There is passion, adventure, exploration and of course travelling, in the vast realm of travel blogging. However, once you decide to become a pro or an expert in travel blogging you are deemed to play a very different game. This intricately designed world is full of hobbyist writing about their trips and tours to worlds unknown, and the minute you want to convert this into a profession, you are walking a straight road towards hard work and commitment.
Before we get started, it’s only fair mentioning that being an expert travel blogger will get you into a small list of people in the world. This means two things: competition is lean and competition is hard. Nevertheless, your travel dreams will definitely earn you big money with dedication and tenacity.
Money comes when readers read
Of course, you want to earn money being an expert travel blogger. Therefore, drop your focus on cash right now and channel it to the audience. Audience is the key to success in any sort of blogging. With this point in mind, your first priority should be to start creating as large of a reader base as possible and this positive relationship between audience and money is only expandable.
Remember that a huge audience base is of no use if the majority of it is inactive. Hence, engaging audience should be one of the consistent approaches of your journey to being an expert travel blogger.
Feature unique trips and activities
How do you create a unique blog that readers find interesting? The answer is: Travel and write on unique trips. To understand the matter let’s take a comparing look. Let’s assume you have experienced the coolest club in Malibu the same year you travelled to world’s oldest monastery. Believe me when I say people will be more inclined to read about the latter one. This is simply because it evokes a curiosity of the unknown. Remember that even the simplest of things on your trip can attract most of your readers when you frame it the right way.
The Inevitable Social Media
At this point, one simply cannot stretch the need to be present in social media. The question is how bold your social media presence is as opposed to simply being or not being on social media.
As an expert travel blogger, you need to up your social media presence. One of the most important aspects of maintaining a social media profile is replying to comments. Remember when a person posts a comment on your post, they is definitely expecting a reply. Moreover, a humble and caring reply will blow away your readers and keep them coming back. In other words, caring for your readers and blending in will only make them feel closer to you.
Advertise
When you want to make money through your travel blog, it’s turns into a business. Like all businesses, your travel blog requires advertising. However, advertising is a big word. It can be of the smallest form in social media to large eye-catching billboards. Although your mass of your blog decides the size of advertising, target market plays a big role in what medium to choose.
If you are little on investments, get yourself sponsored on Facebook, twitter, and other social sites. As the business grows, you can prefer a bigger option for yourself. However, don’t forget to keep your target market in mind.
Best Tools and Apps for Travel Bloggers
Make your blog useful
Besides blood rushing, entertaining and evoking travel stories, readers also look for useful things in a travel blogs. For example: A list of default gears for hiking, must-have camera accessories for travel photography, best apps to find hotels in, top destinations to visit in winter – these queries are among the common ones travelers look for around the web.
Understand the difference between entertaining stories and useful posts. Remember that a great portion of your audience is in search for useful posts. Learn from other successful travel websites like tripadvisor.com or holidayme.com and do your research on what travel-blog readers ask for in relation to your offer-able knowledge. When you find the right fit, your travel blog will become a regular go-to for your answer seeking readers.
Write for other Travel blogs
Guest posting has been around in the online world since a very long time and it’s your turn now to make use of it. When starting as a rookie, this is a great way to gather attention and drive traffic to your website by getting featured on other popular travel blogs. Great travel content will interest other travel bloggers to feature you on their space and it’s a great way to start.
The power of SEO
Don’t forget the power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO helps to up your website rank higher on the list of search engines. While considering SEO, you can look up for professional services designed to take care of your ranking; on the other hand, you can take care of SEO yourself as it is not even close to rocket science.
Finally, understand the fact that every single travel blog works in a different way. Hence, something that works for your competitor might not work for you. This fact is influenced by geography, target market and of course the sort of travelling that you do. However, regardless of all variables, the above tips are deemed to help you kick start your dream profession of being a pro travel blogger.
