold. The middle comes if you have practised. The open and the close should be automatic.
Overcoming nerves
Everyone gets nervous, and if you are not a little nervous your heart is not in it. The simplest fix I know is breathing. A few minutes before you are on, breathe in through the nose for five seconds, hold for five, out through the nose for five. It settles you and fills your lungs. Talking to a few people in the audience beforehand helps too, so the room is not a wall of strangers.
The craft still applies, whatever you speak on
These days I speak on AI for professional services audiences, not social media or marketing as I once did. The topic changed. The fundamentals did not. Get good, get visible, be the outside expert, grow the engagement, and deliver so well you get asked back.
Want Adam to speak at your event? Adam delivers practical AI keynotes for professional services conferences and associations across Australia. See speaking topics or check availability.
Frequently asked questions
How much can you charge to speak?
In Australia, a rough guide is that under $5,000 is entry level, $5,000 to $10,000 is mid level, and $10,000 and above is a high-level speaker. The US market pays more. The number tracks your profile and demand, not your years in the game.
Do I need a book to get paid to speak?
No, but you need credibility from somewhere. A book is one route. A blog, a podcast, real results or a compelling story all do the same job, which is to give the room a reason to listen before you start.
How do I get my first paid gig?
Do a run of free talks to build a reel and referrals, then be the outside expert at another industry's event, where they expect to pay. Be visible online so organisers can find you, and hold your nerve when you quote.
Should I speak in my own industry?
It is good for credibility and rarely pays. Peers do not pay peers. Use your own industry to build proof, and earn your fees speaking to other industries as the visiting expert.
How do I raise my fee?
Add proof, not just time, and grow the engagement rather than squeezing one talk. Keep the keynote in its sweet spot and add a workshop, panel or MC role to lift the total booking.
