What will I learn at ProBlogger Training Event 2015?

March 18, 2015 By Darren Rowse

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*** UPDATE: Full schedule and speaker sessions now available***

At PBEVENT we’ve always had a very strong emphasis on training bloggers to build sustainable and profitable blogs. This year is no exception and with tickets almost sold out I wanted today to share with you some of the exciting sessions and speakers we’ve got lined up for you.

We’ve already announced a few of our international speakers but below you’ll also find some new speakers and sessions from Aussie bloggers.

The following sessions are a mixture of keynotes, track sessions and workshops, some of which may run concurrently. We will release the finalised agenda with plenty of time for you to plan your attendance before the event.

The Courage of Compassion: Transforming Your Experience with Criticism   

Heather B. Armstrong

We have all been online long enough to have encountered criticism from people whose faces we will never see. Some of it is constructive, and some if it is awful, anonymous assumptions and slurs that we do our best to ignore. Sometimes our emotions prevent us from making a distinction between that which could be helpful and that which is just plain bullying. I have spent 14 years confronting both—from comments to emails to websites to actual forums dedicated to me and my character—trying to figure out the best way to pick up and move on when I encounter something particularly vicious. Because it isn’t going away. There isn’t a cure for it. It cannot be fixed or stopped. Learning how to deal with both is a factor of life that our children will have to endure on a scale we never did, in ways we probably can’t imagine. I’ve tried and failed many times to react in the best possible way and have finally learned that “reacting” isn’t the answer. The answer is something much more fearless.

• Criticism online is inevitable and unavoidable, it cannot be fixed or stopped. It will happen to you.
• As people who live and work online, it’s important for us (and especially for our children) to understand the difference between constructive criticism and outright bullying.
• There is so much value in constructive criticism as hard as it may be to hear.
• Reacting to or acknowledging online bullying in any way only exacerbates it. (I have many examples of the different ways to react to it and why it doesn’t solve anything.)
• The solution to dealing with online bullying both lies and happens within ourselves, and it is an act of bravery. Bullying offers us an opportunity for growth.

The 5 Ordinary Habits of Extraordinary Bloggers   

Ruth Soukup

We’ve all heard of the overnight success stories—those Internet sensations whose blog post or video went viral, bringing instant fame and fortune.  As bloggers, we often spend a whole lot of time hoping for that big break, but the truth is that for most, success happens much more methodically.  In this inspiring keynote, you’ll discover the five habits that can transform your blog from beginner to extraordinary.

• Uncover the deceptively simple secret to creating awesome content (and why it matters so much)
• Stop doubting your worth and instead learn how to promote your content in a way that gets noticed and shared.
• Learn how to fully leverage your platform and optimize your efforts.
• Finally begin to embrace your own strengths rather than wishing for someone else’s.

BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY: How to Grow Your Online Following Through Authentic

Jadah Sellner

Engagement, Strategic Email List-Building, and Word-of-Mouth Marketing       

Ready to quickly attract your tribe of true fans and followers and turn them into dedicated email subscribers and dream customers? Go behind the scenes of how Jadah went from broke to book deal and built a hyper-connected, community-driven business reaching millions of brand ambassadors in just a few short years. Learn the essential community building strategies needed to grow your online business with a step-by-step action plan to fuel your passion that makes a difference and makes a profit.

Learn the four essentials of building an online community that are working right now for bloggers ready to monetize their website.

• You’ll learn list-building strategies to quickly attract your tribe of true fans and followers and turn them into dedicated email subscribers and dream customers.
• You’ll walk away with the #1 question you need to ask your community if you want to create profitable products and services that change lives.
• Learn about the best tips and tools, along with real-life examples on what’s working right now on social media.
• Learn the power of strategic, authentic marketing that get raving fans and dream customers to spread the word about your business through action-based, result-oriented and community-focused challenges and opt-in offers.

Creating Business Ideas

Brandon Cowan

Brandon is an ordinary 21 year old with an extraordinary story to tell. At just 12 years of age Brandon was kicked out of school, at 14 he nearly died from drinking too much alcohol, at 16 he created an app development company and by 19 Brandon made 4 top-100 apps. But what happened in between? Let Brandon take you on his journey – be inspired to do what you love no matter how young or old you are.

