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What I Learned From BlogHer16

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This past weekend I traveled from Atlanta to Los Angeles, California for the BlogHer16 conference with Samantha!  There were keynote speakers such as Kim Kardashian West, Sheryl Crow, Mayim Bialik, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and so many others.  Special appearances by some of the cast of 90210 and my childhood crush Freddie Prinze Jr., and my favorite YouTube star Kandee Johnson. There were breakout sessions during the day where you could learn about things like writing a book, affiliate networks, passive income from your blog, blogging, vlogging, and making youtube content.  There was a huge expo room with rows and rows of different brands so you could actually introduce yourself, meet them in person, and get to know them and more about what they’re looking for.  There were even sponsored events and after parties that brands like McDonalds and Staples hosted.

My main takeaway is that blogging is a lot like working from home for a company.  If you don’t feel apart of the group then you won’t be motivated. If you don’t feel like you’re part of the team you’re less likely to excel. If your job doesn’t have conferences that bring the entire company together then you’re bound to feel alone and it gets hard to see the big picture.  The blogging community is the exact same.  Yes you probably have blog friends (some most you’ve never actually met in person) but if you don’t see the blogging community as a whole then you’ll most likely feel less driven and maybe even a tad bit lost.

freddie prinze jr

kandee johnson

Some days blogging is hard.  Some days you have writers block or feel like you want to give up.  It’s hard because you have to be self motivated and a self starter if you want to make it.  You’re alone at home blogging.  That’s why the number one piece of advice I give to people is to get a “blog bestie” that you can bounce ideas around with, price check, and share tips.  The conference was like that on steroids.  There were over 3,000 some odd bloggers in attendance.  You could feel the passion and motivation from so many people.  Some had been in the game for 11 years and some had just started so this was the perfect opportunity to meet anyone you wanted.  Yes it was aggressive but it was so worth it!  It’s your job while you’re there to meet as many people as you can and soak up as much knowledge and motivation as possible so you can make it working alone from home.

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It’s so nice to be around creative like minded people.  Think about it.  You want to talk about your blog but who do you have to talk to?  Who really understands what you’re doing?  Who can really help you?  The only answer is other bloggers and luckily this conference was packed with them!

Want to make the most out of your next blog conference or networking event?  Here are my top tips for bloggers!

Tips for BlogHer and any blogger conference:

  1. Check your ego at the door.  You’re there to learn.  You always have room for improvement.  So ask questions. A lot of them! To anyone and everyone… and take notes!
  2. Network. Go to the events. Bring a ton of business cards and hand them out to everyone; brands, businesses, and other bloggers.
  3. Be outgoing.  When you sit down at a table or walk into a room introduce yourself.  This one seems obvious but you’d be surprised.  This is the reason you’re there so do it.
  4. Leave room in your suitcase. Not only room but weight.  If your suitcase is full then make sure to pack an empty carry on in your suitcase for the way home.  You’ll have a lot of swag – A LOT!
  5. Follow up.  Make sure to follow up with everyone you met.  Not only via email but on social media also!  What’s the point in meeting all these awesome brands and bloggers if you don’t follow up.

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BlogHer16 was 3 days of jam packed information.  And I mean jammed.  If there was one thing I could change it would be that.  Every session had a great panel and the speakers were sharing super valuable information so I would have liked to attend more of those.  The way the schedule was set up was there were 4 break out sessions happening at once which as you know is physically impossible to attend all of them and I really wanted to!  Next year I would love it if they were spread out so we could attend more.  And a break goes a long way.

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We live streamed a few of the keynote speakers so head to our Facebook to catch those!  I will say the best speaker goes to Mayim Bialik!  She actually gave useful advice that you can relate to.  The other speakers, Kim Kardashian included, only talked about themselves and lets be honest, if I wanted more of Kim I’d just watch KUWTD!  I would have liked if the interviewer would have asked questions about their brand and social media strategy. Something that I could apply to myself and my business.

Regardless, I took away SO much information!  Like a ton and different ways to make money right now!  And met some amazing other bloggers in the mean time.  I can’t wait to keep in touch with everyone and apply everything I learned!