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# 2018 Mom 2.0 Summit Takeaways on Blogging & Influencer Marketing
- URL: https://www.cookiesandclogs.com/2018-mom-2-0-summit-takeaways/
- Published: 2018-05-13T13:31:07.000Z
- Updated: 2018-05-12T21:53:09.000Z
- Description: The very first time I attended Mom 2.0 was back in 2016 when it was held in Laguna Hills, CA. That happened to the be the one event, in my…
- Author: TerriAnn van Gosliga
- Tags: For Everyone, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-09-10 09:18

The very first time I attended Mom 2.0 was [back in 2016](https://www.cookiesandclogs.com/dana-point-mom-2-0-summit/) when it was held in Laguna Hills, CA. That happened to the be the one event, in my eight years of blogging, when I was totally out of it. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t get out of my funk and that cast a huge cloud over my entire experience. With the conference returning to California for its tenth anniversary, I decided to suck up the costs to give it another go by attending the 2018 Mom 2.0 Summit.

### Going All in at 2018 Mom 2.0 Summit Blogging Conference

Well, I am happy to say that I was able to get my “game face” on from the moment I got to the airport and maintain it for all three days. That made the world of difference. I was able to reconnect with dozens of bloggers who I hadn’t seen in years, finally meet and hug others who I only chatted with online before, collect great takeaway points, and had some promising conversations with brands. Basically, I was able to meet all the goals I had for attending the conference in the first place. So, yay!

![2018 Mom 2.0 Summit Blogging Conference April 2-4, 2018 in Pasadena, CA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/2c/eb2c2494-1e98-4067-8fbf-8a48d9dd30cf/content/images/cookiesandclogs-local/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-mom-2-0-02.jpg)

As for the sponsoring brands at the conference, all representatives I met were friendly and open to conversations about how to work together. By forgoing one morning of sessions, I was able to have quiet, meaningful discussions with several of them during that time. It was also important for me to only focus on brands that were a good fit and ones I personally use and believe in. Conversations flowed more freely that way and maximized my time at the conference. Now to follow up on those leads…

![2018 Mom 2.0 Summit Blogging Conference April 2-4, 2018 in Pasadena, CA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/2c/eb2c2494-1e98-4067-8fbf-8a48d9dd30cf/content/images/cookiesandclogs-local/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-mom-2-0-05.jpg)

### 2018 Mom 2.0 Summit Session Takeaways

Now, I wasn’t able to attend every session or keynote. But, many of the ones I did attend were fantastic. I learned a lot about business strategies, partnership ideas, social media insights, maintaining a clear vision for your blog and brand, and how to overcoming insecurities and personal hurdles. Below are some highlights I gleaned from the sessions I went to. If you went to the 2018 Mom 2.0 Summit, I would love it if you could share a few notes with me. I was particularly sad that I missed out on the sessions about SEO, Instagram Stories, Career Manifestation, Email List Strategy, Pin It to Win It, and the keynote with Brene Brown. I would be so grateful if you could share your top takeaways of those with me in the comments or by email.

![2018 Mom 2.0 Summit Blogging Conference April 2-4, 2018 in Pasadena, CA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/2c/eb2c2494-1e98-4067-8fbf-8a48d9dd30cf/content/images/cookiesandclogs-local/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-mom-2-0-03.jpg)

![2018 Mom 2.0 Summit Blogging Conference April 2-4, 2018 in Pasadena, CA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/2c/eb2c2494-1e98-4067-8fbf-8a48d9dd30cf/content/images/cookiesandclogs-local/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-mom-2-0-07.jpg)

**Partnerships Roundup: 360-degree Partnerships, Data & Results**  
– Tara Haynie @chatbooks, Joy Cho @ohjoy, Brittany Jepsen @houselarsbuilt

- Believe in your brand
- “Never feel too small” when approaching a brand to partner.
- Create a brand deck which outlines who you are, what you do, and allows you to convince them visually with examples that fits the brand/story idea.
- Put value on your time. It’s okay to say something is not worth your time if the pay does not cover your time, effort, and energy.
- When dealing with a brand, be prepared with 3-4 specific ideas and understand what a brand is asking for
- Identify what the story is that you want to tell and sell your unique strengths
- Know who you are as a brand. If you don’t know, do exercises and ask others. Do this regularly. Also, remember to continue asking yourself why you’re doing this.
- Use blog posts, takeover, video, product, FB live, IG live, stories, content, giveaways, reviews
- When reaching out to brands, be nice and email back in a timely manner. You are creating a relationship. Think of it as dating.
- Do your homework to personalize the pitch. Don’t make it sound like you’ve sent the same thing to 50 people.

