Tips for Attending a Blog Conference

“I was sponsored by Taste of Home to attend the BYBC and was asked to write a review about the conference in return. All opinions are my own.”

Thinking about going to a Blog Conference? Freaking out a little? Wondering what to wear and what to bring? Don’t know what to expect? Well, I was right there with you a year ago when I attended my first Blog Conference. I was so nervous and wondered if I really would learn anything new. I’m going to share some tips with you so you’ll know what to expect and what to bring with you. You’ll have so much fun!

Are you a new or seasoned blogger? Either way you’ll want to attend the Build Your Blog Conference. It’s put on by The Blogger Network and Six Sisters Stuff. Both amazing companies that I love! The famous Six Sisters and their parents always attend and love to talk to everyone and share their knowledge. This is one of my favorite blog conferences. It takes place in Salt Lake City Utah surrounded by the most beautiful mountains and rich history. You should really stay an extra day just to go sight seeing.

A lot of people have the misconception that Build Your Blog conference is only for beginning bloggers, but that’s not true at all. They have all levels of classes to choose from. The problem is that I want to attend every class. But they’ve solved that by recording each class and offering them as videos for attendees after the conference is over. So if you are going to a blog conference and can’t decide on what classes to attend, be sure to ask them if the classes will be recorded and are available afterward. That will make your life easier. This year at the Build Your Blog Conference, I had a friend come with me. She attended one class and I attended another, then we shared notes.

Now, on to my tips for attending a blog conference.

1. Making friends is easy. I guarantee there will be bloggers there that have no friends with them and are looking for someone to talk to. So make friends and share notes. We are all in the same boat here. We all have similar interests. You will make friends really easily at a blog conference so don’t be shy, just go sit by someone and ask them about their blog. You will be instant friends with a lot to talk about.

2. Bring a notebook with you and use your phone camera. I know there will be a lot of people that may disagree with me, but I don’t bring my laptop with me to classes. I also don’t bring my DSLR unless I know I’ll need good pictures of something for a sponsorship. I don’t really like the clickety clack of someone typing a million miles an our taking notes. I’m sorry but that’s really annoying when you are trying to concentrate. So I write notes in my notebook and take pictures of the slides from the class with my phone camera (on silent of course). I love taking pictures of the slides rather than trying to write down every single thing they are saying. That way I can pay attention better and not get behind. Be sure to bring your phone charger with you. Usually you will have to plug it in during a class. I have a new phone and didn’t have to do that this year, but last year I did with my old phone.

3. Bring a lot of business cards. You will want to be able to hand them out to all your new friends. Especially other bloggers who are in your same niche. You will want to connect with them after the blog conference. I have a special pocket in my purse for the bloggers cards who I would like to connect with after the conference. Usually the conference will have a business card table for you to add your stack of business cards to so everyone can grab one. Make sure your business card is good quality. I love to use VistaPrint or Moo. Use bright colors and a nice headshot of you along with your logo, web site url, social media sites urls and email address. I also have pens made with my logo that I pass out to everyone. I like giving out useful things. They will use that pen for a while after the blog conference when my business cards are long forgotten. Here is what my business card looks like:

4. Dress comfortably. Unless you’re a fashion blogger and glammed out to the tips of your toes, you don’t need to look like a model to attend a Blog Conference. Make sure you look nice, but PLEASE dress comfortably. You’ll be walking around a LOT and sitting a LOT. No one want’s tight jeans digging into their tummies while sitting in a class. And NO ONE wants blisters on their feet. Trust me. You can dress cute and still be comfortable. Here is an example of what I would wear to a blog conference and what I expect most people would be dressed like. But who want’s to be like everyone else? 😉

5. Bring snacks, gum or breath mints and water. You never know if you’ll get hungry before they serve lunch or dinner, so it’s always a good idea to have some healthy snacks in your bag. You’ll need lot’s of water. Especially since you might be traveling to a higher elevation. You don’t want headaches from altitude sickness. Drinking water can help with that. And gum and breath mints are a must since you’ll be talking so much with new friends.

6. Bring a few media kits. A media kit is a single paper that tells a sponsor or company about yourself, your blog and your stats. Here is the Six Sister’s single page media kit for your inspiration. Mine looks a bit like theirs. Here is their example of a multiple page media kit. I didn’t hand out any media kits this year. I decided to not mess around with them and decided to send them to the companies via email after the conference. Each blog conference has sponsors that are looking for blogs to share their products. They want to sponsor posts on your blog. They want you to contact them.

7. Put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to make new friends. Don’t be afraid to talk to a sponsor that you would love doing a post for. Have a conversation with them about your blog and why you think it would be a good fit for their product. You are worth gold to your peers and companies because we all share each other’s content which brings traffic to our blogs. After the conference set up networks with other bloggers. Set up schedules for sharing each other’s content. Contact the sponsors that are a good fit for your blog and propose a partnership with them . Set a fee you would charge for sponsored posts, tell them what kind of post you would create with their products, and sell yourself. You can check out some of my sponsored posts HERE. I rarely do a “review” of a product. Instead I incorporate a product into a real, helpful post. These are ideas sponsors are looking for.

The Build Your Blog Conference was so great this year! I learned so much and I’m still working on incorporating everything I’ve learned into my blogging business. This year’s highlight was the Taste of Home Trends class. I really enjoyed learning about the new food trends and how to decide what kind of recipes to post during different times of the year.

I’m also starting a Pod Cast soon after attending the pod casting class, I was inspired to get my microphone, and it came in the mail yesterday. I’m so excited! Will you listen to me? Thanks! I’ll need moral support 😉

I loved the Food Photography class and I’m incorporating her ideas into my props collection. I loved her ideas on what she uses for staging her pictures.

I learned so much from the iBlog presentation and the “How to read and analyze your data” class put on by The Blogger Network. I’ve fixed a lot of things on my blog that were driving traffic away from me.

Above all, treat your blog like a business, not a hobby. Your time is worth payment. You need to get yourself out there and be heard and seen by companies, and Blog Conferences are where it all starts. You’ll build life long partnerships with other bloggers and companies that will help your blog grow to it’s potential.

What blog conferences are you planning on attending this year?

Tips for Attending a Blog Conference

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