January 10, 2024

🌎 Trending Travel Content

Get inspired by these creators, who have under 50k followers that are CRUSHING their views and engagement because of their strong hooks, keyword usage, quality shots, and audio picks.

@bellamerlot_

The best resort hands down @The Morgan Resort & Spa blew my breath completely away. The staff is attentive and the view is to die for! #t... See more

Example #2  (Over 1M Views!)

Example #3 (Over 2M Views!)

Example #4

Example #5

🥳 How To Sell Your Content To Hotels and Travel Companies With Zero Followers

Step 1: Build Your Portfolio

First things first, let's talk about your portfolio.

This is your showcase, your pitch, and your first impression all rolled into one.

Select your best travel photos and videos that highlight unique perspectives, vivid colors, and the essence of the destinations.

Remember, quality over quantity!

Your portfolio should scream, "I'm the one you need for your next campaign!"

2. Identify Potential Partners

Next up, research.

Start by checking out Airbnb listings that include host Instagram handles in your target destinations.

Reach out to large travel brands like Airbnb, Expedia and VRBO, they work with creators.

Research hotels that align with your style and the content you create as well.

Look for hosts who have unique properties, excellent reviews, and a decent number of bookings.

They should also align with your niche—whether that's luxury villas, quirky apartments, or eco-friendly stays.

Are you more about luxury resorts or eco-friendly retreats?

Adventure travel or urban exploration?

Understanding this will help you tailor your approach.

Use social media, company websites, and travel forums to find your targets.

Step 3: Craft a Killer Pitch

Your goal here is to grab attention and get to the point quickly.

Start with a clear subject line. For example, “@username content collaboration with X”

Then, in your email, briefly introduce yourself and explain a unique content idea is a perfect match for their brand.

Include a link to your portfolio and highlight any previous successful collaborations.

If you have any, if not no stress!

Just upload your best travel photos and links to your videos.

Keep it concise, engaging, and personalized for each brand.

3. Pitch A Free Stay Only (Then Implement The Monetization Loophole Below).

Pitch 1–3 deliverables in exchange for a 2-night stay that you allow them to use for their organic marketing channels.

When you pitch hotels, they will often let you stay for free.

This is really cool, but it doesn't help pay for things you need.

So, it would be nice if hotels also paid you, just like other partnerships do, right?

The tricky part is that staying at a hotel can cost a lot of money.

If a hotel lets you stay for free, they might feel like they are already giving you a lot—a 4-figure free stay a paying customer could have had.

This is why they don't want to pay you too.

To help with this problem, here's an easy strategy to make it worth their time and wallet to pay you.

🤑 The Monetization Loophole

Step 1: First, keep your pitch as a complimentary stay in exchange for clear, simple deliverables.

Remember, hotels likely don’t want to pay you at first.

They already have content, and you’re trying to sell them more of what they already have in their eyes.

Here's the trick to getting paid:

👉 Show the hotel what you can do; don't just tell them.

You pitch a trade to get your foot in the door. 

If your content is good and you’re in a related niche, you will likely land that collaboration if you follow the pitching calendar below. 

Step 2: Agree on simple deliverables and deliver great content.

Overdeliver just a little. An extra story or two, an extra post, something like that.

While you’re staying there, go to their website and social channels and take note of the photography and videography they have and do not have. 

Spend an extra 30 minutes to an hour taking additional high-quality content, great photos, and videos of different angles of the things you don’t see in their content and where you see it lacks creativity.

Maybe you get the pool, rooms, buffet, gym, food specials, drinks, spaces, venues, and activities you don’t see they have a lot of content for, from completely different visual perspectives, but still feel in line with the brand.

👉 Look for things that are missing.

👉 What is lacking on their social channels? 

Get more content for their main branding feature, if they are pulling couples in due to their great bar, get more footage of that.

If they are attracting families, what’s the selling point? Get footage of that. 

Really think about the creative shots you can get.

Not only will this help you get paid, but it will also make you a better content creator. 

Step 3: Keep all these photos and videos and put them into a protected portfolio gallery link.

Much like what photographers and videographers use to give to clients to show them their shots and allow them to buy high-resolution versions right there on the site. 

Step 4: Send your private portfolio link to the brand contact.

After your collaboration is over, then thank them for a great stay via email and say:

More often than not, hotels will pay for at least one piece of content.

👉 Because although they already have hotel photography and videography, they don’t have the shots that you have.

You can use this strategy with your previous hotel partners as well.

