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!

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

The Knot At The Blogcademy, Los Angeles!

We are thrilled to announce that Rebecca Crumley, picture editor at The Knot Magazine, will be doing a very special guest segment at the Los Angeles workshop on Sunday 7th April! Rebecca has a degree in photography and has been the real weddings photo editor for The Knot since 2004.

“I’ve seen the changes from film to digital, Friendster launching the revolution in social networking; blogging, pinterest, all of it!” she says. “While my day-to-day responsibility is picking and photo editing our wedding content, keeping current with technology and blogfeeds are the backbone to my success.”

Clearly this babe knows her stuff!

She will be speaking to the blogcadettes about how to pick the best imagery for their blogs, as well as sharing her insider knowledge on what kinds of photographs really grab a reader’s attention. She will touch on how bloggers can best go about working with magazines, as well as making herself available for some Q&A time!

We are so excited that Rebecca and The Knot have approached us to take part in The Blogcademy, and we just know our students are going to learn so much from her!

Roll on the good times!

Much love (and squealing with excitement and anticipation!),
Kat, Gala and Shauna

Announcing: The Blogcademy World Tour!

This year, The Blogcademy goes truly international. What started out as an experiment exploded into three sold-out classes in New York and London… And now, we’re expanding across the world!

We’re hittin’ the road, Jack! We’ve planned our dates for 2013, and we’ll be kicking up a turquoise tornado in…

Portland
March 30/31st
Cleaners at The Ace Hotel

Los Angeles
April 6/7th
McCadden Photo Studio

Toronto
May 18/19th
Location to be confirmed

Vancouver
May 25/26th
Location to be confirmed

New York City
June 22/23rd
Patina

Minneapolis
June 29/30th
Location to be confirmed

London
September 7/8th
Curtain Road Studios

Brisbane
Proudly presented by Tourism & Events Queensland!
November 2/3rd
Bleeding Heart Gallery

Melbourne
November 6/7th
Lightdrop Studios

Auckland
November 9/10th
Generator

As always, we’re offering an earlybird special for the first three days, so be sure to snap up your ticket! (Remember, our first class in London sold out in 24 hours!)

We’re also pleased to announce one scholarship prize for each city. All you need to do is post your entry on our Facebook page up to one month before the date of your chosen event. There is more information about the scholarship at the end of our FAQ!

A lot of you have asked if we’ll ever make The Blogcademy available online, & the answer is no, simply because what makes The Blogcademy so special is the physical bringing together of people. But we appreciate that there are a lot of you who would love to come along and can’t.

For this reason, in Portland, the three of us will be doing a live online Q&A session, in which we’ll answer all your burning blogging questions! It’s the best way we could think of to bring ourselves right into your living room, and address the questions you really want answered.

The Blogcademy: Live Q&A!
Wednesday March 27th 2013
1pm PST / 4pm EST

 

Tickets are $7, and if you can’t watch it live, don’t worry: your ticket gives you access to the recording forever!

While you will have the opportunity to ask questions during the livestream, it’s first come, first served… So please tweet or email us your questions!

Even better than that, we’re giving away a Blogcademy goodie bag to one lucky viewer! Inside, you’ll find some sparkly bunny ears courtesy of Crown And Glory, some treats from IF Ladies, awesome shoe clips from Head Full Of Feathers, jewellery from Moorea Seal and so much more… You’ll even get your very own copy of the exclusive workshop magazine, which is packed full of inspirational articles and activities to get you and your blog in tip-top shape! Everyone who buys a ticket will be in to win the goodie bag…

Yours giddily!
Gala, Shauna and Kat.