The Fine Line Between Blog and Bluff

The Fine Line Between
Blog and Bluff
Ben Reed
adventureswithben.com
facebook.com/adventureswithben
@adventureswben

slides available at adventureswithben.com
©2012 adventures with ben LLC

The best travel blogs have
regularly written content that
is useful, engaging and
consistently on-topic.


The Problem?


It’s really tough to write
regular content that is useful,
engaging and consistently on-
topic.


Agenda

Filling Your Creating a
Content Pipeline Posting
Schedule
Reﬁning Your
Niche Content
Engagement
Ideas

Filling Your Content Pipeline


Successful blogs must solve
a problem.


Filling Your Pipeline
Take Lots of
Travel Extensively
Photos

Capture Every
Immerse Yourself
Idea

Read Extensively Plan Your Content

Travel Extensively


Your expertise, credibility and
trust by your readers (and the
travel community), can only
be developed through
signiﬁcant, ﬁrst-hand
experience. Travel Bloggers
must immerse themselves in
their topic all the time.

Take Lots of Photos


Immerse Yourself
~
Depth vs. Breadth


Sydney Harbor Bridge


Sydney Harbor Bridge - Climb


Sydney Harbor Bridge - Pylon Lookout


Sydney Harbor Bridge - Founded


Sydney Harbor Bridge - Best Photo Spot


Sydney Harbor Bridge - Walking Across


Capture Every Idea


Read Extensively


Don’t write about what’s
already been written. Tell a
story that no one has heard
before. And then tell another
one, and another one.


Read Extensively

RSS Feeds
Travel Books
WikiTravel.org
Visitor’s Bureau’s
Local, Twitter Hashtags


Google Reader Bundle

http://www.google.com/reader/
bundle/user
%2F14633477289540472476%2
Fbundle%2FTravel%20Blogs


Beneﬁts of Reading
Extensively
You become a well-informed
traveler
You know what’s been written
before (great for linking back)
Discover the gaps


Plan Your Content


Victoria Falls


18 Posts
3 Day/2 Night Trip


Application Part 1
1. Identify the problem you’re solving
2. Evaluate your travel schedule & adjust
3. Start taking lots of photos
4. Download:
• Evernote
• SimpleMind+
5. Subscribe to RSS Feeds

Reﬁning Your Niche


Successful blogs serve a
purpose. They fulﬁll a need
the reader has, and position
the blogger as an “authority”
on their chosen niche.


A “niche” is more than what
you write about, but also
includes how you tell that
story and with what intention?


Bloggers must be able to
articulate, with precision, what
their niche is. This is the ﬁrst
step in writing consistently
on-topic.


Your Niche

Aspiration Product

Audience Voice


Components of Your Niche
Aspiration - What are you trying to
achieve?
Product - How do you do that?
Audience - Who do you write for?
Voice - How do you tell your story?

My Niche Components
Aspiration: Do
Extraordinary Things
Product: Tell engaging,
vivid, inspiring and
practical stories
Audience: Travelers and
wanna-be travelers from all
over
Voice: A light-hearted,
approach; Fun

Application Part 2
1. What’s your aspiration?
2. How are you going to reach that goal?
What’s your product?
3. Who do you write for? Who is your
audience?
4. What’s your voice?


Creating a Posting Schedule


All blogs, no matter the niche,
must write on a regular
schedule. Regularity will vary
by niche, but unpredictability
in publishing will result in
reader disengagement.

Rules for Writing

1. Find a Routine
2. Eliminate Distractions
3. Know What You’re Writing in Advance
4. Manage Your Time: 1 Post = 90 Min.
5. Frustrated? Stop
6. Use Your Filter

Have Posts in Your “Back
Pocket”


Take a Break


Application Part 3

1.Download:
• WP Editorial Calendar
2. Write Your “Back-Pocket” Posts
3. Relax


Content Ideas


Blog readers (and writers),
will, at some point, reach
fatigue and disinterest. New
ways to tell your story will
continue to keep everyone
engaged with your blog.

Find a Local Angle


Write a Series


Write an Opinion


Photo Essay


Poll Your Readers


Photo Caption


List Posts


Travel Gear Review


Photography Tips


Seasonal Stories


Application Part 4

1. Write one new post style each month


Questions?


The Fine Line Between Blog and Bluff

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