How Travel Bloggersmake money

from their blogs

Heather Cowper

About Heather on her travelsFamily TravelShort Breaks Food and Culture Active Travel

Multi-media

Content

Photos

TrafficReaders

Videos

Podcasts

£££

Advertising

Content is the foundation of your blog

Articles

Facebook

TwitterGoogle +

Stumble

Sponsored Posts

Affiliate sales

Digital products

Consultancy

Membership

model

£££

More £££

More effort/experience

Contextual Ads

Affiliate links

BannerAds

TextLinks

SponsoredPosts

Writing forother sites

Digital products

Site sponsorship

Membership model

Consultancy/Services

MultipleSitesBeginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Where should I begin?

The money-making mind shift

It’s about me

It’s about my readers

Fun things I didPlaces I went

Who I hung out with

Where should I stay?How will I get there?

How much will it cost?

What gear do I need?Hi Mum!

Sell a solution

NomadicMatt.com

Indietravelpodcast.com Travelblogsuccess.com

The Pros• Quick and easy to add to your siteThe Cons• You will make very little money until you

have reasonable traffic• Makes your site look cluttered and

commercialTips• Works best for Search Engine Traffic

rather than social media or direct traffic• Works better in the post than the sidebar• Works best higher up rather than lower

and to the left rather than the right.• Test results for different size, placement,

colour

Contextual Ads

Writing for other sitesThe Pros• Your blog is a showcase for your

writing• Build links to your site• Perfect your skills while looking for

better paid writing assignments• Extra benefit if looking for press

tripsThe Cons• You won’t get paid much to start• You probably won’t make much long

term• May distract from your own blog

Sites I’ve written for

Travel Bloggers to watchAndy Jarosz – 501places.com

Lola Akinmade.com – Matador UAbigail King – Insidethetravellab.com

Affiliate salesTypes of affiliate product• Amazon associates – 5% commission• Travel services – 5% commission• E-books – 50% commission• Training courses – 50% commissionTips• Promote affiliate products you use

or are happy to recommend• Affiliate links within posts perform

better than in the sidebar• Look for higher value products to

promote on Amazon especially before Christmas

• Write honest reviews of e-books using affiliate links

AdvertisingTypes of advertising• Banner advertising• Widgets• Text Links• Sponsored postsTips• Base your price on value as well as

page rank and traffic• Be aware of Google guideline on

paid links• Maintain the quality of your site• At the beginning concentrate on

great content – then the advertisers will find you

Digital ProductsTips• Research your topic before you start to

make sure it’s something people will pay for

• Start by reviewing and selling other people’s e-books or create a free report of your own

• Check out what digital products are already available in your niche

• You can create the backbone of your report by writing a series of blog articles

• Run an affiliate programme– use E-junkie and Clickbank to manage this

Free report: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/ebooks-the-smart-way/

Multiple sites

• More work to maintain multiple niche sites and may detract from your main site

• Easier to set up a second time based on your existing experience• You can be more commercial on niche sites• Benefits of leveraging existing advertisers• E.g. Sites about the place you live, a sub niche of your main site, ‘how to’ sites

Consultancy

• Advising Marketing/PR professionals on blogging and social media• Helping local companies to promote themselves in the online world• Advising on the technical aspects of blogging or SEO• Developing or running company Social Media sites e.g.

Twitter/Facebook• Advise companies who they should work with e.g. selecting of

bloggers for press trips or speakers for events• Organizing meet-ups of bloggers for specific promotions• Participation in marketing brainstorming sessions that relate to your

target market• Speaking at travel or blogging conferences and industry events

Examples of Consultancy

Site sponsorship

• Typically develops from press trips, advertising or PR relationships• A monthly stipend for a 3-12 month term.• Create a package of benefits including blog posts, inclusion in newsletters,

banners, social media promotion, personal appearances• Only work with brands you can believe in• Be clear about your proposition

Membership model

• Suitable for bloggers with an established blog and reputation and an engaged community

• A product that is paid for in stages or for a monthly subscription• Example 1: A Training course that includes ongoing support • Example 2: Access to premium content for a monthly subscription fee• The ongoing nature of payments means you will make more money• The model requires much more time and work to set up and support

Video and PodcastsSites that share revenue

Video Podcasts

Where you’ll find me

Heatheronhertravels.comMybloggingjourney.com

Twitter @HeathercowperFacebook Page /Heatheronhertravels

Slideshare /HeathercowperE-mail: heather@heatheronhertravels.comRead the article at Mybloggingjourney.com