Moving your travel blog from press trip to paid campaign

Moving from press trip

to paid campaign

About us

Heather CowperHeather on her travels

@heathercowper

Gary BembridgeTips for travellers@garybembridge

For the 40+ UK Quality Traveller

@travelatormedia

What will we cover?

Creating value that brands are likely to pay for

• What bloggers are being paid for

• What brands are prepared to pay for

• What’s working in paid blogger campaigns

The Challenge

“Typically we can attract press and bloggers with very significant reach

Leading Destination Resort PR

- and it doesn’t cost us additional fees. So I don’t know that we’d go down that route”

What are bloggers being paid for now?

% Bloggers been paid? Top 5 things being paid for?

Source: Travelator Media Bloggers Survey 2015

Yes60%

No40%

44

46

46

47

68

SEO Links

Press / Blog Trips

Advertising

Review Products

Sponsored Posts

Look at media through their eyes

So, when will brands be likely to pay?

Three types of media in travel

PR “EDITORIAL”

Content presenting the opinion of the publisher,

writer, or editor

ADs + “ADVERTORIAL”

Content that promotes services but resembles an

editorial in style and layout

“CORPORATE CONTENT”Content created for a

business’s existing channels

What did the travel industry say?

“Like journalists, we never pay bloggers for editorial content ” PR Agency

“For general participation in a press or individual visit we don't pay - but for campaigns and commissioned content, photos,videos etc. we would pay the blogger.”

Tourism Board

“I would rather see X level of editorial support in return for a trip, plus added-value advertorial campaign ideas on top”

PR Agency Head

How many will consider pay bloggers?

Yes56%

Not Sure26%

No18%

Source: Travelator Media Industry Survey 2015

10 things they most willing to pay for?

54 54 52

43 43 41 39 37 37 37

Ambassador Talks Video Audio Articles Photo Rights Sponsor DigitalPromo

BlogManage

SocialEvents

Source: Travelator Media Industry Survey 2015

Expert Advocacy Provide Corporate Content Manage Corporate Content

* Only 30% would pay for press trip editorial

But where will the budget come from?

“Bloggers need to be more realistic about their payment expectations. They sometimes give the impression that they think a client has an endless pot of budget”

Tourism Board

“There is a widely held misconception that brands have an abundance of funding, whereas often we have merely hundreds of pounds/dollars to work with throughout the year”

PR Agency

How should you tackle this……..???

Digital / Marketing BudgetPR Budget

Advertising BudgetTarget your pitch here

Pitch where the budget is

So what’s working

in paid blogger campaigns?

Long term relationships

Building relationships through editorial may lead to paid assignments

Value beyond editorial

Campaign management |Finding the right bloggersPre-agreed deliverables | Results tracking |Additional Reach

#inSouthTyrolTravelator Media+

South Tyrol Marketing

#TasteLjubljanaThe Travel Mob +Ljubljana tourism #ANAByDesign - Paul Johnson working

with Nippon Airways

Expert content providers

43% said they would consider paying bloggers to produce articles for them

Bret Love & Mary Gabbett at Green Travel Media working

with International Expeditions

Andy Jarosz501 Places working with Nat Geo Traveller and

ASEZA Jordan

High value visual content

Instagram | Photography | Video

Northern Lights Instagram TripLauren Bath +

Explore Inari-Saariselkä , Finland

52% said they would consider paying for video and 41 % for photo rights

Laurel RobbinsMonkeys & Mountains

for Visit Finland

Leverage the value of the content

Advertise and promote | Microsites | E-books

Iambassador for #CountrysideBritain with

Visit Britain

Family Travel Bloggers campaign Icrossing for

Visit Wales

Kash BhattacharyaMust love festivals

Engaging Traditional media

Successful online campaigns cross over into traditional media

Carol Perehudoff from Wandering Carol +Transat Holidays

Becki Enright from Borders of Adventure +

Marketing Greece

Kirstie Pelling for #Poetinmotion for Go Lakes, Cumbria

Using bloggers as marketing partners

Bloggers help promote a brand service or message

Alexandra Jimenez, Travel Fashion Girl working with Visa

Signature

Sherry Ott,Ottsworld

working with Club Carlson

Julie FaulknerA Lady in London

working with Easyjet

Brand Ambassadors

54% said they would consider paying for bloggers as brand ambassadors

Dave & Deb from The Planet D for

Discover Ontario Adventures campaign

Caz & Craig Makepeace from Y Travel Blog for

Tourism Northern Territories, Australia

Thankyou…..

To the 200 bloggers & 50 DMOs / brands who completed the surveysand all those below who shared their case studies

Wandering Carol

Becki Enright

Travel Fashion Girl

Bret Love & Mary Gabbett Paul Johnson

That’s us!

Sherry Ott

Duncan Rhodes

Lauren Bath

A Lady in LondonDave & DebCaz & Craig Makepeace

Laurel Robbins

Andy JaroszKirstie PellingKeith Jenkins & Melvin Böcher

What you need to think about

IndustryWhat are they

willing to pay for?

BloggerYour creativity

Your nicheYour skills

Heather CowperHeather on her travels

@heathercowper

Gary BembridgeTips for travellers@garybembridge

For the 40+ UK Quality Traveller

@travelatormedia