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If you’re attending a live event, creating a blog/vlog about your experience, can be a great way help you reflect on your experience and share what you’ve learned with your own audience.

But how do you put together a follow-up blog post? What should it include? How long should it be? And how can you make sure it's widely read and shared?

Read on and find out:

1. Plan your content

The best time to start working a follow up blog post is before you get to the event. Look at some some examples of post-event blog/vlogs. What do you like about the way the content is organised? How have they used different types of content e.g. written, visual, video?

Think about how you’re going to structure the content. Are you going to write a straight ‘review’ of each session as John Espirian did in this fab write up about You Are The Media 19 - in which case, plan to get pictures of all the speakers (ideally with you in them). You might prefer to write a more general review of the event as a whole as Jo-Anna Francis does in her blog - what's it's like to be on the other side - about ATOMICON 19.  You may even decide to write a preview piece setting out your intentions for the event, like lifestyle and craft blogger Eleanor Rae-Nickerson Smith’s preview of Blogtacular 2017 (in this case, you could write a follow-up post on how the event delivered on your expectations, as Eleanor does with her biggest Blogtacular takeaways). 

Decide if you’re going to create written, video or audio content - or a mix of all three (the latter is generally the most effective). But don’t stress about it; do what you can in the time you have available. If you’re planning to create a written blog post, a minimum of 1000 words is best for SEO.

Remember none of this is set in stone - you may well change your mind when you get to the event and that’s fine. But starting out with an idea of how you want to cover the event, will ensure you have the right kind of images, audio and video clips, should you need them.

2. Make sure you have all the kit you need.

A smartphone with a decent camera is all you need, but if you want to go more ‘pro’ you might consider taking additional lenses to get a greater variety of shots and/or lighting.

Recommendations:

Olliclip 4-in-1 lens for iphone

Gorillapod stand for smartphones

Lume Cube and Lume Cube Phone Mount for additional lighting for smartphones

If you have a digital recorder you might like to grab some audio comments from attendees and speakers. If you don’t have one, download an app like Voice Recorder (iPhones) or Smart Voice Recorder (Android) to your phone.

3. Gather images for your post

Make a list of all the pictures you think you might need to take during the event. This might include:

• Pictures of all the speakers/event organiser
• Selfies with the speakers and/or event organiser
• Pictures of the inside and outside of the venue
• Pictures of the event workbook/programme
• Pictures of the food and/or goodie bags (if there are any)
• Pictures from the evening socials (if there are any)

Asking the event organisers for the event artwork ahead of the event is also a good idea. For delegates that attend my live events we create a shared folder which includes the event logo, promotional artwork and pictures of speakers (although it’s better to get your own speaker pics, on the day, if you can). We add extra images to the folder in the run up to the event and on the day.

During the event, participate in the social media activity as much as you can and screenshot interesting tweets, Facebook or Instagram posts you think might be useful for your follow-up post.

4. Schedule time to create your follow-up post

Attending a live event is inspiring. You’ll leave feeling refreshed, motivated and ready for new challenges. But when you get back to your desk, you’ll undoubtedly be busy catching up from your time away from the office. That’s why it’s important to schedule time to create your follow-up post - before you get there - otherwise it may not happen.

It’s much better to create a follow-up post when the event is fresh in your head, so it’s best to schedule this immediately after the event if you can. If you have a long train ride or plane journey to get home, you could even get started then.

6. Share, share and share again

Creating a follow-up blog post can be a great way to get more traffic - and traffic can turn into sales (freelance technical writer John Espirian picked up a client almost straight away from his review of CMA Live 2017).

So don’t be afraid to promote the hell out of your blog post. Here are some places you can/should share your blog post.

1. On all your relevant social media platforms, using the event hashtag. #2020 Sorted’s is: #2020Sorted. Remember to tag in the speakers, event organisers and other delegates wherever relevant
2. In any relevant online communities (#2020 Sorted has a dedicated Facebook group, for example, which includes the delegates AND the speakers)
3. With your email list (if you have one). Just remember to make it clear what’s in it for them
4. On your podcast or YouTube channel (if you have one)
5. On a Facebook Live broadcast
6. With the event organiser. There’s a good chance they’ll be creating their own post-event round up and will be keen to include yours. 

Finally, don’t be afraid to share your content more than once  - particularly on a platform like Twitter where content is scrolling through to so fast, it’s easy for your followers to miss something. And it’s fine to share it on a consecutive number of days and weeks. If you think you’re sharing too much, you’ve probably got it about right.

Want to find out more? Here's why it's a good idea to blog about your event experience...

If you’re attending a live event, there’s a good chance you’ll be taking photos, video and sharing your experience on social media.

Here’s five reasons why you should turn that content into a blog/vlog after the event.

