How to get more likes for your Cosplay page: Less than 5 weeks until True Believers

Happy New Year guys, girls and unicorns!

I thought I would jump right into it and talk about Facebook Pages. How I love/hate them.

Facebook is both a good/terrible platform to use for cosplay. I've got a page myself and I honestly do not use it to the full potential and I will explain why.

For work, I have trained small businesses on how to be social media savvy. I've created successful social media campaigns for them and got them the precious reach they have needed to get more sales and to create fans of the product. I've even created twitter profiles and organically grew the channel to have over 1,000 followers in less than a week. Facebook on the other hand, is a tricky beast at times with organic reach.  

I know the ins/outs and what to do and what not to do. I can see a page a mile off with bought likes. It's mega easy just look at their engagement on posts: if they have 2,000 likes and a photo they post only has 2 likes after a day. You know it's a bunch of bots just liking the actual page due to the lack of engagement.

Be warned Facebook does limit how much your page can be seen by others without paying. It's the sad hard truth. There are ways around it and I will talk about them in my handy tips below.

I do not treat my page as a small business and the reason why is for me Cosplay is no longer my main drive/hobby in life. I'm 2 years off my 30's, building myself a career, I have a mortgage and I live for having my yearly Disney trip. Cosplay is expensive and I do not have the time to dedicate to it as much as I would like too. I have downsized how many events I attend and only really attend the events I am actually interested in especially as I've grown out of love for anime sadly. I just can't find anything to grasp my attention like I used too.

But the most important thing for me about cosplay is I do not/will never do cosplay just for likes or popularity. I do it to socialise with my friends and because I love that character enough to wanna dress up as them. If your only goal with cosplay is to be popular, then you are setting yourself up for potential failure and missing out on the best aspect of cosplay. Friends. 

But if you are interested in getting some extra likes beyond friends, family or people you meet at conventions here are 5 handy tips.

1) Posts that gain more reach: Videos have the best reach out of the options of videos, photos or text only posts. There have been recent arguments if photos are now dropping the organic reach but I've found with working with Small Businesses that photos and videos are the strongest.

So as I've stated Videos do have the best reach on facebook. The length of time should be anything between 20 seconds to 3.5 minutes. Unlike YouTube people are less likely to watch more than a 5 minutes video on Facebook. 

2) Consistency: With all the small businesses I work with, I ALWAYS automate my posts to schedules. Facebook has its own inbuilt automation tool, but I would opt for the likes of Buffer which is free to use if you are happy with only setting 10 automations per profile at a time and you can post the same post onto multiple channels like Twitter, PinInterest. If you are looking at Cosplay being a career then I would invest in some form of automation.

I also found the reach on the Facebook automation tool to struggle. With the likes of Buffer it can actually work out your optimised time for scheduling posts such as if you are based in the UK but your main audience is from the US East Coast then you would want it scheduled to hit them at the right times.

Handy tip: Monday mornings and Friday afternoons have the better reach times due to people are more likely to check Facebook at work at these times.

3) Spam isn't your friend. I've found with working with several businesses that Facebook isn't the greatest tool to deal with more than a couple of posts a day unless you are paying for it. The reach level will drop each post sadly. I cannot explain why but I find it pretty noticeable on occasions.

 Unlike Twitter where multiple posts a day is what I would suggest. I would limit to a max of 3 posts a day if you are not willing to pay for your posts. I would opt to use your priority post at the best optimised time for reach for you.

4) Sharing is caring. Tag the businesses you got your cosplay items from in your facebook post or if your friend came over and helped. If you are attending an event ALWAYS tag them in your post as when people hit the search bar they could potentially find your posts. Tagging where you got your bits from means that the business you bought from is getting both of you more reach plus added bonus they might share your post to their page.

I would also see if the event the attending has posts that you can happily promote yourself on without bugging them/others. I will drop and say that the Celebrate Cosplay page loves seeing other people's facebook pages. It's a way to network and potentially meet some new friends.

5) Use multiple social networking channels. All the businesses I've worked with, I have used multiple channels for. With Cosplay it's all about the imagery.

The best social media platforms I would use the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Amino and Twitter. I would use YouTube only if you feel it's the right platform for you. Always leave links in the other channels to your facebook page if that's your priority. 

As well as joining some of the cosplay profile sites like Cosplay Island and Cosplay.com and interact on the forums, leave comments on other cosplayers pictures and generally be a nice person. With thinking of forums, facebook has plenty of groups you could join as well to push up that reach if you wanted. But only opt for this if you are actually wanting a conversation with others rather than just to self-promote because desperation can be smelt/seen a mile off.

