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Speech Writer

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Entering a career as a speech writer is a perfect way for individuals with a love of language to make money doing what they love.

They use their natural abilities for creating engaging written or verbal content to the benefit of a client or employer.

What is a Speech Writer?

A speech writer is someone that will prepare speeches and write or edit various talking points for a wide variety of applications.

They can work for political officials, large corporations, public relations firms or executives, and more.

What is a Speech Writer Called?

Someone who works as a speech writer is called just that, a speech writer. Sometimes they may be referred to by more generic terms such as author, commentator, copywriter, critic, diarist, editor, or biographer

Most of these are less accurate when the individual is working purely as a speech writer, however.

What Does a Speech Writer Do?

A professional speech writer can work in nearly any industry and can help people of all types and goals to deliver their messages clearly and concisely.

Work Opportunities in the Speech Writer Industry

image showing a person performing a speech that was written by a speech writer

Speech Writer Job Description

A speech writer is professionally tasked with creating near-perfect communications.

Depending on their employer and the scope of the organization, they may be responsible for additional duties as well.

They are all responsible for having strong writing and editing skills, which also encompass grammar and spelling.

They need to deliver messages that are not only coherent and understandable, but that also evoke some sort of emotional response in the party receiving the message.

They must also research material that is in the speech that needs to be accurate, rarely are they provided with the material or statistics they need to have their writing reach its full potential.

Top Speech Writer Jobs and Careers

Executive Speech Writer

Senior Speech Writer

Political Speech Writer

Where Can a Speech Writer Work?

An effective speechwriter can find work with almost any organization.

Large corporations need speech writers to create executive communications, small organizations need speech writers to create grant requests and public communications, politicians need speech writers to create just about everything they say in public, and even educational and religious facilities need a speech writing service for various tasks.

The right person can become a comedy writer, wedding speech writer, or freelance writer of graduation speech and retirement speech content.

Some can even create op-eds for the New York Times or the Washington Post.

Current Career Job Openings

If you have an interest in pursuing a career as a speech writer, take a look at some of these current job openings.

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What It’s Like to be a Speech Writer

Is Being a Speech Writer Hard?

Being a speech writer can be difficult.

It often requires a college degree, or substantial professional experience in place of a degree, which is something that isn’t easy to get.

It can also involve a lot of traveling and “damage control” in the political sphere.

Is a Speech Writer Job Stressful?

A speech writer working for a controversial politician may find their work to be relatively stressful.

On the other hand, a speech writer working for a large corporation writing press release content for products may find their work to be incredibly simple and even mundane.

Common Speech Writer Work Day

Many modern speech writers are remote workers and freelancers, so they can work relatively efficiently without leaving their living room.

If they work in a team, they will usually hold relatively standard office hours, but if they work alone they have the freedom to write at any time of the day or night.

The average workday will depend heavily on where the speechwriter is employed.

Speech Writer Tasks & Duties

In addition to simply writing the content they are tasked with, many speech writers have additional duties that are interwoven with their writing.

These duties can include:

  • Public & media relations
  • Internal communications and memorandums
  • Crisis management or “damage control”
  • Social media curation
  • Marketing consultation
  • Research
  • Interviewing when needed

Speech Writer Work Hours & Schedule

The hours and schedule of the average speechwriter can vary tremendously since most are self-employed.

Those that work on deadlines may be writing and researching intermittently or constantly.

Those that are employed by conventional companies will generally find that they are working the typical “9 to 5” workday.

Some speech writers are on-call 24-hours a day.

President George W Bush, President Ronald Reagan, President Barack Obama, and just about every other president of the United States in modern era has had a team of writers that provide content for public speaking.

Speech Writer Dress Code

There is no standard dress code for a speech writer.

Any dress code that is imposed will be imposed by the employer of the speech writer.

Does This Career Field Embrace Work/Life Balance?

Many speech writers are freelancers, so they will enjoy a considerable work/life balance.

A speech writer that works for an employer, however, will only have as much balance as they allow.

Do Speech Writers Make Good Money?

A speech writer makes surprisingly good money compared to other occupations.

The pay will depend significantly on who the speech writer works for, as well as what industry they are in.

How Much Do Speech Writers Make?

The median pay for a speech writer is reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to be $69.510.

The median for all other occupations is about $45,750, and while the bottom 10% of speech writers make less than $38,500, the top 10% make more than $133,580.

Overview of the Speech Writer Industry

image showing a speech writer working on a speech for a client

Speech Writer Field: Career Progression

Most people will start their journey to becoming a speech writer by volunteering after they graduate.

Some may find their niche right away, while others may need to volunteer for several organizations or companies before finding where they want to work.

Eventually, once you have a degree and enough experience you will be able to find steady work as a speech writer.

Is a Speech Writer a Good Career?

For individuals that love writing, persuading others with their writing, or eliciting emotional responses with their writing, becoming a speech writer could be a great career.

