42. Behind the Scenes of My First Summit: The Good, The Glitchy, and The Gold

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If you’ve ever thought about running a summit to grow your list or increase your visibility, this episode is for you. I’m walking you through what I learned from hosting my very first summit—from Facebook ad numbers and speaker promo realities, to what worked, what was harder than expected, and where I’d absolutely spend time (and money!) differently next time.

I’ll also share the behind-the-scenes truth about how it felt to manage it all while juggling private clients, jetting off to Europe, and trying to keep my head on straight (spoiler alert: I'm exhausted!).

Whether you’re considering a summit or just curious about what it looks like to bring in a large volume of leads quickly—this will give you the real picture.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why warm leads from speaker audiences converted at least 10% better than cold traffic
• The mistake I made with my own sessions (and why it might’ve worked out anyway)
• The unexpected tech glitch and how I handled it
• The big changes I’d make next time
• The reality of post-summit fatigue and what I’m doing to nurture the leads that came in

Thrive in 5

Here are five takeaways you can use if you’re thinking about hosting a summit—or want to clean up your own lead gen strategy:

1. Prioritize warm leads. Speaker audiences converted at least 10% better than cold traffic—and that makes a HUGE difference
2. Keep speaker alignment in mind. Set clear expectations for your speakers, but know that not everyone will promote.
3. Consider hiring out the things that drain you. For me, that’s ad management and sales page copy.
4. Build in some R&R. Did I mention this was a lot of work? Make sure you build in some space to rest and recover both during and after the event.
5. Have a follow-up plan in place. Getting people in the door is just the beginning—what happens next is where trust gets built.

Final Thoughts

Summits are a powerful way to grow your audience, but they’re definitely not light lifts. Still, I’d do it again—with some changes. The feedback has been incredible, and I’m excited to share it with the speakers (because when they win, I win!). Now, I’m focused on serving the new leads who joined—and if you’re one of them, I’m so glad you’re here!

PS: If this episode helped you think differently about your next launch or lead gen strategy, send it to a biz friend who needs to hear it too. And if you want early access to the offers I’ve got coming up next month… make sure you’re on my list!

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