The Writing Coach Blog

How Freelance Writers Can Make Conferences Pay

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by Maya Payne Smart

I’m sure I spend much more money than the average freelance writer does on conference registration and travel. Last year alone, I traveled to locales as far flung as Tampa, Denver and Indianapolis to get the pulse of the journalism community and to identify opportunities to profit from industry shifts. Although 2010 is still young, and I’ve already attended paidContent in New York, and today I’m headed to the Society of American Business Editors and Writers conference in Phoenix. Other freelance writers often ask me how I can afford to do so much travel, whether I get any work done while I’m gone, and why I bother, seeing as so many conferences seem to be more of the same.

My short answers: Conferences are a line item in my budget, and before I depart I have a plan for making the money back. I try not to take assignments with me. If you work conferences right, they can be a temporary full-time job. Each gathering presents different opportunities for networking, training and marketing. I’m never bored.

Take the SABEW conference this week. After all is said and done, I will have spent almost $2,000 on my registration, travel, accommodations and meals. Clearly, I’m betting that the information or connections I gain by going to Arizona will make that expense pay off. I have some evidence to support my belief: I left last year’s SABEW conference in Denver with two new clients, one of which has since paid me more than $5,000. Who knows what the lifetime value of that connection will be? 

My 5 top tips for profitable conference hopping

1. Have a plan. Review the conference agenda, speaker list and attendee profiles (often found in the advertising or exhibitor materials) and decide which sessions you want to attend, who you want to meet and what you hope to gain. At SABEW, I'm excited about:

• Brushing up on financial statements in the accounting workshop with Tom Contiliano, Bloomberg News CFO;
• Meeting business editors who are in the hunt for new freelance writers;
• Attending the entrepreneurial journalism and paid-content panels, which explore the new economics of our business in print and online; and
• Chatting with SABEW’s many authors about the ins and outs of drafting a book proposal, getting an agent and building a platform.

2. Be social. I’m an introverted only child who finds mingling exhausting, but when I’m at conferences I make a concerted effort to chitchat during receptions, sit with new people at meals and accept invitations to hang out with colleagues outside of formal conference events. On occasion, I’ve even organized outings to connect people I thought should know one another or to spend more time with a key contact. Casual conversations can lead to new clients, assignments and referral sources. But don’t force it: Take a genuine interest in the people you meet, be open to collaboration opportunities and see if any partnerships emerge organically. 

3. Speak up. It’s also a good idea to volunteer your time or insight to help conference organizers. I’ve put together panels, given keynote addresses, introduced speakers, manned exhibit-hall booths and facilitated panels. This endears you to the host organization, raises your profile at events and often attracts people and resources to you. In Never Eat Alone, networking guru Keith Ferrazzi cites studies showing a positive correlation between the number of speeches given and one’s income bracket. Hmm.

4. Pay attention. Listen actively to presentations, take notes and ask questions to reinforce your understanding of the information you hear. Then go a step further and ask yourself, “What do I need to start doing, stop doing or start doing differently as a result of what I’ve just heard?” In other words, vigilantly seek takeaways and connect the dots between conference insights and day-to-day tasks. 

5. Follow up. Marketing maven Alexandria Brown often says “the fortune is in the follow-up,” and I’ve found that sentiment to be true. Striking up a conversation at a conference is just the beginning. When you hear of a need that you can fill, be sure to follow-up after the event by sending an e-mail outlining your ideas. For example, a prospective client who I met at a conference last year asked me to send her a resume and 3 to 5 story ideas. I sent her three story ideas and a detailed proposal for a biweekly column. I didn’t get the column, but she was so impressed with the ideas I outlined that she hired me to develop and teach a course on the topic. You can’t always predict where your conference contacts will take you — and that’s the exciting part!