Debunking The Myth Of Small – My Alt Summit Recap

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Alt-Keynote-Sagmeister For a very long time I referred to myself as a small blogger. At 5’10”, not small in stature, but small in terms of my reach, my page views, etc. My friend Mary helped me switch my mindset, after repeatedly hearing me tell people that, and instead said, “You’re not small, just less well known.” Funny how just switching some words around can help you look at something in a different light.
alt Alt Summit was my third big blog conference I’ve attended, and so far it’s been my favorite. Partly because of the people and brands and panels that were there, but I think in large part because of how I now view myself and my work here. I no longer think of myself as small, and while I may not garner hundreds of thousands of page views a month, I now view my work as valid and I know there’s a place for me in this crazy world of blogging. What I mean is, for the first time, right in the middle of Alt Summit, I realized that if you’re doing solid work, then your work will get noticed, and people and brands will want to work with you. That’s not to say that our goal in its entirety should be just to get noticed and garner the attention of brands and others, but when you get some credit, it certainly helps to justify the amount of time we spend here, in our online spaces. A lot of people have asked if they should bother going to conferences, and if they’re really worth it, and some think they have to grow before they even can justify attending one, and to this I’d say, no matter what size of blogger you are, there is something to be gained by attending the right conference, as long as you’re willing to put in the work.

Blogging is very entrepreneurial in spirit, after all, we put our words, work, heart out there every day. And while it’s all fine and dandy to want to write or craft just for yourself, I think it’s safe to say that many of us, if not most, want our blog to go somewhere, anywhere. Attending Alt was a huge stretch for us, so I was hell bent on making the most out of it. Here are some of the greatest bits of wisdom I gained from the conference and and advice I can share with you. I’ll try to keep it short, as you know I have a tendency of getting verbose. brand Jasmine Star was my favorite speaker of the whole conference. Which brings me to point #1. Don’t attend a conference thinking you will love every single speaker and panel you attend, because you won’t, and if you think you will, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Even at a well respected conference like Alt, some speakers will just not bring it, and you’ll be leaving your panel thinking, “what in the hell?”

-Some takeaways from Jasmine’s talk on Building A Personal Brand: “Decide what success looks like for YOU.” I’ve never done that, but I need to write down each milestone I want to hit, and when (if) I do, I need to celebrate. I look back and there have been several times where I missed out on an opportunity to feel good about my accomplishments because I was so consumed about moving onto the next hurdle to tackle. Stop, and celebrate success.

-“I want to either attract you or repel you. I want you to love me or hate me.” While I don’t think I want anyone to really hate me, I do think I’m often way too worried about everyone liking me, and Jasmine encouraged us to reveal our truest, richest self, instead of just being vanilla.

-In the Advanced Blogging session, we were encouraged to create an editorial calendar for our content, because if not, our writing will be easily influenced by the last 10 blogs we’ve read. I like to be carefree and fly by the seat of my pants, but when I think of it this way, it is so ridiculously true! Without an editorial calendar, before we write a post we will be swayed to write like this, or photograph like that. Starting in February I’m creating a calendar.

-When asked if a “smaller” blogger should think about interning or contributing with a larger blogger (for free mind you), Helen Jane honestly responded and said “no.” She said that there is very little exposure you can’t get yourself, and to save your creative juice for developing your own brand.

Stefan Sagmeister was the keynote speaker at lunch the second day and this quote has continued to stick with me: “This life would have been much richer if I’d been willing to risk more.” alt-2 Now here are some practical tips and advice I can give: blue -Attend with intention. Go in with a plan. Create a lit of people you’d like to meet in person, or brands you want to introduce yourself to, and go for it. People are much more likely to remember you, be interested in you and want to work with you if they’ve met you in person and you made a good impression. So smile, be engaging and don’t ask for favors or pitch an idea straight away.

