Join us Live From New York!

We thought it was high time to give our online Blogcadettes another class so we’re conducting another livestream so that YOU can get your questions answered.

Our last one was a huge success, with lots of questions, plenty of laughs, and over 1,000 viewers!

Join us Monday 24th June
10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm GMT

The three of us will be talking about some of the lessons we’ve personally learned from teaching The Blogcademy, and engaging in some lively debate about changes we’re making to our own blogs.

After that, we’ll be taking your questions! You’re more than welcome to submit them in advance, but we’ll be answering ‘em on the fly, too. (If you can’t attend the live event, but will be watching the recording later, we recommend submitting your questions ahead of time!)

Tickets are a minuscule $7 and if you can’t tune in live, don’t worry, your ticket will give you access to a recording which you can watch over and over again at your leisure! Sign up below by clicking the orange button below…

 

What’s The Blogcademy All About, Then?

With excitement very much mounting for the next leg of our World Tour in New York and Minneapolis over the next few weeks, we wanted to refresh your memory as to what The Blogcademy is all about!

Calling all aspiring blog queens and small business owners. The heartfully headstrong, the radically rambunctious. The devilishly demure. The loud ones, the quiet ones, the sweet ones and the vixens. And every single up-and-coming BLOGGING BABE IN BETWEEN.

Whether you’ve been blogging for forever, or just getting started… THIS IS THE BLOGCADEMY.

Because blogging is no joke, and it’s time to take yours to the next level. It’s where three A-list bloggers, thirty A-list students, and the magic of in-person collaboration combine.

Enough fooling around.

It’s time to make a living with your blog.

And we’re coming to your city… TO SHOW YOU EXACTLY HOW.

The Lowdown

Contrary to popular belief, blogs aren’t just online diaries for stylish mavens in six inch heels; they’re an essential tool for anyone who owns a business, wants a business, or wants to do business… Period.

Bloggers are the ultimate “it” girls: They sit front row at fashion week, they launch magazines to wild acclaim, and they are able to make a living in a way that leaves the 9-5 crowd for dead.

There’s just one little thing…

It takes strategy. Insight. Technique. And talent.

Because you might be the best at what you do, but if you aren’t the best at blogging about it… You don’t exist.

And that’s precisely why we’ve created The Blogcademy: to help every single hard-working wonder-woman get the recognition she wants — and the lifestyle she DESERVES. We’ve only got one go around at this thing called life. We might as well give it EVERYTHING WE’VE GOT — turquoise sequins and 80’s dance-offs very much included.

About The Blogcademy

The Blogcademy is a wildly fun, fiercely smart, two-day workshop tailored to bloggers who want to elevate their online presence and business up a level — or fifteen. Taught by three of the world’s most high-profile bloggers, Gala Darling (Gala Darling), Kat Williams (Rock n Roll Bride) and Shauna Haider (Nubby Twiglet), we take your hand and give you a backstage pass to the blogosphere.

Everything you ever wanted to know about blogging strategy, branding, monetization, personality and (so much!) more is covered in this exclusive, never-before-done workshop — now taking place in various cities around the world. At The Blogcademy, there’s three of us and thirty of you (not to mention some of the sauciest goodie bags this side of Venus).

We provide personalized guidance, big heaps of encouragement and one massive dose of inspiration to all levels, from absolute beginners to total pros. It doesn’t matter whether you do it for the love, to support your business, or if it’s your full-time gig; all that matters is that you have a wild-crazy passion for this thing we call the blogosphere.

Your three headmistresses have very distinct personalities, and an entirely different approach to each of our online identities, which gives a savvy, holistic, insider’s view of exactly what it takes to thrive online — no matter who you are.

If you’d like to use your blog to attract new clients, we know the best way to do it. If you’re feeling frustrated by creating content, we can help you bulldoze through the obstacles that are standing in your way. If you want to get a newspaper column, a magazine feature or a book deal, we can show you the ropes. If you want to be inspired, make your blog design really pop, refine your branding and get bigger and better, we’re right there with you — no ifs, ands or buts.

If it exists as a benchmark within blogging, we have either done it or are doing it right now. Gala has been writing online since 1997, Shauna got started in 2001, and Kat began her blog in 2007. In our 31 collective years of experience in the world of blogging, we have truly dealt with the good, the bad and the ugly. We want to share our greatest lessons with you in the form of two uncontrollably fun, action-packed days of knowledge, wisdom, tricks, tips, deep insights and good-old fashioned bonding.

