Travel Unravel: What’s The Most Important Thing To Do To Build A Successful Travel Blog?
February 19, 2009 by Anil P.
Filed under Travel Unravel
I’ve get emails, chats, and comments asking me a variety of travel related questions. “Travel Unravel” is a series where I tried to answer these questions in a quick and concise manner with the help of readers in the comments.
BT writes: What’s the best way to build a successful travel blog?
While there are a number of opinions on what a successful travel blog exactly is, most agree that readership is a central goal. There is no single ‘best way’ to achieve this goal and create a successful travel blog. A very important way, in my opinion, to maintain and expand your travel blog readership is to allow yourself to show in your posts.
Readers may find your travel blog in a variety of ways, through a Google search or link on some other website, and most never come back. People continue to read a given travel blog to connect to the traveler writing the blog more than anything else.
I’ve written how to make your travel blog successful (part 1 and part 2) and also how to make money with your travel blog, if you’re interested in that as well.
Thanks for the question BT, it was the inspiration behind a number of blog posts on the subject.
How To Build A Successful Travel Blog – [Part 2 of 2]
Yesterday, in part 1 of How to Build A Successful Travel Blog, I wrote about the importance of letting your personality shine. Putting your personal stories, experiences, and opinions into each post is important, but you need to do so effectively.
A travel blog can easily turn into an unorganized chaos of rants and random observations and drive away your most loyal readers. Most travel blogs begin as personal jounals to family and friends but I’ve seen travel blog posts so ambigous that even the writer has confessed to not wanting to read them!
It’s important to keep your travel blog posts as exciting as your travels themselves, to encourage and inspire readers who will continue to follow you on your journey.
Get To The Point And Fast
Write Like A Journalist Columnist- Many travel bloggers spend a lot of time and text writing about one specific place they visited while traveling. Although the Akshardham Temple in New Delhi may be the most interesting place you’ve ever been, nobody’s reading your blog for a detail description of it. Travelers like to see things firsthand but are fascinated by firsthand accounts.
- Don’t spend too much time on any one aspect of a given trip, even your personality. Use these 6 ways to keep your travel blog interesting, including the ‘upside down pyramid’ cut out 20% of your post before you publish it. If you’re really feeling the urge to write further, break your longer posts into series.
How To Build A Successful Travel Blog – [Part 1 of 2]
A reader recently asked me what I thought was the most important thing to do in order to build a successful travel blog. While, I’m not – by far – the most successful travel blogger, I’d like to answer this question as best I can from my almost 3 years of experience. There is plenty of how to create a successful blog help on the Internet, mostly focused on monetizing.
Travel bloggers mostly agree that a successful travel blog is defined by readership and inspirational content. Let me start by saying there is no one single way to build a successful travel blog, but multiple facets.
Based on my personal experience, here is the first part of what you need to do to build a successful travel blog.
Allow Yourself to Shine
There are plenty of travel blogs out there and everyone has bland old advice about this and that destination. People don’t read travel blogs for photos, advice, and travel stories – they read travel blogs for YOUR photos, YOUR advice, and YOUR travel stories. If you don’t let yourself shine, you’re just another website with some words about traveling to Argentina.
Create A Unique Blog Persona
1. Use Your Real Name – If you’re not using your real name under your posts, social networking sites, or when you leave comments on other blogs, you are making it very difficult for other people to connect with you. I used to sign every post as ‘foXnoMad’ in the early days of this blog. I had people responding back to me as, Fox, F.Nomad, or Foxnomad – I realized that everyone was calling me something else, so it meant there was some confusion as to who I was. It’s simple, my name is Anil Polat – you should make it as easy as that for your readers too.
- You don’t introduce yourself to people you meet as Mrs. Interior Designer or Mr. Software Engineer do you?
Would You Spend Your Life Savings For A Once In A Lifetime Trip?
Last year many of you let us know that the global economic crisis wasn’t effecting your travel plans completely, but today I’d like to put your money where your mouth is.
Consider that you’re living paycheck to paycheck and the only lifeline you’ve got is a small nest-egg of savings you’ve tucked away. Then you are presented with a once in a lifetime trip – pick something that would be both tempting and unique for you – would you spend your savings to go?
Would You Spend Your Life Savings For A Once In A Lifetime Trip?
- Yes (36%, 4 Votes)
- I'd consider it (36%, 4 Votes)
- I'll answer that I'd do it, but really wouldn't (18%, 2 Votes)
- No (10%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 11
Loading ...It’s a question with a lot of variables, so feel free to explain your answers and add your reasons in the comments.
