How to Become a Speaker and Thought Leader as a Black Woman Professional
If you have ever sat in a conference audience or watched a panel discussion and found yourself wondering when you would be invited to speak on those stages. You know that you have what it takes but you’ve never put yourself out there enough to be open to the opportunity to speak and on top of that those spaces in your industry may already not make it easy for someone who looks like you to be included. The professional speaking circuit and thought leadership space has long been dominated by a narrow demographic and even though progress is being made, Black women professionals and entrepreneurs still have to navigate additional layers due to discrimination and racism when building visibility and authority in their industries. It’s not easy - you’ve heard the term “pale, male and stale” and this is one of the reasons why I wanted to write this piece to help those who are often side-lined to see what’s possible for them.
Before you can build thought leadership, it is worth being clear about what the term actually means in practice. Thought leadership is not simply about having opinions or posting frequently on LinkedIn. It is about consistently offering a perspective that is informed by genuine expertise and communicated in a way that moves people to think differently or take action whilst also be compounded by your lived experience. As a Black woman professional or entrepreneur, your thought leadership will be most powerful when it sits at the intersection of your professional knowledge and your authentic point of view. You should not feel like you need to sanitise your perspective to make it palatable to a mainstream audience. In fact, the most compelling thought leaders are those who bring a specific, dynamic lens to the work they do and that specificity is often where your greatest competitive advantage lies.
One of the most common mistakes people make when trying to establish themselves as thought leaders is trying to speak to everything. The most effective way to build a reputation as a speaker is to become known for something specific, which is why I am so passionate about personal branding. Start by identifying the intersection of what you know deeply, what you care about passionately and what your target audience genuinely needs to hear. This does not mean you can never talk about anything else but having a clear area of focus makes it far easier for event organisers, journalists, podcast hosts and potential collaborators to understand what you bring to the table and why they should invite you into the conversation. Take time to write down the three to five topics where you have both hard-won knowledge and a distinctive perspective and let those form the core of your thought leadership positioning. I want to encourage you to really reflect on these topics and though you do not have to be confined by them it is important to use them as your foundation to growth.
Visibility is built before most people ever see you on a stage. In the digital age, your content is your calling card and creating consistent and relevant content is one of the most powerful things you can do to establish credibility as a thought leader. This might mean writing long-form articles on LinkedIn, posting videos on YouTube, sharing messages on instagram, publishing a newsletter, starting a podcast, contributing opinion pieces to industry publications or creating short-form video content on tiktok that showcases your expertise. Whatever format suits your style and your audience, the key is consistency and depth. What will set you apart is content that challenges assumptions, introduces new ideas and new ways of thinking or tells stories that your audience has not heard before. Also keep in mind that search engines and AI tools reward content that demonstrates expertise and authority so writing with substance and specificity will also improve your discoverability over time.
Every seasoned speaker started somewhere so whilst you may have a dream to speak at big events do not underestimate the power of speaking at local networking events, community panels, industry meetups, webinars, internal company presentations or even organising your own events if you’re an entrepreneur. These smaller opportunities are where you build your confidence, refine your material, test what resonates with audiences and begin gathering the social proof that will open doors to larger stages. I would recommend that you proactively reach out to event organisers and conference committees with a clear speaker pitch that outlines your topic, the value your talk delivers to their audience and a brief biography that highlights your credentials. Having a speaker page on your website, a one-page speaker bio, and ideally a short video reel of you speaking will make it significantly easier for organisers to say yes. Make it easy for the right people to find you and understand immediately why you are the right choice for whatever event it is that they are organising.
It is essential to acknowledge the real barriers that Black women professionals and entrepreneurs encounter when building visibility as speakers and thought leaders. You may find yourself being asked to speak for free more often than your peers. You may be invited to panels specifically because organisers want to demonstrate diversity without being given the same level of promotion, compensation or follow-up opportunities across your industry as other speakers. You may face assumptions about your expertise that require you to work harder to establish your credibility in a room. You may deal with microaggressions, tokenism and the exhausting expectation that you should always be willing to educate others about race and identity as part of your unpaid labour. You already know that this exists but I want to encourage you and not scare you - you can still accomplish everything that you set out to accomplish regardless of the above; it may be harder but it is not impossible.
Speaking is a professional service and you deserve to be paid for it. One of the most important things you can do as you build your profile is to get comfortable talking about your speaking fee and to increase that fee as your profile grows. Research what speakers at your level of experience and expertise are charging and use that as a benchmark. There will always be opportunities where speaking for free makes strategic sense, such as high-visibility conferences that will significantly expand your audience or events aligned with causes you deeply care about. However, making a habit of working for free devalues your expertise and sets an unhelpful precedent. So make sure that you build a clear policy around when you speak for free and when you require a fee and communicate that with confidence. Your time and intellectual contribution have value and you are under no obligation to discount them simply because someone asks you to.
