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Finding your travel blog’s voice
Lola (Akinmade) Åkerström
Writer, photographer, blogger – www.akinmade.com
Blog at Geotraveler’s Niche – www.lolaakinmade.com
Blogger for Sweden.se
Write and photograph for many publications
Quick Background
Why do you blog?
Love of travel Blog trips Money Family & friends All of the above None of the
above
Truth be told
Chances are most of us here want to live successfully doing what
we love through our blogs…
Money + Flexibility = More Travel
Here’s the problem
Travel blogging reality curve
Here’s the problem
YOU
+
Thousands ofOther blogs
Travel blogging reality curve
Here’s the problem
YOU
+
Thousands ofOther blogs
Travel blogging reality curve
Where you want to be over time
Here’s the problem
YOU
+
Thousands ofOther blogs
To get past the hump of generic fluff:
- Passion
- Quality
- Unique Voice
Many “voices” are already taken Budget Transportation Luxury Shopping Backpacking Spa Slow travel Boutique Food Local expert
Travel blogging frustration
Ironically, these “voices” are taken by the same bloggers on the same blog trips writing about the same things.
Travel blogging frustrations
So we’re back…
YOU
+
Thousands ofOther blogs
…to the generic hump of fluff!
And the truth is…
It's too late to be everything to
everyone.
Other blogs already jumped on this much earlier.
Goal of this workshop
Give you solid ideas on how to [naturally] improve the overall quality of your blog content by finding its voice
Finding your blog’s voice
Tip #1 Focus on you first
Love readers = yourself, not > yourself
Finding your blog’s voice
What are YOUR interests?
YOUR hobbies?
What turns YOU on when you travel?
Finding your blog’s voice
Quality naturally improves when you know what you’re talking
about because you’re genuinely interested in it.
……….Examples
Example1 - Focus
I know nothing about surfing
I’m not really interested in it either…
Example 1 - Focus
But, if I just visited California or Hawaii, I may be tempted
to do a “10 Cool things to try in Hawaii” and include
surfing on the list…
Example 1 - Focus
The problem
My “10 Cool things to try in Hawaii” no longer becomes unique because I’m trying to please everyone with
things I don’t even care about.
Example 2 - Focus
I just got back from a blog trip where I got to enjoy Michelin-starred food and was wined and dined by the tourism board…
Example 2 - Focus
The problem
Say there were 10 other bloggers also eating, drinking, and taking the exact same pictures of the lobster claw…
Example 2 - Focus
But I noticed one of the chefs had a tattoo of the city I was visiting…
Example 2 - Focus
Instead of focusing on how I absolutely LOVED the city, I could actually ask the chef why he tattooed the city on his arm.
He obviously loves it more than I ever could, right?
Revisiting Tip #1 - Focus
Focusing on your own interests
Focusing on what naturally piques your interest
Finding your blog’s voice
Tip #2 Kill adjectives and clichés
“Absolutely stunning” = generic
Finding your blog’s voice
Think about your favorite bloggers…
Finding your blog’s voice
Not just bloggers you respect because they’re where you’d like to be
(i.e. making money from blogs, hopping on blog trip after blog trip).
But travel blogs you actually read.
Finding your blog’s voice
Because of how they write
There’s a certain “openness” to their writing
Finding your blog’s voice
They tend to “show” you what
they experienced, rather than
“tell”.
Finding your blog’s voice
Showing “tells” your reader so much more than telling does by reducing adjectives.
Example – Kill Adjectives
Genova is a fascinating city with historical gems
Example – Kill Adjectives
“[New York/Paris/Lisbon/Rome] is a fascinating city with historical gems”
“Fascinating” and especially “Gems” tell the reader absolutely nothing.
Guess what?
YOU
+
Thousands ofOther blogs
We’re back to the generic hump of fluff!
Finding your blog’s voice
Clichés
“Stockholm/St. Petersburg – The Venice of the North”
“Bangkok/Udaipur/Alleppey - The Venice of the East”
“Georgetown/Christchurch/Melbourne – The Venice of the South”
é
Finding your blog’s voice
Adjectives – Flat and/or Too Many
Sun-kissed/Sun-dappled Best-kept secret, Best, Great Perched, Nestled Exotic, Gem, Can’t miss/Must-
see
é
Examples
DISCLAIMER!
