I’m back from Salt Lake City, exhausted, but full of excitement and ideas! Alt Summit was amazing — I’ve never met so many people at one time that I just instantly clicked with, and it’s impossible not to be inspired and excited when you’re surrounded by that amount of creativity. And Salt Lake City looked pretty magical with all of the snow and mountains, despite the fact that I busted my ass on ice trying to get that picture of the courtyard at the Grand America (let’s be honest, if you know me well, this was inevitable — coordination isn’t exactly one of my strengths).
Today I want to share some of the bigger lessons and reoccurring themes from the panels and keynotes. Check back in the next few days for full detailed recaps!
Focus on creating amazing content.
It’s easy to get caught up in stats and what everyone else is doing, but your content comes first. Follow your passion, and create content you love — the rest will follow. Brands and readers want to see that you have a strong point of view, and like-minded people will naturally be attracted to you. Spend your time creating your own things rather than watching others do it.
Your story is unique. Share it.
Readers choose bloggers, not the blog — the things you have gone through, your strengths, your weaknesses, your likes, your dislikes, are all part of your story and completely unique to you. Share your story in a way that adds to other peoples’ lives, and you will develop a community that is loyal and trusts you implicitly.
It’s up to you to make things happen.
People are not just going to come knocking on your door — if you want something, you have to make it happen. Know exactly what you want, do your research, build relationships, make it hard for people to say no, and be flexible. Figure out how you can make your goals beneficial to others so they will want to work with you.
You have to figure out what will work best for you.
Always ask why — don’t just accept the advice you are given without figuring out how it will work for you. Whether it’s getting organized, finding balance, or measuring success — question everything, and always ask yourself what you really want the most. There is no formula for success, and you don’t have to do everything people tell you to do.
Update! Here are the full recaps:
- Collaborations with Sponsors
- Four Ways to Earn Revenue from Your Blog
- Personal Branding (spoiler alert: this one’s my favorite)
- Work Life Balance
- Organizing Your Online Life
- Social Media 101
- Advanced Blogging Skills
P.S. Thank you to everyone who showed support for my live tweeting! I wanted to thank each of you, but between the replies, trying to connect with other attendees, and keeping up with my notes during the panels, things got a bit crazy. Please know that I read each one and really appreciate it!
Thanks for the advice!!! if it’s up to me to make things happen, then I better start woking
This is all really great advice. Between this and your tweets, you’re definitely sharing the conference to those of us who didn’t get to make it!
I definitely want to go to the Alt Summit next year! Thank you for the advice and tips!! =)
I really appreciate you sharing what you learned! I wish I could have attended, but this is the next best thing. Thank you!
Really enjoyed this post and living vicariously through all of you lucky ladies who made the trip! Good stuff!
Those are some great takeaways, and I can’t wait to hear more about it in detail!
I am avoiding unpacking from ALT so I am blog hopping, hahaha! I like the “your story is unique!” AMEN!
I’m not going to lie, my suitcase is still sitting packed in my bedroom. And I got home on Saturday. Oooops.
Such great advice. Glad you enjoyed your time (and didn’t break arms or legs!)
Thank you for sharing! Definitely great advice. And that photo is worth it!
Thank you for sharing what you learned- loved your live tweeting, too!
Such a great post, Lisa! Loved reading your takeaways. So nice to meet you and looking forward to staying in touch
Tell us about the snark! I know there was snark with that many women in one place. Who got drunk and did it with the bellhop? Who pulled whose hair?
Lisa, I’m looking forward to reading the rest of your ALT recaps. I’m bummed that our paths didn’t cross last week! I’m working on my own recap and excited about the new connections I’ve made. Hope your week is starting off well!
Lisa, it sounds like it was awesome from your tweets! I definitely would love to be able to go next year!
I have no desire to go to ALT, but I still get FOMO… except when I read your tweets about it
Thanks for this summary, and all your tweets! I loved all the little nuggets of wisdom
I’m so excited to read your recaps. As I mentioned on Twitter, your tweets were the next best thing to being there. Next year, I’m in!