Are you struggling to find keynote speakers? You’re not alone. 

Your speakers and panellists are an essential part of your conference. For many events, the keynote speaker is the star of the show — but if your sourcing strategy starts stagnating, the quality of your speakers could decline.

Over the past 15 years, Eventbrite has actively nurtured a vibrant community of event creators. Through consistent dedication, our research team delves into the intricacies of event management, producing insightful trends reports

Using these insights, we’ve created this guide to help you find the best keynote speakers for your event. Read on to find out what keynote speakers are all about, what a keynote speaker could add to your event, and strategies to find the best speaker.

What is a keynote speaker?

To understand what you’re looking for in a keynote speaker, you’ve first got to understand what distinguishes them from other types of speakers.

Simply put, a keynote speaker is the main speaker at an event. 

A keynote speech is often used as an opener to kick-start a conference, trade show, or festival to set the central theme of the event. Your keynote speaker should be an expert and leader in their field — offering authoritative insights into the topic at hand and the purpose of your event.

However, some event planners save the keynote speech until the end of the conference to motivate attendees and leave them with a sense of drive and optimism as they leave the venue after the event.

What is the difference between a speaker and a keynote speaker?

Think of the keynote speaker as the actor who gets top billing on the movie posters. Your keynote speech is your “main attraction”, designed to create a bold introduction or grand finale to your event — that’s what makes the keynote speaker stand apart.

So, it’s important your keynote speaker is a great fit for your event. Take a look at our handy guide to select the perfect keynote speaker for your event.

One thing to note – keynote speakers can be pricey, so make sure you include their fees in your event budget.

How much do keynote speakers get paid?

The exact answer will vary dramatically depending on factors like the industry you’re operating in, the type of event, speech duration, and how in-demand the speaker is. If your speaker needs to travel from afar, your costs will increase too.

Professional speaking agencies estimate the average keynote address will cost event planners between £2,500 and £5,000

But remember this figure is only for guidance. If you’re after a big-name politician or a TV star, the cost will likely be higher. However, if you’re planning an event for a registered charity, you might receive a discounted rate.

Speaker on stage at Youth Marketing Strategy conference
YMS / Event: Youth Marketing Strategy / Voxburner, SF

Why are keynote speakers important?

According to researchers, one of the main reasons guests attend a conference is to see, listen, and learn from insightful guest speakers.

Keynote speakers are one of the biggest selling points for many conference organisers — which means if you’re able to secure influential speakers, it’s going to be a lot easier to promote your event and sell tickets.

But a brilliant keynote speaker doesn’t just fill your venue. 

The speech sets the tone for your event, giving your audience its first glimpse of the event theme. With their expertise, insights, and top presentation skills, the best keynote speakers will have your guest filing out of the auditorium inspired and bouncing with ideas. 

And don’t forget the entertainment aspect. Industry experts are often some of the funniest, most captivating, and most knowledgeable people in their field and they put on a great show for their listeners.

Looking for inspiration on the type of speaker you need for your event? Check out the Eventbrite community to explore our range of online events and find potential speakers for your events.

Speaker at Dyketopia event
Camp Dyketopia /  Dyketopia Comedy / Littleton, CO

How to find keynote speakers for your next event

Finding the perfect speaker for your keynote address can be pretty tricky — they don’t usually present themselves at your doorstep uninvited.

To help you get started with your search, we’ve rounded up six easy strategies and tools you can use to locate and sign the perfect keynote speaker for your next event.

1. Call for speaker proposals or abstracts

Offer potential candidates the opportunity to submit their ideas with a call-out for proposals or abstracts. To get quality candidates, you’ll need a solid promotion plan to attract pitches, along with the resources to weed through the submissions.

Start by publishing your call-out on social media sites — a great place to start. Industry-specific publications and internal talent pools are also worth paying attention to.

Need help creating a call-out? Download our free template.

After that, choosing the perfect event speaker is easier than it sounds.

1. Reach out to potential speakers

Your followers are a great pool of potential candidates for adding value to your event. 

Post a short introduction to your RFP (requests for proposal) on your social media channels and

include the most important information. This can be something as simple as their sample presentation title or as detailed as their entire slide deck. You can even include a link to an RFP page that they can fill out and submit.

If you use Instagram and TikTok, you can tailor your open call to a specific audience and reach a variety of new talent.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to use email marketing. Use your contact list to connect with everyone that you have a relationship with.

2. Shortlist your proposals

Next, review your proposals with care. 

Combing through the proposals and abstracts is easier when you take the time to ensure the speakers are knowledgeable in the topic or industry. 

But remember: Your goal is to find the best conference speaker to convey your message, add a unique perspective, or provide expertise in an engaging and entertaining way. Make sure your speaker is also a great presenter!

3. Hold interviews

With your shortlist of possible conference speakers, start holding brief interviews. You want to ensure your speakers get your message across to your audience. Ask questions about their knowledge and experience in the field.

Even if you’ve already got a reputable, big-name keynote speaker locked down, using an open call is a good way to fill your roster with other fresh, up-and-coming speakers who won’t cost an arm and a leg.

