How to Host Your First Profitable Online Summit, with Krista Miller

LISTEN ABOVE - OR READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW

Running your own online 'summit' or conference is not just a new income stream - it can also bring you tons of new leads, enhance your credibility and authority around your topic, and open up valuable new relationships with experts in your space.

So how do you get started, and ensure your first online summit is a profitable success?

Well, Krista Miller of Summit In A Box is an expert in exactly that, and she's here to tell me all about it!

Listen above or read the FULL TRANSCRIPT below, including: 

• What's IS an ‘online summit?’
• The different models of summit we can use - and the one Krista recommends you start with
• As host, should you present a product or program of yours during the summit, or leave that for another time?
• Should you allow your speakers to ‘pitch' at all, or is that a no-no?
• How ‘big’ should we aim for our first summit?
• How do we pick a good summit topic?
• Is it better to go broad or niche with summit subject matter?
• How much time should we give ourselves to prepare and market the summit?
• What should we say to speakers to interest them?
• What should we say to potential attendees to get their interest?
• What are the best tactics to get attendees?
• When we run our summit the first time, should the interviews be live or pre-recorded?
• If we decide to charge for our summit, do we charge for recordings? For live access? For both? And what price points work?
• What kind of revenue split would you give to partners/speakers?
• Plus: a whole host of other important tips - and mistakes to avoid - when hosting your first profitable online summit...

TRANSCRIPT:

Rob: Welcome back listener, Rob Tyson here. And in the last episode, I talked to Ian Sanders about The Power of Story For Your Business. It was a good show, so do catch up on that one if you missed it, had a good chat with Ian. I'm here today, though, with Krista Miller. Now Krista through her company Summit In A Box, does something really interesting. She helps entrepreneurs three times their monthly revenue through virtual summits without wondering where to start or what to do next. And her method is focused on strong connections, collaboration, and making a difference.

And today, our topic we're gonna be talking about is how to host your first profitable online summit. So I'm really interested in this topic, looking forward to getting into it. Before we do get into it, though, if you're listening to this show, chances are good you have professional expertise and it could be you want to monetize that through an online learning program. Well, if that is the case, before you rush off and start creating content, please take a few moments to watch my free web class because it's gonna explain why the ascension model or value ladder you may have heard about is usually a really bad approach for people in your position. Not only is it likely to make you peanuts, but you won't be giving maximum value to your clients either. There is a much better way if you would like to generate real meaningful cashflow quickly and get on the right track with productizing your expertise online and my web class will show you how to do that. That is free. All you need to do is pop along to robtyson.net/class to get the web class, that is robtyson.net/class. So with that all said, Krista, welcome. Great to have you here.

Krista: Hey, Rob. Thank you so much for having me. I'm pumped to chat all about summits with you.

Rob: Me too because this is a really interesting topic for me. And let's open up with my first question for you. What is an online summit? I mean, how do you define this term? What does it mean?

Krista: So when I'm trying to define it for people, I like to have them think about a virtual...not virtual, excuse me, an in-person conference, and what that looks like. So you're bringing together, you know, a group of people to come speak to attendees about different topics relating to an overall topic. A virtual summit is the same except online. So there's one host, they have an overall goal or topic in mind for this summit, and they're inviting speakers on who can speak about smaller topics inside the overarching topic. And then attendees from all over the world can come and tune in to these presentations usually for 24 hours is how long the free access lasts. But the goal is really to let the attendees come and get these pieces of information that they wouldn't be able to get for free together anywhere else, and really help them start making steps towards whatever the goal of the summit is.

Rob: And are there other words that we might use instead of summit? I mean, do people sometimes call these things online conferences? Yeah, you're nodding?

Krista: Yes, virtual conferences, online conferences, online, they say, events. I've seen people say, like, interview series. There's kind of just all kinds of different words. I would say online conference is, like, the most common alternate, but there's people using all kinds of different words who for some reason don't want to say the word summit.

Rob: No, interesting, interesting. And what are some of the different models of summit we could use?

