As you may or may not know, my partner (WorldNate) and I have been traveling around the world for the past 2 years. We earn the  income to travel through blogging and social media.  It’s often confusing for people to understand exactly how this works for us or where exactly the money comes from. So I have decided to break this down step by step for you in a Bloggers’ Guide so you can follow along and apply this yourself (if this is something you aim to do as well).

Note: Many people struggle with how to monetize their blogs successfully. So throughout the Bloggers’ Guide  I have highlighted in BLUE   the different ways you can earn an income from  your blog and your following if you would like to skip straight to that.

Extra Note: I’m assuming that you intend to make a full-time living from your blog. I have also assumed that you understand it will take hard work and dedication to get your blog to the point of monetization. If you are looking for a get rich quick scheme, MLM or something similar, I am sorry but you will not find it in this guide 🙂

Okay… Let’s begin!

THE BLOGGERS’ GUIDE: FROM CREATION TO MONETIZATION

Step #1: START A BLOG

Of course as a travel blogger (or any kind of blogger) you are going to need a blog. 

Many companies charge thousands of dollars to build websites. But as an individual blogger, you shouldn’t (and likely can’t afford to) pay anywhere close to that amount. Because you can do it all yourself… Even if you’re not a tech whiz!

This step-by-step tutorial explains the best and cheapest way to start a blog or website of your own. Click the Image and follow along if you want to start a blog:

Step #2: BRAND YOUR BLOG

This is important. Your audience needs to know what your blog is about from the moment they see you.

Whether its horse riding, sky diving, turtles, or travel… Give your blog a name that people will recognize.

Your brand name does not have to state what your products are exactly; it can be totally random. But it is VERY important to create associations in your brand so people will recognize and understand your brand’s message instantly.

For example; The brand name Red Bull would suggest they’re in the business of Red Bulls in some way… However, the fact that most of their marketing is based around extreme sports, and their tagline is “Red Bull Gives You Wings”, this suggests that Redbull is something that helps you do more extreme things or get more energy.

Without even seeing a canned drink you have an idea of what Red Bull is all about. …And this is what you want to achieve with your brand.

Same goes with Adidas. It’s a random word, but it means “All Day I Dream About Sport” – ADIDAS.

You will need to create an understanding of your brand by using surrounding content that will support your brand and help new customers understand who you are. A tagline, Photos, and a logo are perfect ways to support your brand.

You may have heard the term “niche market” before… This is the foundation to targeting and capitalizing on a specific niche.

You will want to build your entire blog around this brand.

Members: Personal Branding for Bloggers – click  image below (Not a member? Click Here)

Step #3:  CREATE COMPELLING CONTENT

Writing any old post or story from your adventures simply won’t cut it. You need to write content people love and will want to share. Content that people share is more valuable than anything else, as it shows that readers really appreciate what you have written.

There are many things you can create to grab the attention of readers. It begins with quality. Aim to write articles that will either help, teach, or entertain your audience.

Members:  Blog Like A Boss – click  image  below (Not Subscribed? Click Here)

Step #4:  CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

To be a blogger you will need many social media accounts. Some bloggers shoot videos (vlogs) on YouTube, while others use pictures through Instagram to build an audience.

But you need all of these profiles set up, so people can discover you across whichever platform they prefer.

Note: Set social media accounts up using your brand name. Do not use personal profiles if your brand name differs from your name.

Step #5:  DRIVE EYEBALLS TO YOUR SITE

Once you have social media accounts, share posts and articles from your site to those platforms to bring readers back to your site.

These are called backlinks. It’s good to have as many backlinks as you possibly can.

Members:  Social Media Syndication  – click  image  below (Not Subscribed?  Click Here)

Monetization #1:  PLACE GOOGLE ADVERTS

You know those small boxes in the middle of articles with advertisements in them? Well, google will pay you to have them on your site.

Depending on the number of viewers you get and the number of people that click those ads will determine how much you get paid. This is the first way you can monetize your site.

Click here to get started with Google Adsense .

Step #6:  GIVE YOUR READERS LOVE (& FREE STUFF)

Create giveaways in the form of PDF’s, Guides, Manuals, Videos, Tutorials, whatever you can so people will dig the stuff you put out.

Always put your readers first.

Members:  How to build your email list  

Step #7:  BUILD A LIST

You see the box on the side of sites where you enter your name and email for updates or weekly emails? …Get one!

You can use programs like GetResponse to create a form and store a readers list from your site. A list in marketing terms means a list of email addresses that you can email at the same time for updates, sales offers, etc.

Members:  Email Marketing Mastery  

Monetization #2:  USE REFERRAL PROGRAMS

Have you ever used Airbnb for a place to stay? I do all the time, and I love it. The company will give you approximately (it changes) $25-50 for each person you refer to Airbnb.

When you log in, find where it says “Travel Credit” and it will give you a link to let people sign up.

Look, here’s mine:  www.airbnb.com/c/hmartin657?s=8 – you get some free travel credit.

Note: Now I know this is not money, but if you’re traveling often, having an abundance of travel credit can mean you save a lot on accommodation!

I share more referral programs in Wired Creatives.

Members:  Sourcing Affiliate Products  

Step #8:  EMAIL YOUR LIST

The email list I told you to set up earlier. You can email them on autopilot.

What this means is you can schedule multiple emails to be sent out to those who subscribe to your list from the day they subscribe. This means you can have people purchase things off you and receive updates from you every day if you like.

Once you have these set up you don’t have to do anything. They will deliver automatically… WIN

Members:  Email Marketing Mastery 

Step #9:  BE CONSISTENT

No matter how cool your stuff looks, if you only have 5 posts on your entire site you’re not going to have much depth and people won’t stick around.

With social media, if you don’t post often you will eventually be forgotten. Be very consistent. There are many tools and tricks that can help you ease the work it takes to maintain a social media presence.

Members:  Automate Your Social Media  

Monetization #3:  SELL AFFILIATE OFFERS FOR COMPANIES

Once you have everything set up, you are regularly posting on your social media accounts and your audience is growing. You can introduce different offers into your site.

You do this by linking/partnering with companies so they will give you affiliate links for their products.

When someone clicks a link to a product on your site (though a review or something similar) you will receive a commission for selling on their behalf of the company.

You may need a PayPal account where they can deposit your commissions into, but as long as you get the correct links, the sales will go to you.

This method can be worth a lot, as companies will pay out as much as 60% of the sales in commissions.

More on getting companies to partner with you inside our membership.

Members:  Sourcing Affiliate Products To Sell  

Step #10:  ADVERTISE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Once everything is running well you can fast-track your way to success with Paid Advertising.

You can promote posts on Facebook or Instagram. Create courses, or advertise YouTube videos to place your content and blog in front of new eyeballs.

Members:  Facebook Ad Strategy

Post, Grow, Share… REPEAT

Now, this might seem like a lot of work right? It is! There’s no get rich quick scheme out there that will make you rich overnight other than the lottery… Good luck. But these steps have enabled me to earn much more than enough to travel full-time!

I really hope this helps in some way, and if you are interested in learning more in-depth and detailed strategies be sure to subscribe to our “Wired Creatives” membership.

Hope to see you around the world somewhere!

Hannah (Intrepid Introvert)