When was the last time you looked at your speaker kit images?
When was the last time you looked at your speaker kit images?
If it’s been a while, it may be time for a check up - here’s why :)
During a recent speaker event, I came across something that shocked and horrified me.
While walking through the halls of the convention center to get to the ballroom where the keynote was being held, I walked past a banner promoting the presentation.
In addition to the Association logo and other text, the banner also had a BIG picture of the speaker plastered right in the middle.
At first, I thought I was headed in the wrong direction because the person in that photo looked nothing like my client.
Upon further investigation, turns out I was in the right place…
…but the photo WAS ALL KINDS OF WRONG.
Oh, the photo was her, that’s for sure - but it was a version of her from 15 YEARS AGO.
No. No. NO!
I immediately b-lined to her backstage and mentioned what I saw. She admitted that it’s been many years since she updated her speaker kit with the promotional photos she uses for presentations and other media and podcast appearances.
Uh huh, you don’t say? :)
It was at that point that I reminded her of the importance of her photos representing how she looks when she walks on stage TODAY.
She agreed.
The next thing we did was immediately schedule a portrait session after her keynote so that we can clean up those clearly outdated, speaker kit images.
Now, if you’re wondering what exactly constitutes a comprehensive collection of speaker kit images, here’s an example from one of my clients:
Horizontal Headshot
Vertical Headshots
Wider Portraits + Author Photo
Speaking Photos
Let’s take a closer look at each element found within the speaker kit portfolio of images:
Horizontal Headshot
Tightly framed image from the top of the head to the top of the chest. These are a standard for speaker kits - as well as everywhere else throughout your online presence.
Vertical Headshots
As an alternative to the horizontal variety, this image affords meeting planners and podcast hosts a level of creative flexibility when building their graphics and printed elements to help promote the talk or appearance.
Wider portraits
In addition to the headshots, your speaker kit greatly benefits from a series of portraits that go beyond that of highlighting your facial expression.
These images have a lot of negative space in the frame, which gives meeting planners and podcast design teams the option of incorporating graphical and branding elements right on the photo.
Author photo
If you have a book on sale, that means you’ll be out and about promoting that book. So, a portrait of you holding the book is a great asset to have in your back pocket fr those specific appearances.
Speaking Photos
Action photos of you doing your thing, whether in person and/or virtually, is also a key element to your speaker kit. These types of images offer an alternative to the traditional, look-into-the-camera-and-smile, portraits that are used for many speaker engagements and media appearances. They illustrate you at the height of your superpowers, after all.
Now, there are some general rules that span across the entire speaker kit, regardless of the type of photo:
1 - Offer a variety of facial expressions that illustrate various aspects of your personality. For example, while a big smiling photo might make sense for one purpose, it may be totally inappropriate for another opportunity. Give them options to ensure a smooth process for properly promoting your speaking engagement or media appearance.
2 - When it comes to clothing, wear outfits that you’d wear when you’re client-facing. After all, your photos are meant to represent how you’ll look when you walk into the room or appear on screen, so dress accordingly.
When you amass a portfolio of speaker kit images that cover all your bases and looks exactly like the way you look TODAY, you’ll avoid any embarrassing or misleading marketing materials being created on your behalf.
Remember, you don’t want to give anyone a reason to not trust you; and if you offer promotional photos that were created 3 Presidential administrations ago, that’s a BIG red flag.
If you need help determining whether your speaker kit is in need of a refresh, I’m here to help.
Schedule a call with me to look over what you have and let’s see if we need to do some work together to get it where you want it to be.