For you fact-checkers
If you find clichés like “exotic” or “gem” in my other writing (not on my blog), an editor put it in there, not me.
Examples
Generic
”The Moyo restaurant pier is a popular place for surfers.”
...okay, but what do the surfers do there? Drink coffee together?
Examples
Unique
It was enough to pull me away from the succulent prawns I was devouring at Durban’s iconic pier restaurant, Moyo. The sight of surfers waiting patiently at the tip of the pier scanning for waves out at sea.
Examples
Generic
”Hilo Farmer’s market is a place where you can bask in the colors, the exotic tastes, and smells of tropical summer.”
…replace Hilo Farmer’s Market with any market
Examples
Unique
I walk past mounds of red cayenne pepper, yellow saffron, and green pistachio powder. There’s a strong smell of ripening pineapple in the air. This is Hilo Farmer’s market.
..that smell of pineapple may be distinct to Hilo Farmer’s market
Revisiting Tip #2
1. Write what you see, hear, and smell without a lot of adjectives
2. Weave “yourself” into “your” experience
3. Write like you’re writing to a friend, or be poetic if you like. Just be you.
Finding your blog’s voice
Tip #3 Take creative risks
…and don’t be afraid to fail at them
Finding your blog’s voice
Remember this guy?
www.wherethehellismatt.com
Finding your blog’s voice
Okay, great but it seems every single idea has already been taken.
What can I do to be creative?
Finding your blog’s voice
Tips for creativity
Look at your daily non-traveling life
Look at your habits
Look at your other skills
Examples
Hobby -> You like playing the flute
Creative idea -> Learn to play a bit of each country’s national anthem and add that to your blog.
Examples
Hobby -> You like to sketch
Creative idea -> Start blog posts with few sketches from where you’ve traveled
Examples
Candace Rardon – Travel sketching
www.candaceroserardon.com
Examples
Habit -> You’re obsessed with coffee
Creative idea -> Write posts about your quests for odd coffee flavors around the world
Revisiting Tip #3
Take creative risks by looking into your life:
Your daily habits
Your other skills
Finding your blog’s voice
Tip #4 Stop doubting your own voice
One man’s “funny” is another man’s “boring”.
Finding your blog’s voice
Will people still like me if they find out what I really think?
Am I really boring?
Do I need to be funny?
“Boring” & “Funny” is relative
é
Remember this chart
YOU
+
Thousands ofOther blogs
You can’t afford to be generic anymore
Finding your blog’s voice
You can’t afford to be generic anymore because that ship has sailed long ago….
And yes! I used a cliché
Finding your blog’s voice
For your blog to please everyone, you will comprise on
the overall quality of your blog.
This makes you generic again.
Finding your blog’s voice
So unless you’re Google with only one image and a textbox,
Your personal voice matters – boring, funny, or not.
Finding your blog’s voice
Tip #5 Be Patient
Nothing was built overnight.
Finding your blog’s voice
Be patient with yourself
Just like a teenager’s crackly voice, your blog’s voice will also mature as you continue to focus on what you’re passionate about and what interests you.
Finding your blog’s voice
Bottom line…
People are naturally drawn to people who are authentic and share the same interests beyond just a love for travel.
Finding your blog’s voice
Bottom line…
…and that’s how you can start building your own real and engaged community of readers.
In summary
How to find your blog’s voice:
Tip 1 – Focus on you first Tip 2 – Kill adjectives and clichés Tip 3 – Take creative risks Tip 4 – Stop doubting your own voice Tip 5 – Be patient
Workshop challenge
In 200 words or less, describe one
experience you've had so far in Genova.
Workshop challenge
Instructions – Submit by Saturday, Oct 20 at 18:00
1) Share your assignment - Facebook.com/TravelBloggerElevator
Tweet the link to your content with hashtag #TBE12 #best_westernITA
2) Email – [email protected] [English] - [email protected] [Italian]
Contact Information
Twitter - @LolaAkinmade
Portfolio – www.akinmade.com
Blog – www.lolaakinmade.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/GeotravelersNiche