If you’re considering a career in the public speaking industry, you could have a very exciting and lucrative future ahead of you. 

A professional speaker’s average annual income is in the six-figure range, with many individuals earning even more as they branch out into consulting, books, webinars, and more. But before you can begin working your way up in the industry, you’ll first need to build a solid foundation of experience, skill, and personal branding.  

So, what’s the best way to do that? The answer might just surprise you. 

Podcasting: A Smart Step for a Speaker-in-the-Making

Recording a podcast is an excellent way to strengthen both your public speaking skills and future career prospects. If you’re wondering how podcasting in an empty recording studio could possibly compare to delivering a speech to a packed audience, there are more similarities between the two than you might think. In fact, most public speakers tend to make outstanding podcasters, primarily because there are so many meaningful connections between the two. 

Learning the art of audio recording a podcast can be the perfect complement to your future career as a public speaker in more ways than one. In fact, in today’s digital age, it might just be one of the best ways to break into a competitive and ever-evolving industry.

Let’s take a closer look at how podcasting can help pave a path towards a future as a successful professional public speaker. 

Photo credit: LightField Studios, shutterstock

Recording a podcast is a great practice tool.

Of course, live and recorded speech have some significant differences, but they both require many of the same skills. As a result, podcasting can be an outstanding way to practice your public speaking skills without actually taking the stage. 

When you consider that it’s much easier to find time to record than it is to host multiple speaking gigs per week, it makes perfect sense that many speakers use podcasting for practice. Even when you don’t have a live audience at your disposal, recording can still offer hours of speaking practice. 

Additionally, when you’re podcasting about a topic that you plan to cover in a live talk, you’re bound to become a better expert on the subject – which is always a plus. You’ll have the ability to learn the content even more thoroughly, which will make your live presentation that much more successful. 

Because podcasting and public speaking necessitate many of the same skills, each time you record, you’ll be getting valuable, hands-on practice with:

• Maintaining your composure while speaking, even if you misspeak 
• Proper pacing
• Staying focused on the topic at hand
• Minimizing unnecessary filler words
• Developing a professional tone of voice and breaking bad habits
• Learning proper microphone technique 
• Good enunciation 

And the learning opportunities don’t end after you’ve finished recording; in fact, they’ve only just begun. Your podcast can serve as a teaching tool for refining your speaking skills, helping you pinpoint exactly how you need to refine your delivery or wording. As you listen back to each recording, you can gain perspective from the “other side” of the stage.

With a podcast, you can work on developing your personal brand.

One of the most important (and most challenging) aspects of becoming a public speaker is establishing your brand. In other words, “who” are you as a speaker, and what exactly are you bringing to the stage?

For example, many public speakers have made a name for themselves as experts on a specific topic such as motivation, professional or personal development, or goal-setting. Not only are they an authority on the subject, but they become their subject – in the form of their unique personal brand.

At this point in the early stages of your career, you might not have thought about what you want your personal brand to be. But now, you have the ideal way to develop that brand: via podcasting. As you learn more about how to be a podcaster, you can begin to discover what you might want your future brand to be. Don’t be afraid to infuse your recording sessions with your authentic personality because staying true to yourself will only benefit your career in the future. 

You can use your podcast as a method to market your public speaking.

Do you have a favorite podcast? If you do, you already know the feeling of looking forward to a new episode every week or every few days and the excitement of learning that a host you love is working on a new project. 

In this way, podcasts can be a great marketing tool, especially if you hope to reach the next level of your public speaking career. Consistent and regular recordings can open up your audience considerably, taking your message beyond your company, Toastmasters club, or school and enabling you to reach a global audience. With a podcast, you can reach just about anybody, anywhere – for anyone that wants to get a competitive edge in the fast-paced industry, there are few better routes to success. 

When one of your podcasting goals is to market yourself and your brand, consistency is key. You don’t necessarily have to record and release an episode every day; instead, weekly or bi-weekly is more than enough as long as you stick to a steady schedule. New and dedicated listeners will know when they can expect new content from you, making it more likely that they’ll follow your podcast closely. 

In addition to deciding how to create a podcasting schedule, you’ll also need to tackle content and format. Avoid taking the easy route and simply recording the talks you’ve already delivered to a live audience because that’s unlikely to engage a podcast audience. You might want to consider partnering with a co-host, making it easier to create an interesting dynamic.

Learn How to Podcast Like a Professional 

For anyone that’s envisioned themselves as a professional public speaker, the future possibilities are virtually limitless. A job as a public speaker can take many different forms: from working as a motivational speaker to building a career as a voiceover actor, you can truly create a career that suits you. And one of the best ways to get started in public speaking is podcasting – but don’t be too surprised if you end up discovering that becoming a podcaster ends up becoming one of your new career interests!

Whether you’re interested in exploring the many career paths within the media industry or you already know exactly where you want to go, the Media Schools of Miami, Colorado, Illinois, and Ohio should be where you begin. With several campus locations nationwide, our U.S. media schools offer a broad range of study tracks to cater to your unique passions, talents, and dreams. 

Students in our audio production and broadcasting programs learn the practical skills to get started in the industry, all while honing their creativity and personal style along the way. A combination of hands-on training and course content creates an exceptional balance of learning opportunities, helping students build confidence in their abilities and talents. When you graduate, you’ll be ready to achieve your most exciting professional goals.

Learn more about how podcasting can be a gateway to professional speaking – and a career in media – by joining one of our degree programs today.