Speech Writer Job Outlook

The job outlook for a speech writer, and similar media and communication writers is several points higher than the national average for all occupations of 8%.

The job growth for speech writers is expected to grow by 11% between 2020 and 2030.

Each year there are expected to be more than 15,000 job openings from people leaving the workforce or changing professions.

Demand for Speech Writers

The demand for speech writers is not expected to diminish any time soon.

Companies and the political sphere are going to generate significant demand for speech writers.

There will also be additional demand from individuals and smaller organizations that need informative speech content written for them.

Speech Writer Facts

  • Political speech writers are often portrayed either as puppetmasters, or vigorous note-takers and receivers of dictations
  • Many speech writers will go on to write novels of their time in politics
  • 68% of all speech writers are considered self-employed, with the next largest category being professional, scientific, or technical speech writers being 9% of all writers

Jobs Related to Speech Writer

There are many jobs related to the field of speech writing, many overlapping the skillset required for this position.

Executive Speech Writer for CEO

This position is where a speech writer uses their skills to help the CEO of a particular organization communicate internally and externally.

Public School District Speech Writer

A speech writer working for a public school district will primarily see themselves working on major addresses to district faculty or parents, or they may be tasked with putting out brief remarks about daily happenings or meeting minutes.

Executive Speech Writer

General speech writers for executive teams can help with internal and external communications, as well as with courting investors and other similar opportunities.

Other related jobs include:

Requirements, Skills, and Education Required for Speech Writers

a speech writer in the process of writing a speech

Who Should Consider a Speech Writer Career Path?

The ideal candidate to become a speech writer is someone with a passion for language and crafting with that language.

Who Should NOT Consider a Speech Writer Career Path?

Someone with difficulties with spelling, grammar, or creating writing that is coherent and conveys a message easily is not someone that should consider a career as a speech writer.

Is it Hard to Become a Speech Writer?

It can be a relatively challenging field to break into, particularly if there is little experience and a lack of volunteer exposure.

What Do I Need to Become a Speech Writer?

You will need a degree in some sort of language arts, as well as a passion for creating effective messages or speeches.

Requirements for Becoming a Speech Writer

You will need a solid command of the language you’ll be writing in, as well as sufficient professional experience often gained by volunteer work.

What Skills Does a Speech Writer Need?

A speech writer needs excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work under a deadline.

What Education Does a Speech Writer Need?

A speech writer needs a bachelor’s degree in language arts, like communication, journalism, or literature.

Can You Become a Speech Writer Without a Degree?

While some organizations may take professional experience instead of a degree, the general education requirement is a 4-year degree.

What Experience Does a Speech Writer Need?

There is no set amount of experience required, but you will need to demonstrate your proficiency in writing speeches that people use to great effect.

Speech Writer Education & Schooling

image showing a speech class learning how to become a speech writer

Speech Writer Education & Schooling

While there aren’t many educational options specific to becoming a speech writer, some programs will help an aspiring writer on their journey.

What is Taught in a Speech Writer Course?

Advanced grammar, delivery, presentation, and composition are commonly taught in a speech writer course.

How Long Does a Speech Writer Course Take?

In most cases, a speech writing course will be a single semester-long.

Speech Writer Education Options and Degree Programs

There are no degrees that specialize in speech writing, but you can obtain a bachelor’s degree that will help you with speech writing work.

Bachelor’s Degree

The most commonly-sought bachelor’s degrees for speech writers are those that deal with language.

Communications degrees, journalism degrees, and degrees in English literature are some of the most common choices.

Master’s Degree

For those that choose to obtain advanced degrees such as a master’s, it can only increase your employability.

Your master’s degree will be in the same major as your bachelor’s degree.

Schools for Speech Writers

There are no specialized schools for becoming a speech writer.

Steps to Become a Speech Writer

The first step to becoming a speech writer is to figure out what you want to write, and for whom.

Some individuals stick to journalism, while others may gravitate towards political writing.

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to go to school, because you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in journalism, speech communication, or English literature.

Having a degree will also make you more employable on paper.

If your school offers a speech writing class, take it, and any advanced levels of that course that are offered.

To get your foot in the door with almost any industry, you should do some volunteer work, such as volunteering speech writing for political campaigns and elections.

Network and put yourself out there to create contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions

image showing a person giving a speech written by a speech writer

What is the format of speech writing?

In nearly all applications of speech writing, there will be a consistent format that consists of an introduction, primary content, and a conclusion.

Do speech writers compare with speech writing apps?

Not even close.

Most apps use AI to develop more natural-sounding language, but it still cannot compare with the human touch and emotion that a professional speech writer can create.

Wrapping Up

People that find it easy to not only convey a coherent story but can also create written pieces incredibly quickly may find significant benefits in becoming speech writers.

There is such a wide variety of speech writing fields to enter that you can almost write about anything you love.

If you have a talent for creating engaging writing and persuasive speech, becoming a speech writer could be perfect for you.

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