When attending a conference, it's important for freelance writers to make new connections, strengthen existing relationships, and collect information (e.g., market intelligence). But your newly acquired knowledge and contacts won't matter much until you do something with them. Here's an action plan to turn your time and travel investment into new business.
1. Share what you've learned.
Position yourself as an expert in your field by sharing the insights you gained at the conference. Blog or send tweets, post photos to Flickr, upload a video, or write a story to put your spin on the event. This forces you to synthesize a flood of information into helpful streams and to think about how what you've learned might benefit others.
Last week's Society of American Business Editors and Writers conference in Phoenix offers some great examples. Plug #sabew into search.twitter.com and scroll back to March 19 to 21 to see what attendees were tweeting. You'll find my notes on New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger's keynote ("Railing against Google is like railing against oxygen.") along with others' takeaways. CUNY, BusinessJournalism.org and Talking Biz News offered blog coverage. Some posts featured slideshows, photos and videos. Web columnists like Jeff Bercovici of AOL Daily Finance and Jon Chesto of Wicked Local weighed in on conference content, too.
Also, consider doing additional reporting and packaging your findings into a special report, article or course to sell to publications or directly to consumers.
2. Give thanks.
We're all suckers for a little appreciation. So why not spread the love and thank the organizers of a conference for a job well done? You can do it privately by giving an event worker a pat on the back or sending a thank-you note, or you can do it publicly by posting an open letter on your blog. University of Michigan student Theo Keith told the world via his blog that he was thoroughly impressed with ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism, the conference site. Showing appreciation reinforces what you've gained through attendance and gives exhausted organizers a boost. It's just good karma.
Along similar lines, drop a line via e-mail or snail mail to conference speakers, exhibitors, award winners and newly elected officers to thank them for their contributions to the event. It's a good way to open up a dialogue with new contacts. Refresh your memory of who you met (and who you would like to meet) by flipping through conference and banquet programs. Any of these connections could blossom into profitable partnerships; I've found prospective clients, joint venture partners, mentors and referral sources at conferences.
3. Ask for what you want.
Post-conference follow up isn't just about touching base. If someone told you about a freelance writing opportunity, follow up immediately with a resume, cover letter, writing samples or other requested material. Speed is important because you don't know how many other people are in the running or how soon the prospective client needs to make the assignment.
Of course, sometimes you won't receive an instant response. Send an initial e-mail and then follow up with a phone call a few days later. If you still get no response, send a follow-up e-mail every few weeks with an update on what you're doing, story ideas or helpful resources. I met an editor at a conference in 2008 and didn't get an assignment for six months. I now work for her regularly. Persistence pays. So does enthusiasm.
For more on making conferences pay, read my original blog post, "How to Make Conferences Pay."
What conference follow-up methods have you found most helpful? Comment on the Writing Coach Blog.