How to write a travel blog on Instagram? How to start a travel blog on Instagram? And, how to be a travel blogger on Instagram?
People from all around the world have been inspired by travel Instagram accounts to embark on travels and learn about other cultures.
These mobile influencers work in an unlimited variety of ways with brands. They travel the world and generate stunning content in exchange for complimentary equipment, trips, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Indeed, influencers work with a number of those firms directly through Perlu!
That does really sound like a fantastic job. That is why a large number of people are interested in learning how to become an Instagram travel blogger.
To assist you in getting started, we’ll provide some insider tips from top travel influencers on how you, too, can earn a job while collaborating with interesting businesses and traveling the world! Continue reading for seven tips on how to launch a successful travel Instagram account.
Is it too late to start a travel blog?
Because the demand for travel will never decrease for individuals worldwide, you can also start your own travel blog right now.
Instagram users frequently check in to the app in order to quit. As a travel blogger, you want to ensure that your pieces are doing effectively and garner sufficient engagement from your audience. The majority of travel bloggers rely on the top Instagram analytics tools to aid in their efforts. As a result, it’s unsurprising that “travel” was one of the most popular hashtags on Instagram this year. Adventure-themed content fits in nicely with what Instagram users enjoy about the platform.
This article is for individuals interested in utilizing Instagram to document their earthly activities. The reader will discover ten Instagram methods employed by some of the most popular travel Instagram accounts. Discover how the finest travel bloggers and photographers use Instagram to collect tens of millions of followers, from Murad Osmann to Chris Burkard.
How to start a travel blog on Instagram?
If you’re interested in learning how to be a travel blogger on Instagram, you need first to decide what you’ll write about on your blog. For your convenience, the following are some highlighted topics:
- Travel and cuisine infamous countries
- In impoverished countries, blogging and documenting moments
- Create a blog about your travels throughout the country.
1. Begin with a clever username
Avoid getting too fancy here. Avoid creating a username that contains perplexing symbols or spellings. We recommend either using your own name (for authenticity) or a nickname inspired by travel.
Whatever username you use, keep it succinct. Additionally, if you utilize additional social media platforms, and maintain a blog or website, ensure that your username is consistent across all of your brand’s touchpoints. Consistency is critical since users will bounce from your Instagram to your blog to your Facebook group and back again.
It’s gold if you can make your username and/or brand distinctive and “ownable.”
For instance, travel blogger Lesley Murphy was able to incorporate “The Road Less Traveled” into her moniker and preferred topic of discussion. (Did you get it, “Les?”) Her website is TheRoadLesTraveled.com (“ownable”), and she uses her real name on Instagram (authenticity).
Make it genuine, authentic, and eminently ownable.
2. Discover Your Purpose + Your Voice
You are not the first travel Instagram influencer in the world, but this should not terrify you. There are numerous ways to differentiate yourself in your area, regardless of how overcrowded it appears to be.
What distinguishes you from every other travel Instagram influencer is…you. You have a distinct voice, a distinct personality, and distinct likes and dislikes.
BuenQamino’s Christina Kantzavelos
Be yourself.
Better still, if you have interests outside of travel, cross-pollinate them to create a truly distinctive Instagram account. Anthony Bourdain, chef and travel documentary filmmaker, married three of his greatest passions: cuisine, travel, and meeting new people. This cross-pollination established him as one of the most popular and influential figures in the travel industry.
Therefore, what else do you adore? Fashion? Sustainability? Food? Table tennis using Nunchucks? (Yes, it exists.)
Christina Kantzavelos of BuenQamino is passionate about travel and food — despite the fact that she suffers from celiac disease. Rather than allowing her food allergies to prevent her from seeing the world, she founded a “gluten-free, dairy-free, autoimmune-friendly travel and lifestyle blog” to inspire people with similar restrictions to travel.
Discover your passions, mix them, and, most importantly, be authentic.
Perlu Provides You with All the Tools You Need to Expand Your Influence.
Today, Request a Demo!
3. Develop an Ability to Take Effective Photographs
Because Instagram is a visual network, high-quality images are critical. Please note that we stated “excellent” photographs, not “professional” photographs. You are not Thomas Havel, a professional photographer specializing in outdoor and adventure photography – and that is perfectly fine!
