Ep #55: Planning a Weekend Blogging Retreat

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Learning and connecting with others may just be one of the best parts of being a blogger. Today’s guest, Liz Della Croce, is here talking about planning a weekend blogging retreat so you can accelerate opportunities to get together, for both learning and having fun!

Planning a Weekend Blogging Retreat with Liz Della Croce on the Chopped Podcast

There’s a steep learning curve when it comes to blogging. Finding others to network with helps make that learning fun…and doable! Liz Della Croce is back on the show, and today she’s talking about planning a weekend blogging retreat for the purpose of networking, learning, and communing with other bloggers.

One of the benefits of organizing your own weekend blogging retreat is that you get to choose who to invite!

Unlike a conference or brand trip, you pick who comes to your retreat. — Liz Della Croce #choppedpodcast Click To Tweet

Liz and I talk about everything that goes into planning a Weekend Blogging Retreat, including things like how to decide who to invite, where to have it, and whether or not to charge a fee from attendees or to have a sponsor. There’s a lot to decide on, which is why Liz recommends creating a group to make it happen.

Take risks. Don’t be afraid to do something ahead of the curve with food blogging. — Liz Della Croce #choppedcon

Liz also recommends reaching out beyond the people you already know. It’s good to have a retreat that involves a variety of bloggers from different backgrounds!

A retreat is a unique opportunity for you to have quality time with people you don’t normally talk to who aren’t already in your circle. — Liz Della Croce #choppedcon

When it comes to deciding whether to charge for the retreat or to have a sponsor, Liz recommends polling your attendees. Some people prefer to go to a retreat where they pay to attend so they won’t have the duties required of going to a sponsored event. It’s a different environment when sponsors are involved, so you have to take that into account.

You’ve got to spend money to make money. You’ve got to invest in yourself and you’ve got to invest in your own growth. — Liz Della Croce

I completely concur. The moment you start looking at your blog as a business, you begin to realize the work that needs to be done to make that happen. And sometimes that means attending conferences, buying software, or organizing retreats.

If you look at your blog as a business, of course your business would be going to conferences. Of course you’d be spending money on a tool that saves you time. — Marly McMillen #choppedcon

I also asked Liz what her favorite blogging tips are these days. She shares about how hiring a food photographer has made a huge difference for her and her blog. If there’s something you don’t enjoy doing, or that you just don’t have time for, hiring someone else to do it can make a big difference.

If you do try to do everything, you’re probably sacrificing something else, whether it be time with your kids, or quality time with your husband or even just maybe your writing because you’re spending too much time on something else. — Liz Della Croce

We also talk about the issue of blogging for other bloggers. This is not a new topic here at Chopped. I discussed this way back in Episode #1 with Tessa Arias. When you blog for other bloggers, you’re less authentic. It’s a position of fear. When you push passed that fear and begin blogging for your audience, your readers, you’ll notice a big difference!

You can't blog for other bloggers. You've really got to do it for your audience. — Liz Della Croce #choppedcon Click To Tweet

Our goal at ChoppedCon is to help you be your best. We hope these tips on Planning a Weekend Blogging Retreat with Liz Della Croce is helpful to the important work you’re doing every day!

Now, go forth and Be Your Best You!

Featured Content – Planning a Weekend Blogging Retreat

Here are some of the highlights of my discussion with Liz, where we discuss:

  • Learn about the background of Liz’s blog and how she blogs about achieving health goals
  • How to plan a local blogging retreat
  • How to decide who to invite
  • How to decide where to locate your local blogging retreat
  • How to decide whether to charge or whether to find a sponsor
  • Why it’s important to survey your attendees
  • Why you should pick co-hosts to help plan your weekend blogging retreat
  • Why Liz recommends inviting people outside of your circle
  • Liz also suggests picking people with different backgrounds and experiences
  • She also talks about what is an optimal size for a weekend retreat
  • We talk about the different options for the location of your retreat, including your own home
  • Liz describes how the learning is very hands-on at a weekend retreat
  • We talk about the supportive role that food bloggers share with one another
  • We also talk about creating boundaries with others that are not so positive and supportive
  • Liz recommends picking attendees who will be open and sharing
  • I asked Liz what’s one new thing you’ve learned about blogging in 2015. You’re going to love her answer!
  • Liz loves to travel and she talks about what she’s done to create more opportunities for travel in her career

Show Notes

This episode includes references to some resources you might find interesting. Here they are:

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Posted in Food Blogging, Podcast