Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay.

Here’s how you can do yours better, guaranteed:

1️⃣ Plan far in advance so you can spend time thinking through your designs. And no, the name of your conference on different merch items is *not* a design. The better the design, the more likely your recipients are to keep your items and not trash them.

2️⃣ If it fits in the palm of your hand — unless it’s jewelry or high end tech — it’s trash. Pens, pencils, keychains, stickers: these are a skip.

3️⃣ Give people choice ahead of time for what they want. It can even be as simple as asking people if they want apparel or non-apparel. Remember, the more people love what you’re making, the more effective that swag is at building your relationship.

Do you love conference swag or hate it? Or somewhere in between? Share your thoughts!