Krista: So there's a few coming to mind. I guess the first one is the most common and that is a free...a summit that's free to attend. So attendees can register for free. They can get access to the presentations for usually about 24 hours for free. And with that, there are usually 20, 30 speakers at that kind of summit. From there, the host can upsell to an all-access pass and that's how they can make money. I'm happy to talk about that in more detail as we go, but that's kind of the most common. Those ones usually last around three to five days, most commonly five, but I'm seeing more and more people now cut down and going between three and five.

Another one that's talked about a lot is a one-day summit. So people who don't want to, you know, go through the work of getting what, 30 speakers and having this thing go on for five days, maybe they have something really specific they want to talk about related to an offer, they will host a one-day summit instead. Usually around five to eight speakers in a one-day summit. And again, those are usually run for free with the option to upgrade for ongoing access.

And then the third one is a paid summit. So instead of being able to access the presentations for free, for a limited amount of time, people charge for entry to the summit basically. Usually with these people then automatically get the ongoing access to the presentations. They're not limited by 24 hours or anything like that, but they're basically getting a ticket to attend the event, kind of like you would with an in-person conference.

Rob: And which model do you like the best and why? A what are the big benefits of the model? Talk to us a little bit about that.

Krista: So I'm a big fan of the first model I mentioned, which is free attendance, three to five days long, 20 to 30 speakers. And this is the one I have seen work the best for most industries. Now there are some industries where the paid model works great. For a lot of us, the paid model is not gonna work well instead what you're gonna see is you get so many fewer people who are willing to pay for that ticket. And the reason that the free entry works so well is there's no barrier there. People are like, "Oh, I can get all of this for free. Awesome." And then you have the rest of the event to convert them to your all-access pass, which is so much more powerful.

And I have a customer, her name is Kara, and she was just on my podcast comparing the two because her first two summits were paid summits. Her most recent was a free summit. And her first couple summits had about 60 attendees and brought in $2,000. Her most recent had, I want to say 2,000 attendees and $16,000. So it let her get so many more leads into the summit by having it for free, she was able to just see so many more profit...so much more profit, excuse me.

But like I said, there are some industries where the paid summit works fine. I see this work better for people in more, like, professional niches like if you're targeting, like, lawyers and doctors and stuff like that, like, they're used to having to pay when they're gonna go learn about something. But for most of us, the free model is what works the best.

Rob: I like that. And one...you know, some of the times that I've noticed people doing summits, which seems like a really smart thing to do, is perhaps when they're launching a new business or launching a new product or side of business. That can be a really good application kind of it because it can be pretty effective way to build your authority and get a lot of leads in the door quite quickly.

Krista: It's so powerful when you're doing something like that. I really love using it for launching something new or, you know, something that you already have. Because you're getting those leads that are just, you know, really interested in what you're doing if you position your summit the right way. They're warmed up, they're excited by the end of your summit, and then you have this thing to help them take it even further, you know, and make it nice and easy for them.

Rob: And as the host of the summit, so you're interviewing these other experts, is that normally how you would be presenting that content?

Krista: Yes, it's usually about 50-50, I have never done an all-interview summit just because I don't like doing interviews. I don't want to sit on 30 interviews. Some people love doing it that way. I like to have my speakers just pre-record their presentations like, you know, most of them use a slide deck. I personally like that because, one, I'm not required to get on 30, 60-minute calls with all these people. But also then they're able to really present their information in a way that fits their topic the best. They're not limited by the questions I'm asking. They can, you know, say, "Here's the overall teaching on this topic, and here's action steps you can," take a little more easily than if they were being interviewed. But there are a lot of really great, you know, purely interview summits out there as well. It's kind of up to the preference of the host, your comfort with interviews, your skill with interviews because you don't want to have 30 boring interviews either. But I like doing the presentations.

Rob: And so, would you typically be presenting something of your own? You know, would you do a session of your typical summit, or would you just kind of leave that to the "experts"?

Krista: Yes, I always recommend doing your own presentation as well. A really big benefit of summits is the increased visibility. So, you know, I always say every opportunity you can get to get in front of these people during your summit do it. They need to know who you are and that you're the host. I know some people who do their own presentation daily during their summit. But definitely have one presentation that you do, whether it's, you know, mixing with the rest, a keynote, something like that, but definitely get yourself in there.

