As an influencer, there are lots of events and opportunities to network at local events. This is truly a great thing and is a wonderful way to meet people, talk with others who share similar interests, and to support local businesses. But when is the right time to start saying no? I’ll be sharing 5 tips to use when selecting your media events as an influencer.
When I first started blogging, one of my favorite aspects was attending events, meeting people who were blogging as a side hustle, and sharing tips while supporting each other. It was also a way for me to meet local businesses and learn about opportunities for creating new content. However, I began to feel overwhelmed with the number of events out there, which is a really lovely problem to have. I started learning on how to evaluate which events would be good for my business and when to start politely declining. It felt like all I was doing was attending events and I wasn’t sure what my return on investment was, so I started being intentional with my attendance for my business but also for my sanity.
Here are the 5 tips for selecting your media events as an influencer. These tips helped me know when it was okay to decline and stay at home in my sweats while binge watching Friday Night Lights. I ask myself these 5 questions prior to committing to any event and it has created a lot more intentionality with my brand.
5 Tips for Selecting your Media Events as an Influencer
Is the event an event or at a location you want to attend/visit?
I love being invited to grand openings or to experiencing a girls’ night out type of event. If it’s a new place that’s opening, I’m more likely to attend to get a first glimpse and to sample the menu. The two most recent events I attended were at places that I enjoyed spending time, so that made my decision easier on saying yes.
Who is hosting the event?
If it is a PR company or a friend, whether it’s a fellow blogger or business owner, that usually makes my decision easier. I will always try to support the folks who support me, but I also feel confident in letting them know if my calendar is too chaotic that week. I also try to avoid committing to events if there is a chance I won’t make it. Life happens and some things are out of our control, but there is a lot of prep work, planning, getting other businesses on board, that I do not like to cancel unless it’s an extenuating circumstance.
Will attending the event create stress in your calendar?
To go off of the previous question I ask myself, if I feel that the event will create an unnecessary level of stress in my calendar, I opt to no. I travel a lot for work now, and sometimes I don’t feel like driving back into Raleigh after being at work all day. It’s no fun to show up to an event stressed out when it’s supposed to be a fun, light networking time, so I always consider that. I also look at what else I have going on that week to see if I need to hold that time to get ahead (or caught up), which sometimes gives me my answer as well.
Will attending the event help you meet your goals?
Each year, I set goals for my personal life, professional life, and for this space. I find it to be really important to make sure that I am constantly reminding myself of what my goals are so I stay on track. Some of the events I opt to attend are sheerly for fun, which is actually a goal of mine. But, I am more inclined to attend events that are setting me up with opportunities to achieve my goals, or at least point me in that direction. Keep in mind that one of my goals is to be intentional and to say no, so I often look at how many goals I’ve attended and evaluate the return on investment with time.
What do you hope to gain from attending the event?
For some events, I go in hoping to have a good time, meet someone new, and to learn something new. I attended an event earlier in the year to meet a blogger friend in real life and to finally try the new DryBar in Cary. Upon arrival, I got to see Maggie from Paintbase Morrisville, talk with Sarah (who owns DryBar), and picked up a new lipstick from Trellis Beauty. It was a great night and I was glad to catch up with friends and talk about possible collaborations with new friends. I like to go in without a real strict plan, but to have some ideas to pitch.
Looking for other blogging tips? Check them out here.
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