And it doesn’t end there. After the last B-shaped balloon is packed away (tear!), the community remains. Regular, real-life meet-ups, a thriving forum and access to constantly-updated resources are all at your glittery fingertips. The Blogcademy may zip by in two days, but the relationships you’ve formed can (and will) last a lifetime.

What Will I Learn?

Day One:
We’re busting out the need-to-know, can’t-be-skipped, you-don’t-want-to-miss-this blogging essentials. On day one we cover everything from layout basics to learning how to create and refine your digital persona. In the excitement of starting a blog, these important fundamentals often get glossed over, but they’re crucial to your success. We discuss finding inspiration and picking the right topics for your blog, creating brilliant content, extracting the maximum juice out of social media and conducting a digital brand audit. (More useful than it sounds — we promise.)

Day Two:
After a jolly good night’s rest, we crack on to day two where we go deep on the topic of monetisation, from advertising to creating your own products (and everything that falls in between!). We give you the skinny on building a brand from scratch, how to network without feeling like a sleaze, how to take great photos, essential business documents and creating a blogging action plan that won’t just sit in your drawer — but get you noticed, get you seen, and get you making MONEY.

At The Blogcademy, our focus is not just on being online; we understand the importance of establishing legitimacy in the offline world, too. Woven throughout the two days, we’ll be driving home lessons on discovering your own voice and showcasing your personality, making brand connections and working on campaigns, as well as dealing with the not-so-nice bits of blogging.

We’ll tell you everything we know about dealing with big brands (and maintaining a sense of self and integrity!); getting a newspaper or magazine column; self-publishing and digital products; creating a magazine (as well as editing, designing and distributing it); blogging managers and agents, and how to get a book deal. We’ll teach you how to write your own blogging business plan, and encourage you to set goals to keep you motivated.

But it’s not all function and no form: we also share essential design tips and elements to enhance the look and feel of what you do. It’s one thing to have a cohesive look across all your online properties, but it’s another thing entirely to know if they accurately represent you or your business. Shauna has half a decade of real world experience at top ad agencies and design studios, which have given her a sophisticated and beautiful view of design, both online and off. She brings this expertise to class and one thing’s for sure: you — and your blog — will never be the same.

Finally, the headmistresses will personally be critiquing your actual blog and giving you customized recommendations on what you can do to be better, do better, and blog better.

This is an unbelievable opportunity to have your work appraised by some of the best in the business, and if you take our advice, you will see incredible growth. Pinky swear.

What’s Included?

  • 16 hours of class time
  • Custom 40+ page workbook (she’s pretty AND action-packed)
  • Activities and exercises designed to help you get clear, and get GOING
  • Top Secret Student Forum — because two days is never enough!
  • Personalized Report cards — 1:1 attention is a guarantee
  • Graduation Certificate — to remind you of your new skills, and give you insta-confidence anytime
  • Curated Goodie bag — have we mentioned how much you’re going to LOVE yours?!
  • Class Photo — because no workshop would be a workshop without an unforgettable collection of stellar snapshots

So what are you waiting for? We can’t wait to see you there!

Meet Our New York & Minneapolis Scholarship Winners!

We offer one scholarship spot in every city and we just love browsing through all those creative entries in order to pick our winners. This latest batch certainly didn’t disappoint, with both of our favourites flexing their artistic muscles and creating these utterly brilliant pieces.

Kirstin’s comic book for the New York class stole our hearts with it’s creativity and humour…

And Amber’s quirky poster designs convinced us that this was a babe we wanted to meet in Minneapolis!

Congratulations to you both, we can’t wait to meet you in New York and Minneapolis really really soon!

If you’d like to try out for the scholarship spot in Austin, London, Brisbane, Melbourne or Auckland it really couldn’t be easier. Simply pull together a blog post and let us know, in whatever format you like, why you should win!

You could draw a picture, make a video, create an animated gif, start a Facebook campaign, get a tattoo (we’re only half joking!)… Anything that your crazy little brain can come up with. Remember: the more creative the better!

Publish your entry on your own blog and then simply post a link to it on our Facebook page. Applications are due 30 days before the date of the class you’re applying for and make sure you state in your entry which city you’d like to attend.

PS If you’d like to book in to either the New York or Minneapolis classes in June, don’t delay. There are not many sleeps to go (and yes, we are counting!)

Paying in Installments

Photography: Made U Look

Did you know that you can pay for the class in installments? We know that not everyone has the full cost of the workshop just burning a hole in their pocket, so we decided to offer a super-simple payment plan. This is for those of you that would like to reserve your spot without having to stump up all the cash right away.