I hope you have found this helpful if you are eager to drive your cosplay facebook page more. If you found this interesting please let me know and I am happy to do some future social media with cosplay related posts.

There are plenty more tips I can share about facebook pages. If you have any question please don't hesitate to ask!

Well that's enough of that, 

Chevi X

Preparing for WDW 2017

So today marks the last day of 2016 and pretty looking forward to seeing the back of it. Not just because bad things happened but also because it means it's a step closer to my next trip to Walt Disney World and is now only 303 days away!

I booked this trip back in April 2016 when the free quick service dining promotion was on. Though this time round I made sure to pay £100 each to upgrade to the dining plan as I don't think I could do another year on the quick service dining plan. I will go into a bit more detail in another post about that.

We decided to go with Port Orleans Riverside and opted to upgrade to the Royal Guest Rooms. It was a bit more expensive than last year by opting this compared to Carribean Beach Resort earlier this year. It was on our dream list of Disney Resorts and we really wanted to do it because who doesn't want to sleep in a princess themed room?!?

stock photo courtesy of PortOrleans.org

This time round it's myself, Ant and my friend Sam who I've known for 18 years and previously been to Disneyland Paris with. She has also been to Walt Disney World and is dying to go back. The one way we can afford to go to Disney World is by sharing the rooms. It really does cut the costs down pretty significantly.

We are just got another week or so before Disney will allow us to book our flights alongside our holiday. We are hoping to go back with Virgin Atlantic as the experience this year was superb. We were offered drinks every hour or less, it was comfortable, the food was good and they made Halloween special. Whereas BA was just okay and only offered 2 drinks throughout the flight and I was thankful that I did take on board my own drinks.

We have timed it this time to make sure we do both Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. Back on my first ever trip to Walt Disney World in 2015, I managed to do both and it was phenomenal. Just gutted Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights won't be around this time.

It's also really super quiet time to go to Orlando between these two times and even most attractions at Universal back in 2015 was either a walk on or 20 minutes maximum wait. Same could be said as well with the attractions in Disney apart from Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was around 40+ Minutes.

We are aiming this time round to go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, sadly being hit with a redundancy and the terrible exchange rate due to Brexit made us have to forfeit the idea this year. Which I was gutted because I wanted a chance to finally ride Hulk as it was closed for the big refurbishment in 2015.

We have a few things that we have said we want to do this time round. Make sure to do at least 1 evening just at Polynesian. Probably start off at Trader Sams and go to Aloha (or vice versa). Get a brioche bun from French Pavillion in Epcot as it been on my list the past 2 trips to try. Get fastpasses for Frozen and the rides in the land of Pandora. Get a reservation at Skipper Canteen.

Those are probably the main things Disney based I've focused on so far. I will go through and sort out where we are planning to reserve to eat. Be Our Guest is the highest priority, as that is Ants favourite place on property and also we are hoping to do one of the dessert parties.

I will be updating and adding more stuff about this trip as the time gets closer. Sorry it's not super exciting, but I just want a place to track when I planned things etc.

Have a Happy New Year guys!

Chevi XxX

10 tips on how to host a panel: 5 Weeks until True Believers

So I've hosted over 20 panels/workshops in the past 6/7 years. I've hosted in front of 1 person in the audience to over so many I couldn't actually count and there was people left standing.

I've pretty much got my panels now down to an art. I look at the event theme, current trends and I research like crazy and prepare a power point even if it doesn't get used on the day.

1) Choosing the subject for your panel: ALWAYS go for something you have passion and knowledge for. If you lack in these areas you will struggle with nerves, selling it to the audience and if you get a question about it then you are going to struggle.

I would also always check the theme of the convention and make sure it's going to have the right audience you want. You wouldn't host a panel on Hello Kitty at a Dystopian Book themed event for example unless you can link it to the theme.

I will be hosting a panel about Disney at a Anime convention. I got round this talking about how Disney stole ideas from certain animes and how some animes were influenced by Disney. These are ways of mending the gaps between the two subjects to make it relatable at the event and it's something that I am passionate about.

2) RESEARCH & OWN IT: This one needed all the caps for this. I cannot stress this enough! I've been to panels where no thought or research been put into practice and even been in a group with no planning.

It will be obvious when you or if you are hosting in a group that no thought or ideas went into it. So be prepared for awkward silences or yourself/others in your group rambling about nothing. This once again if you haven't researched the subject and someone asks you a question about it, you might struggle.

I always recommend even if you are thrown in last minute solo or a group to throw down some bullet points you want to cover and bam through them.

3) Panel leavers: People will get up and leave at points. Not everyone but some, this could be due to well-needed toilet break, phone call or the panel isn't for them and that is okay. Not everyone is going to like your panel and do not let it shake you up.

