Engage on Social Media
This is the easiest and most popular way to gain attention from travel brands you want to work with. Airlines, hotel chains, travel products, visitor’s bureaus and more all have their own social media accounts. Make sure you are following your favorites and commenting on their activity. Leaving genuine comments on their Instagram feed, and reposting a tweet with comment shows added effort to the average like. Truly engage with your thoughts, reactions, support and encouragement.
Additionally, a great way to get attention from the brands you want to work with is through tagging. This can be geo-tagging, image tagging or sharing the brand’s official hashtag. Geo-tagging has become a great tool for connecting like-minded influencers within the travel industry as well as demonstrating just how much of an experienced jetsetter you truly are! Are you wearing your favorite winter coat on a gondola in the mountains? Make sure you tag the brand of the coat and the name of the resort you’re visiting. Lastly, if you want to create a partnership with a reputable travel brand, be sure to incorporate their official travel hashtags into your social media campaign. These brands track the use of these hashtags and often repost, like, comment or share right back!
Reviews and Testimonies
Another fantastic way to gain attention from travel brands is through reviews and testimonies. Not only can this be valuable content for your readers, it also ensures that you are making yourself known as a brand advocate. Be sure to share your flight and hotel experiences for a chance to be appreciated directly. Short and sweet reviews on social media are an easy way to get started, but be sure to link and tag the brands you review on your website and social media sharing.
Create Value
What do your readers gain from your work? By adding value to your content you are bringing in consistent traffic and creating a path for readers to connect with the brands you love. You can do this by sharing sale news and promo codes, linking resources you often use, and inspiring itineraries with photos and excerpts from your latest adventure. Use analytics to keep track of the number of visitors and impressions you are making with your blog and social accounts, and share them with desired partners. If they can see the value in your content and recognize that you have the ability to drive traffic to their brand, they will be more inclined to collaborate with you.
Campaign Support
This goes along with creating value. Ultimately, brands are interested in working with writers who support conversion rates. Whether it’s sales, followers, or total impressions, supporting the bottom line of a brand you love is a great way to get noticed. Does your preferred airline have a special sale going on? Make sure you’re sharing it with your readers. Quick posts on Twitter and Instagram are helpful, but go the extra mile and craft suggested itineraries or share personal experiences from one of their sale destinations. By supporting campaign efforts, you are demonstrating that you’re interested in bringing measurable business to the brand.
Polite Persistence
Finally, don’t be discouraged if you are not connecting with your dream brands right away. Maintain polite and persistent engagement through your blog and social platforms, and don’t be afraid to share your ambitions directly. Connect with other bloggers who have worked with the brand and ask for an introduction or insight about what they’re looking for. As you establish your value as a blogger and travel influencer, reliability and consistency will be key for achieving your partnership goals.