Running a travel blog sounds like quite a glamorous job. You travel the world and write about it… what is there not to like? Of course, the reality is somewhat different. Running a travel blog that’s truly successful is a much harder proposition and one that only a very, very small minority of travel bloggers ever actually achieve. So, with so many travel blogs out there, how do you ensure that yours is a success? Here are popular travel blogger Paul Johnson’s seven top tips to help you achieve your target.

1. Work first, monetise later

For the first year or two, the likelihood is that your travel blog is going to be nothing more than a labour of love. When you first start your blog, nobody knows about it but you. With time, you’ll no doubt tell your friends, get indexed by Google and gradually, you’ll get the word out to more and more people. But don’t expect to make money from your blog right away. First, focus on the next two tips.

2. Find a niche

Don’t just be any old travel blog – focus on a particular niche within travel. That might be a particular geographical region or a particular type of travel. Decide on your niche and stick to it.

3. Write engaging content

It probably goes without saying, but write articles that you think your readers will be interested in. Use a title for your blog posts that is catchy and stands more chance of being shared and re-tweeted. Don’t be tempted by the option of just copy-pasting press release after press release because they’re not very interesting, but rather just thinly-veiled advertisements. Record personal experiences, or interesting events related to your niche.

4. Use great – not just good – photography

If there’s one thing a travel blog needs besides great content, it is great photos. Invest in a good camera, go on a photography course and try hard to hone your skills. If your budget allows, buy photographs in. If it doesn’t, there are resources out there that offer free images but check the smallprint on the exact terms of use.

5. Be active on social media

Engage with people on social media, not in a spammy way, but in a way that enables you to interact with others in the same field, and thus, become more widely known. Be nice to people. share their Facebook posts, thank them if they re-tweet you, and so on and so forth. Of course, there are lots of other tools at your disposal besides just Facebook and Twitter, like Google Plus, Pinterest, YouTube and more. Find out which ones work best for you and use them regularly.

6. Persevere

If you’re going to make money from blogging – to the point of making a living from it – you’re going to need to work hard. Keep posting on your blog and stay as active as you can on social media. Be hard on yourself and understand that it’s not going to be easy. If you’re away and happen to be without internet access, that’s no excuse. Plan ahead and do some scheduled posts so the blog keeps ticking over even when you’re not at the computer. You don’t want to risk losing that loyal reader that keeps coming back day after day just because you decided to have a week’s break. Remember, there are probably hundreds of thousands of travel bloggers out there, all looking to get noticed.

7. Monetise, but don’t sell yourself short!

Only when you’ve really become an established travel blogger should you contemplate trying to make money from your blog. There are lots of ways you can go about doing this, be it through affiliate opportunities, advertising (contextual or direct), merchandise and more. But don’t sell yourself short. Say ‘no’ to anyone wanting to place a link on your site for a meagre monthly amount. Look at other avenues too, for people may want to hire you to write for travel sites besides your own, you may be asked to be a speaker at travel conferences or may be hired on a consultancy basis due to your particular area of travel expertise.

Wanna be a blogger but don’t know how to? Fret not as we have some really workable tips to help you out. Email us your queries at: [email protected] or drop texts at: +92-322-6242582.

Happy blogging!