If you do notice a high amount of yawns or sleeping people in your audience, though, shake it up. Just bang into a Q&A or some audience involvement. I always in my make up panels try and get everyone involved. Be it's trying some makeup, feeling a brush or getting them to raise their hand. It shows they are engaged and that you are interested them.

4) Script it: Having a sort of script or at least some talking bullet points in front of you will help you keep on track and make sure you hit those crucial parts you want to convey to your audience.

5) Practice your panel: I always do a test run at least 2/3 times before I host the panel. Usually, my audience is just my cats or occasionally an odd friend or two. It's a great way of knowing if you can keep it in the time limit or if you need to extend it.

If you have never hosted a panel before, get a few friends or family members to watch you through your practice. They can point out if it feels wrong, the pacing is off or if you are indeed rocking it.

6) Solo or group?: 
I've done both. If you are doing highly opinionated subject and you have people of either similar or polar opposite opinons on the subject then it can really work well. Especially with polar opposites as then, the audience will have someone they empathise with.

If you're going for more factual stuff then it is easier to go solo because you won't need to rely on someone to balance the argument in an easier way.

It is a case of preference. I've found in my personal experience I prefer solo depending on the subjects and I prefer groups based on who I am on the panel with. I would say as personal experience if working in a group, make sure you guys are on the same page and give everyone a chance to have their moment.

7) Work through the nerves: If you need some dutch courage then it's fine. If you need your best friend, mum or partner to sit in front of you to focus on then that is also fine. If you panic then takes a deep breath, find a wall, a face or a feature to focus on.

First time round, if you have never presented you will probably find yourself nervous. Take a drink of water or if you need the dutch courage then take 1 small drink with you. Avoid caffeine as this will make the jitters worse and this includes 6 hours before you do the panel.

If you end up doing more than a couple of panels the nerves will ease off and you won't have that panic. Just don't forget to breath and if you think nerves will get the better of you add a video in if possible, sit behind a table/stand. Just make sure you are comfortable.

8) Laughter is key: If you can get your audience laughing then you are onto a winner. I always am myself, I am clumsy and I will make a joke of it. If I drop a pen or knock something over and I want to carry the audience to laugh with me rather than at me. If you can't laugh at yourself, how will others?

Throw in a funny video or picture if you struggle to think of jokes. I know I did this. One time making a powerpoint to show in front of a class, I just made a picture zoom in and out of David Bowie's crotch from the movie labyrinth.

I also try and crack jokes and it is hit and miss if they work or not but the majority of the time, I think I've got the jokes in alright. Or if they epically fail I do the Eddie Izzard type sketch of writing on my hand (if not in person, I'm doing this mentally)

9) Q&A: Always leave room 10 minutes at the end your panel for a Q&A. If you run over or having issues blocking that think of a space right after your panel where you can go meet the attendees so that can ask you questions.

10) Most important tip: Just be you. Nothing worse than sitting through a panel of someone acting like a robot, putting on a fake accent or trying to throw in buzz words that don't fit in with you.

From day one of my panels, I'm very honest and stick true myself. I make a joke about myself being from Essex that if I forget it something then it's due to that. I talk to an audience how I would to one of my friends if I was teaching them something. I find I get really good engagement, reviews and repeated attendees by doing this.

I hope this helps you and hope it's sparked some awesome ideas for a panel in the future. If you are less interested in throwing a panel together but would like help at an event then my other blog 10 tips about helping at a convention

My next blog in this series will be on questions you guys ask me about cosplay. So ask away :)

That's enough of that for today.

Chevi X

10 tips about helping out at a convention: 7 Weeks to True Believers

So this probably the most common question I get asked as I've helped out at multiple events either by hosting panels/workshops or assisting with cosplay area/masquerades, judging and backstage. I've done makeup for guests, done the lunch run for others and helped fixed issues when they have arisen. 

I in all honestly ended up helping out by accident back in 2009 at one London MCM when there was a dehydrated cosplayer and I then ended up giving out water through the whole masquerade. Further along, I began helping organise backstage, communicating with the tech team when needed during masquerades. I also helped on the cosplay and repair desks which for anyone has done this, I salute you.

I think it might have been a year later and I started hosting panels and workshops. I was then invited to other events after people had either seen or heard that I was running these. I will be writing a how to host a panel/workshop blog in my next instalment as it will make this post super long. 

So let's jump right into it. 

1) Check out an events website! It's literally that simple, they might have a sign-up form or an email address for you to leave your details under gopher or steward. Though be prepared your first event you probably won't get the glamorous jobs.