Two women talking with notes
Screen Free Weekends / Half the Story – Chillhouse Soho Flagship / New York, NY

2. Send attendee surveys

Using an open call is one way to find conference speakers, but how about finding out who attendees want to see at your conference? 

Surveying attendees lets them know you care about their experience and want them to play a role in shaping the content. They may even know about new event speakers you weren’t aware of.

You can poll attendees using your website on more than just speaker information — get feedback on the best types of social gatherings, schedules, meals, entertainment options, or event venues.

Then, use the survey data to find your conference speakers.

Eventbrite can help you integrate survey tools that you already use, like SurveyMonkey. You can seamlessly create surveys using one app, and then send them to everyone who bought a ticket to your Eventbrite event using email marketing tools like Mailchimp.

Adding surveys to your event marketing strategy can also increase interest and event attendance. 

Additionally, by including attendee surveys in your marketing strategy, you’ll be able to provide stakeholders with data-driven insights that’ll guide the way you select future speakers.

3. Ask internal members, partners, and sponsors

It’s not uncommon for employees or other internal organisation members to speak at their events. The same can be said for external partners and sponsors. 

Sponsors provide support, usually financially, in exchange for free advertising. They tend not to have a say in event operations, unlike partners. If one of your sponsors has the expertise and personality to be a keynote speaker, they will likely jump at the opportunity — it’s perfect marketing. And for you, the price tag will be much smaller.

Event partners are financially invested, and internal members are responsible for every aspect of the event. Both have an interest in the event’s success, and are likely to do a great job if asked to present. Just make sure the candidate is right for the event.

Pro tip: While it may be easier to rely on internally sourced talent, having too many sponsors or employees in your speaker lineup could make it look like you can’t find or pay reputable external speakers.

Speaker at Youth Marketing Strategy
Youth Marketing Strategy / YMS / Voxburner, SF

4. Speaker lists and databases

One of the best places to find a keynote speaker is through speaker bureaus, lists, or databases.

These platforms catalogue a wide range of available speakers from across the world — dinner speakers, best-selling authors, celebrity speakers, broadcasters, economists, and business leaders. 

You can usually filter your search by event type or area of expertise, and then use the platform to contact that speaker (or their agent) directly to get them booked.

Websites like Speakers’ Corner, Great British Speakers, and JLA allow you to sort through and filter thousands of speakers based on topic and specialty. 

Like any other event planning tool, these sites have their own unique selling points (USPs). To help manage your expectations, we’ll quickly walk you through each of these popular platforms.

Speakers’ Corner

Based in London, Speakers’ Corner is one of the UK’s leading speaker bureaus. 

The platform plays home to around 8,000 speakers across a variety of industries — a great starting point if you’re not sure how to approach your search.

Pros:

Cons:

Great British Speakers

Great British Speakers is a boutique speakers bureau specialising in helping event planners find keynote speakers. 

This is a fantastic place to find motivational speakers and sports speakers. 

Pros:

Cons:

JLA

JLA is one of the UK’s biggest speakers bureaus. 

They supply speakers for around 2,500 events every year — and JLA is a particularly good place to source politicians, entrepreneurs, and other keynote speakers for corporate events.

Pros:

Cons:

All three sites are fast and effective ways to find talent. 

Pro tip: If you’re looking for speakers in a trendy niche area, you’ll have to compete with other event creators. You can increase your competitiveness by publishing expected turnout rates for your event (if they’re high) and placing your open call on multiple lists or databases.

Finally, take time to read everything on the signup page before committing to a service. That said, using speaker databases is a good way to brainstorm ideas.

Speaker standing in front of display at CAAM LA
CAAM LA / Ava Porter / LA

5. Search in publications

Academic journals, news sites, bestseller lists, and blogs are great for discovering industry and topic-specific speakers. 

Look at your local and industry publications. Most have keynote writers that are also conference speakers. Even if you don’t find a speaker for this event, you’re making contacts for the next one.

Keep a running list of publications relevant to your industry and add authors to your list of potential speakers. Better yet, use a tool like Buzzsumo to find the most shared articles and blog posts for any given topic.

6. Search on social media

Social networks like YouTube, LinkedIn, and SlideShare are goldmines for professional speakers. 

On YouTube, for example, you can search for topics relevant to your conference to see who’s talking about them. Narrow your search by filtering by the number of views to help identify the most popular content.

You can also mine social media insights to identify speaking candidates. Facebook Audience Insights allows you to build a profile of your audience and see who they follow on their social networks. The results can help you find a great speaker.

Need to enhance your social media profile before you start using it to hunt for guest speakers? Download our essential guide. It spells out how you can use Eventbrite to expand your network and promote your events.

Alt des: Woman looks at Instagram on laptop / Source:
Photo by Collabstr

Are you ready to find your next keynote speaker?

Following the strategies we’ve outlined in this post is sure to lead to some interesting keynote speaker options. 

Remember that the first stages should be akin to brainstorming, so don’t worry about whether or not you can afford them or how they’ll fit into the agenda.

Once you’ve filtered your list of keynote speakers and you’re ready to move forward, Eventbrite has some clever strategies to help you secure the best candidates to speak at your event. By teaming up with authoritative industry leaders, you and your speakers can help to promote each other and boost your events.

Join Eventbrite now and start planning your next big event.