You’re here because you’re in need of an affordable, high quality keynote speaker, and probably wanting to spend under $5,000, right?

We have an incredible network of high-quality keynote speakers to meet the needs of your audience, and most importantly, fit within your budget. Let us know what you’re looking for and we’ll do all the heavy lifting for you and ensure your upcoming event is a big success!

Getting started is extremely easy!

Do you need to hire a keynote speakers under $5000?

Event planning can be a thankless job, you need to think and act like a strategist.

Do it right, run a seamless meeting and nobody will notice just how smooth things went.  But if you make a mistake, it will stand out in the most hideous of ways, made all the worse by the fact that you’ll probably worry it into a bigger problem than it actually was.

Lots of little things can go wrong at an event, but one big thing you need to get right is choosing your emcee / speaker.

Choosing the Right Keynote Speaker

Finding and booking the right inspirational speaker can render a bunch of other small imperfections meaningless.

Great leadership speakers like Nicole Kalil can mean the difference between a so-so event and one of the most memorable events ever, an event that leave empowerment in the air!  They are leadership experts!

If you ever heard Coach John Wooden, Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracy or any other number of top professionals, you probably walked away transformed and inspired learning about team work, team building, and how that translates to business growth.

A great keynote speaker can do that, and will do that at your upcoming event. And even if your budget is a lot less than what top speakers charge, you can still make a big impact on your audience if you’re willing to do the hard work up front.

Keynote Speakers Under $5000

While paying less than $5,000 may seem cheap, it doesn’t always mean you’re getting an entry level speaker.

Some of the best speakers charge a speaking fee of $5,000 or less because it simply helps cover their time and travel because they have a full time job, and speaking is just a passionate hobby. I once sat through a talk with an NFL hall-of-famer and it turns out he was willing to speak for $5,000 because it was a local event and didn’t require any traveling.

So, definitely don’t associate keynote speakers under $5,000 with entry level.

Hiring Free Keynote Speakers

Believe it or not, some of the best speakers aren’t charging anything because it’s their outlet to give back. Or, they are confident enough in their work that they know they can speak for free and pick up more sales of their own products.

Did you know that Russel Brunson didn’t charge Grant Cardone a speaking fee at the 10x conference and walked away earning $3,000,000 from selling his program?

Always ask your keynote speaker if they have products they would like to sell in exchange for waiving the speaking fee.

What type of keynote speaker do you want?

One of the most important questions to ask is what type of speaker do you want?

Removing price from the discussion, there is a huge impact the speaker will have on the message they will deliver on your behalf.

Consider the following:

Celebrity speaker 

You don’t have to think “Hollywood” or “Washington, DC” for this, but perhaps someone who is well known in your industry who will attract attention, is current and relevant.

Celebrity speakers can be anything from local to national and sometimes the best ways to find a celebrity speaker is to tap your natural market. You’ll be surprised what types of celebrities are only one connection removed from your natural network.

• Hall of fame tennis players
• Hall of NFL players
• NBA Leaders
• Actors and Actresses
• World Champions
• TV Personality
• New York Times Best-selling author
• Ted speakers

The list goes on and on, try utilizing your natural market to find a celebrity speaker willing to work with you for your upcoming event.

Industry thought leader / specialist

These may be similar to celebrities but more well-known behind the scenes and through a distinguished and long-standing track record of accomplishments.  Thought leaders may also agree to speak if they are passionate about what your event is about and may agree to speak in pursuit of knowledge and exchange of ideas.

• Life balance
• Mental health
• Life balance
• Peak performance
• Stress management
• Entrepreneurship
• Change Management
• Sales
• Industry specific such as insurance sales, medical sales, or technology.

Motivational speaker

There are times when people need a break from their own industry and simply need to be rejuvenated with new ideas that are more universal.  Consider bringing in someone outside of your industry who will have an interesting take at a high level.

Finding motivational speakers under $5,000 is extremely doable and one of the best ways is to simply ask.

Here’s an example…

You’re looking for a motivational speaker and have your selection narrowed down to two candidates, both have great stories that will wow your audience.

The only difference is one recently released a new book which is for sale on Amazon for $15. You should consider buying a bulk of their new book as part of the booking deal.

In this instance if you have 150 people attending your conference and you order 150 copies of the speakers book, you’ll only spend $2,250 which is a great deal for a motivational speaker.

You’ll be surprised how many motivational speakers are motivated to make a deal regarding their speaking fee when they are trying to boost their book sales.

Of course, with a budget near or under $5,000, you may need to get out-of-the-box because many keynote speakers just won’t fit into your budget.

That’s when you need to get creative.

Look for ways to structure an event that may bring in added revenue, such as a private lunch or meet and greet.  Work with a speaker on merchandising sales, sponsorships, a pitch for consulting services, shared contact information and more.

See if event organizers might be willing to juggle line items for other expenses to pump up your keynote speaker budget (i.e. a fully catered breakfast buffet can become coffee and donuts if the reward is high enough).

The great thing about many keynote speakers, especially those still earning a reputation, is that they will be flexible and recognize that every speech they give puts them that much closer to their own goals as well.

A limited budget means you’ll also need to start your search for a speaker as early as possible and remain flexible until you’ve reached a deal.

A few other things to consider when booking a keynote speaker

Much like buying other services way in advance (i.e. airfares, hotels), if you’re able to book a keynote speaker way in advance, you have the opportunity to save a fair amount of money.  If you host an annual conference, a smart move may be to book your speaker this year for next year’s event.  You’ll only need to pay a deposit in most cases of 25-50%, and you could realize significant savings before a speaker’s fees go up.

Another key is making sure you use a reputable speakers bureau.  This is where doing your homework comes in.

What is a speakers bureau?

A speakers bureau is a company that specializes in aggregating keynote speakers across various topics and connecting them with speaking event opportunities.

Each bureau is paid a fee by each speaker they place for an event.

Using a speakers bureau makes things very easy!

Find a speakers bureau who will not tack on additional expenses such as a commission on top of the standard speaker’s fee they charge.  There is typically no extra cost to a client who purchases or books a speaker through a speaker’s bureau, because the speaker pays a fee to the bureau for the referral.

Look for a bureau who is willing to be flexible based on the date of your event, the location and what your budget can really stand. 

Most every keynote speaker has at least one other professional career, especially those charging under $5,000, and you can use “ulterior motives” as a bargaining chip that may help you reduce monetary fees. 

Sometimes it may be possible for a broker at a bureau to string together a series of speaking engagements for a keynote speaker and this could lead to a reduced fee.  Also consider where a keynote speaker lives.  If it’s convenient for the speaker to travel 50 miles instead of 3,000 miles, this might allow for some flexibility as well. 

Guest speakers may be keynote speakers as well, but they can also be used alongside a keynote speaker. Often, the keynote speaker will do a talk and is then followed by another guest speaker. The keynote speaker is usually also the most important speaker and may therefore cost more than most guest speakers.

Best keynote speakers for 2022

Here are some additional resources you can tap to help you find the best keynote speaker for your event in 2022 and beyond:

Nicole Kalil (Top Pick)

Teri Griege

Vicki Hamilton

Liv Ryan

Nicole Kalil

Dan O’Brien

Kaleb Thornhill

Lisa Corona

Conclusion

Finding affordable top keynote speakers isn’t hard if you know where to look (we know where to look), the hard part is finding the right speaker for your audience.

We can guarantee you placement with an incredible speaker for $5,000 or less that will absolutely amaze your audience and drive impactful change to your organization.

If you would like our help finding a keynote speaker, we would be happy to discuss your event details and pair you with any of the great speakers in our vast network.