This year has brought with it a flurry of blog events and they’ve ranged from weird to wonderful. I have a love/hate relationship with blog events. While I like my social calendar to be overflowing with exiting outings, that giddy feeling is always little offset with nervous energy and thoughts like will I know anyone, will they like me, do I measure up? That being said, where else can you meet the faces behind your favourite blogs and sip champagne with people you never dreamed you would meet. Because of my blog I’ve met some wonderful people from Lulu Guinness to David Gandy and if nothing else, blog events are a great opportunity to hand out those business cards you paid an arm and a leg for. I feel that there has been a switch of late when it comes to events, rather than a free for all where you will see every blogger in your city, events are becoming more intimate where you might be seated with a handful of bloggers with more one on one opportunities to make an impression with a brand or a PR. This year alone I’ve been down to London for the Aspinal presentation, been chocolate tasting on a yacht with Zchocolat and enjoyed an intimate blogger dinner with Taylor Morris, Dine Venues and Show Beauty. I thought I’d whip up a post about navigating the world of blog events and press days, what to take with you, who to take with you and tips on going alone. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
Be Selective
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the six years I’ve been blogging it’s that not every blog event is right for you even if you’ve been handpicked to attend. Some events don’t fit your brand, some are expensive to get to and some are a down right waste of time. If I had a pound for every time I’ve turned up to an event only to awkwardly sway from foot to foot awkwardly with a glass of prosecco in my hand, snapped a few photos and run for the hills, I’d be richer than J-LO. In the first couple of years, the excitement of getting a lovely invite by email and the promise of getting an all exclusive first look at a brand’s new collection was too much and I’d be booking my train tickets in a heartbeat. I’m much more selective with the invites I accept these days and my bank likes me better too. Distinguish what type of event it is. If it’s a drop in kind of event where you will no doubt eat a few canapes and sink a glass of prosecco or two, you might be better off asking the PR for a few high res images if you want to feature the collection on your blog rather than traipse down to London with your Canon. I learned the hard way. I once spent a whole day at a murder mystery lunch only to leave with a bag of absolute shite flyers, a cookie and a discount code, did 18000 steps around the HQ of a wallpaper factory to leave with a roll of wallpaper and a catalogue and spent the whole day in Manchester at a travel event only to leave with an aeroplane shaped biscuit and a face full of glitter. I could go on. I tend to avoid mass blogger events where the whole world has been invited unless it is a brand I adore, like Benefit. You might have been picked because of your location or your audience but if it’s a brand that doesn’t feel very you, it’s ok to politely decline.
Be On Brand
Another simple way to decide whether a blog event is for you is to weigh up whether or not it complements your blog and its readership. Would you wear it? Would you recommend it to a friend? Does it complement your niche? My niche is luxury and therefore you won’t catch me at an event hosted by a budget friendly brand, not because there is anything wrong with budget friendly brands, the chances are my readers won’t want to read about it. Don’t just think of yourself when it comes to blog events. Would your readers really be interested in a food event if you predominantly blog about fashion? If your audience is aged between 25 and 35 will they care about the latest Model’s Own nail varnish? So, I ask myself, would my readers care about this? If it’s a luxury haircare brand the answer is absolutely, if it’s an event about a new juicer, then probably not.
Get Social
A great way to pass the time on your way to an event is to get an idea of the guest list. Usually there will be an event hashtag that you can search for on Twitter so see which fellow bloggers are attending. This makes it a lot less daunting if you see a few familiar faces. It also means you can interact with fellow bloggers before you even enter the building. Going on your own to an event can be really daunting, so many bloggers have told me that they actually ask for a list of attendees to avoid that awkward you can’t sit with us moments that can happen from time to time. On the most part, everyone is usually in the same boat so make sure you speak to one person and you never know, you could make a new friend. I’ve met some wonderful people through blogging, you just have to have the courage to say hi.
Ask for travel expenses
This is kind of a controversial question. If you really want to attend an event but shelling out hundreds of pounds on a last minute train ticket is out of the question, don’t be afraid to ask the PR if the brand will cover your travel expenses. The worst they can say is no. I usually cover my own expenses unless it involves really last minute train tickets. There is no harm in asking the PR what the protocol is with covering expenses.
What to Take With You
- Your Business Cards
- Your Camera
- Your Confidence
- Your Networking Skills
How to get invited to blogger events
If you are wondering how bloggers get on a PR’s radar, it mostly comes down to your presence on social media. I’m part of a Facebook group where bloggers in my area post about events they are going to and Pr’s scout for bloggers to invite. I also keep my eye out for local events that may be advertised on Twitter. Search Twitter for PR companies that are based in your city and connect with them via social media. A well-timed introductory email with your media pack attached wouldn’t hurt either. This is a simple way to get noticed and forge a relationship.
Is Blogging it Essential?
This is a tough one. I always try to give the events I go to a mention on my blog if not a whole post dedicated to them if I’ve enjoyed the event or I think my readers would be interested in the product launches but if it’s just a press day or a drop in event I might just document it on my social accounts. It really is up to you but many brands and pr companies do host events with the goals of getting coverage and if you fail to do so you may not be invited back.
I think even if you’ve been to hundreds of events, the blogosphere is forever changing so you will always be out of your comfort zone at times. You might just get comfortable with blog events and press events but then have to navigate your very first press tip abroad or one to one meeting with a PR. I remember the first press day I attended, it was a Lulu Guinness press day in London and while I had been to events before this was the first one I had been to alone. The invite said 1pm-4pm and naively I thought this meant that I would be at the press day for 3 full hours. Let’s all laugh together. Little did I know that press events are just like an open house that you can drop in at a time to suit you, sip a glass of prosecco, liaise with the brand/pr, snap a few photos and be on your merry way. I was there for 20 minutes. I remember looking at the new collection having no idea what was expected from me and nervously eating a macaroon or two being very aware that Lulu herself was sat mere feet away chatting to one of my favourite bloggers Liberty London Girl. I muttered my thanks to Lulu and left with a lovely little card wallet. You can see the post here from back in 2012 here if you want to have a good old laugh at the photography. The thing is, if you aren’t surrounded by more experienced bloggers you have no one to tell you how the land lies. So, I hope you’ve enjoyed my little post about blog events and I hope to see you at one in the future.