Thought leadership does not happen in isolation. The speakers and experts who sustain long careers are those who invest in genuine relationships with peers, mentors, collaborators and within their own communities. Seek out other Black women who are building their profiles as speakers and thought leaders, because collaboration is far more powerful than competition.
Look for mentors who have navigated the spaces you are trying to enter and who can offer practical guidance - you might find that those people aren’t geographically available to you so follow them on social media and learn from them. Engage authentically with your online communities where your target audience gathers. All of this relationship-building takes time but it can and will become a network that actively supports and amplifies your work in ways that no amount of solo effort can replicate.
Your personal brand as a speaker and thought leader is the sum total of how people experience you across every platform that they find you online so invest in making sure that you show up consistently and as you are. Your social media profiles should reflect your areas of expertise and give people a genuine sense of your personality and perspective. Invest in good photography because visuals matter in this industry. Consider what you want people to feel and think when they encounter your brand online and build everything around that intention. A strong and clear speaker brand makes it easier for the right opportunities to find you, and makes it harder for people to overlook or underestimate you.
Media coverage is one of the most powerful accelerants for thought leadership and it is entirely within your reach. Start by identifying the publications and media outlets that your target audience reads and listens to and begin building a list of editors, journalists and hosts who cover topics relevant to your expertise. Craft thoughtful, specific pitches that explain clearly why their audience would benefit from hearing your perspective and try to stay relevant to hot topics within your industry. Do not be discouraged if you do not hear back immediately, it’s ok to follow up but it’s not ok to give up on your goal entirely (you might have to change direction but don’t give up).
Building genuine thought leadership and a sustainable speaking career is not something that happens overnight. It requires patience and a willingness to keep showing up even when progress feels slow. The most important thing you can do is to stay committed to growing your knowledge and refining your ideas. Read widely, stay curious, engage with the debates happening in your field and keep challenging yourself to think more deeply. Celebrate your milestones along the way, whether that is your first paid speaking engagement, your first feature in a major publication or simply the first time a follower sends you a DM and tells you that something you wrote or said changed the way they think.
The speaking and thought leadership space is better and distinctly more useful when Black women are visible within it. You have to believe that your voice has the power to shift conversations and open minds; that it can create pathways of opportunity for the women coming behind you. The path forward requires strategy and resilience and you will have to advocate for yourself even when the systems around you are not always designed with you in mind. However it is definitely a path that is absolutely available to you and I believe that it is one worth walking even if the journey is challenging. Start where you are, use what you have, believe in your message and commit to showing up for yourself with the same energy and dedication you bring to everything else you do.
If you would like to be supported along your journey do not hesitate to get in touch.
Are you a professional speaker who’s ready to stand out in a crowded market? Have you just started your public speaking journey and want to ensure that you maximise your potential? Have you been speaking for a while but feel stagnated? Do you want to attract more bookings, increase your speaking fees and grow your influence? This popular 5 week coaching programme is for you.
Over the course of 5 weeks we will clearly identify your public speaking goals and develop a strategy to achieve these goals and achieve results. We will work on building an authentic personal brand that reflects your unique voice, story and values. I will show you how to position yourself as an authority in your niche, crafting a compelling signature message that resonates with audiences and event organisers. We will also look at tactics that you can use to optimise your online presence and attract more speaking engagements and opportunities that align with your mission with or without a speakers bureau representing you.
What is included:
30 minute pre-session mapping or post 5 week debrief call
5 x 60 minute sessions
Working document and strategy framework
Each week we will cover the following areas:
Week 1: How to clarify your personal brand identity: Unearthing your story, defining your purpose and discover what sets you apart.
Week 2: Crafting brand messages: Developing signature talks that connect with audiences. We will practice tone and deliver style.
Week 3: Visual & verbal branding: Align your visuals, tone of voice and style across platforms for instant recognition. We will also identify which key creative elements need work i.e. photography, styling etc.
Week 4: Polish your digital presence: Audit and upgrade your website, LinkedIn, speaker profile and online bio.
Week 5: Build visibility & get booked: Strategies to pitch yourself, build credibility and attract speaking gigs with ease.
Clients who prefer face to face sessions will meet at a location in the royal docks area of East London or a location of your choice subject to covering travel expenses.