Over the past few years, we've watched as travel bloggers and companies have begun working together in partnerships to bring new experiences and destinations to readers all over the world. Even we have joined in on this periodically, but often shy away from it because the relationships have not been the most meaningful for either party.
But for all the gains the industry has made, with writers taking blogging from a side hobby to a full-time profession, everything seems incredibly shortsighted when you really start to think about it.
As bloggers, we can offer so much more, and it's time our readers and partners hear about it.
The Current State of Affairs
From what we've seen on countless travel blogs, the current relationship between bloggers and companies often involves isolated exchanges.
In most partnerships, the blogger will receive a discounted or complimentary service and the company will receive a review and shared media that appear in search results, social media profiles, and inboxes of thousands of active travelers.
In some cases the amount of coverage is stipulated by contract, while in others, like in the case of some tourism boards, all that is requested is that something gets put out there to help promote a city or region.
What that "something" is, well, that is up to the writer.
Personally speaking, we like the latter approach the best. Our partnerships with tourism boards have mostly been in exchange for minor things, like city cards or a private tour, and none of them have required that a dedicated piece of content be produced. These partnerships help us become more knowledgeable about a city or region, and our posts reflect that with more facts being included that we may otherwise have missed.
For corporate sponsorships, the options are limited in their current state. An accommodation exchange will almost always result in a review of the property. A guided tour will most likely have some sort of daily recap and itinerary reflection. We could go on, but you should be seeing by now that the focus of content becomes fixed quite rapidly to coincide with the service that was received.
As long as the review is done well, which many seasoned travel bloggers can do, this is hardly an issue (other than the question of having a site that is fully funded by sponsored trips, but that is not the point of this post).
What is the bigger issue here is that this industry-wide style only scratches the surface of the capabilities that professional bloggers can offer.
The fact that we have not pushed beyond this is what truly upsets me.
A Pressing Concern for the Industry
With the above scenarios, there is a common theme. A partner comes along, works with a blogger, gets a certain type of promotion in exchange, and the relationship ends.
In many cases that is it. As soon as the last post or share is done, bloggers may never hear from their partners again.
That is unacceptable.
Although our sponsorships have been few in number compared to other big name bloggers (we do this by choice), do you want to know the most ironic thing we have discovered? None of our partners ever ask us for feedback.
There has been a grand total of one (1) tour guide who asked us at the end of the tour what we thought and how we could make the itinerary better for future guests.
I've traveled to 50 countries over more than 400 days on the road, published 700 posts, and even released a 200+ page book about long-term travel. I'd like to think that I am an expert at what I do, yet only one person has even asked me for my opinion on a partnership experience.
That person wasn't even the sponsor I pitched, but the guide who happened to find out we were bloggers on a comped tour halfway through the itinerary.
You know what happened? We gave him several ways to make his tour better, he loved them, and was going to incorporate them in the future.
Now we're getting somewhere.
What Bloggers Can Do
A top blogger, one who has dedicated years of their life to a topic, is an expert. There are no arguments against this. Whether on the topic of food travel, luxury travel, budget travel, long-term travel, living abroad, becoming a digital nomad, or another of the near endless niches in our industry, an established blogger is an expert.
Experts can do far more than just slapping their name and endorsement on something, and those who think that a blogger is only good for a review on their site are really missing out.
To research the topic more, I spoke with several travel bloggers who have worked with companies in the past. They anonymously submitted some of the unique ways they have partnered with companies and tourism boards to engage future travelers.
The following are a selection of some of the best that go well beyond the standard review and social share. Although many bloggers may charge a freelance rate for some of these activities, they provide substantially more value than the previously discussed partnerships.
- Media acquisition: Bloggers who are skilled in photography and videography are able to collect massive amounts of media that can be used in future campaigns. Although numbers may vary, we typically produce a few hundred images each day we travel. Some of our best partnerships have been designed purely for the purpose of media acquisition, with any published content being a secondary focus.
- Post trip critiques for improved offerings and service: It should be no surprise that we can spot issues from miles away, and even have ideas to fix them. In our opinion, if you're a major company and not sourcing this feedback with your partners, you're missing out on something that should be standard practice. Show me a blogger who doesn't have ideas to make a service better, and I'll show you a person who shouldn't be writing travel articles. Not to mention the host operates a "perfect" company that shouldn't need extra promotion in the first place.
- Social media takeover: A guest blogger taking over a company's social media account for a few hours, day, or week is an instantly unique campaign. G Adventures and Sweden's Tourism Board have recently done this, and it has been incredibly interesting to follow as a break from the standard material.
- Developing content for websites: We don't just have to develop material for our own site. Yours probably could use some work, too. Would you rather hire a third party to contribute boring articles for your brand's blog, or a source who has been doing this for years and is already familiar with your brand? FlightNetwork and Roam Right are two brands that have either sourced a travel blogger for a full-time position or source articles from many bloggers to help expand their brand and tap into already developed communities.
- Future Campaigns: Travel bloggers can play a key role in developing a campaign from its infancy, before the end goal is even determined. As bloggers are freelance by design, and used to designing campaigns like these, they can commit to long projects and give their full effort while using the above mentioned promotion styles (and many other styles we haven't mentioned). The end result is a more enthusiastic partnership that can reach the blogger's network longer while not falling into the category of a "handout review" that has little value other than a simple search engine placement.
The Trick to It All? The Right Blogger for the Right Campaign
The biggest issue of all is that partnerships are not always perfect matches. Companies are far too eager to find any blogger who is available rather than the right blogger to fit the campaign. Likewise, too many bloggers will accept everything that comes their way regardless of if it is a match for their brand and readers' interests or not, only because they haven't found another way to stay afloat.
This has to stop before true progress can begin.
If the goal of a campaign is to get reviews, a company should be diligent enough to make sure the blogger is focused in a niche that would actually buy its product. Even search engine readers will question a review of a luxury property by a person who boasts being a frugal traveler in the header of their site. So why would you invite them for a visit to your several hundred dollar per night property? If you're not among the businesses the blogger would have paid his or her own money to, you're wasting your time and campaign money.
For larger partnerships, like the types we mentioned above, an even more focused vetting process is required. Do you actually like the blogger's photos and videos? Is the blogger proficient in social media and do readers respond? Are they taking risks and breaking the mold of traditional blogging, or just following the crowd? Most importantly, do you like their personality, message, and responses when you email them? These are easy things to research, and the extra effort goes a long way in finding the right match for a campaign.
Blogging is an inherently personal business, and there are thousands of us out there in the travel field. If you're a company that is settling for anyone rather than taking the time to find the right blogger, your campaign is destined to fail before it even begins. Likewise, if you're a blogger who accepts everything that comes your way, it is time for you to learn the most valuable word in your arsenal: "no."
If you don't have any interest in anything more than exchanging service for a review, or reviews for a service, I won't stop you. But there is so much more to travel bloggers than meets the eye. All it takes is that added bit of effort to ensure that all partnerships are the right match, and let the relationship grow from there.
We've given you some ideas, now it is time to get to work.
Do you have an idea for an offering that bloggers can provide to companies? Or are you a representative of a company who has worked with bloggers in a novel way and want to share it with the world? Comment below and join the conversation! If you would like to have your idea featured but would like to remain anonymous, you can also email us at [email protected] and we'll publish a comment on your behalf.
