There’s no doubt that public speaking can help reinforce your brand profile. As a startup in a competitive landscape, taking time to speak directly to your audience can have a powerful impact on your business growth.
Speaking engagements provide you with an opportunity to stand out as an entrepreneur or establish your newest startup as an authoritative player in the industry.
This said, more than 70% of people still identify public speaking as their number one fear.
However, adding public speaking to your startup growth strategy doesn't mean that you’ll immediately be transported to a large stage for a nerve-wracking keynote speech. There are plenty of ways to slowly introduce public speaking to your team, such as panel discussions, intimate gigs, and even in-house presentations.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a guide on how to elevate your startup growth using public speaking, which will reveal five invaluable ways to master your approach.
Mastering the art of public speaking is the key to attracting clients as an early-career startup.
When planning your startup strategy, building a powerful platform for growth should be a top priority. Not only can public speaking help you establish this platform as a thought leader, but it is also an opportunity to network, collaborate with other industry players, and attract new clients.
It’s no secret that powerful public speaking puts your startup on the map. If we look at some of the world’s largest tech companies, such as Apple and Microsoft, their platforms were shaped on the stage.
Let’s have a closer look at some of the benefits associated with adding public speaking to your startup strategy:
The Ultimate Avenue For Networking: Every speaking gig you attend is an opportunity to connect with other like-minded business owners, stakeholders and interested audiences. Those with the largest passion for your industry niche are likely to attend conferences, panels and speaking events, rewarding speakers with a highly engaged crowd full of potential connections.
A Chance to Establish Authority: If you have the confidence to speak on a stage or a panel about your industry, you instantly establish yourself as an expert within your field. This builds trust surrounding your startup and makes your business an attractive go-to for new clients.
Word-Of-Mouth Marketing: Did you know that WOM marketing generates twice as many sales as paid ads? Public speaking acts as the ultimate organic marketing tool. As you share live advice and personal stories, you foster a connection with the audience that an online ad can’t replicate.
Now that we have learnt more about the benefits of adding public speaking to your marketing agenda let’s find out how you can elevate your strategy to improve startup growth.
There are plenty of ways to elevate your public speaking strategy to get the most out of this approach.
This includes writing speeches around unique and interesting narratives and choosing the right platforms for optimal audience reach.
Here are five tips to take on board as a new public speaker in a competitive thought leadership landscape.
One of the first things to consider as a public speaker is the type of speech you want to present to your audience.
Ask yourself why you’d like to speak publicly about your startup. What do you hope to gain from the experience?
Knowing the type of speech narrative that works best for each gig, panel, and stage is crucial if your aim is to target clients, stakeholders and other industry players.
In fact, 46% of presenters claim that creating a compelling narrative is their largest challenge when preparing presentations.
For example, if you’re planning to build relationships based on your speech, taking an informative/informational approach may reinforce your pitch.
However, if you’re planning to create a buzz around your startup for a large audience of potential consumers, unique narratives or a storytelling approach may help your speech fly.
Statistics show that telling a story with examples and emotion during your speech increases listeners' retention by up to 75%, rendering it a pretty powerful tool to incorporate.
Consider anecdotes that may refer to your brand’s values or core foundations. Use emotions such as humour to engage a crowd, but don’t be afraid to also pull on their heartstrings.
When it comes to storytelling, the more unique, the better. Ensure that your narrative stands out from the crowd for the best results.
It’s no secret that stepping onto a stage can be daunting, even for the most confident entrepreneurs.
If you’re a startup with little to no experience in the public speaking field, using a specialised firm to hire a dedicated team to assist you in your public speaking efforts is a no-brainer.
Whether you employ an experienced public speaking coach for expert guidance and stage-based mentoring or a driven team of professionals to exclusively book gigs and prepare speech content, a devoted workforce could help your public speaking platform take off.
In fact, more than 33% of popular public speakers are now hiring help in order to grow their own reach and enhance productivity.
In order to establish your startup as a key player within its industry, you must first establish yourself as a thought leader within your niche.
Public speaking is your opportunity to educate your market and share innovative insights about your industry.
The key here is to talk about new trends, tools and strategies that other listeners can apply to their own business strategy. As a speaker, your job is to solve problems for your audience. Ensure that they leave the room with a clear action plan and a reason to use your business to kickstart it.
In order to drive growth using public speaking, you must softly sell your startup while offering your audience helpful information. If target clients leave the room believing that you’ve helped them solve a problem, it’s likely that they will turn to your business when looking for solutions in the future.
Did you know that the maximum time you have to grab your listener’s attention is just three seconds?
While the average speech ranges from 10-15 minutes, you could lose most of your listeners during the first sentence if they are not truly engaged.
In order to offer yourself the best chance of engagement, choosing the right platform for discussion is essential.
As a startup, you must start small. Look for local gigs, online webinars, podcasts and niche conferences that allow you to speak directly to a small, captivated audience.
As your platform grows, you’ll be able to work your way up to conference main stages and larger audiences.
As a startup, you must foster growth from all angles. While public speaking allows you to engage with everyone in the room, the reality is that your actual demographic is much bigger.
In a corporate world dominated by social media, taking time to repurpose your thought leadership content on numerous platforms is crucial.
Not only can you use social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to share footage of powerful speeches, but you can also repurpose visual presentations to be used as blog content or online courses.
In 2025, public speaking will continue to evolve. As we embrace new platforms for discussion, such as podcasting, Zoom seminars and TikTok Live, it’s likely that we’ll see a virtual shift in the industry.
While this opens up speaking events to a global set of voices, it also opens up the stage to a global audience.
As a startup, leveraging the power of public speaking could skyrocket your platform growth. Establishing yourself as a thought leader builds credibility and allows you to showcase your authority in a way that no other marketing medium can replicate.
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