How Do You Find a Speaker Who Can Make Your Event Go Viral?

The stage is set! It’s event day and you and your team are ready to put on a memorable event. You may have plans to use some footage of your speaker to promote next year’s event and to recap the experience for everyone who couldn’t make it out. Low and behold, your amazing celebrity speaker delivers and utters words that moved everyone in the room to a standing ovation! Now what?

You and your team decide to upload key parts of the speech online. Before you know it, people are sharing that special message with their friends, families, and followers. Congrats! You’ve just created a viral event that will create a buzz for your company, organization or foundation for years to come. So the obvious question here is, how do you find a speaker who can make this scenario come true? We’ve put together these tips to help in your booking process:

Find a speaker with opinions on strong cultural topics:

Whenever any celebrity voices an opinion on a topic, an audience will often respond in kind. Posting a clip of your celebrity speaker’s opinion on social media could create a stir that skyrockets views and comments. Below are a few examples of speaker who are speaking out on current social and cultural issues:

Ashley Judd: Ashley is a heralded actress who comes from a family of famous celebrities. Instead of resting on her laurels, Ashley uses her celebrity platform to draw attention to important global and domestic issues plaguing society today. She is also a crusader for women’s issues, fighting AIDS, human trafficking, racism, defending wildlife and the list goes on. She was also a vocal leader at the Women’s March on Washington that received major press in the early months of 2017. Ashley is an incredibly impactful keynote speaker who can touch on a variety of issues that are important to your organization.

Mark Ruffalo: Mark is an award-winning actor and filmmaker who has most recently garnered praise for his role as The Hulk in several Marvel films beginning in 2012. Away from the big screen, Mark lends his voice to some important social and environmental initiatives including his own foundation Water Defense dedicated clean water, Got Your 6, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering veterans, and campaigning for LGBT equality, human rights and against fracking. Mark is one of those people whose passion for encouraging others and leaving the world better than he found it is truly contagious.

Find a speaker that brings comic relief:

People love to laugh, and there’s nothing better than a memorable message to leave you in good spirits. With that being said, consider booking a speaker with a sense of humor for your next event.

Jay Leno: This comedic legend may have retired from late night television, but he’s still got jokes! He couldn’t stay away from TV following his exit from The Tonight Show and now has taken his passion for automobiles to the next level as the host of Jay Leno’s Garage on CNBC. Jay has duel-appeal as a keynote speaker with celebrity clout who will create a serious buzz around your event, and a lifetime of experiences and funny stories that will excite and entertain your audience. He is a versatile keynote speaker for hire who has spoken at major industry conventions such as Cvent CONNECT 2017 as well as fundraising events such as Portland State University’s annual fundraising and awards dinner gala.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: TV comedy star Julia Louis-Dreyfus got her start on Saturday Night Live before her starring role in the classic American sitcom Seinfeld. She’s totaled an astounding 11 Emmy Awards over the course of her career including winning the most Emmys in a single role for her current role in the hit Netflix series Veep. In 2016, TIME named Julia to their list of 100 Most Influential People in the World. Julia is a funny and relatable keynote speaker who was a featured speaker at SXSW this past March.

Find a speaker who has penned bestselling books:

It’s interest to see how some of the world’s greatest writers translate into equally empowering keynote speakers. They have a way with words, and relaying a message to your audience in a understandable and interesting way is a piece of cake.

Malcolm Gladwell: Malcolm is easily the most requested author on the keynote speakers circuit today. He’s written 5 books, all NY Times bestsellers, and has worked as a columnist for The New Yorker since 1996.  Malcolm also hosts his own podcast called Revisionist History. His books and theories are a combination of interesting stories and research that attempt to break down and explain the cause and effects behind today’s social issues. When Malcolm agrees to keynote your event, he will ask for certain information about your company beforehand so he can tailor his speech specifically to the topics and issues that are directly impacting your organization.

Find a speaker who’s already gone viral: 

If your celebrity speakers’ everyday comments are already circulating through social media as #MondayMotivation posts, then odds are they will have a pretty good message for attendees of your event. For example, the Shark Tank ripple effect has reached the speakers circuit and Shark Tank investors are at the top of everyone’s speaker list!

Daymond John: Daymond is one of the premier businessmen of the current generation. This top business speaker has become more than just a business tycoon in recent years, as he’s also become a larger part of pop culture. Born in Queens, New York, he started his clothing empire FUBU while working at a Red Lobster to make ends meet. He grew the brand into a $350-million business and a household name in the 1990’s. His genius was recognized when he was named as a cast member on ABC’s Shark Tank. As a motivational speaker, John highlights his journey from rags-to-riches, as he went from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most successful businessmen in America.

Gary Vaynerchuk: Of course you’ve probably heard of this loud and proud entrepreneur as well. Gary Vaynerchuk has more than a handful of motivational interview and speaking clips that have gone viral just this year alone thanks to his no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point delivery style. He doesn’t sugarcoat things but rather gets real with audiences on a personal level to challenge them to make changes to be the best version of themselves every day. Trust us when we say your audience will be blown away after a day with Gary V!

Find a speaker with an inspirational story of triumph: 

People are often moved by stories with accounts of how the underdog faced his or her fear to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It gives them hope! Plus, people are more willing to share inspiring, potentially heart-tugging stories on the internet thus helping build a bigger buzz for your event/cause.

Dr. Bennet Omalu: What do you do when you face challenges? Give up? Keep going? What if your peers think you’re crazy and discount or discredit you? That’s exactly what Dr. Bennet Omalu faced when he first made the discovery of CTE in the brain of a former football player. Despite research and analysis to back his findings, both the medical community and the NFL refused to accept his findings as factual. But eventually he was proven right and today he is credited with one of the most important scientific discoveries in medical history. Dr Omalu’s unique story and advice on facing obstacles and challenges is sure to hit home with your audience looking for validation and motivation.

Dara Torres: They don’t make many people like 12-time Olympic Medalist and sports icon Dara Torres. Dara was the oldest U.S. swimmer ever to participate in the 2008 Olympics at 41, defying the odds and bringing home 3 medals that year. Her hard work, drive and refusal to accept the status quo has lad to many groundbreaking moments in her career where she broke barriers and inspired others to do more and be more.

Rudy Ruettiger: Rudy’s incredible story of overcoming obstacles to achieve his dreams was immortalized in the 1993 film about his life starring Sean Astin. Rudy had a dream to play football for and graduate form Notre Dame, but he faced a variety of obstacles that a lesser man would have been defeated by. For starters, he battled dyslexia as a kid which made school a lot more challenging. He didn’t have the grades to get into Notre Dame, and instead had to attend college at nearby Holy Cross until he was accepted into ND after his 4th try. Severely undersized at 5’6, he made the scout team for the football team and was able to dress for the last game of his senior season in which he recorded a sack. Rudy teaches audiences the determination, perseverance and self-confidence it takes to achieve any goal you set for yourself.

If you focus your search on these 5 speaker categories, you are bound to find a speaker who is going to help your event go viral!