How much can you get paid as a speaker in Australia?

by Jaimie Abbott

Are you thinking of becoming a speaker in Australia? Well, that’s a massive career move with many positive potentials. But how much potential are we talking about here, especially regarding how much you can get paid? The amount you get paid as a speaker in Australia depends on many factors, including the duration, location, how much value you bring to the table, and the type of event. 

If you’re a professional speaker who knows how to pull a crowd and keep them mesmerized with your words, you would be charging a lot more. So, if you’re interested in taking that giant leap into public speaking, here’s a clearer picture of how much you can get paid as a speaker in Australia.

1. Newbie speakers: As a newbie speaker, you’re pretty new to the space. Almost no one has a good idea of the power of your words, and that means you don’t have the social capital to get people rushing for tickets at the mention of your name. So, most newbie speakers may speak for free at charity events. They may also get paid for their travel costs if it involves significant expenses on transportation.
2. Speakers and trainers on basic content: Speakers in Australia that fall into this category have a general idea of key topics and know how to pass on that information to an audience. They have more than a dozen talks under their belt at this point. As a basic content speaker, you can earn between $1000 to $4000 for keynote speeches. This also applies to breakout workshops.
3. Grade B professional speakers: Speakers at this stage of their career have more than a few years of experience, making them professionals. Having participated in several speaking engagements, they are not new faces in the public speaking industry and provide excellent professional content at every event. Of course, these contents are valuable, and you could call them fantastic speakers with a decent amount of social capital. Therefore, as a Grade B professional speaker in Australia, you can get paid between $5000 to $10,000.
4. Grade A professional speakers: You could call this category the crème de la crème of the public speaking world. These are incredible content speakers offering exceptional value before and after every event. Sometimes, these could even be celebrity speakers with immense popularity, and the mention of their names can attract more attendees, including A-listers. As a Grade A professional speaker, you can get paid between $20,000 to $50,000.
5. Guru speakers: Sitting at the top echelon of the public speaking industry are the guru speakers in Australia that command a lot of attention. The guru speakers have surpassed every stage necessary to qualify as top-notch speakers in Australia. From pulling big audiences at public events to presentations that spark conversations several months after, guru speakers can get paid anything from $50,000 upwards per presentation. They have also mastered the art of selling their products from the stage, which brings in a lot of extra cash.

What it takes to move from beginner to pro

You can easily earn more than $10,000 per keynote as a speaker in Australia. You need to understand that you’re not just getting paid for the presentation itself but also for the hours of preparation and years of experience you’ll be sharing with an attentive audience. So, it shouldn’t be shocking to you that you can get paid as much as $50,000 for a single speaking gig. And now, it’s time to dust out your sense of humour, storytelling abilities and speaking skills and get ready to deliver great presentations.