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Posts Tagged ‘outdoor writers’

Outdoor Bloggers Unite!

31 Mar

Come one, come all to the 1st Annual Midwest Fishing & Hunting Blogger Summit at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd, Minn! After much conferring and “putting our heads together” with fellow blogger Jim Braaten (awesome guy, by the way), we created a networking opportunity exclusively built for outdoor bloggers.

I’ve been reaching out to bloggers for about the past three years in my role at Sportsman Channel. Jim was one of the first I tentatively sent an email asking for “blog love” on a show or press release. He was so receptive to me that it spurned additional conversations, which ultimately led to: how do we network with more bloggers?

Sure, we are all connected on the ‘net, but in reality, connections are solidified face-to-face. So after a hearty meal (and drinks) at SHOT Show, Jim and I decided to forge ahead with an outdoor bloggers weekend getaway.

The first annual Midwest Fishing & Hunting Bloggers Summit is set for July 22-24, 2011 at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd, Minn. The event meant for those outdoor bloggers who want to network and learn about how to hone their craft.

The Summit is as much about learning and networking as it is enjoying a quick summer getaway in a famous resort town. The highlight of the weekend is a presentation by Jeanette Kozlowski of Cat5 Commerce on “How to Successfully Market Your Blog.” Ms. Kozlowski holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism. In her graduate studies, she focused primarily on researching blogging and its effect on mainstream media.

Registration is $100 to secure your spot in the Summit. However, those who register before June 17 will receive their money back in the form of a Cragun’s gift card.  To register for the Summit, or learn more, visit http://midwestbloggers.org

We are in need of sponsors and goodies to give away!! If you are interested in sponsorships, or would like to provide product for bloggers to write about, please contact Jim Braaten at jim7226@hotmail.com or me at sportsman@thesportsmanchannel.com

I hope to see you there!

 
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Secrets of Outdoor Communicators, Part Deux

20 Oct

This post is the second part of my SEOPA conference wrap-up.  Scroll down to read my first part on tips and secrets of outdoor communicators as shared by Wade Bourne.

Now we are continuing with more secrets shared by legends J. Wayne Fears, John Phillips and Mark Sosin.

The list of accolades and awards on J. Wayne Fears’ website is about the lengthiest I’ve seen. The man is a legend with the written word and I looked forward to hearing his insider secrets.

Fears first pointed out to be professional at all times, “Strive to get your work done on time, double-check your grammar is correct and be courteous.” I question if these three items are lost art on today’s communicator? All panelists agreed we rely too much on “spell check” and not enough on reading the article out loud to hear if it actually makes sense! Fears also agreed with other panelists to re-sell articles. He said he sold the same article to Outdoor Life twice! He must’ve reconfigured it somehow, but that’s awesome! And Fears found a niche – in talking about beef jerky. But it was something he sort of stumbled upon. He said he sold more than 45 articles on beef jerky and ended up writing a book about it.

Photo image: Laertes on Flickr

John Phillips has written more than 6,000 articles for 100 magazines and newspaper columns along with publishing nearly 25,000 photographs. However, he said he received 49 rejection letters before he ever had his first article published. He laughed and said, “Good thing I wasn’t smart, or I would’ve quit a long time ago.” But Phillips is smart and through perseverance, sweat and maybe luck, he built a tidy empire. His advice? “Find someone that is the best in their field and then do whatever they tell you.” Phillips said he’s had several mentors through the years, and he returns that favor by interning students interesting in writing, photography or the outdoors. “Most of us can do a whole lot more than we think we really can,” he said. Heck, Phillips should be a motivational speaker!

Mark Sosin is known as “Mr. Saltwater” and his show, “Mark Sosin’s Saltwater Journal” is celebrating its 25th season this year.  He definitely carved a place that he alone owns. However, he said he fought that niche a little bit in the beginning. “It wasn’t until a friend told me to shut up and start calling myself ‘Mr. Saltwater’ that I finally took it to heart,” he told us. For some reason, Sosin wanted people to know he’s a great flats fisherman and can catch trout on the fly like no one’s business. But that wasn’t his core business – saltwater fishing is. So why muddle the message? Another piece of advice Sosin offered is that, “Success in our business depends on how well you handle plan B.” Amen to that. If a magazine folds, what do you do? If a new web-based internet show pops up, do you have content to sell to them?

Do these tips from part one and part two useful? Is there advice an outdoor communicator mentor gave you that you’ll never forget? Share with us!

 
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Secrets of Outdoor Communicators, Part One

11 Oct

If you didn’t attend last week’s Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) Conference, you are in luck as I studiously took notes during one the highlights of the conference: a session with iconic outdoor communicators. The four gentlemen I am highlighting are Wade Bourne, J. Wayne Fears, John Phillips and Mark Sosin.

The panel had probably 100 years experiences between the four of them. They each had 10 minutes to share their “secret sauce” of making it work (being profitable?) in our tough world. I’ll rehash some of the points Wade Bourne shared here and I’ll post “Part Two” next week.