If you’d like to make two payments, you can do so by simply clicking the ‘two installments’ link under the city of your choice on the register page. If you’d like to make smaller and more regular deposits, we can accommodate that too. Just get in touch and we’ll sort it out for you right away!

We can’t wait to meet you, SO much love
Kat, Gala & Shauna

New Dates: Austin & Melbourne (again)!

Your headmistresses always aim to please, and when we announced the full wack of dates back in March, there were some outcries that we weren’t going down to any of the Southern US states… Well, your wish is our command and so we’ve added an extra date in Austin date during August. YEY!

But that’s not all…The Melbourne class sold out so speedily, that we’ve decided to add a second date on our way home from Australia. It means we’re pretty much going to be away from home for a whole month (!) but hey, know you’re gonna make it worth our while! Our poor suffering husbands will just have to hold the fort at our respective homes a little while longer I guess…

If you’d like to hop on the school bus with us, you can book your spot on either of these classes via the registration page. As always, for the two new dates we are offering an earlybird special price if you book before midnight Wednesday 15th May. Spaces are limited to 30 graduates per class and remember, all our previous classes have been sell-outs, so speed is of the essence!

We can’t wait to meet you!

Love & Adoration for our Los Angeles Sponsors!

Los Angeles was everything we could have hoped for and more! The latest crop of Blogcadettes were total babes and after every class, the three of us always go away feeling like we’ve just made thirty new BFFs.

As always, big love to our awesome sponsors who made the LA Blogcademy as sparkly as possible!

These Basik 855 coin purses are perfect for a blogger on the go…and have just the right amount of space to stash those business cards!

These MARGRAVINE x Sewmaryann bows are perfect for wearing on your lapel or slipping in your bouffant!

We love these glitter shoe clips from Head Full of Feathers!

The Moorea Seal pieces were all gorgeous.

Everyone was also treated to a beautiful Mr Yen LOVE laser-cut card.

Oh, Crown & Glory. Where would we be without your fabulous sparkly ears?

The IF Ladies purses & nail wraps were so fun!

Saturday Sequins handmade everyone a pair of these gorgeous blue and silver sequin earrings!

Classic Hardware sent a bunch of awesome jewellery treats.

We are so in love with these custom coffee cozies handmade by Twinkie Chan!

And finally, Zevia kept us hydrated with oddles of their delicious zero calorie soda.

We had an extra special treat in store for this class since it was Kat’s birthday on Sunday. We rented a photo booth from LA photo booth rental company Snapden and we had an utter blast getting all silly and snap happy!

Los Angeles, you treated us so well! We hope we’ll get to visit you again sometime soon!

The next round of workshops are taking place in June and we’re off to New York and Minneapolis! We are currently accepting sponsors for both dates so if you’d like to get your product or service in front of 30 enthusiastic bloggers as well as featured on our blogs (with a combined reach of over one million readers!) then please get in touch.

And if you’d like to join us at one of the workshops, we still have spaces remaining for both dates. Booking your spot couldn’t be simpler, but feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions before you register.

We can’t wait to hit the road again really soon. Roll on, June!

All Photography: Milou & Olin Photography

We Have So Much Love For Our Portland Sponsors!

Class four: Portland!

Oh, Portland, City of Roses: you have our hearts.  What a beautiful city, what an incredible group of women, and what a bloody good time we had!

The Blogcademy: Portland was everything we could have hoped for… And then some! Of course, none of this would even be possible without our amazing sponsors. Thank you to each and every one of these babes for helping to make this event happen!

Ears from Crown & Glory – no Blogcadette worth their salt is ever without a pair of ears place firmly on his or her head!

IF Ladies sent us a huge box of quirky purses, cards, tee-shirts, umbrellas and nail wraps!

MARGRAVINE x Sewmaryann made some custom hair bows which doubled as brooches in Blogcademy blue and silver glitter. They would also like to offer anyone reading this 15% off any order from their online shop until the end of May! Simply use discount code BLOG15 to qualify.

Moorea Seal supplied all this amazing jewellery.

The glittery Head Full of Feathers shoe clips added some much needed sparkle to our toes.

The Pink Samurai painstakingly knitted 30 beautiful teal and grey scarves.

Lex Cosmetics via Cloud Parade supplied everyone with fantastic grey glittery nail varnish.

The greeting cards were from the super talented Mr Yen.

Everyone also got an awesome Basik 855 coin purse.