I guarantee you have footage on your phones and cameras you didn’t send over.

👉 Remember, the goal is to show them the amazing work you've done and offer it to them for a fee.

This is the best way to get paid because you're not talking about the incredible footage you could produce for them; you’ve done it and you’re showing them.

Even if the hotel doesn't buy your work, you can still use it to show other hotels what you can do and help you get better deals.

It's a win-win! 🔥

Step 5: Rinse and Repeat

Finally, take what you've learned from each experience and refine your approach.

Keep building your portfolio, tweaking your pitches, and expanding your network.

The more you do it, the better you'll get. 🌍 ✈️ 📸

🌎 When is Best Time To Pitch Travel Brands?

1. The Planning Phase (January–March):

After the holiday rush, many people begin planning their trips for the year. It's also when companies set their marketing budgets, making it an ideal time to pitch.

2. Pre-Summer Boom (April–June):

Approach brands just before the summer rush. They are looking to promote summer deals or packages.

3. Fall Fervor (September–October):

With the holiday season around the corner, pitching in the early fall can be fruitful.

Times to Avoid Pitching:

The end-of-year holiday season (November–December) is typically hectic for brands, making them less receptive to pitches.

Similarly, mid-summer (July–August) is peak travel time, and many brands have already allocated their collaborations and budgets by then.

🔥 6 Current TikTok Growth Hacks

⏳ TikTok is resetting search results for 2024, making it easier to rank for search in the next few weeks.

💡 Leveraging recency, bias through hooks, 2024 updates, or warnings will make your content more relevant and urgent.

🛍️ Shopping posts, meme posts, and carousel posts are currently popular on TikTok.

🕒 Content should be either short (but not less than 5 seconds) or over 60 seconds long.

🔍 Rank in search by using the right keywords in your title, hook, voiceover, and description. TikTok transcribes your videos, so what you say matters in regards to search volume.

📅 Post no more than 4 times a day and stay consistent with your content.

Easy TikTok Growth Plan

👉 Start by looking for small accounts in your niche that have more views than followers.

👉 Notice what they post about, how they do it, and the length of their videos. These details are key.

👉 Next, search for topics on TikTok, and use filters to find the most liked videos in the last 30 days.

👉 If none have over 10,000 likes, maybe rethink your content idea. But if they do, check out those videos closely.

👉 Pay attention to their format and length because that's the blueprint you should be using for your own videos.

👉 Start interacting with specific types of videos in your niche, keep scrolling, and see that TikTok shows you more of the same kind.

👉 That's how TikTok works, and understanding this can really help you grow your account.

💸 Time to Cash In Paid Collaboration Offers

You will ALWAYS have more opportunities and make more money reaching out to brands in comparison to using influencer marketing platforms.

You will easily make 35–50% more just by sending an email or DM.

So this week, focus on reaching out to the contacts below.

💙 This Week’s Brand Contacts

• Vrbo, Hotels.com + Expedia - Mallory Kuenzi // Head of Influencer Marketing @ Expedia Group: [email protected] 👈

• Booking.com - Joanna Bąk // Marketing & Strategic Partnerships

  [email protected] 👈

• Priceline - Andrew Greenberg // Director, Brand Marketing: [email protected] 👈

• Four Seasons Los Angeles - Melanee Shale

  Marketing and Communications Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills: [email protected]  👈

• Hilton - Elliot Grossman // Director, Social and Influencer Marketing:   [email protected] 👈

📲 Quick Strategy For High-Converting Brand Pitch

• 💡 Your Role as a Content Creator: Focus on creating content that serves as performance marketing assets for brands.

• 🕵️‍♂️ Research First: Check the Facebook and TikTok Ads Libraries to see if the brand is currently running ads or has done so in the past.

• 📬 Making the First Move: Reach out to the brand. Start by mentioning that you've noticed their ads on platforms like Meta or TikTok.

📊 Offering Unique Value

• 🎯 Pitch Your Services: Offer to create User Generated Content (UGC) and partnership assets that can help the brand expand its consumer reach.

• 🔥 Stand Out with Bilingual Content: Offer to film videos in another language, giving the brand an edge in reaching a more diverse audience.

• 🌍 Broadening Market Reach: Your bilingual abilities can help brands tap into new markets and demographics, setting you apart from the competition.

Here’s your email template:

🤩 Rate This Week’s Newsletter!

🚀 Your Challenge: Implement at least one thing you learned today. Small actions lead to big wins.

Issue 003 is coming hot, same time next week ✌🏾