**Pitch Roundup: Craft & Deliver Your Pitch — A Hands-on Workshop**  
– Catherine Pearlman @thefamilycoach, Jyl Johnson Pattee @ForwardInfluence, Michelle Price @honestandtruly, Carly Anderson @lipglosscrayons

- Make sure your About pages are up to date and your contact info is easily accessible
- Identify the top 10 brands you’d like to work with and build out from there
- When creating a pitch for blogging networks, save those pitches in a spreadsheet to use later even if you’re not selected
- Go above and beyond to stand out and set the groundwork for long-term partnerships
- The more you share who you are, the more work you’ll get.
- Never negotiate over the phone since the “I can’t believe I agreed to that amount” almost always follows. Ask for the quote in writing and say you’ll get back to them in 24 hours or so.
- When you don’t get chosen for a campaign, don’t take it personally as there are many factors that might make other a better fit that promotion
- Fill in the blank, “My brand is about \_\_\_\_\_\_.” Can’t answer? Then do a self-audit.
- See if a brand aligns with visual similarities, value, target demographic
- Try product creation, live stream, long-term with certain number social posts per month, in-person events, curated collections
- Pitch outline: hook, why, about, examples, how to find, pleasantries

**The Art of Negotiation: Discovering, Sharing, and Earning What You Are Worth**  
– Janssen Bradshaw @everydayreading

- Learn how to sell yourself
- Don’t expect the brand to give you experience on topics you’ve never covered.
- Use backend data from affiliates to see engagement
- Make it easy to say yes by offering specific stories with deliverables
- Over-deliver. Maybe share the journey of creating your story before sharing the post to build up anticipation.
- Figure out how a post can still be useful even if the reader doesn’t buy the product or service
- Create different media kits for different types of promotions and with different price points

**Slay Like a Mother** (Only caught 10-15 minutes of this but what I heard was powerful!)  
– Katherine Wintsch @kwintsch

- Imagine your inner thoughts to be like a person who follows you saying, “You’re not good. No one likes you. What’s wrong with you?!’” No one would want such a person with them all the time.
- Men can be critical (of themselves) but women go further and can be cruel (to themselves)
- Negative thoughts usually revolve around past or future
- Stay in the moment, acknowledge doubts, talk to yourself as you would a friend,” It’s okay, Self.”
- Think about how you would treat a friend or what you would say to them. Treat yourself the same way.
- Train to stop being cruel to self
- Are you making it harder through frustration, denial, avoidance, taking on all responsibility/control
- Think of “above water” struggles that you must deal with and can’t change
- Then think of ways to make it easier by reaching out for help or streamlining (i.e. frustrated about cooking dinner-eat out once in a while or use a crockpot, having to run errands but can use online services to deliver)

**How to Become a Successful Travel Blogger: Tell Better Travel Stories & Define Measurement for Travel Brands**  
– Heather Greenwood Davis @geenwooddavis, Rebecca Lantham @RebeccaHLantham

- Think of local stories then go hyperlocal. (i.e. volcano eruption in Hawaii, what does that mean for California travelers then ask for tips from people who just returned)
- What is the story only you can tell then add the other side
- Add a twist and focus on what people need
- Imagine what you would tell your best friend after just returning from a trip. You will often lead with the most exciting bits
- During travel, stop to note the little details such as scent, feel, etc. That will trigger memories.
- Listicles (top 10, 20, 50) have their place but don’t get too formulated and focus on the structure of the article
- Offer articles, takeovers, tag the brand, show excitement through social posts
- To measure stats, brands may use Adara or Arrivalist to add a tracking pixel or UTM code
- Ratio of paid to unpaid posts on site should be 1:1
- Besides your influence, talk at organizations, license photos, do a slideshow to friends, host dinner
- If a brand goes out of their way to make your trip better, show the love via extra posts or links.
- Cooperate with other influencers, not compete
- Paid or comped — depends on campaign and what department it falls under

### Thoughts on Attending Mom 2.0 Summit

I’m so glad I attended the 2018 Mom 2.0 Summit this year. It was just what I needed to keep that enthusiasm for blogging going while regaining my focus as I move forward. Also, there is no replacement for meeting both bloggers and brands in person. Blogging can be quite a solitary job but it’s the personal connections that create organic engagement and stories. One thing I did notice was that I need to be less of a loner and that it’s okay to pal around with people between sessions. I usually like to go at my own pace, not holding anyone else up if I get into a good conversation. However, that resulted in a lot of photo booth pictures of me by myself. 😛 Well, now I can work on that next time as I already purchased an early bird ticket for the next Mom 2.0\. The 2019 Mom 2.0 Summit will be held [April 24-26, 2019 in Austin, TX](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-mom-20-summit-tickets-45207090625?ref=cookiesandclogs.com). Will I see you there?

![2018 Mom 2.0 Summit Blogging Conference April 2-4, 2018 in Pasadena, CA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/2c/eb2c2494-1e98-4067-8fbf-8a48d9dd30cf/content/images/cookiesandclogs-local/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-mom-2-0-06.jpg)