Alter Your World - Winner # 1

By: Melanie Blodgett. Photography by: Bellalulu Vintage

Wow, reading through all the Alter Your World submissions has certainly left us inspired and ready to go out and do some good. We love hearing about: 

-Denise and her dog Moose who have been a a certified Therapy Dog Team for the past four years and volunteer at the local library. 

-Terumi made cake for an organization that brings birthday parties to homeless children and children living in foster homes.

-Delaney writes about her sister who went to El Salvador last summer to promote education and health and when she came back she had a whole new drive to help others.

-Cindy who's made it her goal to do 52 good deeds in 2013. Last week, she pledged money to help a local business.

-Laura who started Pawsh Magazine that operates around the mission of helping animals in need and raising awareness about proper pet care.

-Marigold shares a touching story of her friend Melanie who wrote a children's book about all kinds of babies, including those with special needs and those who live for only a short time after losing an infant shortly after birth. 

This week, the randomly selected winner of a ticket to Alt SF or Alt NY is Terumi. 

We're looking forward to reading through more submissions. Thank you for altering your world.

Alt for Everyone

We're excited to announce that Alt for Everyone has SOLD OUT! Our first ever online conference is officially fully packed and we are looking forward to seeing all of you there later this week! You can still switch classes until Wednesday, so if you still have one you we're wishing for, keep checking back, you never know if a spot will pop open.

If you have won a ticket to Alt for Everyone, don't fret! As long as you have a code, you can still register. Just follow the instructions and sign on up. Hurry, the codes are only vaild through end of day Wednesday.

There have been a few changes to the Alt for Everyone schedule. The first is that we have added a new class by Alt founder, Sara Urquhart, How to Get Paid What You Are Worth. Finally a class that talks about how to build a strong brand and ask for what you're worth. You won't want to miss it!

We are also lucky to have Liz Stanley, from Say Yes to Hoboken, teaching not one, but two classes at Alt for Everyone. Organized Blogger, will cover great tools, tips and tricks to get organized online and even dive into the details of how to invoice and hire contributors. This class is most helpful to bloggers that have moved beyond beginner status and are building their brand.

We can't wait to see you in three days!

Don't forget, we're looking for Alter Your World submissions all month long and giving away tickets to Alt SF and Alt NY as a thank you. You can find everything you need to know right here.

Great Blog Resources Every Blogger Should Know

By: Jenner Brown. Photography: Jenny Batt

There are lots of helpful resources online to help you make better videos for your blog. Here are a few links to get you started:

• You could spend hours browsing all of the fun video/photo supplies at B&H!

• Lynda.com is a great way to brush up on video production skills.

• One of the best libraries of public domain images ever compiled. Use as video graphics or just for your blog!

• Have a questions about something video related? Ask it in the helpful forums at Creative Cow.

• Vimeo Video School. This page is packed with outstanding tips.

• Why video bloggers fail (some things not to do.)

Elements of a Good Pitch

By: Sara Urquhart. Photography by: Melanie Blodgett

A pitch will be successful when you can meet the needs of the client, and so good pitches always begin with an understanding of the clients’ needs. The key here is to listen, listen, listen. What does the brand want? What are they looking for? If they’re interested in social media buzz, that pitch will look completely different than if they want deep and concentrated attention. 

To create your pitch, you’ll need to ask a simple question that might intimidate you, but shouldn’t: “What’s your budget for this project?” Every project will have a budget, and this is an easy way to start the conversation about price. Knowing the budget helps you tailor your pitch and also gauge whether the project is worth your time.

Keep pitches to one page (maybe two), and beware of appearing that you’re mass-pitching. Make sure you include something that customizes your pitch to that specific brand, such as a reference to an in-person conversation or an email exchange.

Your pitch is your response to what the brand needs, and how your relationship can help them achieve their goals within their budget. Simply put, a good pitch is a compelling proposal to help a brand meet its goal.

Balancing Work and Motherhood: Chat with Joy Cho

Mother's Day is just around the corner. Check out how our Alt for Everyone keynote speaker, Joy Cho of Oh Joy!, finds her work/life balance now that she's a mom.

Interview by Monica Lee for Alt.