Rob: Now, as you're talking about it, I can see it would be mad not to do that, wouldn't it?

Krista: I've seen a lot of people who don't, so I'm glad you asked.

Rob: And what's your view on selling during the summit content? I mean, so at one end of the spectrum, you could consider a complete no-no, but the other end, I'm sure there are summits where it's pretty much all anyone is doing. So what do you think is the right balance? I mean, do you think, well, you know, people could be paying for the content and therefore it's not really...we shouldn't be pitching too much? Just talk to us about that. What's your feeling?

Krista: So I have found just through, you know, experience with my own summits, that the more I can focus on the attendees and the speakers during the summit, the more I'm gonna get out of it myself. So I don't pitch my own offers during the summit. I am selling them that all-access pass though, and that is so powerful. And it doesn't mean you can't sell your own product later. So here's what I recommend, people register for free immediately they're getting an offer for the all-access pass for the first time. And then if they don't buy, they're kind of seeing that offer all throughout the summit.

My last time summit I made $60,000 just through that all-access pass. So, that is a really great thing to focus on, it's giving them the ongoing access to the presentations they like. I really like including extra bonuses to help them take it even further, but they're really able to focus in on that content. A challenge I see with trying to sell, you know, one of your programs or something in a summit is they're all so focused on trying to watch all these presentations and retain the information, that it's kind of like just a distraction and like a fly they're trying to swat away if you're, like, constantly pitching them with something else.

So I always wait until... You know, there are some people who do like a keynote presentation, the last presentation on the last day, and that's, like, their webinar where they're pitching their offer. Other people, you know, wait till the week after, or maybe two weeks after, I wouldn't go any longer than that. But it's kind of positioned as an extension to the summit, but it's a webinar helping them, you know, take it one step further, but "Here's my program."

Rob: "Here's an offer." Interesting, interesting. Okay, no, that's really good. And how big should we aim for our first summit? Because obviously you mentioned, you know, one of the models is with 20 or 30 speakers, and if someone is brand new to this that will sound very daunting and maybe isn't where they should start anyway. So, what do you think is a good number of speakers? A good duration if you're just doing this for the first time?

Krista: So, if you're someone doing this for the first time and maybe you feel a little intimidated by it, I would stick to a three-day summit with 15 speakers. Once you start getting those speakers on, you feel like, "Oh, you know, this is easy. This isn't so bad." You can always change your mind and add a couple of days. I just had someone in my program do this actually yesterday as we're recording, and she was like, "Hey, like, this isn't so bad. Would it be worth it for me to add 5, 10 more speakers?" And I was like, "Yeah, let's do it." So I would say 15 speakers, three-day mark is a good place to start with your first one. You can still get really great results with that if you position it the right way and choose the right speakers.

Rob: Okay. That's really helpful. And how do we pick a good topic for the summit? And should we go quite broad with the subject matter, or is there more value in being quite niche? What do you think?

Krista: I love this question. I love this question and I am all about getting as specific as you can. And I like to give an example to kind of help illustrate this. So for most of us, if we're, like, scrolling through Facebook and we see a Facebook ad on a summit to help online business owners grow their business, we're like, "I don't care." You know, we probably don't even think back because it didn't catch our attention enough for us to even have a thought.

But there's a lot of people in my program who are, like, wedding professionals, so I use them as an example. If like a wedding planner is scrolling Facebook and she sees an ad for a summit to help wedding planners book up their client's schedule using Instagram, heck yes, that's gonna stop her in her tracks and she's gonna sign up for that. And there's so much more room to make an impact for these attendees when you're doing it that way. Because instead of learning, like, 101 level information to grow her business, she is learning stuff really specific and unique to her industry, and how and exactly the steps she needs to take to do it. So I'm really all about getting as specific as possible.

As for how to do it, I usually recommend that people start with their audience. A lot of us find ourselves targeting online business owners, entrepreneurs, things like that, like, that's too broad. So what I tell people to do is who are the subsets in your audience? Look at people who are purchasing your products, your services, what subsets do they fall into? And which one of those are you most excited about working with, do you relate the most, find that audience, focus on them. Like, that's the audience for your summit.

