I started my blogging journey in 2012 quite by accident and my main intention was to provide more information to my friends and family on the places I had travelled to, as well as nice eating places which I had discovered. In this way, instead of having to verbally repeat my story to various people, I could just send them the link to my blog post and they would then get back to me if they had any questions.
Due to my full-time job commitments and other activities outside of work, I usually only blog in my spare time. Despite that, over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with the mainstream media and also received invitations to several events, but without any proper media-related training (my Honours degree was in a totally different field!), I was thrown into the deep-end so it was either sink or swim!…
I must say that I’ve learnt quite a fair bit on my own but there was always that nagging feeling that I didn’t know enough and had quite a few unanswered questions on what the full aspect of blogging encompasses if I eventually decide to take it more seriously as a career – e.g. whether there were any protocols to be followed, etc…so I decided to sign up for TINcademy‘s “So You Want To Be A Blogger?” course.
This one-day workshop comprised of the following topics:
1. BLOGGING: FUNDAMENTALS
- Why do you want to become an Influencer?
- The Benefits of becoming an Influencer
- The Challenges you face as an Influencer
- How to become an Influencer?
2. BLOGGING: ESSENTIALS
- How to start a Blog?
- The Different types of Blogging Providers
- Developing an Interesting Blog Name
- Deciding on your Blog Themes: Lifestyle, Food, Fashion, Beauty, Niche Areas
- Blogging Layout Essentials
- Preparing a Namecard for yourself
- Why your blog must be mobile-friendly?
3. BLOGGING: MARKETING
- How do I market my Blog to the various stakeholders?
- What are the Social Media Tools available to promote my Blog?
- How do I get into the media List of PR Companies?
- How do I win awards for my Blog?
- What are some other ways to Market my Blog?
4. BLOGGING: EVENTS
- Essentials to prepare before attending an event
- Tips when attending events
- How do I Network with Fellow bloggers when attending events?
- How do I leave an impression when I attend events
- How do I use my Social Media assets to my advantage when attending events
- How long do I have to post my after-event after the event so that I will get more invites from that specific PR company next time?
5. BLOGGING: JOURNALISM
- How should I cover a story?
- What is a Press Release, Press Invite & Press Kit
- The 5 Ws and 1H of Journalism
- The different styles of presenting my story
- How to find inspiration by curating viral contents?
6. BLOGGING: PHOTOGRAPHY
- What kind of cameras should I invest in?
- What are some Photography peripherals I should Invest in?
- How do I take beautiful photos when I attend Events
- What kind of photos should I take during events?
- Photography basic rules
- 4A’s (Attitude, Atmosphere, Angle & Awe) rules to remember when you’re taking photos, “Enhancing your blog and Instagram by taking OOTDs and event coverage
7. BLOGGING: SPONSORSHIP
- How do I get sponsored for Products and services?
- What should I look out for in a Sponsorship?
- How do I approach my sponsored Post?
- How do I add value to my sponsored Post?
8. BLOGGING: MONETIZATION
- How do I monetize my blog?
- The various methods to earn money from Blogging
- How Do I negotiate for a paid Advertorial from PR Companies and Direct Clients?
- How do I manage the sales process when a deal is striked?
- How do I ensure that my client is satisfied with my work?
9. BLOGGING: LIFESTYLE
- How should I juggle my blogging lifestyle with personal lifestyle?
- How should I manage my Blogging Schedules and backlogs?
- How do I manage negativity from readers or fellow bloggers?
- How do I foster strong friendships with fellow bloggers?
- How to feel expensive as a influencer when you’re in public
10. BLOGGING: ETHICS
- Advertorials vs Sponsored Posts
- How do I approach a post if the product or service was a negative experience?
- Sharing Stats with PR and Blogging Companies
- Buying Likes and Followers
- Bitching and Gossiping about the Industry and Peers
Sounds like a lot to be covered in one day? It actually was quite alright and we even had some role playing scenarios and were given some assignments to be actioned upon between topics, plus we were supplied with a variety of tidbits to munch on throughout the day!
The photo below was my submission for a photography assignment involving cupcakes. ^_^
The 3 course facilitators are no strangers to the blogging/social media scene – Dennis Toh, William Tan and Gerald Png made the day quite fun and time just whizzed by rather quickly. I was actually placed out of my comfort zone with some of the course assignments but thankfully I did manage to get through them.
If you are interested to register for the course or want to find out more, you can email Theinfluencernetwork@gmail.com with promo code TINCADEMYJAC for a 10% discount off the course fees!
Upcoming course dates (9am-6pm) are on:
▪ 30 Jan 2016
▪ 20 Feb 2016
▪ 19 Mar 2016
jaznotabi 