Getting Known as a Keynote Speaker – How to Build Your Brand and Stand Out - SUP210

In this episode of the SpeakersU Podcast, James Taylor and Maria Franzoni explore the critical topic of “getting known” as a professional speaker. Drawing inspiration from Maria’s book, The Bookability Formula, they break down the two essential components of visibility: being known for something specific and being known by the right people. Maria explains why you don’t need to be a celebrity to be a highly-booked speaker, emphasizing the power of targeting the right clients, planners, and bureaus. James shares his own successful strategies for standing out in a crowded market, from his early use of online summits to associate with top names to the importance of branding and message discipline. Whether you’re finding your niche or scaling your brand, this episode offers practical marketing and positioning tactics to help you cut through the noise and build a memorable, bookable speaking business.

Memorable Quotes

• “You don’t have to be known by the whole world, you see, James. You just need to be known by the right people for the right thing.” – Maria Franzoni

• “It’s quite fascinating that it’s not about being known by everybody. And so it makes life a lot easier. You’ve just got to be known by the people who book speakers, right?” – Maria Franzoni

• “When other people start saying those words back to me… I know that’s working. And that is really just about branding, positioning, and message discipline.” – James Taylor

• “To be remembered, you’ve got to be authentically you… Bring things in from your profile, from your experience and expertise. That makes you stand out.” – Maria Franzoni

• “The more you speak the more you speak… That works when you’re good.” – Maria Franzoni (quoting Jameel Quraishi)

• “I split my day between… creating and campaigning. Where I’ve seen a lot of speakers fall down is that they’ve got so into the content piece… and no one ever knows about it.” – James Taylor