The Speaker Flywheel: How to Grow Your Speaking Business by Getting Booked in Different Stages

Ron Story Jr 30 Apr 2025 3 min reads

Are you a public speaker ready to level up in 2025? Whether you're just starting or looking to grow your established speaking business, there's one proven framework that’s helping thousands of speakers build real momentum: The Speaker Flywheel. This method isn't just about getting one-off gigs—it’s about creating a system that feeds itself with consistent speaking engagements, podcast appearances, and media coverage.

Let’s explore how the flywheel works and how you can use it to get paid to speak more often, with better visibility and bigger opportunities.

The Speaker Flywheel: A Framework for Speaking Business Growth

The Speaker Flywheel is SpeakerHub’s proprietary system for helping speakers get consistently booked. It breaks down your growth into two main forces:

Inbound: Making it easy for people to find you online through your speaker profile, website, and media presence.
Outbound: Proactively pitching yourself to conferences, podcasts, associations, and media outlets.

The key is to balance both. Speakers who succeed the fastest are not waiting for someone to discover them—they’re actively reaching out and building a magnetic online presence that converts interest into invitations.

Inbound vs. Outbound: Build Your Own Momentum

Imagine this: you send a great pitch to a podcast host, but when they check your site, they see a disconnected brand or no video of you speaking. You’ve lost them. That’s why inbound and outbound work together.

Here’s how to make sure your inbound presence backs up your outbound effort:

Polish your SpeakerHub profile and make sure it ranks on Google.
Embed your speaking reel and podcast clips directly on your profile.
Add QR codes to your slides and Zoom backgrounds so audiences can engage with you immediately.

Tip: Use SpeakerHub’s SpeakerQR tool to collect reviews after your podcast or stage appearance. Social proof makes a difference.

Stop Waiting on Conferences—Pitch Podcasts and Associations Now

Conference bookings are often 6–9 months out. What should you do in the meantime?

Pitch associations and local groups for smaller, faster gigs.
Apply for podcast interviews where you can get booked within weeks.
Use each appearance to promote your lead magnet or upcoming offer.

This continuous flow of smaller wins builds your credibility—and your client pipeline.

Build Authority That Books Speaking Engagements

Authority isn’t just what you say about yourself. It’s built in three layers:

Self-Claimed Authority: Your story, your messaging.
Client Proof: Testimonials and reviews from people you’ve helped.
Third-Party Credibility: Getting invited to speak on big stages and podcasts, or featured in media.

The fastest path to building third-party credibility? Guesting on podcasts and collecting video interviews. It positions you alongside other respected voices and shows that event planners can trust you.

Should Public Speakers Start Their Own Podcast?

Yes—but not first.

Start by being a guest on other people’s shows. This builds your audience and your name recognition. Once you have momentum, your own podcast can:

Attract high-level guests (who often invite you on their show in return).
Establish your thought leadership.
Give you a place to direct leads and nurture your community.

Pro tip: Upload your podcast interviews to YouTube for discoverability, then use ads to amplify your reach.

Use the Right Tools to Accelerate

SpeakerHub’s Pro tools were designed for speakers who are serious about business growth. Some standout features mentioned in this session:

Speaker Insight: Identify and follow up with visitors to your site and speaker profile.
SpeakerQR: Collect audience feedback and ratings directly during or after your presentations.
Lifetime Pro Plans: Get access to pitch rollovers, personalized reviews, and training playbooks.

This is how professionals grow—by tracking what’s working and scaling up strategically.

Call to Action: Join Us in the SpeakerHub Coworking Sessions

Ready to stop guessing and start growing your speaking business? Join a daily coworking session at SpeakerCoworking.com. You’ll learn directly from SpeakerHub experts, get support from fellow speakers, and receive feedback on your profile, pitches, and strategy.

Watch the Replay

Curious to hear all these insights directly from the speakers who shared them? Watch the replay of this powerful session to dive deeper into the tips, frameworks, and tools that are helping real public speakers get real results:

Mastering the SpeakerFLYWHEEL: Proven Strategies for Booking Gigs