Running a travel blog really is living the dream. If you’re an avid adventurer and gifted writer, it’s a chance to turn your biggest passion into a career.
And whether you’re a seasoned traveller or a nomadic newbie, we all experience the world differently. This means that any take you have is going to be different from everyone else’s.
And it’s important that it is! The travel blogging community is increasingly crowded, and you’ll need to stand out from the masses if you want to make a name for yourself.
There is much more to becoming a travel blogger than the technical steps that go into creating a blog – anyone can sign up to WordPress, but few can craft a site that captivates audiences. With that in mind, here are some important things that you need to remember during your search for success.
Develop Your Creative Skills
Some people are naturally gifted wordsmiths, while others can pick up a camera and are able to instinctually know how to take the perfect photograph.
For most of us, however, these are skills that we need to hone. We need to exercise our creativity muscles, as like any muscles, they can weaken with lack of use.
Posts riddled with grammatical errors and poor images are going send readers flocking from your blog, giving the impression that you couldn’t care less about the writing you produce. If grammar isn’t your strong suit, then use a service like Grammarly to double check your content.
Once your skills are up to scratch, you’re going to want to set a posting schedule and try to stick to it. Your followers will appreciate the routine, and you’ll become their go-to Friday lunch break or morning coffee reading, making your blog a regular fixture of their lives.
Be Authentic
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘fake it ‘til you make it’. And when it comes to hacking it in your new job or forging a career on the stage, this is good advice.
But faking it will only get you so far. Before long, your followers will notice, and the internet can be an unforgiving place.
Be honest with your audience, and more importantly, just be yourself. No one wants to achieve success for being something that they’re not, and if you’re only in the travel blogging business for the money, your followers will notice if your heart isn’t really in what you write, and frankly, your endeavours will fail before they’ve even begun.
Build your Brand
The key to a successful blog, any blog, is content. Content is king, and that’s important to keep in mind during your travel writing journey. Good, trustworthy content is the best way to build your brand, but this can be hard to do by yourself. Remember, there’s no shame in asking for help. Experts at companies such as Maratopia Digital Marketing are skilled in the art of SEO and keywork optimisation.
There’s nothing wrong with getting help on your way to success, and if you consult with professionals, it will leave you with more freedom to write and travel… you know, the good stuff!
Advertise
There are lots of different ways to advertise on your blog, and some will generate more income than others.
You can have banner advertising on your pages, or perhaps consider affiliate marketing and product placement. All of these are popular in the blogging community, and the more followers you generate, the more that you’ll be able to charge.
One important thing to remember, especially with product placement, is to be upfront with your audience about it. Tell them if your posts contain ads. Depending on where you are in the world (and by that we mean your full-time address), it could be a legal requirement to state whether your posts contain paid advertising.
But not only that, when you’re upfront and honest with your followers, it generates a level of trust and feelings of loyalty. You aren’t going to achieve success without earning their respect.
Take Every Opportunity
We know that the dream is 5-star hotels and luxury resorts. But this isn’t the sort of success that happens overnight.
You aren’t going to be able to start off in the Savoy – unless your blog is just a hobby to pass the time after your lottery win; if that’s the case, then the content of this article is probably irrelevant to you anyway!
You’re going to have to begin in a lot of cheap hostels, writing about your experience as a budget traveller.
But it’s important you seize every opportunity that you’re offered.
Write for anyone that will give you the chance, whether it’s guest blogs or reviewing a local restaurant. It will never hurt to keep writing, and you may even get a free meal out of it!
To end, a note about the technical side of blog creation. When you pick your blog’s name and URL, it is vitally important that is futureproof. While you might start out staying in hostels, or backpacking around Europe, keep these out of the name! You never know where your journeys will take you.
And when choosing that name and URL, make sure it’s one that another company won’t be embarrassed to partner with. We all remember those cringe-worthy Hotmail addresses we had in the early 2000s!
Do you have any advice for the budding blogger? Share it in the comments below!
