Rachel MacDonald

* Steph from Lipstick & Cake, Bree from The Blog Stylist, Darren Rowse from Problogger (I’m sure you all know him!) and some random chick from In Spaces Between, this awesome site you should tell EVERYONE about. Ha!

As I mentioned in Part I of my Problogger event recap, I loved my trip to Melbourne last week (for lots of reasons) and I wanted to share some of the highlights from the Problogger event and the lessons I learned that will hopefully be of benefit to you if you have a blog of your own.

I want to preface these points by saying that I believe a lot of the time, when you’re passionate about something, you’ve probably already read stacks of books and researched your little heart out online on that topic, but there’s something about attending a conference or workshop and interacting with like-minded people that really helps your motivation levels soar. Even if you only walk away with one great idea to implement or a new perspective on something, the event has been worthwhile in my opinion. That said, I walked away with a boatload of knowledge this time, and most importantly, a group of new bloggy friends, which in my eyes = total success!

Here are some of the points from the speakers that really stood out for me:

1. Unleash Your Passion

 

When you’re passionate about your blog, you attract passionate readers. People remember stories and how they make them feel. These can be your own personal stories or case studies or interviews (other people’s stories). In his talk about ‘Blogging from the Heart,’ Darren talked about the personal posts he had done on his blog that went on to become immensely popular. Videos are also an effective way to connect with your readers.

Aim to solve a problem in your readers’ life. Inspire people to go on a hunt for for information, be playful, surprise your readers, write in your own style and most of all, be really useful.

2. Think Business

 

If you want your blog to be a business, treat it like one. You can do so by:

1. Identifying your goals – where do you want your blog to take you? Is it simply a creative outlet – a place to document your thoughts – or do you want to eventually make money/ land a speaking gig/ consult for clients/ write a book?

2. Creating reader profiles – I love this idea. Grab a piece of paper and have a think about who your ‘ideal reader’ is (use a photo if it helps you visualise them better). Detail what they like, what kinds of things they do/ buy/ wear/ eat. Get clear on who you’re targetting.

3. Branding – what do you want people to say about your blog?

4. Defining your call to action – what do you want people to do when they visit your site?

5. Research – get in touch with your most loyal readers and get inside their heads. What do they love about your site? What would they like to see more of? These are the types of readers you want more of, so find out what’s doing it for them (or not).

6. Structured content – I do this here with Blogs to Bookmark every Tuesday and Making Me Happy every Wednesday. This is content you’ll always find on my site each week and the structure keeps me on track because I know that 2 out of 4 (or 5) days are accounted for. This may not fit with your free-flowing, write when the mood strikes posting style, which is fine but it can be a great way to keep people coming back for more and build participation levels. I’m assuming this is because people start to feel more “comfortable” with commenting on a post that they see others commenting on regularly.

7. Biz cards – go for well-designed regular ones, or if you want to do something fun and different, take a leaf out of Danimezza’s book and make up some cute badges and stick them to your business card. I got one from her that said “I’m totally going to blog about this.” Cute!

8. Network – attend events, plan blogger meet ups in your city.

9. And one from me: Think about your “elevator pitch” – although I think the term elevator pitch is a touch wanky, there’s merit in having a concise statement that answers the inevitable “So, what’s your blog about?” question. My blog is quite hard to define given that it’s not focused on one particular niche (covering inspiration across the board, from beauty to weddings, health and fitness and personal development and more) so my take-away from the event is that I need to work on summarising all that into a statement that is short, snappy, succinct.

3. Establish a Presence

 

1. Comment on other blogs – regularly. Lady Melbourne said in the early days she’d visit up to 50 blogs a day and leave a comment, which is bloody impressive to say the least.

2. Email other bloggers personally and ask if they’d consider adding you to their blog roll – I actually didn’t know if this was du jour these days, but well, everything helps so give it a go! I think the key is emailing the blogger rather than leaving an “Add me to your blogroll!” plea in their comments.

3. Make YouTube videos.

4. Regarding traditional media, Lucy from The Design Files said that some editors are supportive but because blogs are so prevalent these days, you need to be doing something newsworthy (eg: running a pop up shop, launching an e-book/ book).

5. Create shareable content. Take a look at the posts by other bloggers that get lots of comments or retweets and apply that formula to your own content. List posts are winners!

4. Think About Planning Editorial 

 

If you have something you’re promoting and you want to bring attention to it – an eBook is a good example – start talking about it ahead of time. Give readers snippets, generate discussion, ask for opinions on certain parts.

Also think about big events coming up (eg: Christmas) and start forward planning. WP Editorial Calendar is a fantastic widget for planning content.

Other Fun Stuff

 

+ Author of ‘The 4-Hour Work Week’ Tim Ferriss surprised us all on the day by dropping in and delivering a punchy speech. There were audible gasps.. and yes, I was one of the gaspers. His advice: “Very clearly define what success means to you.”

+ Pink hair was abundant.

+ You know those people that are hired for events to rev up the crowd? Potential career for Mrs Woog – she had everyone in stitches and I’m pretty sure she didn’t even think she was being funny. She just was.

+ And for a bunch more recaps on the event, there’s a full list over on Problogger.