There is no reason why you should spend hundreds of dollars on a camera. You probably already have the ideal camera in your pocket – on your smartphone. Rather than that, why not invest a large amount of money in an iPhone photography course? Alternatively, visit YouTube for some free pointers.
One thing you’ll notice about a lot of good travel Instagrammers is that they have a strong aesthetic — in other words, their Instagram has a theme that creates a wonderfully synchronized feed.
A theme is not required, but if you do want one, begin by determining the aesthetic you’re going for. Summery and breezy? Dark and melancholic? Are they earthy and neutral? Luminous and understated?
“I also used a theme, whether it was a color palette or a location, so that when people looked at my complete account rather than just one photo, it was fascinating and pleasant,” Perlu member Cacinda Maloney of Points and Travel explains. “While many Instagrammers use the same filter on all their photos, which works for some, I don’t since I prefer bright images for certain themes and darker images for others, depending on the location.”
Begin by conducting research on the top editing applications, such as Lightroom, VSCO, and Snapseed. Experiment with each one until you discover which one works best for you. If you’re having difficulty creating filters and presets that you love or maintaining a consistent feed, check out sites like Creative Market, where Instagrammers and photography pros alike make preset packs for people just like you! Additionally, inquire of other travel Instagrammers about their preferred tools and resources.
Dr. Cacinda Maloney, Travel Influencer, riding Horseback on the Beach
“Everyone understands how critical it is to use high-quality images on a travel Instagram account,” says Dana Freeman of Dana Freeman Travels, a Perlu member. “Never has the cliché ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ proven more true. However, with the proliferation of travel Instagram accounts these days, it is more critical than ever to publish authentic photographs. Followers want to be encouraged to travel to the location you’re promoting. They will be unable to do so if they are unable to visualize themselves there.”
Regardless of how much or how little editing you do on your images, keep in mind that authenticity is critical. The majority of your time should be focused on discovering and telling stories, as well as engaging with your audience.
4. Get Your Audience Involved!
“Engagement is critical,” Christina of BuenQamino emphasizes. “Responding to and communicating with your audience via comments, tales, and messages, among other methods, is highly effective. It demonstrates to us that you are not a machine or someone recruited to simply post and accomplish the bare minimum.”
Engagement establishes your approachability and authenticity. When you’re not writing or sharing tales, carve out time each day to communicate with your audience.
Even better, schedule time for your audience throughout the day. A half-hour may be sufficient. It will pay off more quickly than almost any other approach you may employ.
Respond to comments and direct messages (even the negative ones, if you want). Inquire about your audience. However, avoid being an “askhole,” a person who seeks advice yet consistently acts contrary to what they are taught. Involve and engage your audience. For instance, you could use Instagram’s Q&A tool to solicit feedback on your next travel destination.
“Participate, participate, participate,” Christina advises. “Did I make any reference to engagement?”
To strengthen your relationship, even more, provide your audience with more than they expect. Not only should you display stunning images, but you should also provide travel advice.
How can you locate inexpensive flights? Which airlines offer the finest service? How do you locate your accommodations – and hotels? Airbnbs? What about word of mouth? Which travel applications are your favorites? What are your finest money-saving tips?
While your material does convey your story, the more you assist your followers, the more loyal they will become.
“You should also interact with, comment on, and like other images in your genre,” Cacinda of Points and Travel advises. Perlu is an excellent tool for accomplishing this! Visit the profiles of other travel influencers and give them a follow; then, visit their Instagram profiles and give them a follow there as well. This positions you to take advantage of incredible collaborative opportunities.
5. Utilize Travel-Related Hashtags
This suggestion may seem self-evident, but you’d be astonished at the errors that even seasoned professionals make.
Every day, Instagram users share 100 million photographs and videos, the majority of which include hashtags. Therefore, choose your hashtags carefully. Find a nice medium with hashtags that are popular enough that people are searching for them, but not so popular that your photo is rapidly pushed to the bottom of the feed by other posts.
Obviously, #travel is the most popular hashtag, but that means millions of people are using it. You will blend in. While you may get discovered by a few individuals using that hashtag, the prospects of truly developing your following are small.
