TRAVEL BLOGGER, INFLUENCER & CONTENT CREATOR | WHO IS WHO AND WHAT THEY DO

Wait? Are they different?
Are Travel Content Creator, Influencer and Blogger not describing the same thing?

Well, no. Not really.

They are similar. You might even say ‘same-same, but different’.

While sometimes all those terms are used as a synonym, this is not really the case. A travel blogger is not necessarily an influencer. And some extremely successful travel influencers don’t have a website and don’t own a blog. But both of them produce content, thus they are both travel content creators.

Puzzled? Confused?

Don’t be!
What they do, often overlaps, so it can be difficult not to mix them up.

Whether you’re a company searching for more promotion and social media buzz for your product/service or an aspiring online entrepreneur, who wants to make money online, read along. 

This post is going to cover the differences between a Travel Content Creator, Travel Influencer, and Travel Blogger. Who is who, what they do, who are you, and which one is the right for you?

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Who is a Travel Blogger

A Travel Blogger is a person who travels around the world and writes about their travel experiences. In a way, they are freelance journalists writing about travel and packing tips, visited destinations, proposed itineraries, guides, tours, restaurants, hotels, etc.

Blogger is someone who has created an entire online community centered on their area of expertise and is a reliable source of information and opinions for both their regular and new readers.

A successful travel blogger is observant and documents every detail of their trip so that the information provided on the blog is the best one possible. Blogger tries to educate, entertain and provide information by using an authentic voice. The beauty of a Travel Blogger is to share their individual point of view. That way readers get more personal content, compared to a guidebook.

Travel Blogger travels around the world and writes about their travel experiences. This can be about must places to see, packing tips, proposed itineraries, hotel reviews, tours, etc.

What to look for in a Travel Blogger

Everyone who travels and has a laptop can be a Travel Blogger.  When you want to select if a Travel Blogger is the one for you, look for those;

• PASSION
  Travel Blogger must be passionate about travel and writing. Passion to show the locations through interesting imagery and portray the visited places with their own descriptive voice.

• VALUES and VOICE
  When thinking of working with a blogger, the brand and the writer should share the same values and a similar voice. Blogger should be able to elongate brands’ mission and goals in their own way but matching both.

• DESTINATION
  Travel Blogger should have a personal experience about the destination. They should know all about the history and culture, how to get there and what to do there. That is why tour guides often are the best bloggers (wink!). Brands should consider collaborating with bloggers with similar travel destination interests.

• PERSONAL TRAITS
  Travel Blogger should be easy to communicate with, flexible, and responsive. At the same time blogger should know what a deadline is and be professional, honest, and humble. Blogger should have the ability to inspire audience in a unique way.

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How does a Travel Blogger make money

Travel Blogger can earn income from various resources. It is hard to earn enough income just from a blog, especially in the beginning phase. But with persistence, blogging can be a main source of income.

One source of income can be a creation of sponsored posts. This means creating valuable travel content for brands, hotels, and restaurants in various locations, and posting it on their blog.

Bloggers can also make money with affiliate links, by lending ad space on their blog, selling their own books, guides, and courses.

When should a company or a brand hire Travel Blogger

A brand should hire a Travel Blogger if its aim is to increase conversions rather than merely raise awareness.

When a brand wants to convey more narrative and increase sales with an engaged audience of a blog. Posts on a blog have a really long life span. Which, if they have strong SEO favorability, may continue to deliver quality leads for months and years to come.

Not every Travel Blogger is an Influencer. And some extremely successful Travel Influencers don’t have a website and don’t own a blog.

I know you will remember, but just in case, Pin those!

Who is a Travel Influencer

A Travel Influencer is someone who has the power to influence prospective consumers of a product or service by promoting or advocating the things on their social media platforms. In many instances, Travel Influencers have a large following, and they often use only one platform – mostly Instagram – but can also be Youtube, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest …

Travel Influencer promotes how travel fits into their lifestyle through curated photos. The difference between a blogger is, as mentioned before, that Travel Blogger curates and writes content from a personal perspective.

A Successful Travel Influencer generates top-quality travel content about their favorite hotels, tours, restaurant, and destinations. They have a high reach on their platforms and an engaged community. Their purpose is to serve as a distribution mechanism for companies to reach a broad audience and inspire them to do the same.

Travel Influencer shares their travel experiences on their social media channels with their highly engaged community. This is how they land brand deals and promote their products.

What to look for in a Travel Influencer

When you want to select if a Travel Influencer is right for you and your brand, look for those;

• ENGAGEMENT RATE
  The best Travel influencers have a strong relationship with their community. They gained their audiences’ trust and credibility and have the power to convert them into a buying decision.

• FOLLOWING FIT
  This does not mean the number of followers but where the followers are coming from. If you are a local restaurant in Bora Bora, there is no point of hiring an influencer with 1M followers in hiking niche. Better option would be to choose an influencer with 237 followers focused on tropical destinations.

• AUTHENTIC PROMOTER
  The best ones knows how to promote without even promoting it, will be honest and tell the good and bad things. Audience doesn’t like the usual promo posts. Effective Travel Influencer will know how to tell a selling story.