And then I say, get on a couple of calls with people, even if it's just 3, 15-minute calls, talk to them and learn exactly what their real problems are. Not what you think they are, I would have got that so wrong with my first time and if I did what I thought their problem was. But I found it out from them, host a summit to solve that problem. And that is how you make one that stands out, gets you incredible results, and gets them incredible results.

Rob: Really interesting. And you'd just be quite open in that conversation? You say, "Hey, I'm thinking doing of a summit, you know, what's the kind of thing that would get you to give up three days or whatever?" I mean, do you frame it like that or what kind of conversation do you have?

Krista: So I don't come at it quite like that, I usually ask someone who I know in my audience, you don't have to do that, that's just what I do. I say, "Hey, can we get on a 15, 20-minute call for me to ask you a couple of questions, in return I'll reserve 5 minutes for you to ask me questions?" So that they're getting something out of it too. And I just kind of ask questions about their business and, like, dig deep. So, I ask them a little bit about what they do so I can see how they talk about what they do. Ask what they're struggling with, ask what their goals are. And then why is that your goal? Why is that a struggle? And that really helps with messaging. So the struggle is great for, you know, hitting that in your messaging and so is the goal. Because then you can say, "Here's what the summit is gonna do for you" and use their words. And so, I keep it really simple like that. But if they say something kind of vague, like, you know, "My goal is to get more clients," why is that your goal? And keep asking questions like that.

Rob: Okay. I really like that. That's pretty good. And so people up to this point, they're listening, they think, "Yeah, I love this idea, Krista. I want to do this as soon as possible." How much time do they need to leave themselves to do their research and prepare and do all this kind of stuff? What would you say?

Krista: So my recommendation isn't what most people like to hear, but I really love to see first-time host give themselves 90 days. And it's not 90 days of you just hustling hard 24/7 to get this thing out there. It takes time for you to research. It takes time for you to find potential speakers and connect with them rather than just sending, you know, 30 cold pitches. It takes time to hear back from those people, you know, once you send the pitch. You have to give them time to either make their presentation or schedule an interview with you. You want to figure in about three weeks for promotion. So there are a lot of things in there that aren't totally reliant on you doing all the work. There is a very good amount of work that goes into especially the first one when you're figuring out your positioning, setting up the tech in your website, and writing all your copy. But 90 days is a really great spot to sit for the first one. I've had people do it in two weeks, I have people who take six months, but 90 days is what I have found as the sweet spot.

Rob: And a question occurred to me just as you were explaining that, to what extent can we repeat summits? I don't mean repeat the exact same content, but I mean, like, for example, you know, if you have a summit on some aspects of email marketing this year, is that the kind of thing you might do annually because the, you know, the texture, I don't know...what's your approach to this? I mean, do you see these things as one-offs or are they things that can be repeated?

Krista: So there's so much power in repeating your summit, one, because it gets so much easier. So, my first summit, I've estimated, took me 500 hours to put together. And that's because I was starting from scratch, I didn't have any resources, I couldn't find any podcasts about it. Like, I was figuring this all out. So, 500 hours for my first summit. My most recent took me 60 because, you know, I have all the pages done, the messaging is done. The copy is there, you're making little tweaks. And the biggest part is reaching out to new speakers and getting the information you need from them. So it gets so much easier. And I have actually repeated the same summit, same topic for three years in a row now and each time has just gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. So, like, you can totally repeat the same summit over and over and just keep getting bigger results too and it's way easier after that first time.

Rob: Why do you think it gets bigger and better each time?

Krista: I think because...well, I think there's two things. One is just the increased visibility you have for that first one. You know, before my first summit, I had an email list of 500 people. After it I had 1,500. So I was like, "Okay, I'm promoting to three times as many people," there's number one. Number two is, at least for me, I got braver with who I was pitching and figured out what the right people were to pitch. So instead of just pitching people I knew and people I was comfortable with, I figured out, "Well, hello, why am I not pitching people that only have the exact same audience as my summit?" Like, it's so obvious now, but it took me three seconds to figure out. So that was definitely, you know, a game-changer as far as the growth goes as well, figuring out which speakers get you the best results and pitching as many people like that as you can is, you know, huge for seeing your summit grow.

