Is VidSummit worth it for content creators, brands, marketers and influencers?

There are so many tech conferences and events throughout the year.  They range from free, to thousands of dollars and of course you have to add the travel and accommodation cost on top of that entry-price. When you are a content creator, a freelancer, a solo entrepreneur, a startup, or anyone else who pays their own way, you need to be very selective.

“Price is what you pay, value is what you get” I can’t recall when I started using this phrase, but that is what I look for in a conference: does it offer me actual, practical value that is worth the price.

A free event, that is a waste of time, is worse than an event that costs $500 but teaches a skill or allows you to make a connection which leads to bigger things.

Is VidSummit worth it?

When I saw a tweet about VidSummit, a conference on “Video Marketing, Influencer Marketing and YouTube Marketing”, I headed over to the website to check it out. Afterall, I run my Liron Segev YouTube Channel (shameless plug) so this event seemed perfect. Unfortunately, at the last moment, a client had an “emergency” so I had to cancel.

Watching the handful of Live Streams and the Tweets, I immediately regretted my decision as I quickly discovered what that special “thing” that made VidSummit special: Practical and Actionable.

VidSummit was not about just giving the usual-suspects of speakers a platform to blah blah about themselves how they got to million subscribers in ways that people starting out cannot relate to. But VidSummit was about actionable tips and tricks that content creators can implement immediately after the speaker’s session ends! Now that is powerful!

I reached out to some people who attended the event to see what they thought. Some just starting out, and some well established and this is what they took away from VidSummit:

Andru Edwards from GearLive, shared that for him its all about content creators are recognizing their value.  “People are really starting to take their content creation serious and are willing to firmly stand behind it with an entrepreneurial spirit. A few years ago many more people would accept some sort of free tchotchke from a brand in exchange for a video and would consider that a successful “brand deal” – that’s now evolving to where people recognize themselves as legitimate media brands with a real audience that stands behind them, and that allows them to command premium rates in exchange for advertising spots. I always tell people to know their worth and never sell themselves short, and now more than ever before, people are starting to do just that.”

Arael Avinu from Univamedia.com  said that his main lessons were about content. “Gary V reinforcement that content is king and stop focusing on the numbers and analytics – stay focused on quality content. I was leaning the other way before he said that and that is truly inspiring.” Arael also said that “Podcast and audio is a big thing. So keeping my ear to the ground and considering taking my audio and putting it into podcasts format”.

“Dan Lok said that you need to start with how you think about monetizing your content. Fame without money is depression. If I want to produce quality content as inspired by Gary V and I need to be mindful of monetizing your content”

Kelsey Edwards runs her YouTube Channel and said that her biggest takeaway tip was all about not being afraid to ask people for help and to collaborate. “I learned so much. It was awesome. The biggest thing I learned was the importance of collaborating and ASKING. and yes I’ll go back next year. It was super valuable. It’s so hard to ask people for things—to collaborate, for help, etc. But I learned that if you’re not asking someone for something every day, you’re doing it wrong. I learned to look forward to all the no’s, because one day someone will say yes. That was important for me to learn because asking is so hard for me.”

Keith Cardo who owns h18p, a Digital Media Production Company/Social Media Marketing Agency in Southeast Louisiana paid the $800 Ultimate Pass and flying out to LA for a week. “It was definitely worth it and I encourage anyone interested in it to GO and not just watch the livestreams. The networking and meeting people there and seeing the big names that simply came to just learn was awesome and the speakers all brought very valuable information on extremely important topics.”

Ketih confirmed that “there was something Valuable for everyone, every day, no matter what niche or level of expertise. I picked up so much valuable information on creating and marketing on YouTube through the many speeches and being able to personally ask the speakers specific questions.”

“I was able to meet new like-minded friends, partners, and clients, but I would say something that had one of the biggest impacts on me was just being able to hear the success stories and exactly how people were able to piece their successes together so that I could then relate it to my business, path and goals and take action.”

There was a lot of information on how to properly and efficiently manipulate your YT channel and optimize your videos, thumbnails, end cards, etc.. through the wonderful people at TubeBuddy and VidIQ, who helped sponsor the event.”

“Very valuable information and awesome likeminded people from all over the WORLD to connect with personally and form new global business/personal relationships. There’s so much missed information and opportunity by simply watching the limited livestreams. This year was my first year, and I plan to attend it every year from here on out. “

Steven Cooper from The Cooper Scoop shared that his “To Do” list from VidSummit includes following trends for creating content and publishing daily. “Also I have been using VidIQ to find hot keywords with less competition for my tags and titles.”

So is there value at VidSummit?

The amazing Luria Petrucci who heads up Live Streaming Pros presented at VidSummit about Live Streaming and she said that for her “VidSummit isn’t like other conferences. The speakers aren’t “in and out” and only to be seen on stage! They make themselves available to chat and get to know their fellow attendees. Which is incredibly valuable!! Even if you just attend online through the Virtual Ticket, you get access to EVERYTHING not just the main speakers.”

So is there value? The answer seems to be a resounding YES.

The value is in the tips and tricks that you learn which teach you how to play with the YouTube algorithm to make it work for you. The value is about being able to walk up to someone who has 100 000 subs and just ask them burning questions that you can not Google. The value is in making those connections and being able to reach out months after the conference and collaborate on a project that makes sense. The value is in being in a safe room where everyone can succeed and in approaching a speaker who charges thousands in consulting time, would gladly sit with you and offer advice to help you.

Derral Eves and his team behind VidSummit, ensure that each presentation is about offering real value and not about selling anything.

The Best-Day-Ever-Shonduras summarized VidSummit perfectly: “VidSummit is where you go to make real industry friends and talk strategy…I love it”

As you can probably guess, VidSummit is on my Must-Attend-List for 2018 – who is coming with me?