Scrolling through the Instagram feed or any other social network, we will most likely end up reading a travel blog. Of course, we all adore stories about unforgettable trips to distant countries and continents, as well as unique cultures and mentalities.
At such moments, many of us feel the desire to reduce the study load (namely, outsource home assignments to academic paper writing service by WritePaper), create our own travel blog and start making money on it. What will it be about? Useful tips, photos from stunning locations, or video vlogs? The main thing is to create content that will be both entertaining and handy at the same time.
When it comes to blogging, there are many things to remember and if you don’t know where to start – don’t worry. We have prepared a step-by-step guide on how to turn a dream into reality and a blog – into a source of income.
1. Choose a Niche
First of all, you need to understand what the main feature of your blog will be and why it will be interesting for followers. After all, travel is a broad topic, so you have to pick up something narrow and specific. For instance, you might write about how to travel with friends, or about life hacks for solo budget trips.
The topic can be anything – ski resorts, diving sites, gastronomic tours, etc. Just write about what you admire and what you understand deeply, and followers will join you on this journey.
- Make a narrow niche your specific feature, and here are a couple more ideas:
- Budget travel to Greece;
- Traveling with pets;
- Hitchhiking around Europe;
- Travel guide to Asia;
- Gastro trip in Italy;
- Extreme jungle travel.
2. Turn On a Business Account
Once you decide on the niche, it’s time to move on to your account. Mention that you are a travel blogger in the description and write what your content is devoted to. As for the business account, you need it for several reasons.
First, you will have access to statistics. So, you will understand which posts were popular, and at what time. This is necessary data to analyze engagement rates.
Secondly, you will realize who your target audience is and create a persona.
Third, employers will need specific metrics to work with you.
And fourth, with a business account, you will promote posts, increasing the number of subscribers and engagement.
3. Produce Amazing Content
You won’t be able to grab people’s attention without cool content, be it stunning photos or high-quality videos. This does not mean you need a diploma in photography, but you need to improve your skills in photography and editing. Get started with Photoshop, try your hand at Lightroom. Some appreciate VSCO for its awesome filters.
All this you will do with one goal – to put your experience in an attractive form and transform it into stories. After all, followers will quickly get tired of just looking at the photos. But descriptions that are amusing and useful certainly change everything. Such content will be liked, shared and saved.
How does it look in practice? Imagine you took a photo in a meadow among the Alps. Tell people about your childhood dream to go there, how you got to this place, and what you experienced when you saw this landscape with your own eyes. Add detailed instructions on what to visit in the area, or where to stay nearby.
4. Surprise Your Audience
To generate some interest, why not turn to a proven format? Arrange a quest for followers and hide “treasures” in the places you have visited. The plan is as follows: find suitable locations, put presents in them (the most traditional is a bottle with money inside) and let the audience know where the treasure is buried.
What else can you do to keep followers amused? The destiny of other countries residents’ and details of their life journeys always attract attention. Give followers an understanding of what other mentalities are like, what their values are – and you win.
Plus, it’s a great motivation for you to meet new people. Getting to know the locals allows you to discover new routes and unusual places that tourists may not know.
5. Be Consistent
If you want to make a blog a source of income, you need to realize that employers are interested in engagement, not the number of followers. Instagram algorithms are designed in such a way that the more interactions with your profile, the more people see it. Respectively, the more publications, the higher the engagement.
A good method is to prepare content for a week in advance and publish it through special programs. There are tons of them (Planoly, Buffer, Preview, or Ripl).
6. Promote Your Blog
If you want to occupy high positions in search engines, you need to think about proper promotion.
First and foremost, never underestimate SEO optimization. Search engines show the most relevant pages that meet the user’s request best. Also, Google doesn’t like poorly written texts and information that doesn’t match search queries. It also appreciates fast page loading, adaptability for mobile devices, improved user experience, and so on.
Second, be present on different platforms. Give interviews for travel-related or lifestyle media, or other blogs.
Third, interact with other travel bloggers, tell the audience about each other.
7. Receive Feedback and Address It
Communication with followers is a necessary element to develop any blog. Receiving feedback, you get a clear vision in which direction to go.
Ask followers where you should go next time so that they can share their ideas in the comments. Or you can narrow the answer options and offer two countries only, say Portugal or Morocco. There are plenty of things to ask about, even how you will travel, for example, by hitchhiking or by train.
Once you arrive at your destination, let your followers guess where you are staying this time (at a hotel or locals’ house). The winners can receive a small present from you, for example, a souvenir.
You can also go for something special and do tours live or post long-form videos on IGTV.
8. Move On to Ads
The decision about which advertiser to cooperate with is entirely yours. But first of all, think about the trust of your followers, because you are responsible for the quality of the advertised product or service. It’s perfect if you have used them yourself and were satisfied in the end.
Most often travel bloggers advertise:
- Services for purchasing low-cost tickets;
- Platforms for booking accommodation;
- Shops with equipment (cameras, drones);
- Travel accessories, clothing.
9. Summing Up
Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok are all brilliant platforms for travel blogging. Such profiles attract thousands of likes and comments for a good reason. They allow people to explore the world and enjoy its beauty.
Successful travel bloggers mix business with pleasure, and good pay becomes the icing on the cake. But to produce content about travel, it is not enough to take a few pictures. A well-thought-out profile takes time and effort, from finding new ideas to maintaining close relationships with the audience. However, the reward will be worth it as both you and your followers will discover what the planet has in store for you.
Keep being AllDayChic!
