How To Create The Perfect Speaking Demo Reel

Do you want to be a top paid speaker?

Here’s the thing- you have to make sure that your demo reel is on point to command a higher rate. And every successful speaker goes through three phases of creating amazing demo reels.

Phase 1: Tell

If you’re just starting as a speaker, you’re in this phase.

This is where you don’t have a lot of clips of you on stage. There’s not a lot of audience reactions and you don’t have a lot of lifestyle clips that you can put in there for the buzz reel.

However, you want to be able to tell prospective event planners what you do from the stage.

So you could just be sitting there and simply explain your keynote. It could be touching on the “three simple steps” you go through or walking through the elements of your keynote.

Take a look at this screenshot of my first demo reel:

I’m sitting in an empty classroom telling the event planner what they can expect from my keynote.

Explain how you bring the audience through the journey of your keynote and what the main takeaways will be.

You tell the event planners what’s going to happen.

Phase 2: Show

The next phase happens after you’ve had a few events.

This is where you start to show the event planner what you do from the stage and the experience that the audience is having.

Show the various stages you’ve been on. Show the reactions of the audiences.

Get some testimonials on video that you can put into that demo reel from event planners and attendees.

Show the event planners exactly what they can expect to get from you as a keynote speaker.

But creating the perfect speaking demo reel doesn’t end there.

Phase 3: Experience

The top paid speakers that go from thousand-dollar engagements to five-figure engagements or more are creating demo reels that create an immersive experience.

These experiences are three to four minutes max and make the event planner feel like they got a shortened experience of your entire keynote, emotions, and all.

It’s like they’re actually sitting in the audience; feeling, hearing, and seeing exactly what you do and how you deliver your message to the audience.

Remember that screenshot of my first demo reel? Compare that with this screenshot of my latest demo reel:

It’s like they’re right there in the audience! You can also watch that demo reel here as an example of the experience phase.

So what phase of the demo reel are you in?

Are you in the phase of telling what the event planner can expect?

Are you in the phase of showing them what it’s like to be a part of your keynote?

Or are you a true speaker who provides a full experience in your demo reel?

Remember, the demo reel is the only way an event planner can experience your keynote without attending one. Make it memorable!

Want to level-up your demo reel and get higher paid speaking engagements? Get a FREE 30-min Speaker Strategy Session