Therefore, conduct additional research into various travel-related hashtags. Consider the hashtags utilized by Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler. Piggyback on their hashtags to capture their attention. Certain businesses, such as Atalanta, generate branded hashtags (#atalantaworld) that travel Instagram accounts can use to be included on their account. What a delightful technique to rapidly expand your audience.
#blogtravel, #culturetrip, and #travelwriter have all amassed thousands of followers while appealing to a more targeted audience. A family visiting Disney World might use #travel, which is meaningless if you’re an international travel writer, for example. #travelwriter may be a more appropriate hashtag.
Additionally, consider using location-specific posts. Additionally, while you’re at it, geotags!
Instagram users may search by location, which means that when they look for areas you’ve visited, they’ll come across you.
Additionally, activity-specific messages are beneficial. Additionally, regionally specific hashtags. The more precisely you describe the material, the more probable it is that you will attract the ideal pair of eyes. Additionally, you can tag restaurants, hotels, and businesses that you visit on your journey. Who knows – they might even pay you to return!
Finally, our advice is to establish your own travel-related hashtag. Create one that is uniquely yours – one that characterizes you and assists your fans in locating you. Then, frequently utilize that hashtag so that your followers begin to expect it. They may even begin to use it, rerouting their followers to you.
6. Incorporate Instagram Stories and Instagram Live into your strategy
You have a variety of tools available to you. The trick is to enhance your brand as effectively – and affordably – as possible while avoiding becoming lost in the crowd.
Here’s a terrific place to start: leverage Instagram Stories and Instagram Live to their full potential, as Stephanie White of Stephanie White Travels, does.
“I adore promoting my blog pieces and most recent Instagram posts on Instagram stories to enhance my engagement,” Stephanie explains.
Instagram newcomers are frequently so ecstatic to be a part of the social sphere that they clog their feed with post after post. However, keep in mind that quality always beats quantity. Therefore, there is no necessity to tire yourself daily by editing five photos and writing five captions. One very excellent, honest post each day (or even a couple per week) can have a greater impact than numerous poor posts per day.
“When I originally started on Instagram in 2014, I posted four times a day beginning at 9 a.m.,” Cacinda of Points and Travel explains. “Once I achieved 20,000 followers, I reduced my posting frequency to once a day at 9 a.m. EST.”
On the other hand, when you travel, there are bound to be a plethora of sights and experiences that you’ll want to share. If you’re visiting Cairo, you may be tempted to share photos of the pyramids and the Nile, as well as the inside of the pyramids, your Airbnb, your tour through the local markets, and…well, everything.
However, this could result in dozens of photographs. That is where Instagram Stories enter the picture.
Instagram stories enable you to share additional material without clogging up your audience’s feed. Additionally, you may incorporate surveys and Q&As into Instagram Stories.
Another interesting IG feature? Instagram is now live.
Instagram Live enables your audience to follow your exploits in real-time. Rather than providing a hazy image of the interior of a gloomy pharaoh’s tomb, why not live to stream it? There are few things more authentic – or hypnotic – than live-streaming. Your audience will see you at your most authentic and entertaining and will have the opportunity to interact with you in real-time via comments.
7. Connect with Other Instagrammers Who Travel
Influencers are a sociable lot. While they are competitive and want to expand their companies, the most successful influencers have discovered that when they play nice and collaborate with others, they experience significant progress.
Currently, other travel influencers such as Meg Jerrard and Kavita Favelle may be found on Perlu. Certain individuals travel in groups and share their content. Certain individuals co-host giveaways and contests. Others collaborate on video content, counsel, and co-write blogs.
“I also enjoy collaborating with other Instagrammers and having both of us shout out the other on Instagram stories to help grow our respective followings,” Stephanie White Travels explains.
Utilize Perlu to connect with your favorite travel-related Instagrammers in order to learn, share, and grow at scale. There are hundreds of travel Packs to discover, as well as thousands of travel influencers to contact. If a Perlu member has linked their social media accounts, you may even click the Instagram button in their profile to access their actual account!
10 Tips For Travel Bloggers On Instagram
1. Use Instagram to find an underserved niche of travel enthusiasts.
Around 800 million people log in at least once a month on Instagram. With such a large user base, many of whom are dedicated to travel-related material, it can be challenging for new Instagram travel accounts to get momentum.
