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The Social Media Myth That’s Derailing Your Speaking Success

Why you actually might want to post your full keynote online for the world to see.

Getting booked

Public speaking

Marketing

Thought Leadership

Andrew

Davis

Partner, Speaking Business Thought Leader

minute read

Published on

February 10, 2025

Turn your social media into a booking engine by sharing valuable parts of your speech—and maybe even your full keynote.

You’ve heard it before: the social media rules are changing. Optimize your profile and stay up to date with the latest trends. Create valuable and engaging content. Make your stories more interactive to connect with your audience. Create buzz.

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Sure, that’s all good advice, but how can you actually put it into practice? How can you consistently create authentic, insightful, and buzz-worthy social media posts that not only resonate with your audience but also encourage event planners to book you?

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Well, it starts with one mindset shift: a new perspective that makes managing your social media less stressful, more productive, and much more valuable.

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Don’t Believe the Myth. Do This Instead.

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When it comes to social media, a lot of speakers believe they have to protect their speech, their content, and their ideas.

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“I don’t want to share too much for free; that would decrease my value.”

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“If people can watch my whole speech for free on YouTube, why would they ever pay for it?”

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So they safeguard their visionary ideas, lock away their revolutionary techniques and tools, and shy away from sharing important and valuable messages.

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But this social media myth actually limits their impact and prevents them from sharing the type of content that attracts new opportunities and valuable connections.

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You see, posting your full keynote speech on your website, YouTube, or social media—giving people free access to it—doesn’t decrease your value. Instead, the opposite happens; it actually increases demand for your speech. The more people see your speech, the more they’re going to want to book it.

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If you take that same approach with your social media—sharing more, not less—perhaps you’ll see the same kind of impact.

Full Transcript

Don't

approach social media with an abundance mentality—the more you share, the more opportunities will come your way.

Sizzle Reel vs. Value Feast

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On the other extreme, some speakers treat their social media platforms like a giant sizzle reel. Captions like: “On the road again 😎” or “All booked this month!” Selfies at airports, in taxis, and in hotel lobbies. This type of social media self-promotion can come off as inauthentic and actually distance you from your audience.

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Instead of broadcasting your achievements in every post, turn your social media pages into a value feast for your fans and followers.

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Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t post videos shot on the road or at the venue. You most certainly can, and should! You see, you can show your audience that you’re in demand and speaking at really cool places, without actually saying it.

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Share new and exciting ideas—from your latest keynote speech. Give your audience better ways to solve timeless problems—using answers to audience questions at your latest event. Include your audience on your quest for bigger and better solutions—wherever that quest leads you. After all, thought leadership is delivered through insight, not self-promotion. So, increase your impact and value on social media with these three simple methods:

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Share more, not less.

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Keynote speaker and bestselling author David Burkus is a prime example of this. He consistently shares video clips from his speeches on his social media platforms. But these videos aren’t your traditional sizzle reels of full auditoriums, laughing audience members, and standing ovations. They’re value-packed, insightful, and impactful moments from his real speech.

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In fact, last year, he even published a 28-minute video of his speech, Psychological Safety on Teams, on YouTube. When event planners, CEOs, and company leaders watch it, they get real value from what Burkus shares, and they know exactly who to call when they want to deliver that insight to their audiences and companies.

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Think of your social media strategy as if you were a rock band. Would hearing 30 seconds of a song inspire you to buy the ticket to go to the concert? Probably not. But listening to song after song, album after album (over and over) probably will. The more you fall in love with the music, the more you long to live that concert experience.

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The same goes for you as a speaker. The more your audience sees you in action and benefits from your ideas and insight, the more they’ll want to experience the complete package of seeing you speak at your next event.

Don't

post your full keynote. Show event planners all the value you deliver onstage.

Focus on connection, not protection.

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Content that sparks meaningful, engaging conversations about your core message is content that connects. To spark those conversations, you can dissect your core message, share your brainstorming and thought processes, and dive deeper into ideas you’re developing.

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Digital marketing guru and best-selling author Ann Handley is an expert in crafting content that connects. Her posts on Instagram consistently generate hundreds of likes and a stream of comments. And these comments aren’t just heart emojis and one-word replies either. No, her followers comment their thoughts, experiences, and stories related to her posts.

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Lead engaging conversations about your core message. Share your strong opinions about what you believe in. Maybe even share those behind-the-scenes moments where you’re developing a new framework or diving deep into valuable research. Highlighting these moments can help you connect with your audience in a much deeper way.

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Stay away from self-promotion.

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Yes, I know, there is a “me” in social media. But that doesn’t mean your Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube should be all about me, me, me.

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Focus your social media platforms on your audience. Cassandra Worthy, dynamic speaker and leading expert on organization change, is a great example of this—she’s always very grateful and gracious on social media, and it shines through in each of her posts. She’s a master of showing, not telling.

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The content she shares is the advice leaders need, uniquely curated for social media in eye-catching colors and short but valuable descriptions and captions. She shares clips of her answering frequently asked questions onstage at events. She gives her audience the information—and transformation—they need and answers their important questions in powerful and valuable ways.

Don't

make your social media all about you; always focus on providing value for your audience.

Maintain Strategic Mystery

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Not everything belongs on social media. In fact, on social media you can strategically create FOMO (fear of missing out) by highlighting specific moments of your speech and leaving others out. Perhaps you’ll save your best stories or your favorite jokes for your paying audience. Decide what your best moments are and how you can create FOMO around those moments.

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The content you share will still be valuable, but it will also spark curiosity. By maintaining strategic mystery, you’ll inspire your fans and followers to experience the total package—seeing you speak onstage, in person, at your next event.

Don't

be afraid to put your framework and ideas out there for the world to see.

it in a way that creates a curiosity gap and leaves your audience longing for more.

Turn Your Social Media Into a Booking Engine

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There’s no specific way to create content that works. David Burkus, Ann Handley, and Cassandra Worthy all have their own unique style for their social media platforms. Like them, your personality will shine through in your posts as well.

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It’s important to keep the big picture very clear: deliver value and transformation for your audience and followers to facilitate authenticity and connection. As you focus on value with an abundance mentality, you’ll be able to turn your social media into a booking engine.

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So, start today. Record and share your best keynotes. Post those key moments and valuable insights regularly. Engage with comments in a meaningful way—not just to promote your services. And let your personality shine through in your posts.

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Remember, sharing your talk doesn’t stop people from booking you—it actually helps them justify the investment in the transformational experience you deliver.

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Because—the truth is—your speech isn’t just content. Your keynote is much more than just information. It’s a complete transformational experience. One your followers will want to feel, live, and experience more and more as they consume your valuable content on social media.

Don't

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Sizzle Reel vs. Value Feast

‍

Instead of broadcasting your achievements in every post, turn your social media pages into a value feast for your fans and followers.

‍

Share more, not less.

‍

Dont

post your full keynote. Show event planners all the value you deliver onstage.

Focus on connection, not protection.

‍

Stay away from self-promotion.

‍

Yes, I know, there is a “me” in social media. But that doesn’t mean your Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube should be all about me, me, me.

‍

Don't

make your social media all about you; always focus on providing value for your audience.

Maintain Strategic Mystery

‍

Don't

be afraid to put your framework and ideas out there for the world to see.

it in a way that creates a curiosity gap and leaves your audience longing for more.

Turn Your Social Media Into a Booking Engine

‍

Remember, sharing your talk doesn’t stop people from booking you—it actually helps them justify the investment in the transformational experience you deliver.

‍

Don't