If you can't see a form then there is no harm in contacting the event to see if there is anything available. If no, don't be saddened there are so many events to apply for. 

2) Be prepared that you will probably have to buy a ticket for the event. Not all events will offer this for free as the majority of helpers help on a volunteer basis. Though some events might refund your ticket only if you complete your role to satisfaction. 

The likely chances are your first event you might not get the glamorous role you wanted. So do prepare for that and it can be really hard work that sometimes is more stressful than an actual paid job.
This is also related to travel costs and hotel/accommodation, as not all events will provide this free of charge or will even book this for you. 

3) You need to have patience. Especially with cosplayers as they can get very angry and can be very hard to deal with. This is usually because at cons the cosplayer, for example, has either not eaten, drank, slept, their costume has broken or has fallen out with someone along the way. I have dealt with someone extremely rude at every event I have ever helped at. 

 Yes, some people will be nasty, however, your team and some lovely attendees will make your day. From a simple a thank you or making someone smile can really make the event.  If you have worked in retail it is very similar to dealing with customers. You've been warned.

4) Bring either deodorant or some form of nice scent. Conventions can get hot, so people get very sweaty and very smelly fast and this does include you I'm afraid. I do recommend freshening up when possible, sadly you cannot stop attendees from being stinky but you can make sure you are not one of them.

I know this sounds silly, but I always carry deodorant with me and actually while helping out I've been asked if I had any by attendees and cosplayers to help them fall into the stink zone. 

5) Always have emergency water that is for both you and an attendee if possible or at least you know where you can get some. Cosplayers especially have terrible habits of going without water due to restricted costumes or stupidly ignoring their body needs this to live. I've dealt with collapsing dehydrated cosplayers or ones throwing up at the majority of events I've attended.

You may also find yourself might be limited to breaks if the event is busy and understaffed and you can find yourself melting. I always pack my suitcase with either water or even little Capri suns to just get me through an event if I know breaks might be difficult. So get yourself prepared.

6) Do you have a skill, knowledge or work experience that could use for a role in an event? Then let it be known if you do have it. If you have experience with managing people, marketing or sales then maybe you might be able to use that. Especially if you have social media marketing background for small cons that knowledge can be valuable for growth.  

If you understand advanced sewing techniques or clothing construction and show that it might be worth considering to ask if judging might be a possible to be a judge one day. Though the easiest method to show this is I'm afraid is entering competitions or showing costume progress/finished article. Though if you make clothing for a living then that would be an easier method. This also applies with armour costumes. 

7) Early starts are normal. Yes, I'm afraid you might even be hungover, you will still have to get out of bed by no later than 6/7am on the day (unless it's a late starting event). This is usually for set up, team meetings and you will definitely need a good breakfast and I recommend a tea/coffee to help start the day

Side note: Prepare for late nights if you want to hang out with the team. The saying work hard plays hard definitely applies to convention volunteers. 

8) If it's a 2 or 3-day convention across the weekend, Saturday will be the busiest day. I would avoid planning to do your shopping that day and be prepared that it will be all hands on deck.

If it's a 1-day event, see if it's possible to shop before the convention technically opens or if they have priority tickets go then. As long as whoever you are helping doesn't mind you doing this. At close to the end of the day the product you wanted could be gone by then, so prepare for potential heartache. 

9) It's addictive! Helping out at conventions is like pringles, once you work at one, you will not stop. I've helped out at quite a few events around the UK for the past 6 years/7 years and even though sometimes I moan about being sleepy, hungry or someone was rude to me. I won't stop doing it. Each event is different and across every event, you learn new ways to improve or learn what to never do again. (like wearing a costume will high heels while running/sorting out the masquerade)

It won't be enjoyable for everyone helping out but for me personally I get satisfaction when one person says they had a great time with whatever I've helped out at.

10) The friends you make. To me, this is the most important element. You do make awesome friends, you might have tears, heated conversations but you will definitely have the biggest laughs and a friendship that can conquer anything big or small.

I've made countless friends through helping out at events who have grown to be some of the closest I have in the world. We all know each other's weaknesses and how to cheer them up instantly.
Oh, and the in-jokes will be crazy or you will make group names like mine and Matts which is Team Shouty.

BONUS TIP: If you feel your experience of helping out could reflect well in your CV then I would add it. For myself, it's always in my CV due to my career reflects really well due to the fact I work in marketing and sales. 

I'm hoping this helps you guys get an insight into the world of helping at events. It's 10 things that I thought might be helpful to consider if you haven't and I wanted to give a reality check that you will be sleepy, thirsty and a sweaty mess but it's worth it.