• Be inspired by an ordinary person that has done extraordinary things
• How failure should be expected, accepted and embraced
• Why persistence is the key to success
• Witness further proof that breaks down the Gen-Y stereotype of laziness and poor work ethic

Design 101: How to Use Design Basics to Polish Up Your Blog

Pamela Wilson

Join Pamela Wilson as she walks you through how to use basic design elements to make your blog looked polished and professional. This session is for non-designers: no art degree required!

• The subliminal impact of color, and how to use to attract the right readers
• How to choose and use fonts that “”speak”” for your brand
• Powerful ways to use images to draw attention to your words
• How to “”point”” your readers’ eyes where you want them to go using visual hierarchy
• Simple design tweaks you can do to make your posts easier to read

How to Create a Content Event That Builds Your Email List

Pamela Wilson

Content events are time-sensitive events that build excitement (and email list sign ups) like nothing else. Join Pamela Wilson and she shows you how to harness the power of content events, even if you have no experience and feel too “shy” to host anything live

• How to ignore what everyone else does, and create an event that works for your audience
• How “content events” differ from other content you create
• Promotional strategies to boost the size of your audience
• What to do post-event to maximize conversions
• How to follow up with first-time attendees and keep the relationship going

Pinterest Marketing 101: The Three Elements of the Perfect Pin

Ruth Soukup

Pinterest is without a doubt the most powerful platform-building tool that the blog world has ever seen, and it is completely free to use!  Learn how to vastly expand your reach and drive viral traffic to your blog even if your current audience is very small.

• Why Pinterest is such a powerful tool, especially for women bloggers, and what it can do for your blog.
• The surprising secret to what type of content drives the most traffic and the 3 essential elements of a perfect pin.
• The three most important things you can do to improve your Pinterest page right now.
• How to use collaborative boards to dramatically expand your reach.

How to Grow Your Instagram Following

Jadah Sellner

Get tips, tools and tricks that are working right now on one of the fastest growing social media platforms–– Instagram. With over 330,000 Instagram followers, the co-founder of Simple Green Smoothies Jadah Sellner will share the behind-the-scenes secrets and strategies to growing an engaged Instagram following.

How to create your gangbuster e-product

Nat Kringoudis

I’ve failed and succeeded with e-books, e-courses and online cleanses to come up with the winning formula and I am so keen to share my tried and true methods to help create your e-product that sells.  There have been over 25 thousand copies sold of my first ebook Fertilise Yourself which helped pave the way to e-courses, hard copy published books and other online products. I’m excited to show you how you can turn your vision into a viable reality, with as much ease and fun as possible – because after all it’s all about the ride that comes with the prize – and who doesn’t love making a little pyjama money? We will explore how to create your e-product from the early stages of creation right through to hosting and marketing.  When you get the formula right your product will shine.

• Choosing your topic and work out if your idea will actually work
• How to name your course, select a price point, how to host it.
• Mapping it out – the creative process to mapping out the e-course
• How to build it – what tools to use, how to set it up, what medium to use (e.g. video, audio, text)
• Setting up payment process
• How to market your e-course
• Looking beyond the e-course (into tangible products)

Blogging voice and the art of creating meaningful connections through writing

Kelly Exeter

 Whether you are a small business blogger, personal blogger or foodie blogger, ultimately it is your blogging voice that readers will connect with.  Kelly will show you how to find a unique blogging voice no matter what your industry or blogging goals. She will take you through basic writing rules you can follow to make meaningful connections with your audience including:

• The art of storytelling

• Addressing a pain point (applicable to your readers)

• Sticking to one idea/concept per blog post

• Editing ruthlessly

• The importance of honesty and vulnerability

From Blog to Business – the steps you need to take from to create a profitable business online.

Caroline Makepeace

It takes more than a few tools and blog posts to turn your blog into a business. Caz Makepeace will take you through the key steps you will need to take to make blogging a profitable business including:

• how to create a vision that aligns with your purpose, passion and what your readers want
• how to develop a communication strategy that helps you to understand what your readers need and what to create for them (helping you to create raving fans)
• how to create a monetization plan and how to become more comfortable with marketing
• the power of networking and how to use it for long term growth
• how to overcome fear, frustration, rejection and failure

Metrics that Matter: Google Analytics for Actionable Insights  

Benjamin Mangold

Join Benjamin as he show you how to apply Google Analytics without getting overwhelmed by reports. Learn practical techniques you can apply to your own Google Analytics data to improve and optimise your blog. This session will focus on the most important data you can use and is suitable for Google Analytics beginners, through to pros looking for new ideas.