+ All in all, a fantastic event that I’ll definitely go to again next year! What about you? Have you ever been to a blogging/ social media conference, and if so. what did you learn?

Images: 1. Trendhunter 2. You Are My Fave 3. Some E-cards 4. Emmas Blogg 5. GTV One

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Last Friday I attended my first blogging event and I loved it. It was actually the first conference I’ve (ever) been to where I thought time was going too quickly and where I wasn’t pretending to go to the bathroom at regular intervals so I could kill some time/ ring someone/ stretch/ have a micro-sleep/ eat something horrific from the vending machine/ get the hell out of there. Which obviously speaks volumes.

I’m going to break my wrap up of the event into two parts because I took A LOT of notes and I don’t to bombard you all too much, so I’ll kick off today by summarising the most important bits from the talk the inimitable Phoebe Montague of Lady Melbourne fame gave on ‘Monetising Your Blog.’

Before I start, can I just say Phoebe was one of the most engaging speakers I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. There were several breakout sessions throughout the day and the room was packed for hers, so in a limited timeframe Phoebe zoomed through her presentation with a whole lotta sass and a healthy dose of tough love. Her advice was it was insanely practical – she used real numbers, detailed her own stats and prices for advertising, and showed us her current media kit as an example. As a newbie blogger, I found this really helpful. There wasn’t ‘pie in the sky’ advice – it was realistic and actionable. The best part was seeing someone deliver their talk with conviction on a topic they are clearly very passionate about.

How to Make Moolah From Your Blog With Advertising

 

1. Build Your Audience First

This is a given, but if you’re asking yourself what that magic number of hits is that advertisers are looking for before spending money on your site, as a general rule, you’ll need at least 10,000 hits/ page views per month.

2. Get Your Network On

Walking into a crowded room by yourself and walking up to a stranger can be nerve-wracking. I get that. I actually did this on Thursday night at the Problogger event pre-drinks and the first person I met was Emma Merkas from $30 Date Night who totally took me under her wing and introduced me to a bunch of people, for which I’m extremely grateful. That’s the thing with networking though, everyone is in the same boat and that person you’re nervous to meet is probably nervous about meeting people sometimes too. As someone wise once said: “Get amongst it.”

The next step is to pimp your blog out, and not just at networking events. Anywhere. Get business cards made up with your URL, your Facebook page and your Twitter username (you might like to include your Instagram name or Pinterest profile as well). Always be ready to let people know that you have a blog and would love them to check it out. Phoebe made an awesome point when she said that no-one else is going to do it, it’s up to you. Your mum might tell the world about your blog but that’s about it. You need to be out there spreading the word. Amen.

3. Finding Advertisers and Responding To Emails From PR’s

Finding Advertisers

1. Look who is out there targeting and advertising on other blogs as they’ll have a better understanding of working with bloggers.
2. Go local.
3. Look at other bloggers – they may be willing to advertise on your site, especially if they have a store attached to their blog (EG: Etsy)
4. Cold call: email businesses/ brands and let them know you already use their product and would love to work together on a giveaway or build a mutually beneficial relationship.
5. Ad agencies like NuffNang in Australia, BlogHer or Google Ad networks can help you find advertisers and cut out a lot of the work – but remember you may lose some control over your content and you will be paid on a 30-90 day basis.

Working with PR Reps

1. Be extremely clear about what you will and won’t do from the outset.
2. Do not work for free.
3. Get used to saying no more than you say yes.
4. Answer every email.
5.  Be polite. If the brand isn’t the right fit for your blog and won’t add value for your readers respond by saying: “Dear X, Many thanks for considering me for your latest campaign. The XXXX looks gorgeous but it’s not the right fit for my audience. Many thanks for thinking of XXXX blog name. Warmest, Your Name.”
6. Think of all the added extras you can include – tweets, Facebook updates, newsletter mentions.

4. Developing A Killer Media Kit

Your media kit is designed to entice advertisers into advertising with you so ensure it looks as professional as possible. Hire a graphic designer and think about including the below:

1. Overview of  who you are and what your blog is about
2. Facts and Stats
3. Why You’ll Love {insert blog name}
4. Testimonials
5. As Seen In – include any press clippings
6. Rate Card At A Glance – see Lady Melbourne’s condensed rate card
7. Advertising Options
8. Terms and Conditions
9. Contact Details

5. Giveaways and Sponsored Posts

For giveaways on Lady Melbourne, Phoebe charges $150 (her fee), and says that the brand needs to provide her with the product (for testing) as well as the product for the winner. She also emphasised that the brand must send this product out to the winner and advises saying to the client that if they post overseas, they’ll get a better result overall.

For sponsored posts, Phoebe charges $1000 (for long posts) and she says to do them well you need to:

1. Write in your natural voice.
2. Include loads of pictures.
3. Be honest.
4. Be enthusiastic – but not fake.
5. Only take sponsored posts where you would use the product yourself – readers will see through it otherwise.
6. Ask “Can we add value for my readers?” by doing a giveaway/ providing an experience for them.

+ And that concludes my first wrap up! I hope you find this information useful. Let me know if you have any questions and be sure to check back for Part II of my Problogger Event wrap up later in the week.

+ Check out Part II of my recap.

Image: TW Collins

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