Rob: Right. And as you allude to that, I guess that it helps to show the better speakers you've got a track record and, you know, they're gonna be that much more receptive, aren't they, if they can see that you've done it before and it was good?

Krista: Yes, there was actually someone I pitched for last year's summit and she said no. And this year I came back to her again and was able to say, "Hey, here are our numbers from last year." I think it was, how much was it, 2,500? Twenty-five hundred people just from your audience last year, we're expecting even more this year. Do you want to be a part of it?" And then it was a "Heck yes," you know, once I had those numbers to show her. And for the first summit where I didn't have great numbers, I was still getting yeses from people I didn't expect to. But it just gets easier both on your confidence and on them saying yes as you grow.

Rob: Really good, really good. And what kinds of things do we say to potential speakers to interest them?

Krista: That's a great question. So the first thing that makes it just way easier, we were just talking about with the audience and the topic, when your audience and topic really closely relates to what they do, like, that's step one of grabbing their attention. Like, if someone pitches me for a summit and it's...I am not...I'm trying to think of an example now. If they pitched me for a summit for my other business where target I designers and it's a summit for all creatives or copywriters, for me that's a no, right? But if they were to come to me with a summit just for my people, okay, you have my attention now. So that's step one is being really targeted with who the summit's for and going after speakers that also have that audience.

Then it comes down to you looking like you know what you're doing. So being really organized, giving them the information they need. I really like to have a draft of my registration page as complete as possible so they can go over if they don't know me and see that this is a real thing, it's put together well, I know what I'm doing. And then as for, like, benefits for them, that's also something I like to list out right in my pitch email. I guess, first, I start with, "Here's what I would need from you. And by the way, it's not all about me, here's what you get as well."

And there's a few things I like to do there, I like to give good affiliate commissions. So, I give 40% to 50% affiliate commissions to my speakers. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have a summit. So I feel like they deserve that. They've always liked that. I also give them the opportunity to pitch something at the end of their presentation. I let them pitch something paid if they want to, but I really tell them, "You're gonna get better results if you pitch something for free, have a tripwire offer, or put them in a proven funnel down the road." So they like that, they're allowed to do that. And, you know, just the way to grow their email list and I make it as easy as possible for them. Like, people want visibility, leads, and money. So if you can show them that they can get those things, it's a really great chance that they'll say yes.

Rob: Great. That's really good advice. And on the other side of the coin, what are the kinds of things we're saying what's important in the messaging that we put out there to potential attendees to get them interested in attending the summit?

Krista: So the biggest mistake I see with people doing this is they kind of promote the fact that they're doing a summit. Because they're like, "This was so much work, it's so cool that I'm doing this. Hey, everybody, look, I have a summit." And they're like, "I don't care." So, like, instead of focusing on the fact that, yes, it's this cool thing, you're focusing on those pain points and benefits. "So here's this free event with all of these really cool speakers," you know, do some name dropping of, you know, your most visible speakers, "and here's what you're gonna get out of it." So hit on a benefit that your summit is really focused on. And when it's just for them solving a problem for free, it's like, "Heck yes, I'm gonna sign up for that." Even if they only go to a couple of presentations, you have their attention, they're now on your email list and that's what we're looking for.

Rob: Right. So it's just all about this is gonna, you know, come along to this thing, it's gonna show you how to get something nice and move away from something horrible.

Krista: Exactly, exactly.

Rob: And what tactics do you like the best for getting attendees?

Krista: So speakers are just a really great thing to count on. If you are counting on your speakers to promote, you really have to make that clear to them from the initial email you send. There are so many summits going on right now where, you know, you get pitched and maybe it doesn't say anything, but then all of a sudden they send you this contract and it's like you have to send three solo emails to your email list and post this many times on social media. I'm like, "No."

So when you're using your speakers, they're part of your promotion strategy, tell them that in the initial email but also be reasonable about it. So I have my speakers send one email and post once on social media. That way I know at least their audience has a chance to see it. And from there, if they're getting sales through their affiliate link and getting those commissions, they're gonna keep promoting. And that's what I saw with my last summit that works even better if you did do your targeting correctly for your summit and pitch the right speakers as well. So that's really what I focus on.