But the most important thing is you enjoy doing it. If you enjoy doing it and you work hard at it, it will show.

That's enough of that and will be covering 10 tips on how to host a panel or workshop.
Chevi XxX

The countdown begins: 7 Weeks until True Believers

7 weeks is so near and yet feels so far away. I am internally screaming about making sure I get my costume done in time.

True Believers is the first event of the year for me and is a great event to kick off the cosplay season with especially as it will be my 9th year of cosplaying. I've been thankful to of been asked back to be a guest, one of the panel hosts and will be holding maybe a workshop or two at this year's event.

I am looking forward to being back in the cosplay hall and getting to spend time with my cosplay bae Kurostylr as I rarely see him out of events. If you haven't bought your ticket so far then click here, you won't regret it. 

myself with the bae

This will be the 3rd year that True Believers has ran and I'm not just saying this because I've been lucky enough to be guest now 3 times. It is my favourite comic event without a doubt. It stays true to its roots and is so purely focused on actual comics rather than celebrities from films/TV shows from a decade ago or actors who have had very minor roles which is more common of the UK comic book events are circled round. It's a really refreshing event to attend. 

It's also a really good place for cosplayers, new or old. There is a whole hall dedicated to cosplay where you can hang out, some cosplayers like myself have a stall, you can enter the cosplay masquerade and there are some really fabulous photographers at the event. We will also have workshops and the panel   

I've had a hard time choosing a costume due to my limited time to get a costume made, spraining my ankle which has resulted to me being signed off work for a month and I like too many characters.

I will discuss over another blog how I determine my cosplay choices and why in more detail. Just so you know, I've gone with Kitty Pryde in her Star Lady form because Guardians of the Galaxy is my life and Starlord X Kitty Pryde is my OTP.

Starlady/Kitty Pryde

Progress so far: I bought the wig in the Black Friday event from Coscraft. This wig is actually designed for Sailor Jupiter but it's absolutely perfect for what I wanted. I wanted a detachable ponytail clip due to wearing the helmet. 

Using Beautycam app and wig/make up test in a care bear onesie because I'm classy.  

All the rest of the clothing and everything is planned out where I am buying it from or how I am altering it. This isn't going to be a costume made completely from scratch due to time limitations and my sprain is causing issues with me using my sewing machine. Stupid foot peddle and silly ankle is not friends. 

I'm also at the stages of planning out what I want to convey at both the panel and my workshop. I will be planning on talking about positivity, dealing with anxiety and networking in cosplay. They are pretty interesting topics to discuss and quite happy to be doing something slightly different from makeup and body positivity. I'm actually in the midst of writing up my blog about how to get yourself involved in events as I've been a panel/workshop host since either 2009/2010 in several events across the UK.

So leave you guys with a question, what do you guys enjoy most about conventions? Or if you have never attended why haven't you?

Thats enough of that for now,

Chevi    X

 

Introduction to a world of sparkles, magic & trip planning!

Well hello there, 

Welcome to my little blog that will be filled to the brim full of Disney magic, Cosplay and all the sparkly things that fit in between my two outlets.

I'm Chevi, I'm 28 years old and I change my hair as often as Ramona Flowers. I have 2 fluffy kitties named Hudson and Yuki. I have an unhealthy obsession with Jaffa Cakes and Dole Whips. My wardrobe mostly consists of black but I am branching out into teals, blues and turquoise because I love mermaids.

Me outside Magic Kingdom October 2016

But why am I making this blog? Well, I want to challenge myself and be a bit more creative. I get asked so many questions about Disney and Cosplay so I thought it would be great to have it here for my friends and family to read.

I want to procrastinate less and to cut down on my Netflix and trash tv fixes. I want to be able to join in on the fun and share my Disney/Cosplay experiences or any little handy tips that could help someone with a costume or a trip to Disney. 

Talking of Disney trips. I do have a trip to Walt Disney World booked for October/November 2017. I will be staying at Port Orleans Riverside in the Royal Guest Rooms for 2 whole magical weeks! So be prepared for all the planning blogs.

I've been invited back to True Believers Comic Festival to be one of the cosplayers taking part in a couple of panels around Cosplay. It is my favourite comic event of the year due to how friendly everyone is and how much of a good selection of stuff there is to sell in the traders hall. I will be in the Celebrate Cosplay Hall most of the day and bigging up body positivity and loving the nerd life.

Left: Jem (Genderconfusedcloud), Steph (Limegreenjelly, Me (Tris Trinket), Andy (Kurostlyr) from TBCF2016 Cosplay Panel

So enough of this, 

I hope you enjoy reading my future rambles. 

Chevi x