Episode #468

Everything You Need to Know About Demo Videos

With Shawn Hanks

“The key to a great demo video is showcasing your best work and highlighting your strengths. It should effectively demonstrate your skills, talent, and unique qualities in a concise and captivating manner.”

Demo videos are mission-critical to getting booked and paid as a professional speaker. Today, Grant sat down with Shawn Hanks. Shawn is the CEO of the Premiere Speakers Bureau, and he knows a few things about speaker marketing, demo videos, and how to create a stand-out product.

“A demo video helps to mitigate and reduce that risk for an event planner to say, no, I feel comfortable and confident hiring this speaker and putting them on stage, putting my reputation on the line as the event planner to report to my committee or board or boss or whoever it may be.”

Grant and Shawn dig into:

  • Why you need a strong demo video
  • How to create a GREAT demo video
  • The key idea and formula that something memorable
  • What you should be spending on your demo video
  • The perceptions that go into the setting/image of your video
  • What NOT to do in a demo video
  • The ideal length of a sizzle reel
  • What makes a sizzle reel and a demo video different

Episode Chapters:

  • [00:02:19] Why a demo video essential for booking paid speaking gigs
  • [00:04:42] How to make your video stand out by including powerful moments and crowd response
  • [00:09:29] Why short, impactful videos capture audience attention best.
  • [00:12:24] Why you should keep videos 8-10 minutes, highlight interesting content in first 30 seconds
  • [00:17:03] How to use videos to showcase expertise, captivating stories, and positive testimonies
  • [00:21:12] How impressive speaker videos have set new standards
  • [00:23:08] Why your talking head footage needs to have punch
  • [00:27:59] How to make sure your video progress reflects personal and professional growth
  • [00:33:37] Why hard work pays off in a thriving events industry

Want to know exactly how to find and book more paid speaking gigs?

Download our 18-page guide to the 6 proven steps you can use to book more paid speaking gigs in 2024!

About Shawn Hanks

Shawn Hanks, CEO of Premiere Speakers Bureau, has two decades of experience in the bureau industry providing direction to speakers and developing strategic relationships. And he is the most recent Past President of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB.) An avid sports fan, Shawn enjoys CrossFit and watching the NFL/NBA. He and his wife, Heather, are native Texans that have made Nashville home for 23 years. They are the proud parents of Mia (20), Ethan (18), Ella Kate (16), Ava (14) and the world’s greatest golden-doodle, Poppy.

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