#0: Starting your first collaboration with a travel brand
Introducing an article series for Content creators, by a travel marketer: Everything you need to know before collaborating with travel companies.
Global tourism is growing again and travelers are increasingly turning to the internet and social media for travel inspiration. In fact, online sources are being used for travel inspiration nearly twice as often as offline sources according to a report by Skift, fueling the growth of influencer marketing.
It’s not a surprise, then, that collaborations with Hotels, Airlines and other travel brands have become more appealing than ever for content creators such as influencers and bloggers.
When talking about collaborations with travel companies, most people think about free hotel stays at five star resorts, complementary dinners and free flights -all of this while working by the pool -Sounds amazing, right?
Yes, it does. But there are more possibilities to collaborate with travel brands and generate value for both sides, besides barters and affiliate links.
As an experienced marketer who worked for leading travel companies, I’ve contributed to building a wide range of collaborations with top-tier travel blogs, influencers, tourism boards and agencies in the tourism ecosystem -at a local and global scale.
I’ve also been on the receiving end of many pitches and understand what travel brands and fellow marketers are really interested in.
Here’s the bad news: Getting a travel brand’s attention has become increasingly difficult. In fact, most of the times emails and LinkedIn messages won’t cut through the clutter of a marketer’s inbox.
Some time ago I received this message:
Dear xyz , I am an influencer with a combined 100.000 followers on my social media channels. I have always dreamed about flying with Airline Xyz.
I am planning to travel to the Maldives from 15-22 January with my partner, who is a photographer.
I would really appreciate if you could give us two free Business Class tickets in exchange of coverage on our social media channels.[…]
Thank you,
xyz
Large travel brands nowadays receive hundreds if not thousands of proposals per year like these.
Therefore, content creators that can bring real value to travel brands need to significantly up their game and understand what a travel company really needs.
In this upcoming article series “Starting your first collaboration with a travel brand”, over the next months I will publish articles and useful resources about collaborating with travel brands, and key things to consider when approaching (or when you are approached by) a travel company.
I will answer questions like:
What do travel brands really care about?
What are the most common types of collaborations in the travel landscape?
What are the key metrics that really matter to travel marketers?
What’s the right moment to pitch? (What I call the RMP - The “Right Moment to Pitch”)
Plus, I’ll reveal some tips to increase the chances of a successful pitch as well as some out-of-the-box ideas for collaborations from a travel marketer.
Articles in this series:
Premium subscribers have full access to all articles in this series. As an added bonus, premium subscribers also have the possibility to ask questions and interact with like-minded readers in this community.
If you are a content creator and would like to share your experience or success story, drop me an email -I’ll be happy to consider including it in my next articles.
About me:
As an experienced marketer at some of world’s leading Airline and Hospitality companies I’ve driven brand partnerships and collaborations at scale.
In the meantime I kept travelling the world, from hiking the Andes to flying Business Class and staying at hundreds of accommodations, from camping to luxury resorts.
In my blog Beating Jetlag I share my most epic travel experiences, insider tips and behind-the-scenes content for smart adventurers, as well as travel marketing advice for Creators. Contact me on beating.jetlag@gmail.com