Comments on: Are travel bloggers looking in the wrong place for their pot of gold?

By: Caz Makepeace

Caz Makepeace — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:43:47 +0000

Great post Andy.
We have never been focused on making money off text links and advertising. This is not big enough for us. We start blogging always with the intention to concentrate on our brand and community and doing what we love. We know that if we do a great job with that then the money will follow. We have always been blogging with bigger things in mind, always looking for ways to think out of the box. It is starting to pay off for us now and opportunities are arising that we never thought of before.
I think you have to focus on
* thinking big
* building your brand and make it unique and genuine
*building community and helping others
*network- I’m quickly learning that this is a huge component of one’s success.
* DOING WHAT YOU LOVE- when you do what you love you do it right and with passion and that creates success which springboards into other things
Congrats on your 400th post and your recent paid writing activities

By: the candy trail ... | Michael Robert Powell

the candy trail ... | Michael Robert Powell — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:10:03 +0000

Hi … just found you (am presently lost in China) and agree with much. For me it’s about recording my experiences and it has never been about money or fame – besides, I’m probably too crazy for the mainstream travel industry and most bloggers – but my travels over the last 2 decades (100+ countries, mostly within the developing world, including being arrested as a spy in Saddam’s Iraq back in 1989) speak for themselves. Simply, I love travel.

Regards – MRP | the candy trail … a nomad across the planet, since 1988

By: Sherry Ott

Sherry Ott — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:18:30 +0000

Great article and even better reading through all of the comments. I can’t really add anything more. I’ve certainly seen this travel blogging space change a ton since I got into it 4 years ago. The key is to keep an eye on others and trends – but really spend most of your time coming up with new ideas and ways to market yourself and your brand and make money. If you can be innovative – then you’ll be one step ahead.

By: Nicolas

Nicolas — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:53:18 +0000

Very interesting how this discussion points out that there are several types of writers/bloggers and I couldn’t else but agree.

I think that one of the problems is that creating a blog costs little more than nothing, so everybody can do it, and everybody does. This makes it a lot more difficult to divide the great ones from the others.
Also, travel blogging is not a niche anymore. Traveling is one of those thing which you just can’t combine with a regular day job, and every traveler – I admit that I am one of them – has this romantic idea about spending your days at the beach, write an article or blog post somewhere after dinner and before hitting the bar and let the gold float in. So lots and lots of traveler shoot for the moon, and who’s to blame them?

Writing for magazines has come up a couple of times during this discussion, but I doubt if that’s such a good alternative. A lot of magazines that need travel articles are linked to the travel industry (e.g. magazines on planes) and they often focus on the more expensive regions. Therefore it’ll be quite easy to spend the money you earn in star hotels and expensive bars.
If you ask travel writers who their influences are, you will often hear the names Theroux, O’Hanlon and Bryson return. Unfortunately this is not the kind of writing that magazines are requesting.

I’m very curious to review this whole travel blogging industry in let’s say ten year, if only to see who made it and who didn’t.

By: Chloe Johnson

Chloe Johnson — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:25:26 +0000

Fantastic post Andy, thanks for the insight.
As a journalist I find the blogosphere world very interesting and have decided to tap into it myself. After a few months of constant blogging, featuring photos of the week’s and building a profile I have become slightly addicted. While it’s not paying me a penny (at the moment) it’s helping build a portfolio for my freelance writing, resulting in published articles in Ninemsn Travel, NZ herald and potentially a job offer as a travel writer *watch this space*.
I think blogging is rewarding whether that be through recognition or money in the pocket. It’s what you make of it.

By: Hjortur Smarason

Hjortur Smarason — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:53:30 +0000

Great post and discussions, Andy.

If people are planning on getting rich, blogging is probably not the way. I think the most money for bloggers has been in something else they’ve been offered because of the attention they’ve got through their blogs, book deals, free trips etc. It’s good for personal branding.

What’s important when creating a travel blog for monetizing is targeting. Too many travel blogs write just about anything but those who get the most attention and money are those who focus on specific topics within travelling, b-2-b travelling, flights, travel with kids, specific destinations, etc. I think that’s a good strategy to make a living from blogging to write only about your speciality on your own blog and for all the other posts you want to write – post them else where – guest blog. That helps build your personal brand and drive traffic to your own blog. The more targeted the traffic is to your blog, the more conversion it offers for your sponsors.

I’ve done this and decided to write about Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands only on my blog ravingravens.com, a destination I know very well (I live in Iceland) with very little if any competition in the blogging world. I’ve been building traffic, SEO and content for 6 months and now it’s time to see if I can monetize it 😉

By: flip

flip — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 07:02:34 +0000

congratulations on your 400th pot…imone of those bloggers who’s trying to earn from my blog and it seems to be not working as i expect… i dont want to stress myself from it so im looking for other ways to earn as well. thanks for mentioning ‘writing for others’… goodluck on all of our pursuits towards blogging,money and hopefully happiness…

By: Natalie - Turkish Travel Blog

Natalie - Turkish Travel Blog — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:49:55 +0000

Ow wow, took some time to read through all those comments and think about what each blogger had to say. It seems there is a trend in that people are not making a full time living from their blog but it is giving them something to show the world to enable them to get other jobs.

When I apply for other jobs, I show my blog as a sample of my writing. I like to apply to travel jobs but on the odd occasion I have to apply for others but I still show it.

I am getting something back from my blog, even if it is not something that can be measured in monetary value. Seems like others are as well.

Ps – Congrats on the 400th post.

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:40:08 +0000

Thanks again to all for such a lively and informative debate. What is clear is that there are many reasons why people start to blog and while some start their blogs with the aim of making money and then abandon this dream, others do the opposite and develop over time a desire to make their blogs provide a financial return. There is of course no single right approach, but certainly if you wish to make a business out of your blog, you need to approach it as seriously as anyone else who is starting their own venture.
The consensus here is that there is a real opportunity for bloggers to team up with travel companies (and others) and offer a professional service that, dare I say it, runs close to being an online PR service. Scott, thanks for sharing an excellent example of how such a partnership really can work well.

By: craig zabransky

craig zabransky — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:29:26 +0000

Andy,

Great points and great discussion. I am already seeing some of the travel companies looking for people with experience and totally agree you need to create your brand to identify the right match. Also, I really love Keith Savage’s last point – it’s the wild west. It is. And that is what makes it all so exciting.

stay adventurous, Craig