Of course, promoting on your own platforms, my email list has always been huge for getting attendees, but Facebook ads actually have worked really well for me as well. I mean, I've seen people get under a dollar per lead for their summit, and then you're selling the all-access pass after so you're just profiting from those Facebook ads. For my last summit, I was actually at the breakeven point but that's cool because now they're on my email list and I can sell them something else. So Facebook ads are also a really great thing to do, and you can do them for super cheap by, like, retargeting people who hit the registration page without signing up, or, you know, doing lookalike audiences to your website traffic or email list and you can do it for, you know, a really decent price.

Rob: I like it, I like it. And when we run the summit or...well, you know, at least when we run it the first time, so we're not talking about the recordings that we give, you know, people can get access to, but do you prefer that as a live thing or some are all of the sessions prerecorded? What's your preference or advice?

Krista: So I say, at least for your first one, do prerecorded. I have never done a live summit, I never will because you will find that dealing with your speakers is like herding cats. And I would rather herd prerecorded cats than live cats every day. You have to count on them showing up when they're supposed to and having all of the tech work. And that's a lot to count on, especially if you have 20 speakers counting on 20 people to show up where they're supposed to, when they're supposed to, and have no tech glitches, that's a lot for you to have on your shoulders as a summit host.

And also during the summit, you are on all week long, even with recorded presentations, you are interacting with people in the Facebook group, which is, you know, something that I just kind of dropped on you guys. I really recommend having a Facebook community for your summit. You're interacting with people in email, you're supporting your speakers, and to also have to, you know, be live, making sure things are working all day every day, that's just a lot for one person to manage it. I mean, I guess you could have a team helping out with that as well, but I always recommend prerecorded for at least the first one and just see how it goes.

Rob: That's good advice and that makes a lot of sense. And so software-wise, is there a specific software you would have to get in order to pull this off?

Krista: So I actually recommend that people just use whatever you're using for your regular website. Tech is like a huge hurdle that people let hold them back from doing a summit, but really whatever platform you're on, you can make it work. I'm on WordPress, all of my stuff is on WordPress. That's great. But I have people doing it on Squarespace but their courses are in, like, Teachable so they integrate those two things. There's people doing it on ClickFunnels, you know, all kinds of different platforms.

There are summit-specific platforms, I personally don't necessarily recommend them because you're kind of limited by what the creators of that think a summit should look like. But, like, virtual summit software would be my top recommendation if you do just want an all-in-one kind of platform that will kind of lead you through getting everything set up, you're not too concerned about, you know, being able to customize things. That's the one that I've seen make it the easiest and just set things up in the best way.

Rob: Okay. Now that's really good. And do you think there's a limit to how many summits you could or should do in a year? I mean, is this just a question of your sanity or is it to do with your audience? What's your view?

Krista: I love that you put it that way because seriously, it's all about your sanity. My first time running a seminar, I was like, you know, on a high after I was like, "Oh, my gosh, I did not expect it to go that well, I didn't expect to help people that much, I want to do it again." So I did another one six months later and I was like, "Oh, this is just too much for me." But then I had to make it an annual thing, so I had to do another one six months later so it lined up with my first one.

For me, every six months is too much because you get done with your summit and, like, it feels like immediately you have to start looking for the next round of speakers. And that's a little bit of an exaggeration, you have a couple of months rest, but for me it was a lot. So I really like doing it annually. I have people in my program who are doing it quarterly and that's just what they like to do. They choose a little bit different topic every quarter so their audience isn't getting burnt out on it, and they are just like summits is the way they grow their business rather than, you know, one of the ways. So it's totally personal preference and how you feel after that first one probably.

Rob: If you've got the energy to do it, too, do it quickly.

Krista: Exactly.

Rob: And in terms of charging for access, I appreciate there's a range and it depends on the market, but what kind of price points do you see working?

Krista: So for the all-access pass, is that what you're...?

Rob: I guess so.

Krista: I mean, again, like you said, it's all over the map. I've seen people charge like 20 bucks. And for me I'm like, "Why bother?" So I have actually raised my prices for every single summit and made more money every single time. So I have landed at... I do three different price points throughout my summit. So right after somebody registers, they have 15 minutes to get a super special offer. For me, that's landed at about $47, between $47 and $97 depending on exactly what the offer is. After that 15-minute expires, they can then buy the all-access pass for the current regular price and I just do a price increase once the summit starts. So, you know, I would say the max price I have done is $197 and people still buy at that price point.

