Welcome to the Southern Crush Craftathon®! I created this event with one thing in mind… to help you grow your audience by participating in a highly organized collaborative event with others in the DIY crafting niche. 

This is the official spot to get all the Southern Crush Craftathon® Presentation Info you need to grow successfully with this event!

**Don’t Forget to Join the Group as Your Business Page!

In order to get the most out of this investment of your time, be sure to join the Southern Crush Craftathon Group as your business page.

Feel free to email me with any technical questions: melanie@southerncrushathome.com

Welcome to the Southern Crush Craftathon®

When the first Craftathon™ event was launched in 2019, I had no idea if it would work. Well, like they say, the rest is history.  We now have multiple well-known brand sponsors to support this event and I’m super proud to say that event after event has yielded at minimum, hundreds of new followers for participating presenters! It has provided presenters with the opportunity to grow their audience exponentially in what is essentially a twenty-minute segment of their time.  

Why Southern Crush Craftathon®?

  • This fantastic online crafting event continues to grow in popularity and reach. All of our events combined have had over 2 MILLION views!
  • We would love for your business to be a part of this exciting opportunity!
  • The additional exposure for your business will make sure your business can be SEEN and HEARD!
  • There will be FREE, non-stop, virtual tutorials and tons of fun for crafters around the world!
  • Participants will have the option of purchasing into the VIP Group for Extended Access to every video tutorial past the initial 24 hours and as well as access to the coveted supply lists.
  • We have an average of 200,000 views on each live event.
  • Past the event, we have continual growth for your business page with views from VIP Group Members who continue viewing your video forever.

Best Practices for an Awesome Craftathon® Experience

This event always runs rather smoothly; however, there are some best practices that have been learned along the way. If these are put into place it will definitely help you make the most of this awesome event for your business. 

I’m so honored that you’re here and participating ~ Now let’s make this the most amazing experience for your business ever!

Tip #1 Deadlines

Please respect all deadlines.  This event is voluntary y’all and deadlines are in place to help you and your business benefit at the highest level possible.

The deadlines are in place to serve you.

When only one or two presenters are not honoring the deadlines; all of the presenters are affected in some way. Deadlines include:

  • Forms
  • Supply List
  • Presentation Start/Stop Time

Tip #2 Wifi Connection

Test out your Wi-Fi connection prior to the event. It is best to do your LIVE video indoors in a place where you are super comfortable and are confident your Wi-Fi connection is strong.

Please practice videoing with your wifi prior to the event to ensure that you come in clear on your end.

Tip #3 Lighting

Be sure to prepare the lighting in your presentation space so that you are ready. The viewers really want to see your face and engage with you (it’s best to keep the video on your face during your presentation). If you do not yet own a professional lighting kit, do your best to set up in front of a window where the light is facing you and your project. 

A light behind you will make you appear dark and unable to be seen. 

It’s recommended that you practice videoing yourself in the space you will be presenting ahead of time to make sure the lighting looks good.

Tip #4 Background Noise

Make sure that your peeps know that you have committed to a short twenty-minute segment where you will need a completely quiet space free from barking dogs, kiddos, or even fans blowing. 

If in doubt, practice a video ahead of time and listen to it back to see if you hear anything “extra”. 

Tip #5 Video Distance

Keep your project within a short distance of the camera.  Frame your video so that you and your project can both be seen, but don’t be so far away from the camera that the viewers cannot see what you’re doing.

Your video should have YOU in it, not just your hands as this is an event and the viewers want to ‘engage’ with a person that they can get to know a little better.

This will help you gain more new followers, too! Practice if needed.  

Tip #6 Introduce Yourself

Announce your name and the name of your business when you first hop on LIVE.  This will make it easy for them to follow you and get to know you better. 

Never say “Let’s wait for some people to pop on” as a lot of your views come from replays.

Tip #7 Twenty Minutes

Yes–You can do it! It’s really longer than you think. Practice your presentation if you’re nervous about the time.

If you already know that your project will take a while, then go ahead do a few steps ahead of time. 

Stick to a SINGLE project only.  Don’t try to cram several projects into your twenty-minute segment.  This will keep you on track for time, be less confusing, and most importantly, it will give them a reason to come and follow you to see more…

Please do your best not to “talk about how you only have twenty minutes“, this takes away from the presentation and makes the viewers stressed out for you instead of enjoying your project and getting to know you better.

Tip #8 Encourage Participation

Don’t forget to mention at some point in your video that you’d love for the viewers to be sure to watch all of the other presenters for this event. 

This is a group effort and we want to make sure we are doing our best to encourage participation.

Tip #9 Finished Projects

It’s a best practice NOT to show your finished project at the beginning of your video.  This encourages drop-off in viewers.

They will decide right away whether or not they want to stick around to watch based on the finished project and then miss out on getting to know you and follow you.

Tip #10 No Hard Selling

To keep in line with the spirit of this event; there will be NO hard selling. This event is specifically for the viewers to be exposed to you and get to know, like, and trust you during your presentation enough to follow you.

This simply means “sell yourself“; not just products.

You are more than welcome to add links to your description of products, groups (free & paid), and your blog; however, do not verbally spend your twenty minutes attempting to only sell products, memberships, or groups (even free groups). 

You may mention your affiliate products and that the link is in the description; use your best judgment here. 

Viewers will enjoy their time with you more and be happy to reach out to see what more you have to offer. 

Tip #11  Screenshot Stats

Be sure to take a quick screenshot of your number of followers 30 days before the event and again the morning of the event. The days leading up to the event you will see growth because of all of the places the event blog page is shared online.  The day of the event you will obviously see growth. 

The magic happens when you check back after the first 48 hours of the event and you see even more growth! Over time, the viewers in the VIP group will also continue to grow your business as the group grows with new members.

Tip #12 Have Fun

Keep it simple and don’t over-complicate things for yourself.  This is such a fun event! 

Practice your presentation and you will be ready to relax and just have fun with your new followers!

Let me know if you have any questions at all by emailing me here: melanie@southerncrushathome.com