How Stuart Perry Nearly Doubled His Fees & Bookings in One Year

Speaking focus: Helping adults better understand and support children
Asset: Speaker demo reel / speaker sizzle reel

At a Glance: The Results

One year after launching his new speaker demo reel, Stuart's speaking business looks very different:

• Reached his first six-figure year as a professional speaker
• Doubled his average speaking fee from $4k to $7.5-8k
• Grew from roughly 12 bookings to approximately 20 bookings
• Landed two $15,000 engagements
• Spoke at his first three national conferences
• Expanded from a goal of three new states to speaking in nine new states
• Had the highest-grossing month of his speaking career
• Built a three-person team to help manage growing demand
• Started receiving interest from speaker agencies & bureaus
• Already has four full-fee engagements booked for next year

Stuart is clear about what changed.

His message didn't change. His speaking didn't suddenly change.

"The thing that really did start the shift... before I had any other people on my team, before I had a CRM, before anything else. The reel is what really started bringing the bookings in much more consistently."

The Challenge: "I Promise I'll Be Good"

When Stuart came to Outspeak, his speaking business was beginning to gain traction.

He finally had enough stage footage to create a professional speaker demo reel, although he admits the footage itself wasn't particularly strong.

His bigger problem was showing event planners what made him worth hiring.

Before the reel, his outreach essentially required planners to take his word for it.

As Stuart puts it, he was sending emails that amounted to:

"Hey, I promise I'm good."

He could send a full keynote, but asking a busy event planner to watch an entire presentation was a big ask. He needed something that could quickly communicate his message, personality and speaking style.

A Speaker Demo Reel That Became a Deciding Factor

After launching the reel, Stuart started hearing something different from event organizers.

Many told him directly that his speaker demo reel was a deciding factor in hiring him.

It gave planners a quick way to understand who Stuart was, what he stood for, and what they could expect if they put him in front of their audience.

That distinction matters because Stuart says the underlying product hadn't changed.

"My message did not change at all."

He was largely delivering the same keynotes and the same message. The difference was that planners could finally understand what they were buying before booking him.

Even when the reel doesn't immediately produce a booking, Stuart says it leads to more conversations. Planners who choose someone else regularly ask him to stay in touch for the following year.

When Planners Watch the Reel, They Respond

Stuart's team can actually see what happens after prospective clients receive his speaker reel.

They now use a CRM that tracks which links prospects click.

And one pattern stands out.

When someone clicks on Stuart's speaker reel, his team gets a response.

Sometimes the prospect books a call. Sometimes they make an offer without needing a call at all. Stuart says there have been very few cases where someone watched the reel and his team heard nothing afterward.

The reel isn't even heavily pushed in his outreach. It's simply linked in his email signature.

One organization in California specifically told him:

"We don't usually reply to these messages, but for some reason, I clicked on your speaker reel and I want to have a conversation about it."

Nearly Double the Fees and Nearly Double the Bookings

The financial change has been substantial.

When Stuart started speaking professionally, his average fee was considerably lower. Last year, he was typically being paid around $4,000 per engagement.

Today, his average booking is to $7,500-$8,000, with travel covered separately.

He's also started selling larger packages rather than simply delivering a one-hour keynote.

That has already led to two $15,000 engagements, including a conference package consisting of a keynote and two workshops and a full-day program for a childcare organization.
His booking volume has increased at the same time.

Stuart estimates he completed roughly 12 engagements the previous year. This year, he's on track for approximately 20.

His average fee has nearly doubled while his number of speaking engagements has increased by roughly two-thirds.

His First Six-Figure Year as a Speaker

Stuart entered the year with a specific goal:

Generate six figures from speaking.

He didn't just hit it. He exceeded it.

"This year has picked up great. It's my first six-figure year... that was my goal for this year, was to hit six figures, and I did that and exceeded it."

At the same time, the caliber and geographic reach of his engagements grew.

Stuart spoke at his first three national conferences and set a goal of speaking in three new states.

Instead, he reached nine new states.

One engagement even took him to Hawaii. The organization had previously seen Stuart at another event, and Stuart says he originally landed that first event because of his speaker reel.

From Doing Everything Himself to Building a Team

More bookings eventually created another problem: Stuart couldn't manage everything himself.

He now has three people helping with his speaking business, including managing inbound requests, outbound outreach and other administrative work.

Stuart traces the beginning of that growth back to the release of his speaker demo reel.

"All of that started to shift when the speaker reel came out."

The momentum is already carrying into next year.

As of September, Stuart has four engagements booked for next year at his full price point, considerably further ahead than he would normally be at this point in the year.

Getting Noticed by Speaking Bureaus

The reel has also started creating opportunities Stuart wasn't actively pursuing.

One speaker agency found Stuart through his reel on the Outspeak website and contacted him about representation. Yhe agency made an interesting comment during their conversations.

They normally create a new speaker reel for the speakers they represent.

With Stuart, they told him:

"Yours is set, so we don't even need to make you a new one."

More Revenue Gave Stuart More Choice

For Stuart, the growth isn't only about making more money.

His core message is "Bad kids don't exist." His work is focused on helping adults better understand and support children.

As his higher-paying speaking work has grown, Stuart has been able to intentionally reserve space for organizations doing work he cares deeply.

Instead of taking whatever work is available, he can make a conscious decision about which organizations he wants to support.

The Largest Investment He Had Made in His Speaking Business

Hiring Outspeak wasn't a small decision for Stuart.

At the time, his speaker demo reel was the largest investment he had ever made in his speaking business.

And Stuart describes himself as someone who is extremely careful with money.

His concern was simple:

"What if I spend all this money and then it doesn't come back?"

A year later, his answer is very different.

"It has skyrocketed my business beyond anything. I don't know that there is anything else I could have paid for that I would have gotten the ROI on."

With his first six-figure year behind him, Stuart says the speaker reel has "more than paid for itself."

Stuart's Advice to Other Professional Speakers

After a year of using his reel, Stuart doesn't hesitate when other speakers ask whether the investment is worth it.

"Definitely go for it. It is well worth it."

His advice is particularly relevant because he didn't begin the project with a library of perfect footage. Outspeak worked with what he had and handled the creative and editing process for him.

Stuart sent over his footage, joined a few conversations about the direction, provided some notes, and left the rest to the Outspeak team.

Today, he considers having a professional speaker demo reel essential for someone who wants to build a serious speaking business.

"If you are wanting to be a speaker, you have to have a reel."

For Stuart, the results speak for themselves.

A first six-figure year. Nearly double the average speaking fee. Two $15,000 engagements. Three national conferences. More bookings. Nine new states. A growing team. And a pipeline that's already filling for next year.

The speaking and message were already there.

The speaker demo reel gave planners a way to see it.