1.It will help you process your learning

Attending a live event can be overwhelming. There is so much information coming from so many different sources, it’s easy to miss things. Taking time to reflect on the content is a great way to gather together all the practical advice and tips shared at the event. It can also help you identify key personal takeaways, as content marketing agency owner Yva Yorston did in her recent post on her key takeaways from CMA Live .

2. It will help you document your progress - and give you accountability

Taking a day or two out of your usual routine to attend a live event is good for you. You’ll leave on a high: refreshed, inspired and full of ideas. But when you get back to the desk - and the stresses of daily life - it’s easy to get bogged down and forget about all your exciting plans.

Reflecting on your experience and setting goals can be a great way to document your progress. It will also give you accountability. You’ve heard the saying ‘what gets written down gets done’ right?’ Stating publicly on your blog that you are going to take action  - as Kelly Exeter does in this blog on attending Tropical Think Tank - means it’s far more likely to get done.

Craft and lifestyle blogger Eleanor Rae-Nickerson Smith has taken this one step further. Last year she wrote about her experience of attending Blogtacular and set some goals for the coming year. She followed up with a preview of Blogtacular 2017, setting out her expectations for the event and will no doubt follow up with a review.

You could even turn your preview piece into a piece of valuable content for your audience as bespoke tailor Dara Ford has done ahead of Soulful PR Live: how to dress for a conference. 

The more you prepare for attending a live event - including setting out expectations for how you want to learn and grow - the more likely you are to get a return on investment.  

3. You can turn it into a valuable piece of content for your audience

When you attend a live event, you’ll undoubtedly pick up tips and strategies you can apply in your own business. You may also take away useful learning you can share with your clients or customers.

Karen Reyburn helps accountants with marketing. She has turned her recent experience of attending CMA Live into a blog post on why accountants should attend good marketing events. Katya Jackson - lifestyle blogger & iphone photographer - has turned her experience of attending Blogtacular into a post on the benefits of attending a conference for creatives. And when leadership consultant Coralie Sawruk attended  Tropical Think Tank, she turned her experience into a blog post: lessons from nine world-class entrepreneurs. The article identifies a key takeaway from each session e.g. ‘start with trust’ and ‘stop doing and start leading’ - a useful piece of content for anyone with an interest in leadership.

If you offer a product/service to other businesses (B2B) it’s usually easy to see how you can take your learning and turn into a valuable piece of content for your audience; a straightforward review of your time at the event can be useful.

If you sell to consumers (B2C) it can feel more challenging (but isn't - honestly!). The trick is to make it all about solving your prospective customers' problems or addressing their desires - just as you do in your regular blog posts.  

So potential titles might be:

1. Three things we’ve improved about our customer service since attending X event
2. Why we decided to offer [insert benefit e.g. free postage or shorter delivery times] to our customers after attending X event
3. How attending X event helped us launch our new [insert new product]
4. How attending X event made us realise we needed [insert new feature e.g. live chat on the website, shorter delivery times, a monthly newsletter, a loyalty scheme]
5. Why we’re spending more time on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter* since attending X event

Remember that you don’t need to have implemented the changes in your follow-up blog post - you just need to set your intention. Your blog content can simply be a straight ‘review’ of what you’ve learned (as in many of the examples I’ve shared). The important thing is that you make it relevant to your audience.

Do also bear in mind the fact you’re investing time and money in attending live events sends a powerful message to prospective and existing customers: if you care about your personal and/or business development, you’ll care for them too.

4. You’ll get more traffic on your website (and some visitors will buy from you)

When you blog about your experience of attending an event, you’re creating an evergreen piece of content that can be shared on social media. It will also send people over to your website to find out more about you do - for years to come (just look at all the blogs I’ve linked to in this post). Freelance technical writer John Espirian says he’s already picked up a client from his review of CMA Live 2017  last month.

5. You’ll build relationships

Live events can be busy and you may not get the chance to speak to every single person you’d like to at the event. Creating a piece of content about the event helps keep the conversation going with speakers, delegates and the organisers - long after the event has finished.

It also makes you more memorable. When you create a blog post about your experience of an event, it’s a big fat reminder to everyone who attended of who you are and what you do. Marketing expert Roger Edwards created this vlog about speaking at CMA Live because - amongst other things - he wants people to remember he is available for speaking engagements.

Remember also that event organisers will be keen to share your blog with their audience on social media and in any relevant online communities e.g. Facebook groups - getting your content in front of a bigger audience than you could hope for on your own blog.

Speakers will also be keen to share your content - particularly if they’re mentioned - which means you can tag them in on social media and, potentially, get your content in front of an even bigger audience.

Want to learn more? Find out which PR/marketing events you should attend in 2017.