Attending a conference like FinCon can be a major expense. After you consider travel, registration, and food costs, you could be talking $1,000+ for the experience of the four-day event. But you can also profit from FinCon by reframing your mindset and uses these actionable tips.
Instead of thinking of it as simply an expense for travel, education, and fun, try to look at FinCon as an investment in yourself, your relationships, and actual revenue-producing activities that come from having attended.
We intentionally designed it so that you’d get as much real value from the experience as you can.
Sure, many of these things could be done without the event itself, but FinCon gives you a chance to knock them all out over a four-day period. And nothing is better for partnerships than some good old-fashioned face time.
Alright, let’s make some money so you can keep doing that beautiful thing you do. Here are 10 ways you – as a creator, blogger, podcaster, or vlogger – can make some money at FinCon.
Establish an Affiliate Relationship
Over 50% of FinCon attendees monetize their efforts using affiliate marketing (i.e. advertising relationships with brands where publishers/creators/influencers are paid a commission or referral for bringing new customers to brands).
Brands – from banks to brokers to lenders – need a steady stream of new affiliate partnerships with publishers and creators to reach their desired audience. And FinCon is a great place to establish new affiliate marketing arrangements or simply check-in on existing relationships. In short, these people are coming to FinCon to work with you.
The conference was designed to bring these financial affiliates directly to you. As an attendee, you’ll want to come prepared with business cards and your media kit to make contact and use to discuss potential relationships, respectively. Make sure you do your research ahead of time and choose companies that seem like they would be a good fit for your brand.
Nervous about the pitch? Award-winning podcaster Joe Saul Sehy says this about talking with brands:
“Brands are looking for fresh faces to spread their message. Don’t feel like you’re selling when pitching a brand you respect and want to represent. Remember that you’re doing them a favor.”
Pro Tip: Use the app and the time in FinCon Central (our version of an expo hall) to set up meetings with brands. Alternatively, you could utilize the Pro Pass and pre-book your meetings with brands during our Pro Networking time. This allows you to knock out all your meetings in one event. You can start new affiliate relationships or review current partnerships to discuss increases in payouts or anything else you need addressed with current advertising partners.
Plan a Sponsored Campaign
Sponsored posts and social campaigns are at an all-time high in terms of popularity with both brands and creators. As a FinCon attendee, you’re in the perfect position to pitch your sponsored campaign ideas to the brands in attendance. Best practice would be to have a media kit or other document containing the various aspects of your potential campaigns.
Do your homework prior to attending and review all of the brands attending to see who you’d like to speak to onsite to present your ideas. Like affiliate relationships, it’s great to utilize the Pro Pass experience to make it easy to set these meetings up beforehand.
It’s also worth noting that these brands come to FinCon looking to connect. While not every brand has an immediate sponsored campaign or other business opportunity available right away, the relationships you build face-to-face can pay off in future communications as well.
Nervous about meeting with brands? FinCon’s Founder shares this advice:
“Define your goals going in and don’t be afraid to share those in your Pro Networking (or app) profile. Also, share your goals as you message folks and make meeting requests. Then, when you get to the meeting ask questions about the company and try to find out what their needs are. Then, pipe up with how you could help fill those needs. A media kit or rate sheet is a must, I think. And don’t forget to be personable and just get to know the brand rep a bit.”
Find Freelancing Clients
Freelancers attend FinCon to find gigs. Writers, editors, performers, assistants, consultants, and programmers all come to FinCon and find work. Many report finding enough clients to fill their roster for the year!
Many Pro Pass holders use their time in Pro Networking to meet with brands to establish freelance writing arrangements.
Listen to this episode of the Money & Media podcast with Jason Steele where he explains how he finds freelance gigs at FinCon.
Create Speaking/Endorsement Arrangements
Looking to represent a brand as an ambassador or get paid to speak? FinCon is a great place to connect with brands looking for people to represent them through media appearance, public speaking opportunities, and even using your own content.
Professional speaker, Grant Baldwin shares this advice for finding speaking gigs at FinCon:
“Start by identifying any potential people at FinCon that might be looking for a speaker like you (based on who you speak to and what problem you solve). If you’re already speaking, do whatever you can to get them to your session. Your best marketing is getting people to see you deliver a great presentation in person. Even if you’re not speaking, you still want to try to meet them in person. People do business with people they know, like and trust, and you can always build that connection in person way better than email or online.”
Find Podcast and Video Sponsors
Do you have a podcast or video channel? Make use of the time at FinCon to connect with brands about establishing a sponsorship for your show. Joe Saul-Sehy finds sponsors to work with for his show Stacking Benjamins. This is what he says:
“We’ve always used FinCon as a platform to help us secure sponsorship from the brands we love. It’s easier to get deals done face-to-face, and our favorite companies are in the FinCon expo hall. I walk up and pitch grabbing a cup of coffee. It’s that easy.”
Turn this into an on-site opportunity by selling a sponsor spot for the show you actually produce live at FinCon.
Find Affiliates for Your Product/Service
Do you have your own product or service? Need other creators to help you promote it? FinCon can be a great place to find fellow creators who might want to partner as an affiliate for your offering.
Use the app to search through attendees (filter by niche) and connect with folks who you think create content related to your offer.
Create Paid Content On-Site
FinCon is a great place to actually make content and get paid for it! Brands who attend (or who may be sitting it out this year) would be willing to compensate you to attend the show and make content on their behalf – in the form of roundups, deep-dive interviews, podcasts, and videos.
Utilize the FinCon Podcast booth and FinCon Video booths to create your content onsite.
Free Money & Service Discounts at FinCon Central
This one’s easy. Some brands actually give out money, gift cards, or offer prizes during FinCon Central (our version of an expo hall). Be sure to visit each of the booths as soon as FinCon Central opens to take advantage of these offers before they run out.
Additionally, digital marketing solution providers often use the event to offer promotional offerings and discounts on their services. You could walk away from the event with free hosting, marketing services, and even some free advertising dollars for your next big project.
Use FinCon to Learn and Recharge
Finally, there’s no better way to discover what the community has to offer than to visit a breakout session where multiple speakers will be outlining how they do business and make money from their content.
Different tracks focus on different revenue models from book deals and Facebook ads to funnels and email list building. Consider those case studies and make plans to implement your own money-making ideas in the future.
You might be attending sessions, and you might be focused more on networking. No matter how you’re meeting people at FinCon, you’re learning. Use that new knowledge as fuel to recharge and inspire yourself to grow your site and your audience.
Discover More Ways to Profit from FinCon
There are likely many more ways to make money from the FinCon experience. In fact, take a look at these money nerds and the strategies they use to make conferences a success for their brands:
- Bible Money Matters shares How Attending Conferences Can Actually Make You Money
- Financial Panther dishes on Why I Spend Money Attending Conferences
- Amanda Abella unleashes 3 Proven Ways to Make Money From a Business Conference
Most importantly, remember that FinCon is an opportunity for you to grow your relationships and your content. There will be big-name creators at FinCon, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you’re welcomed into the fold.
Whether you are a YouTuber or a blogger or another type of content creator, FinCon offers an opportunity to interview and partner with people who you might not be able to connect with from behind the computer screen. That might mean asking someone for an interview for your site. You might also be tapped to join someone on a podcast that’s filmed live at FinCon. By saying yes to opportunities and welcoming the chance to meet others, you’ll be surprised how quickly these connections can help you monetize your work.
If you have an idea on how to make money at FinCon, share it in the comments below.
Ready to take action? Sign up for FinCon or upgrade your pass to a Pro Pass.
