Wondering how to become a travel influencer? Thinking about what steps top travel influencers took to become what they are today? Here, we’ve collected some valuable tips to help you learn it all.
But, to understand how to become a travel influencer, you first need to have a clear understanding of the term Travel Influencer.
What Is a Travel Influencer?
A decade ago, social media introduced us to different professions that no one could have imagined. The charm of these online platforms is that people started following their passion and even generating income out of it.
The term social media influencers came into existence and branched into different types. From food to fashion, every beat had influencers across the region. In fact, within no time, we were introduced to ‘travel influencers.’ They’re not only going places but also inspiring many people to love, explore and see the world. In addition, ‘how to become a travel blogger’ was even one of the most searched phrases on Google.
Many want to pursue their passion for traveling and turn it into a full-time profession. Of course, it’s a dream, but to make it successful, one has to understand what works and what doesn’t on Instagram.
A travel influencer (or an influencer of another industry: such as fashion, adventure, or automobile) is a person who has gained online followers over time.
These followers can now follow the travel influencer on a social media channel (like Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest) or a blog website or YouTube. As long as the person has some influence over the online community and people show interest in following in the influencer’s footsteps, that person is an influencer.
Here’s a hard truth & a simple equation. Much more than what you write or the kind of videos you produce, a brand will be more interested in working with you based on the type of exposure you can offer them. And by vulnerability, we mean total reach and engagement in the form of comments and views.
8 Tips on how to Become a Travel Influencer-
1. Discover Your Niche
As an influencer, your Travel Instagram needs to hone and focus on a specific niche to establish yourself as a thought leader and an authority in that subject. Just posting pictures and videos on Instagram cannot make an account a successful travel handle for any travel influencer. A person needs to discover and create his niche and study the topic believes in influencing. Travel niches include luxury, health and wellness, hiking, adventure, gastro tourism, winter destinations, and many more. Choosing a particular travel niche will help a person have some authority over that subject. And adding their style to the content can help them stand apart from others in the industry.
2. Be Creative with Taking Pictures
Instagram is a visual platform. So, it should not be a surprise that taking great photos is a massive part of becoming a travel influencer. Pictures in themselves can speak a lot about the experiences. Therefore, a perfect travel influencer should also hone their photography skills. And help create visual imagery that draws the attention of more people to their travel page.
3. Show Your Prowess in Videos
Ease of taking videos is another art that a travel influencer can learn over time. Suppose pictures can speak so much without saying a word. So imagine how much impact can expertly shot videos have?
Editing is one of the necessary skills in creating a powerful Instagram travel video. Great editing would quickly tell a story and draw your viewers to keep watching the video. Focus on using some of your best shots in the first five to ten seconds of your video to ensure you captivate your audience’s attention.
“Instagram not only has the option of creating IGTV videos, but there is also a new feature called Reels that lets you create short videos as well. One can easily add some more effects to the content using Instagram features. Also, putting on the right music adds to the attractiveness of travel content.”
4. Create A Brand on Instagram
To become a travel influencer, digital branding is the way to go. One can grab a lot of attention through creative, innovative, and inspirational travel content. Also, it’s essential to be consistent in posting new, engaging pictures and videos. You have to build your page as a brand and let people connect with you.
5. Go for Collaborations
Collaborations here don’t mean the one’s travel influencers make on Instagram. It means that people need to make the network outside the platform as well.
It’s also about meeting other travel influencers and creating innovative content together. It allows you to grow audiences, followers and develop conversions on the common topic they have learned from each other.
6. Hashtag All the Way
Travel influencers looking to develop a travel Instagram must know the importance of using hashtags. “Hashtags are used on Instagram to drive all the people in one place, and travel influencers should make the most of it by hashtagging their brand. By using a particular hashtag, multiple people can get content discovered posted by travel influencers. It makes them attracted to the posts, and start following them”.
7. Utilize Instagram Stories
Instagram stories are, without a doubt, one of the platform’s popular outlets. Sadly, not everyone has yet realized its significance so far. “This feature is excellent. Utilize this feature on the platform to preview a post to people for a few seconds, leading them to see your post and ultimately following them.”
8. Start Your Travel Hub Account
Many might be surprised to know that you can still start a travel Instagram account even if you don’t have much personal travel content to post. People who are just starting and haven’t explored many places in the world yet can still begin their travel hub account on Instagram to repost the contents of many other travel explorers and influencers.
It can be beneficial for people just beginning as travel influencers. Also, they can start their Instagram account to gather great travel stories and content on their platform.
It is possible to earn from Instagram with the travel handle and become a Travel Influencer. But, only if one is ready to hustle and give their best while providing consistent and creative content.
Final word to start your Travel Influencer Journey
When you’re starting a journey, make sure you do your homework correctly. Becoming an influencer may sound fancy, but it requires tremendous dedication and hard work. To make your account look ace, read up on marketing skills, watch more creative content, get inspired but don’t copy the content. Besides creating content, travel influencers have to become business savvy and know how to pitch and negotiate when it comes to paid Instagram sponsorships – it’s all part of the game! Becoming an influencer is a slow journey, don’t run after everything. Be patient and create creative content that people can relate to themselves.
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