• TRENDSETTER
  Travel Influencer shares new and exotic destinations and has a new way of showing of things. Influencer inspires with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, trying local dishes …

How does a Travel Content Creator make money

A huge part of Travel Influencers’ income is from selling sponsored campaigns with tourism boards, sponsored posts, and brand ambassadorships. With posting on Instagram there are fees for feed posts, story posts and reels. How much an Influencer earns from a single post is determined by their engagement rate.

An influencer can also make money with affiliate links, selling their presets, books, guides and courses.

When should a company or a brand hire a Travel Influencer

A brand should partner with a Travel Influencer if they want to raise brand recognition and bring more eyes to their account.

Travel Influencers have an engaged niched community following them. So working with influencers will also show the brands human side and expose it to the niched audience. This can potentially lead to more sales.

Travel Blogger and Travel Influencer and both Travel Content Creators. They produce content in a various forms about their travel experiences and share it amongst their audience.

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Who is a Travel Content Creator

A Travel Content Creator creates content related to travel. Duh! It can be by writing articles or posts (like blogger), sharing about trips like an influencer, or simply selling their travel photographs or videos. It can be some of this or any combination of it.

Travel Influencer promotes brands on their profile.
Travel Content Creator not only promotes the brand but also sells the rights to their images for brands to use on their websites, social media profiles etc. That is why, in general, a Travel Content Creator has the potential to earn more than a Travel Influencer.

A successful Travel Content Creator is an artist who develops aesthetically appealing marketing material for a business, using photography, videography, or a mix of the two. Content Creator is the link between the potential traveler, brand and travel destination. Creator usually has their own website and engaged community on social media.

Travel Content Creator promotes brand but also sell the rights to their images, so brands can use those photo or video material on their websites or social media profiles.

What to look for in a Travel Content Creator

When you want to determine if a Travel Content Creator is right for you, look for those;

• PASSION
  Travel Content Creator is passionate about travel and content creation. Individual has the ability to show the locations through an interesting imagery and portray the visited places with a descriptive own voice.

• PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY
  Travel Content Creator’s skills should match the vision and aesthetics of your brand. Theirs showcased work can capture the message you are trying to portray with your brand to the world.

• QUALITY CONTENT
  The content Travel Creator has on a website and social media is of the highest quality – let it be blogs, tutorials, captions or photos on their profile.

• AUTHENTIC VOICE
  The Voice of a Travel Content Creator should match yours. Creator should be able to elongate brands’ mission and goals in their own way.

How does a Travel Content Creator make money

The biggest part of Travel Content Creators’ income is from creating and selling photography rights for brands to use on their Social media profiles or website. Content Creator can also make money writing for brands or blogging, with sponsored posts, affiliate links or selling ebooks or courses.

To be a successful Travel Influencer you usually need a large following but you can be a full-time Travel Content Creator with less than 1000 Instagram followers.

When should a company or a brand hire a Travel Content Creator

A brand or a company should hire a Travel Content Creator if they want to showcase brand/company in a better/different way that will help them grow further.

Travel Content Creator will help with providing materials for social media channels and assist in effectively presenting brand’s image or message. Having an outside person to do photography for you will bring a breath of fresh air to your marketing and exposed you to a different audience.

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All of the above in a nutshell

It is not important if you are just thinking about travel or planning your new adventure. Somewhere along the way, you will come across an itinerary written by a Travel Blogger, notice an instagrammable photo location of a place you will want to visit by aTravel Influencer or admire an amazing hotel photo taken by a Travel Content Creator.

All of those were created by a various individuals working in a travel niche. 

Now you might have another question.

Do we still need them?

Well, despite the fact that travel and tourism have had rough years, the answer is yes.

Influencer marketing has a 6:1 return of investment and brands and companies are looking to personalize themselves. Travel Content Creators, Travel Bloggers and Travel Influencers can do that for the brand, since the members of their audience are connected to them and relate to them.

We will continue to follow influencers and bloggers to educate us, help us select our next travel destination, hotel or restaurant, or entertain us. Even if we don’t have travel plans, we will still follow them to live vicariously through their posts online.

Who is favorite Travel Influencer?
How many Travel Influencer do you follow on Instagram?

I would love to discover new and amazing people producing travel content.

Pinning is winning and sharing is caring! What are you choosing?

Skipped to the good part? Here is the gist

Terms Travel Content Creator, Travel Influencer and Travel Blogger are more often than not used interchangeably. In reality, that is not the case. Not every Travel Blogger is an influencer. And not every Travel Influencer has a blog. What they both do is produce content. Written, photo or video. Itineraries, reviews, tips, etc. therefore they are both Travel Content Creators. Who you will choose to collaborate with as a brand and who do you aspire to be, depends on your goals and skills.

I hope this article shed a light and helped you to understand the differences between a Travel Blogger, Content Creator and Influencer.

If you found this blog helpful, follow me on Instagram and Pinterest. Or you can subscribe to my YouTube channel. Here you will find a lot of travel tips, itineraries, and packing hacks completely for free. If you want to see more of it and would like to encourage me to post even more, you can say thanks and buy me a coffee.

Who would you like to be the most? Blogger, Influencer or Content Creator?

Let me know in the comments.