Date: April 22 Reading time: 5 minutes Key Takeaways: Being invited to speak is exciting, but "invited" doesn't always mean what you think it means Legitimate conferences do not charge speakers to present. Full stop. Three minutes of Google research can save you hundreds, or thousands, of dollars If you can't find real humans behind the event, that's your answer A real conference will never be offended by due diligence; a predatory one will pressure you to skip it Ask who bou

Winning a social media voting contest has nothing to do with follower count and everything to do with strategy. I wrote this back in 2017 after watching two clients with tiny followings win national contests — and the playbook still works. I've just updated it for 2026: new platforms, the legal rules you now have to follow, real example copy you can steal, and 25 tactics total. Grab your team and get to work.