-I may get crap for this, but part of an impression has to do with your presentation. You don’t need to be a beauty queen or a fashion plate with designer shoes (believe me, no one notices that stuff), but take care and time with how you look, which will translate into how you feel. Plan out your outfits, wear what you will feel good and comfortable in, wear a cute piece of jewelry or some fun new shade of lipstick, heck even order some pretty cards. When women get nervous, and most of us are, we tend to lean on complimenting each other; “your cards are so cute, I love your pin, or that lipstick is great.” So give them something to work with first and foremost, and then you will win them over with your dazzling personality. Don’t roll your eyes at me, you know this is true.

-If a panel doesn’t look like it’s right for you, don’t be afraid to sneak out. Sit towards the back so you don’t look like a total jerk, but don’t be afraid to sit through an hour panel that will get you nowhere.

-Present yourself with confidence (no matter how “small” you are) and like you know what you’re doing, especially when meeting brands you’d like to collaborate with, but try not to come across as braggy.

-Remember, there is a place for all of us, whether “big” or “small”. Brands and fellow bloggers don’t want to just work with the huge bloggers. We all have our individual audiences and our reach isn’t any less valid than celebrity blogger’s reach. me -Don’t be shy! I know this is hard, but try to remember that beyond the panels and keynote speeches, the biggest thing to be gained from conferences is the networking opportunities. You do yourself no good at all if you sneak off to a hallway or your room in between every session. Set yourself small goals, and work up from there. Perhaps you will need to take anxiety breaks in between and sneak off to your room, but at least try and meet and talk to 5 new people each day you’re there. The first couple of hours of Alt were very nerve wracking for me, so at one point I snuck off to the bathroom and on the way back to my session I stopped at a photo booth and took pictures by myself. It sounds silly, but it really helped loosen me up. alt-3 If you have any specific questions about Alt, please let me know. Shoot me an email or leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to answer it honestly and knowledgeably. Sometimes I wonder how long all of this will last. Will we all still be here in 10 years? Who really knows, but for the mean time I’m going to enjoy this all as much as I can.

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*All photos with the exception of the photo booth pictures are from the Alt Flickr Photostream



Andrea is the founder of For The Love Of, a lifestyle blog dedicated to approachable, modern living. She writes about style, her love of DIY, and living a healthier life through wholesome, nutritious cooking. She is also a regular contributor at Babble. Get in touch: Facebook, Twitter You can find Andrea on Instagram @andreavhowe and @gwynethmademedoit

  • Xenia says:

    Its interesting you consider yourself a smaller blogger… you have the Disney Baby gig! Do you consider yourself a rising star or do you have a “figure” of what is a small blogger. I think you write good content and have an amazing blog, thanks for sharing and pushing that it isn’t all about having big numbers!

    • Andrea says:

      Xenia, it’s funny, and perhaps something I should reiterate in the post above, but I’m small in comparison to others who literally get hundreds of thousands of page views a month. But I no longer see myself as small because I have managed to get gigs like the Disney thing and have worked with some great brands. I think it’s all perspective and how you look at yourself, which will in turn change how others look at you.

      • Xenia says:

        Gotcha! I just always wonder if those pageviews are readers that genuinely love content or for whatever various reasons (I’ve seen a lot of negative attention)

        XOXO

  • I LOVE this recap!! I found myself reading bits and pieces of it aloud to Kyle in agreement!

  • kristen says:

    Very cool. Thanks for the recap. I, for one, love your blog.

  • i love that you have moved past being a “small blogger” because to be honest, sometimes i feel that way too but I need to realize that nothing we really ever do is small.

    I am considering going to alt in nyc… this blog post really has made me double consider it.. now i just need to fund it!

    • Andrea says:

      “nothing we ever really do is small” you are so right Erika! I have heard people say that for so long, but now I finally believe it!

  • This totally hit home with me! Can safely say I left feeling the same way. I may not have huge numbers but what I do has worth. So glad we met! Two peas in a pod 🙂 or three if we include the munchkin 😉

    • Andrea says:

      It definitely has worth, big time! I couldn’t agree more. I love that it has finally clicked for me. And it was so great to meet you and be in your class. I had a blast!