So, like, don't feel like you have to, like, sell yourself short because this is a free event, people are still willing to buy if you have something good to offer. Now, would people pay 200 bucks for just presentations? You know, that's gonna be a little iffier. But I like to include bonuses, like, I let my speakers contribute bonuses if they want to, I contribute my own bonuses, maybe some like coworking calls, network sessions that you can just host on Zoom are great ways to just boost the value of that offer and be able to charge more. So, you know, that's a wide range even I do between $47 and $197, but I haven't run into anything that has not worked yet.

Rob: I really like that. It's a really nice idea, you know, offering a few other things to, you know, make it a more valuable package, you know, along with the content, I really like that. This would be really great. Krista, any other important tips or big mistakes that people make that we need to look out for?

Krista: I guess just, you know, we've touched on a lot of things, so something that we haven't talked about yet is just don't put so much pressure on yourself. I see people saying...you know, they'll come to me like, "Oh my gosh, I'm hosting this summit next month, I just decided that last week and I need to get it done, can you help me? I'm so overwhelmed." Like, well, obviously you're overwhelmed. If you're trying to organize 20 people, this brand new thing you've never done before, the tech, the website, it's gonna be a lot. So take your time, let yourself enjoy the process. I am totally one of those people, I have an idea, I need to do it now.

So that 90-day timeline, it can hurt but it is so worth it to be able to get those details. The details are really what impresses people, the speakers, and your attendees. And, like, the more onboard they are, the more they're gonna help you do your selling as well. Your speakers are more likely to promote, your attendees are gonna be talking about how awesome it is and spread the word about it. They're gonna be shouting out how great your all-access pass is and other people will want to buy it. Take your time, get the details right, enjoy the process as much as you can.

Rob: Excellent, really like that. So just to wrap up a little bit there, what is one action people could take right now if they wanted to make a start with this? What's kind of the first thing that they might do?

Krista: As much as you guys won't like me for this, I want you to start with your audience and topics. So what's the audience for your summit gonna be if you're targeting people like online business owners, entrepreneurs? What subset can you use? And then get some calls scheduled with people to figure out what direction your summit should really go in to make the biggest impact for everybody.

Rob: I really like that rather than just going, "Right, I've got an idea, let's go" because that always ends in tears, doesn't it? Usually more often than not. Really great. Krista, this has been excellent. Where's the best place for people to get more from you if they would like to?

Krista: So you guys can find me over at summitinabox.co. I actually have a free masterclass for any of you who are really like, "Okay, like, I want to do this thing. I want to host an awesome summit." It's my three-part framework to triple your monthly revenue with a virtual summit while building your list for free. We cover all kinds of good stuff in there like how to make a plan you can actually follow even if your business is already way too busy, which I feel like most of us can probably say, how to land expert speakers and host a really great event without a huge audience, and how to use my three-part profitable summit system to triple your monthly revenue in the size of your email list. And that training is at summitinabox.co/class.

Rob: Awesome. And just to say, people, you know, I have I bought some of Krista's info lately and it's really good, really thorough. So, yeah, definitely check it out if you're interested in this topic.

Krista: Well, thank you.

Rob: You are welcome. No, it's been really great. No, Krista, thank you so much. This was really helpful for people and I do appreciate you talking to me.

Krista: Thank you so much for having me on.

Rob: Hey, it's Rob again. Want to build a successful online business from your expertise? Well, the game has changed. There are bigger opportunities but also bigger pitfalls than ever before and I would hate for you to waste years figuring these things out for yourself. Now, as a listener to this show, you're obviously a sensible person, right? So here's my invitation to you. Apply to jump on a call with me in the next few days and let's talk about you. You will get feedback on your ideas. You will get a product concept that is fit for right now. And you will get a personalized sales and income plan to take away. That is free but availability is limited. So please go along right now to chatwithrob.com, that is chatwithrob.com. Do that now. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Once again, that is chatwithrob.com. Talk to you soon.