• How you can leverage Google Analytics for your blog
• Understand what’s working and not working on your blog
• Techniques you can apply to improve your blog
• Using data for organic optimisation and content creation
• Additional tools that you can use to compliment Google Analytics

How to grow your blog – Actionable productivity tips for busy bloggers

Carly Jacobs and Christina Butcher

Struggling to find time to grow your blog and fit it all in to your busy schedule? Carly and Christina are both full-time bloggers who grew their blogs while working full-time at day jobs.  They have practical tips and hacks to share with bloggers who want to grow their blog with limited time each day. They can show you how to schedule, pre-plan and avoid blogger burnout while juggling a hectic schedule.

You can learn to be more organised and productive and find the time to grow your blog to the next level. You’ll learn actionable productivity tips you can implement straight away including:

• How to pinpoint the necessities for your blog/niche to effectively prioritise your time.
• How to avoid blogger burnout and use positive goal setting tools.
• How to plan your editorial and social media calendars and how to generate endless ideas.
• The art of batching and harnessing your most productive hours.
• Scheduling tools and organisational hacks.

How to monetise a personal blog

Panel: Heather Armstrong and Mrs Woog (moderator TBA)

Monetising a personal blog can be trickier than monetising a niche blog. Heather Armstrong from Dooce and Mrs Woog from Woogsworld will share their experiences, strategies and tips for sustaining a profitable personal blog. There will also be plenty of question time so come along prepared!

Australian Blogger Showcase

One of the things we try to do each year at the Problogger event is shine a spotlight on Aussie bloggers. We know there is amazing knowledge in the Problogger Community and extraordinary stories of success by bloggers with audiences large and small doing their own thing, in their own way.

In our Aussie blogger showcase, four Aussie bloggers will have the chance to talk for ten minutes to share a secret of their success. Our bloggers are: Kate Toon, Loren Bartley, Caro Ryan and Michelle Thompson-Laing. Click their names to read more about their sessions.

Small business bootcamp

This year we are featuring a Small Business Bootcamp at Problogger Training Event. The bootcamp will run over two sessions, the first session is a presentation from Dan Norris (below) who will show small business owners how they can grow their business through blogging.

The second session will be teaching through the case study of two successful small Aussie businesses. They will share how they have used blogging and social media as effective marketing tools and to build a community around their businesses.

The session will be moderated by Kelly Exeter and she will be joined by Michaela Clark from tradiesva.com.au and Helen Edwards from recycledinteriors.org. We have included plenty of time at the end so you can have the opportunity to ask questions to learn further from their experiences.

While aimed at small business bloggers, this session will be jam packed with useful tips for any blogger who has a product or service they sell from their blog.

How to use your blog to supercharge your small business       

Dan Norris

Dan went from looking for a job to running a million dollar WordPress business in less than 2 years. He grew the business through blogging without spending a cent on advertising. In this session he will present his hits, misses and the actionable pieces you can take out and apply to your own blog.

• Identify the number one problem with most small business blogs and fix it
• Apply the 3 key pillars of great blog posts to your own content
• 6 blueprints taken from successful content marketers you can use for your small business
• How to build a funnel that turns blog visitors into customers
• How to scale your blog with a team

Blogging for beginners bootcamp

Are you yet to start a blog or are in the very early days of blogging? Then the blogging for beginners bootcamp is for you. The bootcamp will be comprised of two sessions specifically designed for those of you who are new to blogging. The first session will cover the foundations – blog set up and structure, niches, content and a brief look at SEO. The second session will be case study based with new Aussie bloggers sharing the steps they took to get their blog off the ground and on the path to success. Blogging is not always smooth sailing though, so they will also share the challenges and obstacles they faced and how they overcame them. Our bootcamp speakers will be announced soon!

Stay tuned for more updates with new speakers to come.