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6 things to do after a blogging conference

May 16, 2020 by Jill 7 Comments

If you’ve ever been to a blogging conference – or any sort of conference –  you’re probably familiar with the term “conference hangover.” You spend a couple of jam-packed days soaking up new information and connecting with new people.  It’s OK to need some time to unplug or take a mental rest after a blogging conference but before you do a complete mind dump, do these things.

This post was updated in May 2020.

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Table of Contents

  • 6 things to do after a blogging conference
  • 1. Organize your notes and photos
  • 2. Make a plan
  • 3. Connect and Follow Up
  • 4. Evaluate your business cards
  • 5. Thank the organizers
  • 6. Save the date

6 things to do after a blogging conference

Here’s a list of six things to do after a blogging conference that will keep the momentum rolling forward and help you get the very best out of your conference experience for months to come.

1. Organize your notes and photos

Whether you took notes the old-fashioned way or used a computer, go back and re-read them within a few days of the conference.  Something you scribbled down while you were furiously trying to keep up with the great stuff the presenter was giving may not make sense if you read it next week.

Check out my favorite notebook available on Etsy – perfect for notetaking!

I take notes by hand but I like to go back later and type them out.  I can expand on thoughts and ideas that I had while taking notes (because I still remember) and I can also re-order things and more effectively organize them into topical lists.

I also like to go through all the photos I took during the conference.  I delete the fuzzy, out-of-focus photo fails where everyone’s head was chopped off, pick out what I might want to save for future blog posts and what pictures I need to tag and share with the cool people I met at the conference. I also take pictures of programs or menus that have things I want to remember later, so I’ll usually go back and incorporate that into my notes as well.

If you like a bound note taker or journal, here’s another one I love.

You will find yourself constantly snapping pictures during a blog conference. Going through your photos quickly after a conference will jog your memory about important stuff, like why you deemed it necessary to take 17 pictures of nachos.

Take a minute to save, tag and delete – and don’t forget to appropriately name the pictures you save for future use. Hint:  name the nacho picture something like ‘nacho picture.’

2. Make a plan

Hopefully, you’ll walk away from a blogging conference with information you can use to make your blog better. 

I usually start formulating lists of what I want to do when I’m taking notes at a blogging conference but I like to break out a post-conference list of things I want to accomplish and rough out a time line. It helps me to break things out into different categories, such as skills development, social media trends, sponsorships, etc. 

If you have something on your list that might have big impact, prioritize so that you do those things first.  For example, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re going to want to remedy that quick.  A

But seriously, the amount of information you get at a blogging conference is overwhelming.  If you try to implement all the great stuff right away, you’re probably going to burn out or drive yourself crazy. I definitely find it helpful to have a timeline. 

3. Connect and Follow Up

Exchanging business cards is a thing at blogging conferences. But what to do with all of those new connections? 

I go through my stack of cards post-conference and divide them into two piles. One pile is sponsors or people I want to work with in some capacity. The other pile is for other bloggers or creatives. First, I go through and I follow all the social media profiles of people or businesses I want to partner with in the future. Next, I go through and follow all the social profiles of bloggers I met that I’d like to follow. I don’t believe in follow for follow or that you have to follow someone on Twitter just because you had a 30-second conversation with them in an elevator but if their profile interests you or if you see value in keeping up with that person, hit follow. 

I also send emails within two weeks of ending my trip. I keep these emails very brief – I mention where/how we met and tell them I enjoyed meeting them. If I promised to send them something – such as links to published writing or a media kit – then I do that. If we’d discussed a particular project or collaboration, I mention that in the email. 

4. Evaluate your business cards

When you’re going through that stack of business cards, chances are you’re going to see styles and designs you really like (or really don’t like.)

I’m a big believer in using what I have and not spending money unless I have to but if you’ve given out a large amount of business cards at a conference and you need to replenish, take some time and see if you want to change it up.

I have ordered from both Moo and Vista Print…check both websites and compare pricing. Both usually have specials. You can also check out business cards on Etsy – it’s an opportunity to shop small and support a maker.

Related: The five things that are always in my travel bag

5. Thank the organizers

Putting on a conference is no joke. Working with a venue, lining up speakers, all of the nerdy, technical stuff to stay on top of and just being “on” for the duration of the conference to make sure the attendees are happy and taken care of…and probably lots of stuff I wouldn’t even know about or understand.

Organizing a blogging conference is hard but saying thank you is easy. In today’s social media driven world, you can easily run down how to contact the people who put on your conference.  Reach out.  Thank them.

If you’re asked for feedback, be honest.  If you’re being asked to rate your experience its because they want to make it better for you next time.  And speaking up next time…

6. Save the date

Often, the follow-on conference is announced toward the end of the conference. If so, mark your calendars so you can attend next year and build on what you learned. If the specifics aren’t firmed up, there’s a website and probably a Facebook group you can reference to get updates.

So, hopefully these are post-conference tips you can use to help you get the most out of your experience.  If there’s something you found useful that’s not on my list, don’t be shy!

Do you have a favorite blogging conference? Mine is TBEX – Travel Bloggers Exchange. 