Wade Bourne is host of “Wired2Fish” radio (and Wired2Hunt), but he also was the host of In-Fisherman radio and the TV host for Ducks Unlimited Television for many years. Bourne says he’s been in the business for 31 years as a full-time freelance writer & broadcaster.
Wade’s tips:

  1. Treat your business as a business! Actually, this was repeated several times during the session. Even during Q&A, an attendee said “We are all just trying to get paid to hunt and fish” and that struck a cord with the panelists. Yes, that is true, but if you don’t treat it like a business, then you may end up making $7 an hour on that “dream” assignment because it took you five days to get the animal.
  2. Network. Attending conferences, shows and events is a must to keeping personal contacts strong. I strongly second this. Numerous times I’ve discovered key information from casual conversation during a conference.
  3. Diversity. Wade is a radio and TV host, writer and now conference speaker. I would say he’s done a good job of diversification. Bourne put it this way, “Do one interview, write a story, do a radio piece, write for the internet. One piece of information can be used five times.”  

    SEOPA Conference attendees were able to kick-start their "one day" dreams into action. Photo: mlgroveruk

  4. Embrace new technology. If you are reading this blog, then you are probably doing this. We unsuccessfully tried to get Mark Sosin to tweet during the conference. He’s embracing it a little more, though.
  5. Find a niche – work to become an “expert” in a particular field. We all know Sosin as “Mr. Saltwater.” Although, Mark will quickly tell you he’s a great fly-fisherman, he markets to the masses as the saltwater expert. Who is “Mr. Pheasant” or “Ms. Quail?” Could be you!
  6. Anticipate changes and be prepared for them. This is along the lines of diversification and not putting all your eggs in one basket. If a magazine folds, then you should already have arsenal of other publications (print or digital) in your digital rolodex.
  7. Recycle old material for the internet. A magazine article from 10 years ago becomes tomorrow’s blog post or online editorial.
  8. Do business “eyeball to eyeball.” I like this one. Bourne said traveling to your editors or sponsors offices can solidify a relationship for years to come. I agree. If I am in town on business for a conference, I’ll find out who I know in the area to visit. Meetings face-to-face are golden.
  9. Treat your readers/listeners/viewers as your customers. Answer their phone calls, emails or Facebook postings. I have a little golden rule on this at Sportsman Channel. If you call me, I’ll call you back versus an email. I believe you took the time to make the call, so I’ll make the time to respond via call. If I call someone and they respond via email, I take it as an insult. Your editors might have this same little quirk.
  10. Value yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask for a raise on your next project. If you don’t value your time, no one else will. My mom has owned several companies over the years and one of them was as a professional upholster. She is a type “A” personality when it comes to the finished product, which means she put A LOT of time in making sure all seams were perfect. However, people wouldn’t pay the dollar per hour wage she needed to make the business thrive. Either she had to move quicker to make more money per hour, which meant the work may not be up to her standards, or fold the business. She valued her quality of work too much and folded the business. (Although I had her re-upholster three antique chairs and a couch in my house recently. Awesome work.)

 

Any of Bourne’s tips resonate with you and your business? If you had to add tip #11 – what would it be?

 
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POMA Conference – Snippets from Days One and Two

12 Aug

I have safely arrived in beautiful La Porte, Ind. off the shores of Lake Michigan for the Fifth Annual POMA Business Conference. For those of you not in the outdoor industry (like my mom and sister reading this) POMA stands for Professional Outdoor Media Association and is the leading organization for outdoor writers, media members and supporters (like Sportsman Channel) to network and make money!

DAY ONE  – was actually Wednesday. Those who didn’t have horrible delays from air or car travel were treated to a lovely lobster meal along the lake thanks to La Porte and Michigan City tourism bureaus.

lobster at POMA conference la porte Indiana

Lobster says "Hi" Photo credit: Lisa Metheny of Outdoor Inspirations

DAY TWO – Thursday. I am a strong believer in helping others succeed. So when Branden Butler from Battenfeld Technologies asked me to speak at the POMA <35 group of college students on television opportunities, I exclaimed, “Sure!” Only four students arrived, which was disappointing, but boy did they learn “insider secrets” from some of the top names in our industry. If you are a college student – or know one – who wants to break in to outdoor freelance, web or TV – you should have been here! The networking alone is priceless – where else can you chat it up with the likes of Jim Zumbo or Tom Opre? So kudos to POMA for paying attention to this group of young professionals.

Over lunch, Ram Trucks introduced their new Ram “Outdoorsman” model. It is a nice, rugged truck with features built specifically for the hunter/angler/camper in mind. Like the “RamBox Holster” that will hold a rod or gun with a lockable, lit compartment over the rear tire. You can see it on the left side opened in this picture.

The back end of the 2011 Ram Truck "Outdoorsman" Model

The vehicle is available in third quarter and base price is $28,350. Interesting note – Chrysler decided to break off the Ram Truck brand into its own entity so to speak. So the gentlemen that were attending the conference were specifically for Ram trucks.

In the afternoon sessions, I discovered this cool outdoor camera from Kodak called “play sport” that will actually film underwater up to 10 feet in HD! And I found it Amazon for only $124.99. It also takes still photos, so I can see this as a great tool for outdoor communicators for your blog, Twitter or Facebook account.

The evening brought more networking and camaraderie from fellow communicators along with a BBQ sponsored by Columbia. Tomorrow there is much more to learn on photography skills, communications for marketers and negotiation skills for freelancers.  I leave you tonight with this sunset shoot by my good friend and awesome photographer, Lisa Metheny of Outdoor Inspirations.

view from pier on Lake Michigan by Michigan City

 
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