Discover methods for creating post conference blog posts that are worth reading! Utilize the topics of the conference to expand and share your knowledge. Your posts create resources on your website on relevant, trending topics, making it even more valuable.
Transcript:
Hi, I’m Jen Miller your host on Be Seen Blogging, the podcast where you get ideas, tips and tricks on ways to improve your website content in under 10 minutes. On episode #15, today’s episode, we are going to cover the Importance of Post Conference Blog Posts.
If you have your own website, chances are that you are pretty involved in your cause, group, industry or business. As such, you likely attend conferences, summits, Meetups or some other type of influential get-together. Writing about these on your blog can be a golden opportunity. Why? you ask. Because they show that you were in the right place at the right time, they demonstrate that you are ever-learning and that you care and want to excel in your field. Plus, conference bring new speakers, topics and keywords into your world… and your website.
A conference may spark several blog posts – however even one will build your authority and provide new keywords for which your website can be seen.
What are the important elements to include in this type of blog post? Photos and a recap in your words. Don’t quote the program on inline description, show up to the workshops and listen to the speakers. Tweet out comments you like so you can reference them later or take notes. AND get a picture or multiples photos from the presentations, of you with fellow attendees or of anything you feel will add color and enthusiasm to your blog post.
Make sure you have permission to include the photo before taking it to protect yourself from future issues. This applies to video as well.
Before going to the conference – schedule out time to write the post – whether it’s later that night or the next day. Do not let too much time pass or you start to lose relevancy and interest.
At the conference listen in for related materials you might want to add to your post – slide decks, websites and other resources. When taking photos, try to position yourself so that the room looks well-represented. If you can’t see an audience, your readers might wonder if people really showed up.
Speaking of that, if a keynote speaker shares statistics you find valuable such as the number of people in attendance, write about them! And ask someone in the room what they thought of the talk, people love to be quoted and it adds authenticity to your post as well. Before publishing, check social media profiles and hashtags used for the event – you may find other great material that can be added as links in your own post.
As far as what to write – that depends on your note taking abilities. Great notes make for great posts. Share your experience or aha moments as it relates to the topic. Share ideas you may have overheard in the group discussion.
Above all share interesting material.
No one really wants to know the speaker lineup after the event is over – what they want to know is the most valuable information gained. You may find that asking a question of the speaker following the talk brings you unique content and if so, sprinkle that in as well.
I recently spoke at a WordPress event in Orange County and I loved having people approach me afterwards with questions, comments and gratitude and seeing others share their experience on social media. You can bet I will remember those people! So don’t be intimidated! I know you’ll have the same experience when you reach out to speakers at your conferences, too.
As a recap, Pick your top 5 highlights and any other that keep coming to mind and only write about those. Remember that sideline conversations and rehashed overused topics provide little value to your reader.
Consider embedding a survey or poll in your post to find out what people learned in other sessions. You can do this using your own form with solutions like jotform or wufoo or if you have WordPress website there are a variety of plugins you can use,es. like Gravity Forms or Caldera Forms. I’ve even seen people use services such as Survey Monkey to collect such information.
The idea is to generate interest – to get people talking and responding to your post. When you start the conversation, you become a resource.
I hope that listening to Be Seen Blogging has helped you to become that resource – whether to your readers or to your team. I’m Jen Miller and I’m excited to share tidbits of what I do everyday with you, all in under 10 minutes. Please review the iTunes and let me know that I am adding value for you. Thank you. Talk to you next week!
Jen Miller has been writing since she was a child and spent her early career years soaking up all the information she could discover as a journalist of newspapers and magazines. Getting out the message and spreading truth has always been a high priority for Jen. Jen began writing website content for clients in 1996 and started blogging in 2008 for Today.com. That experience created a love for the blog and she has been an avid blogger ever since. Today she writes for her clients on a variety of topics as a ghostwriter/ghostblogger and connects their messages with personality through social media to deliver the most impact possible.
