Hey travelpreneur!
Before I get into today’s lesson, I just want to remind you that today is the last day to apply to be a beta tester for the Wildly Successful Travelpreneurs membership! So, if you want to get a free month in the membership + 50% off for the lifetime of your membership, click here to apply now! The doors open tomorrow… 🥳
To finish up our series on monetizing through affiliate marketing, I wanted to touch on some strategies based on the tips I’ve shared over the last few weeks plus a quick look at how to increase your traffic through SEO…
Join relevant marketplaces for your niche - the best option for travel blogs is Travelpayouts which only lists travel-relates affiliate partners while still giving you a big selection and you don’t have to sift through hundreds of programs or log into different platforms each time you need to update links to posts.
Sign up for affiliate programs with high commission rates (25% +) for the best results. My personal favorite strategy for this is to join the affiliate programs for courses I’ve taken or memberships I’ve joined. Bundles also offer really great commission rates which is why I love Ultimate Bundles.
Do topic, competitor, and keyword research before creating blog posts to ensure that the topic is trendy, other people are writing about the topic, and that you use keywords with high buyer intent (e.g “5 Star Hotels in Lisbon”) so that you know that the content is likely to convert readers who are already looking to purchase something.
TIP: Keyword research is really important and definitely not worth skimping on or trying to do for free. However, if you’re on a budget, there are cost-effective options like Keysearch (which I use). You can get 20% off with the promo code: KSDISC
The fact is, increased traffic = increased affiliate sales.
If you’ve been focusing on growing your email list and have nurtured your subscribers, you can make a great affiliate income through email marketing not just via your travel blog.
But if not, then I suggest you get started with your email list right away and then turn your attention to the SEO of your blog…
Key Strategies to Increase Affiliate Sales
Keep your content relevant to your audience (niche).
Choose long-tail keywords with SEO in mind.
Use Pinterest.
Remove any outdated and irrelevant content regularly.
Pivot your strategies based on travel trends.
The Good Stuff 🔥
Curious Find 🔮
👉 Briskby - the first booking + rental marketplace which brings together fitness and action sports.
Freebies 🆓
👉 The Boost Your Business Bundle kicks off next week, to help you with everything from mindset to social media and everything in-between. Click here to be the first to get free access to over 80 resources!
👉 FREE 7-Day Grow & Monetize Your Email List Challenge. One of my favorite blogging experts, Leanne Scott has a Free 7-day challenge to help grow your email list where she teaches how to monetize your list as well!
Paid & Sponsored Opportunities 🤑
Please do *not* mention me as the person who referred you in your applications and pitch emails. Just because I'm sharing these with you does not mean I am a reference and dropping my name won’t help you get the job :)
👉 Press Trip Opportunity! Biosphere Expeditions is hosting a wolf expedition in Germany on July 16-28, 2022 – which you can apply to join as a press trip. If interested, read their press trip guidelines first and then apply. Deadline to apply: June 1, 2022 - so hurry!
👉 "Unmistakably Madison" Campaign. The Madison, WI campaign uses a fresh and strategic approach to communicate all that's "Unmistakably Madison." The campaign's focus is to invite travelers to enjoy the activities that bring family and friends together. But most of all, it promotes a destination that makes you feel like yourself. If sharing stories about Madison would benefit your website readers or you have a freelance story to pitch fill out their Media Request Form or reach out to media@visitmadison.com and ask to be added to their media list.
👉 Mall of America in Minneapolis Media Request. It’s a fun self-contained stop featuring an aquarium, theme park, renowned culinary experiences, and of course, over 500 stores. There are two hotels on-site so once you arrive you can have it all within the walls of the mall! They are super blogger-friendly. If sharing stories about Mall of America would benefit your website readers or you have a freelance story to pitch, fill out their Media Request Form or reach out to PR@moa.ne and ask to be added to their media list.
👉 Avani+ Khao Lak Resort Hosting Opportunity. Avani Hotels announces the opening of Avani+ Khao Lak Resort — a 327-key oceanfront property located on the sandy shores of Bangsak Beach in Thailand’s Phang Nga. The property serves as a launchpad for AvaniFit — the brand’s new lifestyle concept aiming to put fun and variety into hotel fitness. If you cover Southeast Asia, Hotel focused reviews, family travel, or fitness travel request to be added to the media list for upcoming news and hosting opportunities by reaching out to Adhiyanto Goen at agoen@avanihotels.com and check out the hotel here.
👉 Pitch Snowbirds & RV Travelers. This is a magazine for active RV families and snowbirds featuring friendly destinations, events, attractions and advice columns that enhance the RV and snowbird lifestyles. Articles should be between 400 to 1400 words and can include any news and events as well as some background information. Have an idea for a story? Research their database & published articles, check out the full editorial guidelines then e-mail your story idea to editor@suncruisermedia.com
BONUS: 85 Publications That Pay Writers (Travel Edition)
👉 Byline Opportunity (unpaid) - Are you feeling a need to travel? Looking for an additional outlet to offer potential hosts and sponsors? My Pitch to Travel student Betsi Hill has founded the online Recipes Travel Culture Magazine and is seeking regular contributors. They can offer Letters of Assignment to your sponsors/hosts. They'll include links back to your website and/or social channels. Content will be promoted across all social channels, as well as cross-promoted on my other sites. For more information or to join the team, click here.
Interesting Reads... 📰
👉 The Game Is Rigged: Rethinking The Creator Economy. A sensible piece on how to make the so-called ‘creator economy’ more sustainable. It includes some interesting results from a substantial survey of people who make a living producing things online.
👉 13 Best Destinations To Stay in Style While Working Remotely. Live on the cheap with a beachfront view and strong Wi-Fi.
👉 South America's unknown ancient path. Take me there now!
👉 The train ticket that revolutionized European rail travel. The Interrail Pass turns 50.
Bonus Content 🤩
👉 State of the Creator Economy.
Here are some interesting stats but what really stood out for me are these:
“Female creators outnumber male creators by nearly 2:1—however, men were more than twice as likely to earn over $150,000 annually.” - damn pay gap!
“Full-time creators ranked the importance of email to their business at 8.3/10.” “This rating means professional creators think email is more important to their business than social media or paid ads.” - for sure!
💌 Have something you’d like to promote to Wildly Successful Travelpreneurs 1520+ readers? Purchase ad or sponsorships space. Learn more here!
Until next week…
With love,
Daniella
PS. If you want to become a travelpreneur, here are 3 ways I can help you:
✈️ Grab one of my FREE courses, books, or templates for travel bloggers: https://payhip.com/OurSoulfulT...
🌎 Invest in one of my paid courses, books, templates, or bundles: https://payhip.com/OurSoulfulT...
✨ Work with me privately to make your travelpreneur dreams come true: https://payhip.com/b/wXeEV