To stand out from the crowd, travel bloggers should explore targeting an underserved Instagram audience that is passionate about a specific style of travel. Content targeted toward this demographic will receive more visibility and engagement than content targeted at a broader audience.
2. Experience how to write an engaging caption.
Instagram is built around the proverb “a picture is worth a thousand words.” While this is absolutely true on Instagram, captions may significantly enhance the value of Instagram content when used properly.
The Instagram photo above is an excellent example of how to use a caption to enhance the content. The author explains the photo’s significance to his followers. The post earned nearly 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments as a result of a fantastic photo and a well-paired commentary.
When it comes to creating captions, travel bloggers have an advantage. Additionally, they can repurpose textual content from blog posts as Instagram captions.
3. Sourcing photo editing is a good idea if you are not an expert.
The duration of an Instagram post is measured in seconds, not minutes. Allow this to act as a reminder that your content must be truly captivating in order for consumers to engage meaningfully with it.
Travel bloggers who are unfamiliar with photo or video editing should seek out reasonably priced freelancers to edit their content prior to posting it on Instagram. Upwork and Fiverr make it simple to connect with talented, reasonably priced editors.
Allow the photo above to serve as an excellent illustration of the value of well-edited Instagram content. This travel blogger was able to engage around 10% of his total followers at the time the photo was released, owing to a well-composed and -edited photograph.
4. Create a significant and dedicated following in order to monetize your work.
Marketers recognize the effectiveness of influencer marketing. According to one study, over 95% of marketers who employ some form of influencer marketing believe it is effective.
As a result, marketers of all types are jumping on board the Instagram influencer train. Travel bloggers that are able to develop a sizable or highly engaged following on Instagram can monetize the platform meaningfully.
5. Use Instagram Stories To Increase Follower Engagement
Instagram Stories is attracting a large number of users. Over 250 million individuals now use Instagram Stories, which is greater than the entire number of Snapchat users.
Travel bloggers can use Stories to share behind-the-scenes peeks of thrilling journeys with their readers. Additionally, it enables account owners to easily direct followers to another website. To visit a linked blog post, for example, followers need only to swipe up.
6. Invest in an analytics tool for content optimization.
Readers interested in establishing a large presence on Instagram need only invest in an analytics solution to ascertain the target audience’s preferences.
Numerous affordable Instagram analytics tools can help you decide the optimal time to post on Instagram for maximum visibility. Additionally, analytics tools can be utilized to evaluate which types of material are most popular with followers. Additionally, services like SocialFox enable users to monitor Instagram for certain hashtags or search phrases, which simplifies the process of engaging members of a specific target group.
7. Participate in co-marketing to quickly achieve new followers.
Co-marketing occurs when two organizations collaborate to advertise a common product or service to a common audience. The objective is that the combination promotion will expose both companies to previously inaccessible audience members.
Coco-marketing is frequently used in television ads, as when Nissan and Star Wars collaborated to promote a new car and a new Star Wars film with the same name.
However, co-marketing is also being used on Instagram to engage with new prospective followers, frequently in the form of an “account takeover.” Travel bloggers can connect with other travel-themed Instagram accounts to organize a mutually beneficial co-marketing campaign.
8. Select Excellent Camera Equipment
According to Vogue, in a recent interview with some of the world’s most renowned Instagram celebrities, the majority of those interviewed do not use a smartphone to capture Instagram photos or videos. Rather than that, they rely on a variety of well-made yet tiny digital cameras.
Readers interested in creating visually compelling Instagram content may consider investing in a moderately cost digital camera capable of capturing high-quality stills and videos.
9. Plan Content To Accord With Recent Events
Viral material frequently reflects people’s psyches at a given point in time. When developing your Instagram content strategy, strive to include as much information that complements current events as possible.
Consider the example above of a post from climber and adventurer Jimmy Chin on an atypical Thanksgiving Day. The post generated a significant level of engagement due to its topicality.
10. Promote your account to press outlets.
Instagram accounts that are able to garner news publicity frequently expand faster than those that are unable to do so. For instance, Murad Osmann’s account has been named a “must-follow” travel Instagram account by a number of magazines. This is one of the reasons why the account has surpassed 4 million followers.
