Although IDS12 showcased loads of amazing designs and products, it was the people and the constant flow of information that impressed me the most. When you’re surrounded by friendly, talented, generous people, you just can't help but come away with renewed inspiration and drive. That’s what happened to me after attending BlogPodium.
L to R: Shauna Levy (IDS director), Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault, Jennifer Flores, Kimberley Seldon x 2, Kate Moore, Margot Austin
BlogPodium images by Jason Hudson
Conversation, collaboration, connection… At BlogPodium, we believe in the power of conversation (after all, isn’t that what a blog is all about?). We will bring bloggers and industry experts from shelter magazines, design television, and social media together to talk – because great things can happen when we do!
Excerpt from BlogPodium Mission Statement
Jennifer Flores of Rambling Renovators and Lindsay Stephenson of Little House Blog founded BlogPodium in the Fall of 2011, and the inaugural BlogPodium conference was hosted by IDS on Trade Day. Registration was sold out in two weeks, and I’m sure everyone in attendance walked away with all sorts of ideas floating around in their minds!
BlogPodium image by Jason Hudson
The BlogPodium panel consisted of five beautiful & talented ladies:
Over the course of 1-1/2 hours, they shared fantastic insight into how to be a great blogger, how to connect with the media, how to pitch your ideas, and they answered questions from the audience. The three key messages that were repeated by all panel members (as well as speakers at other events over the weekend):
authenticity. branding. consistency.
authenticity
Use your original voice – Stand out from the crowd and be yourself. Tell your readers about who you are, what you love, and what you’re passionate about. Include a picture of yourself on your blog, show your personal work, and write about your take on things. If you love a room, describe what it is about the room that you love. Spot and share trends and explain why you like them. Blogging is about content and engaging your readers – have fun and don’t be too earnest. And always be YOU!
Image via …the Media of Eden
branding
Send a clear message with your blog – Find your niche, and then stay focused. Brian Gluckstein provided a great example of branding at the Canadian Design Blogger Meetup (here I am talking about branding and I’m already changing my focus!) He told us that he was searching for 1970’s designers, and came across a blog that was all about famous designers broken down by decade. He found exactly what he was looking for right there in front of him – he didn’t have to search through the blog for a post here and there to find what he was looking for. That’s why branding is so important – give people exactly what they want, and they’ll keep coming back because they know that your blog will give it to them.
Image via Action Coaching
consistency
Stay on-topic – It can be tempting to share the recipe for the best double-chocolate fudge brownies that you’ve ever eaten, or to gush over the hot Chippendale dancers at the bachelorette party you went to last night. But if people read your blog to learn how to grout tiles and refinish an old cabinet, then that’s what you need to stick with. That’s not to say you can’t have fun writing about those topics (remember, authenticity!), but make sure you don’t stray away from what your readers expect when they read your blog. They’re reading your blog to learn something, so make sure you always give them what they’re looking for.
Image via If Stupid Was Illegal
How do I get noticed?
Most of us don’t get paid to blog. We do it because we love design and we enjoy writing and connecting with other bloggers who love design. But maybe we’re secretly hoping that our blogs will get us noticed and bring us fame & fortune! That’s not necessarily as far-fetched a possibility as you may think. Some bloggers have been able to develop careers through blogging, and a number of bloggers have been featured on TV and in magazines. But it doesn’t just happen – you have to get yourself noticed.
Decide what matters to you
- If you want to get clients through your blog, you have to include pictures of your work on your blog – people need to be able to assess your talent and skills.
- If your goal is to be on TV, include videos of you on your blog.
- If you want to be in print or online magazines, focus on your writing and pictures of your work.
Networking is key
Have a blog roll on your blog so that visitors to your blog can see what blogs interest and inspire you. Do guest posts for other bloggers that you like and admire. Don’t just offer to write a guest post – have a plan, tell the blogger what you want to write about and why it will be interesting to his or her readers. And ask other bloggers to guest post for you. Don’t be afraid to ask the big-name bloggers – the worst that can happen is that they say no. Just be sure to focus on bloggers who fit into the same niche as you.
How to make the pitch
Kate Moore at CityLine gets hundreds of pitches a year. She wants a pitch that’s short & sweet with your picture, your address, your bio, and show her what you represent and what you can do. She’s looking for someone who has a lot of passion and who can bring something to the show that nobody else can.
Image via CityLine
Margot Austin at House & Home wants to know who lives in the house, the designer, the problems that the designer had to overcome. Essentially, the full story behind the design. Make sure you’re pitching to the magazine that your room is the best fit for, and design your pitch for that specific magazine. And be resourceful – spend some time looking for the contact information for the right person at the magazine to send your pitch to.
Image via House & Home
And one last thing – remember when you’re blogging to always credit the source(s) for the images that you use. Really make an effort to include ALL credits, not only the source where you found the picture. The designer, the stager, the stylist, the home owner, and photographer all need to be credited too. I know it isn’t always possible to find all that information, and I admit I’m not as diligent about it as I could be. But I”m really going to make that extra effort from now on.
Source: House & Home Dec. 2010 | Designers: Barbara Purdy & Olivia Botrie | Photographer: Michael Graydon
The next BlogPodium conference is taking place May 2012 in Toronto. If you live in the GTA or can make the trip to Toronto to attend, I highly recommend it.
A huge thank you to everyone who made BlogPodium conference #1 such a great success!
Kompozicija by Piet Mondrian (1921) | image via The Indecisive Moment
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Image via Collectors Weekly
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