7 Things I Learned at Alt Summit 2024

It has been one month since Alt Summit, and I came back feeling so energized and with a new sense of purpose for my blog and business.  I took plenty of notes, but wanted to share a few key takeaways from the summit.

1/ People cannot buy what they cannot find- Cheldin Barlatt Rumer

Oftentimes we feel uncomfortable tooting our own horns and selling ourselves.  The problem is, when it comes to business, this is something that has to be done to make a profit.  Some people do it in a gross way, and others do it in a tactical, more natural way.  But the saying is true- a closed mouth doesnโ€™t get fed!  So promote your products, create those affiliate links, talk about your products and services offered because if you donโ€™t, it will be more challenging to make a sale!

2/ Make the first 3 seconds of your videos count- Christina Dennis

In the age of video being the content that gets the most attention, and coupled with our short attention spans, when making Instagram Stories, Reels, TikTok, YouTube, really any video content, the first three seconds are what count.  Use keywords in your opening statement, and really pack a punch.  This is also important when placing text on your title slide for videos.  Keywords are key!

3/ Iโ€™m here because Iโ€™m the best person to handle this- Dr. Darria Long

Imposter Syndrome, self-doubt, negative self-talkโ€ฆitโ€™s all there to deflate you.  I love this quote because itโ€™s just a little reminder to yourself that people want to hear what you have to say (thatโ€™s why they follow you!).  If you are invited to speak, collaborate, teach, etc., it is because you are valued and you belong there!


4/ Confidence comes from competency- Andrea Campos

Coupled with the above point, the best way for you to truly feel confident in what you do and post is to be competent in your field.  If this means taking some online refresher courses, learning a new software, or doing anything that will give you more knowledge in your industry, do it!  The more you know about a topic, the more fluid you can speak about it and with confidence.  Oftentimes being prepared is what can eliminate those negative thoughts and make you feel a little less nervous.

 
 

5/ You succeed with community- Andrea Campos

Iโ€™m a huge proponent of having a business bestie to keep each other accountable, motivated, and to bounce ideas off each other.  This may look like having an accountability partner or even joining a community network of like-minded individuals.  Working solo has its advantages for sure, but even having one person in your network that you can speak candidly with will help wonders.


6/ A pinch of delusion goes a long way- Andrea Campos

Some of the world's greatest successes have come from taking risks and just trying something out.  Sometimes you need to be delusional to push through!  This could be pitching a huge company for a collaboration.  Maybe you donโ€™t think youโ€™re good enough or big enough to work with them, but hey, who knows what they will say.  You will never know if you donโ€™t try.  I think thatโ€™s the key- go for your dreams no matter how big or unattainable they may seem!  It just may work out in your favor.

7/ Your worth is not defined by your follower size- Deanna Gustafson

Social media has its good and bad sides.  Self-worth is a down side because people still feel that with a small following they will not be successful and will never amount to anything.  This is totally inaccurate because social media is not your end all be all in lifeโ€ฆit shouldnโ€™t be.  Even with a smaller following, you can still snag brand deals and partnerships (I have and I have under 1000 followers to date!).  Focus on connecting with your audience and the followers will come naturally.


Have you been to an Alt Summit conference? If so, what was something that resonated with you and stuck with you? Let me know in the comments!

How ChatGPT Can Help With Content Creation Roadblocks

The world is rapidly changing everyday, so how we maneuver through it changes as well.  If you recall, earlier last year there was a HUGE buzz around AI and ChatGPT.  Since then, people began using AI to assist them with various tasks in the content creation world.  I want to start this by saying Iโ€™m not an advocate of using AI to stand in for your own voice and content.  Itโ€™s not cool to have AI create all of your content.  You should be the creator of your content and the brain behind it.  I think, however, there is no problem with incorporating it as a helpful tool.

Before diving into this, I will give a brief description of AI and ChatGPT in my own words. AI (Artificial Intelligence) is computer coded โ€œbotsโ€ that are used to complete processes that humans would also complete. Since they are computer/code based, they can usually complete processes faster than humans. A gift and a curse, right? ChatGPT is like an AI chatbot that is trained to answer questions, provide ideas and insight, and much more, and the answers are provided in a natural, conversational way. Iโ€™m sure when youโ€™ve entered a website, you have seen a box appear saying โ€œchat nowโ€. If you opened it and began chatting, you were likely chatting with a bot rather than a human at least for the initial set of questions it asked you. There are various bots out there, but ChatGPT is an easy tool to use (and itโ€™s free!). This is the only one Iโ€™ve explored so far, and I like what I see.

Here are five ways that you can use ChatGPT to assist with content creation roadblocks.

1. Top 10 lists

Generating top 10 lists is something that can be quite helpful for content creators. For example, if you have content pillars (which you should have!), you can simply ask something like โ€œWhat are the top 10 reasons people do not like to cook?โ€. From there, when you get the top 10 reasons, you can create content around it on how to handle those challenges. Youโ€™re basically looking for common challenges that your audience faces so you can provide the answers/solutions with your expertise through your content. This works for all niches, so take some time to think of lists you can ask for, then start creating new content around them!

2. Content calendar brainstorming

You may want to begin incorporating a monthly or weekly content planning session (you should also be doing this, hereโ€™s a post on why). If you struggle with creating content calendars, you can ask to have one created for you. You only need to provide topics you would like to post about and the frequency of posts for the timeframe you are planning. Hereโ€™s an example:

3. Social media bio (max character based)

It can be challenging to create a concise social media bio when you have a small character limit. You can ask to spruce up your bio in a set number of characters to sound polished within the character limit. This is just an example of how detailed your requests can get! You can ask, โ€œPlease spruce up this social media bio in 250 characters or lessโ€, then paste the bio that needs updating.

4. Spruce up written content

Sometimes when creating content, you may have a sentence in mind and it sounds better in your head than on paper. In these instances you can ask for a slight touch up on the sentence to sound more concise and clear. Of course you can always adjust what was provided by AI because again, you still want to sound like yourself. 

5. Help to tweak your weekly content creation schedule.

A weekly content creation schedule is something important to have so you can prioritize your blog/business along with other areas of your life. If a schedule is something you struggle with creating, you can ask for assistance from AI. I first heard of this concept from Kier Gaines, and my mind was blown! Hereโ€™s an example of what I asked and what was provided:


I think AI can be a helpful tool when it comes to planning content and brainstorming. I also think itโ€™s important to be cordial and use manners when asking questions- just as you would with a human!

Again I will stress, your voice is going to always be your voice, so use AI as a sidekick rather than the main character. Remember, you have a following because of who you are, so itโ€™s important to continue to stay true to yourself!  Do you use AI in any capacity in your blog or business? If so, share some ways you do in the comments below!