There is no denying it: we are living in the age of social media. Platforms like Instagram and YouTube have opened up a world of possibilities for content creators, but they have also leveled the playing field between professional Travel Content Creators and anyone else who simply takes nice shots of their holidays. The positive aspect of this is that Travel Content Creators are now even more challenged and focused to create engaging travel content.
Here are 10 pro tips for (aspiring) Travel Content Creators to create engaging travel content.
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PRO Tip 1 - Know Your Audience
The basics that every Travel Content Creator should know are who their target audience is. It doesn't matter if you have your own travel brand (like a Travel Influencer) or sell your content to other travel brands. Let me give an example. Part of how we, Nadia & Mitchel, make a living is by writing and selling articles to magazines. The articles we sell to motorcycle adventure magazines (our travel focus) must have either those dust-trailing hardcore action shots of us riding or those dreamy mountain roads. That is what the target audience wants.
For our Instagram @TheGreatRideAlong, we have a different approach. Our community does like those action shots, but they are more interested in our lifestyle (which includes wild camping, border crossings, and remote work) than just the action.
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PRO Tip 2 - Authentic Storytelling
In the competitive realm of travel content creation, the key differentiator between amateurs and professionals isn't just the quality of their work, but the way they convey their experiences. The real magic lies in storytelling. It's about how you share your adventures with the world, going beyond mere technicalities to narrate a captivating tale.
Professionals understand that their audience is not just looking for information, but an emotional connection and a glimpse into a lifestyle that they aspire to or are curious about. Your story should offer more than just a travelogue; it should evoke emotions, share insights, and provide a unique perspective that resonates with your audience.
This storytelling approach transforms ordinary travel content into an immersive and engaging experience, setting you apart in the bustling travel content landscape.
PRO Tip 3 - High Quality Visuals
Regardless of the platform(s) you are active on or your travel style, prioritizing high-quality visuals is essential. The reason is simple: to create engaging travel content, your visuals must be visually appealing. However, quality should not be mistaken for megapixels or 4K resolution. While technical quality matters, the total quality I'm referring to encompasses composition, focus, movement, colors, and more.
Your visuals should tell a compelling story on their own and, when supplemented with a captivating caption, leave the viewer wanting more of your delightful travel content.
PRO Tip 4 - Engaging Writing Style
Your writing style has a significant impact on whether the attention you capture with visuals will be translated into engagement or not. Many aspiring Travel Content Creators view writing as something limited to blog or magazine articles, but it encompasses much more. When you scroll through Instagram and your attention is captured by an amazing visual, the next thing you look at is the caption, right? This is where your writing style comes into play.
PRO Tip 5 - Leverage the Share-Button
This tip is very straightforward: create content that people will want to share with others. This can be content that amazes, inspires, or is controversial. By "aware," I'm not telling you to only start creating controversial content. Most viewers may like it once, maybe twice, but then they are done with your content being controversial.
An example of successful controversial content is one of our own Instagram Reels that went viral. The reel was about our 5-week journey throughout Iraq. Without it being the intention when we posted the reel, it sparked a fierce discussion between people who thought we were doing something awesome and people who thought we were insane for traveling through Iraq. In total, the reel got over 700K views, 25K likes, 1500 comments, 1800 shares, and 2300 saves (which means it was highly engaged!).
PRO Tip 6 - Consistency is Key
As your audience grows, you'll learn that 99% of travel content consumers are couch potatoes who like to dream or judge. And those couch potatoes need something in their life, and it's up to you to provide them with that content for their dreams or judgments. I know... this doesn't sound sexy at all. BUT! It is the truth, and you can use this to your advantage.
For a period of time, we posted on our channel @TheGreatRideAlong every day at the same time, and our community got used to it. When after a while we weren't able to keep the same time each day, people even reached out to us if something was wrong. They started to grow used to it.
The important key takeaway is that we noticed that in the periods we were most consistent, we also had the most consistent growth and highest engagement.
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PRO Tip 7 - Interactive Content
Reminder to those couch potatoes who like consistency? Well, they also like to be involved in your travels. Some prefer to help, support, or contribute. Others like to judge. And the best news? Both are great for engagement. The algorithm doesn't differentiate.
One of the best techniques to spark up engagement is by letting people state their opinion, like in a poll or with comments. The more important or controversial the subject, the better the engagement will be. Other ways to create interactive content are:
- Contests or Giveaways
- Quizzes
- User-Generated Content (like a follower's post in your stories)
- Live Q&A Sessions
- Interactive Stories (with questions)
- Behind-The-Scenes Content
PRO Tip 8 - Power of Data
In investing, there is a saying, 'Cut Your Losers and Run Your Winners,' and the same principle applies to creating engaging travel content. The process is simple: analyze your latest content to identify what receives high engagement and what doesn't. Use this information to create more content similar to what worked well and reduce the amount of content that didn't perform well.
For our own travel brand, we follow this practice regularly and have discovered that content featuring our motorbikes, both of us, and top 10 lists garners the highest engagement. This is why we now focus on producing such content more than when we started.
PRO Tip 9 - Keep Learning and Evolving
In line with PRO Tip 8, you need to keep putting in the work once you become successful in creating highly engaging travel content. What works today may not work tomorrow and certainly will not work the day after tomorrow, so to speak. So, keep up with the latest trends in social media, the latest techniques, and learn from your most successful competitors.
Bonus tip: When we started our journey into becoming Paid Travel Content Creators, we hired an Instagram Coach when we felt like we were stuck in the same place. Now, I'm not telling you to get a content coach, but keep an open mind that there are ways you can grow and evolve when you feel stuck or when you are not achieving the engagement numbers you think you should.
PRO Tip 10 - Learn From the Competition
Let's be honest, the chances of you being in the top 1% of your travel content creation niche are very slim. However, there are people who have achieved this feat, and they are likely doing several things right to be in the top 1%. Here is how you can learn from your top competitors:
- Identify who the top 1% in your niche is.
- Identify the most engaging content created by them.
- Analyze this content, including the type of engagement it receives and the reasons behind its success.
- Apply these successful strategies to your own content.
Start to Create Engaging Travel Content
Now that you know the 10 PRO Tips to create engaging travel content, start applying them today. It might not be successful right away, but give it time, try different methods, and keep pushing on. As the algorithms notice your community being more engaged with your content, it will push your content to others, boosting your reach and engagement even more. And before you know it, you'll be reaching figures that you could only have imagined before.
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