Related: Ultimate Disney Parks Packing List – FREE PRINTABLE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


7 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jenn says

    June 29, 2015 at 11:07 pm

    We stayed an extra night – which I’m so glad we did because my brain was on overload and we had so much fun!

    I can’t wait to sort through (and print out) all my notes tomorrow!!!

    Reply
  2. Colleen Pence says

    June 29, 2015 at 11:34 pm

    These are such great tips, Jill. I do need to re-read and organize my notes. I’m glad we finally met in person! And that last shot of your tuckered out boy is precious. That sums up how I felt after AdventureCon – worn out, but so happy.

    Reply
  3. Leigh Ann says

    June 30, 2015 at 5:12 am

    I was so sad to miss AdventureCon this year! It’s such a great group of bloggers and people. Looks like you had a wonderful time!

    Reply
  4. Carrie Leonard says

    June 30, 2015 at 7:09 am

    Way to go, Jill! As a new blogger, I’m still dizzy from everything I took in at AdventureCon. I think now I’ll just breathe, pin this post, and march forward step by step. Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Fran Stephenson says

    July 6, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    This is a great list! Thanks for sharing. Earlier in June I attended an industry conference. I didn’t expand on my notes that I took there and when I went back to try and take those things and turn them into blog topics or advice for my clients, they were illegible. Wish I had transposed my notes right after that conference. It is REALLY important for brain retention too. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Jill says

      July 10, 2015 at 9:12 pm

      Thank YOU Fran! It was a pleasure to hear you speak and I learned a ton from you!

      Reply

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  1. September Periscope Challenge • Ripped Jeans & Bifocals says:
    September 9, 2015 at 6:01 am

    […] went to a blogging conference in June…you can click HERE to read more about it. In a nutshell, it’s a small invitation only conference hosted by Sea World […]

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All About Jill

I'm a digital content creator and essayist who copes with parenting and most other situations with humor and snark. Just so you know, if this weren't the internet, I'd be smiling awkwardly and answering simple questions like "How are you today" with gems like "I like pockets."

I really do love pockets, though.

I spent 26 years in the USAF, which went by really, really fast. I'm very proud of my service but I'm loving my second act even more. Writing gives me the opportunity to flex my creative muscles and that's what makes me happy. Welcome.

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I saw a lot of posts about Martin Luther King yesterday when I was doing my scrolls through social media...on a day where I wasn't supposed to be ON social media, ahem. We hear and see a lot of Dr. King's words and quotes one day a year. So, instead of apologizing for posting this "a day late" I'll share that I'm challenging myself to remember some of these important words more than one day a year.

Our kids are watching us right now. I mean...they're always watching us but I think what they see in these times is more important than ever. Nuturing our kids' intelligence and character is more important than ever. My kids are 10 now - this picture is about four years old - and they are absorbing EVERYTHING we say, how we say it and even what we don't say. 

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Here’s something you’ve probably never seen be Here’s something you’ve probably never seen before: my bottom teeth.
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I always hide my crooked bottom teeth in pictures and I’m super self-conscious when I talk. So I did something about it.
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I wore braces as a kid and my top teeth are straight but my bottom teeth are shifting and one tooth is traveling into the back of my mouth and I have some crowding. My orthodontist said it’s very unusual to put braces on just half your mouth but my bite is still aligned so they didn’t have to put them on my top teeth - my wallet is thankful.
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Little things can really be big - do you agree? M Little things can really be big - do you agree?

My husband gets up with our kids twice a week and does their breakfast and morning routine and takes them to school so I can sleep in. I don't laze away the morning in bed - it usually amounts to about an extra hour of sleep for me and a little more peace and quiet as I start my day. 

This probably seems like a little thing but this is huge for me. The mental benefits of not having to set my alarm on a schoolday is truly my love language. I would rather have sleep than flowers or presents. 

On those morning where my husband takes my kids to school, I will inevitably find the kitchen not "just so." There will be spills on the table or something that didn't get put away. I resist the urge to be sarcastic or to ask "Um, is there a reason we have four boxes of cereal just sitting on the counter?" or point out that it would take less than 30 seconds to wipe a tabletop or put a box back on the shelf. I resist saying stuff like "I guess if I want it done a certain way, I have to do it myself." I don't even say that to myself. 

My husband isn't "doing me a favor" by taking care of our kids. When I talked about being stressed and tired during an argument last year, he offered to take some things off my plate and giving me two mornings where I don't have to set an alarm was one of his ideas. It's part of the give and take of marriage and even though it makes me clench a little when I see spilled milk or stuff that hasn't put away, I appreciate having a partner who shares the load with me. 

My marriage definitely is not perfect and I'm in no position to give relationship advice. But for us, this one little thing is a really big deal. 

And, as I've recently discovered, a cereal box can sit on the counter for several days and the world doesn't explode. Who knew.

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Anyone else having massive “This time last year” moments?
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2020 started out so fine. We extended our kids’ winter break to take them on a Disney Cruise- no better reason than that, amiright- and I was excited about all the Disney Cruise blog posts I was going to write. Disney Cruises are (errr...were?) one of the most searched terms on my website and how a lot of people found me.
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