  • Tan says:

    Okay, I am so glad you feel the same way about not all teh panels hitting home! There were two I attended that just draaaagged because they weren’t as great as I expected or had no worth for me. Now I know next year to sneak out 😉

    • Andrea says:

      Yes, unfortunately I have been to 3 (4 if you include a smaller one I attended), and they all have some panels that are simply just lackluster. Totally feel free to sneak out next year if it’s not working. you pay good money to be there, you need to do what works for you!

  • Fran says:

    As a truly small blogger *wink*, I really appreciate this post. And I feel encouraged. I often feel intimidated by the great big bloggy world, and unsure what to do next. But somehow my blog-partner (my sis-in-law) and I just keep on posting because we love it and it’s a creative outlet for us. We’d love to see it grow into a “real” blog (I know, prolly not the best language to use), but for now it’s an authentic, little blog.

    Thanks!

    • Andrea says:

      plug, plug away my friend. I certainly did and for a couple of years I felt discouraged a bit, but I still loved it no matter what and that’s what kept me going. So glad I stuck with it because I finally see my hard work paying off!

  • Carly says:

    I completely agree …it is the mindset. I say that all the time…especially when I am talking with friends/friends of friends…I usually say, I have this itty bitty blog…I NEED to stop doing that because quite honestly, my blog is so much bigger than I ever thought it would be when I started out.

    Love the advice about not guest blogging for free..I learned this the hard way and thought contributing to blogs and brands for FREE as part of networking..I never got ANY traffic from them and often felt like vice versa..they were getting more from me….Since saying “no” to a few…my first PAID guest blogging gig came to fruition…

    Anyway..I haven’t been to a conference yet..been pregnant or they have been too far…but I REALLY want to make it happen for 2013.

    Loved the review. Thanks. All for now.
    C

    • Andrea says:

      It’s all about your mindset! and yes, your blog is quite large and very valid, you need to represent it for what it truly is!

  • Andrea says:

    Love your recap and it was so fun to follow along with all of the ALT happenings via instagram!

    Love your blog too!

  • Loved this recap! I’ve been to 3 now as well and it’s funny reading some of your advice and thinking back to how I acted… so much hit home. Also, little tidbit… I made a wedding cake the other year for a couple who hired Jasmine Star for their engagement session and then flew her out here for the wedding. I fell in love with her pictures! Here’s their engagement session. The bride is ridiculously gorgeous and I’ve done a couple more cakes (and Zumba classes) with her since then and she’s such a sweetheart. http://www.jasminestarblog.com/index.cfm?postID=926&los-angeles-engagement-marie-charlie

    • Andrea says:

      I’m glad you enjoyed the recap, and that is too funny about Jasmine! She seems to be quite a star in the wedding world!

  • Vicki says:

    I have just begun blogging and am not even imagining at this point of being “well known”. But in reading your post, it can happen if I put my mind to it. There is just so much info out there that it is actually a bit overwhelming and confusing! I’m currently just blogging in my spare time since I work full-time. But I am not that far from wanting to retire and I am thinking that this would be a fantastic thing to do full-time at that point. Thanks for the inspiration!!

    • Andrea says:

      It certainly does get overwhelming and for me what has helped is to just tackle one thing at a time, not all at once. Baby steps, even if it takes longer, if you don’t overwhelm yourself you’ll be happier for it in the long run.

  • Thanks for sharing these insights! I feel like I’ve learned so much already!

  • Such a GREAT recap! I am so jealous that you went…I am dying to go next year and making it happen for sure! xo

  • Alix Adams says:

    Andrea! It was so great meeting you at the Vivint dinner! I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed placenta talk ;). This post-baby body will find solace on your blog!
    xoxo
    Alix

    • Andrea says:

      Oh my gosh Alix I had so much fun meeting you, and dang girl, your business cards have shown up on about 4 recaps I’ve seen! Looking forward to keeping in touch 🙂

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