Paige Lavoie sent these fun Blogcademy branded mini hats which we all rocked in the photo booth. Finally, the amazing Paul Jarvis supplied a free digital download of his book, How to Be Awesome Online, for everyone (obviously not pictured).

Phew. Never can it be said that we don’t spoil those Blogcadettes of ours. Alongside their custom city tote bags, workbook magazine and other branded treats, those goodie bags were packed.

We also had some amazing décor sponsors this time as well. We fell held over heels for these teal and pink tassels and rainbow confetti from The Paper Jar via Cloud Parade… and we seriously battled over who got to take them home afterwards!

The whole shebang was photographed and videoed (!) by the utterly incredible, inspiring and amazing Made U Look Photography. We are so immensely grateful that they packed up their car and drove the 14 hour route from where they live in Bakersfield to Portland to be with us for the workshop. Christina, Marielle & Alie… We love you girls!

The next round of workshops are taking place in June and we’re off to New York and Minneapolis! We are currently accepting sponsors for both dates so if you’d like to get your product or service in front of 30 enthusiastic bloggers as well as featured on our blogs (with a combined reach of over one million readers  - yowzer!) then, don’t be shy, get in touch.

And if you’d like to join us at one of the workshops we still have spaces remaining for both dates. Booking your spot couldn’t be simpler, but feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions before you book.

We can’t wait to hit the road again really soon. Roll on June!

All Photography: Made U Look Photography

The Portland Video!

Oh my goodness, there are just not enough words to express how much we adore the video from the Portland workshop. Epic love and thanks to the utterly amazing, inspiring and all round babealious Christina, Marielle & Alie for creating this masterpiece. SO MUCH LOVE…

Photos to follow really soon!

Our next stops are New York and Minneapolis in June and we’d love to see you there. Reserving your spot couldn’t be simpler, but feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions before you book.

Dancing, kissing and all round big cheesy grins,
Kat, Gala & Shauna

Photo & Video: Made U Look Photography

Attention Los Angeles Blogcadettes!

Greetings from our Hollywood (b)loft! Your intrepid headmistresses are spending today stuffing goodie bags, blowing up ‘B’ balloons, and making notes… But mostly getting super-amped for the Los Angeles class of our world tour, which kicks off tomorrow morning!

As is customary around these parts, here are some quick reminders for all of you future graduates…

The venue is McCaddenSpace Studio, located at 1041 N. McCadden Place, one block east of Highland Avenue and one-half block south of Santa Monica Blvd. Look for a Spanish style building with large trees!

To pack in your school bag:

♥ A notebook, a laptop or an iPad — whatever you’re most comfortable writing on. You’re going to need something to jot down all those ideas and notes!

♥ A pen. Make sure you bring something to write with!

♥ A camera. While we are no longer teaching a technical photography section, the workshop is sure to be packed with many Kodak moments so don’t forget to bring something to capture them with! If you don’t have a camera, don’t worry, the camera on your phone will be totally adequate. Be sure to download Instagram, too, if you’re not using it already!

♥ Snacks and lunch. We’ll be providing delicious zero calorie soda from Zevia for slurping on throughout the day, but feel free to bring some yummies too. There are plenty of places to buy lunch (and green juice!) locally, but if you prefer to bring a packed lunch, there’s a turquoise (of course!) refrigerator you can use.

♥ Business cards… Because you never know who you might meet!

We can’t wait to meet you all, start practicing your #bloggerface now!

Much love from your sunkissed headmistresses,
Kat, Gala & Shauna

Portland, We Are Ready For You!

The goodie bags have been packed, the report cards have been signed, and we are ready to teach up a storm!

A little reminder for those of you coming along tomorrow about what to pack in your school bag:

♥ A notebook, a laptop or an iPad — aka something to write on. You’re going to need something to jot down all those ideas and notes. And make it a biggie… In London we had students who completely filled theirs up!

♥ A pen. Make sure you bring something to write with!

♥ A camera. While we are no longer teaching a technical photography section, the workshop is sure to be packed with many Kodak moments so don’t forget to bring something to capture them with! If you don’t have one, don’t worry, the camera on your phone will be totally adequate.

♥ Snacks and lunch. We’ll be providing easter eggs for munching on throughout the day but feel free to bring your own too. There are plenty of brilliant places to buy lunch locally, but if you prefer to bring a packed lunch, be our guest!

♥ Business cards… Because you never know who you might meet!

We are SO EXCITED to meet you all,

Much love from your enthusiastic headmistresses,
Kat, Gala & Shauna