Before you learn all about the mastery of audience building, be sure to check out the first instalment of my blog masterclass.

** Psst – I also run an online course which goes into all the gory bits of starting up a travel blog! **

BE PERSONAL

People in general are emotionally-driven, and if you can really market yourself towards the emotions of your audiences, they will be more likely to connect with the content you produce and stick around.

You should be open and honest – and even a little vulnerable – with your audience, and this will make them resonate with you. You can then use this to connect further, addressing your readers personally, and bearing them in mind of everything you do. You need to be able to answer the following questions for each post:

• How will this blog post solve the problems of my reader?
• How will this blog post impact their lives? Will it add any value to them or their knowledge?
• How will this blog post make my reader feel?
• What is the ideal outcome from the reader of this blog post?

FACEBOOK GROUPS

I’m just going to jump right into it. One of the best things that you can possibly do when trying to grow your online presence is to join all relevant Facebook groups. For example, I’m in several Facebook groups regarding female travel, solo travel, and travel blogging. I find that this is a great – and yet often under-appreciated – way to grow a blog, especially as these groups often work like little communities.

To find a group suited to you, simply head over to the Search section of Facebook and type in keywords relating to you, such as ‘Travel,’ ‘Blogging,’ ‘Female entrepreneurs,’ whatever it may be. You will then find that a lot of these groups operate by following a schedule. For example, one of the groups I am in has a schedule like this:

• Monday: Social media engagement. On this day, everyone leaves links to their social media under the post, specifying which type of engagement they would like. If it is Instagram, they often ask for followers, comments, and likes; if it is Pinterest, they often ask for scheduled pins; if it is Twitter, they often ask for likes and comments and retweets.
• Wednesday: Blog link swap. This is where two or three people get together and share organic, helpful links from another travel blog to their posts. This brings up your Domain Authority, and is great for SEO.
• Friday: Guest post. On Fridays, people wanting to write or include guest posts add a comment to the main post stating exactly what they’re looking for, and this form of posting is great for both blogs. One gets to build more organic links to their blog, and the other gets to feature great content! We talk a little more about guest posting and its importance later.
• Sunday: Blog share. This is, of course, where you share a link to your most recent post, and ask for people to comment on it, spend time on your site (again, good for Domain Authority), click through to other posts (great for showing Google people enjoy your content and find it useful), and share it on their social media.

Of course, Facebook group schedules vary – but at the heart of it all, joining these groups is invaluable, regardless of how far into your blogging journey you are.

PINTEREST

As I said earlier, Pinterest is my favourite type of social media to use, as it is so easy to grow!

For this, I highly recommend that you download a plugin relating to Pinterest, such as the WordPress Pin it! plugin, as this creates an easy way for readers to share your content on the site. On mine, you simply hover over an image and it comes up with a little Pin it! badge in the corner, where readers can click and save that image to their own Pinterest boards.

The trick with Pinterest is to be consistent, always uploading new images from your blog and engaging with other Pinterest boards, sharing images relating to your niche. On my Pinterest, 30% of it is my own content – guides and pretty pictures – and 70% of it is me sharing related content from others, such as beautiful photographs of Italy, road trip guides, food guides to my favourite cities, etc.

The key then is to post beautiful enough images that people want to share yours – and that’s when you can really start growing!

PROMOTE OFFLINE

Vastly underestimated, promoting your content offline as well as online is a sure way to bring in more readers. Be it via newspaper ads, partnerships, related fairs, business cards, speaking events, or simply just word-of-mouth, getting people talking about your work in the real world is one of the best forms of marketing.

Personally, I leave my business cards wherever I go – on friend’s fridges, in Airbnb fruit bowls, in books in libraries… 

It can cost as little as a tenner to buy 200 business cards, and you can find the best company suited to your needs online. It’s always good to carry a card on you – you never know who you’ll meet!

In addition to using business cards as a promotional tool, you can also design Enamel Pins Canada that reflect your personal style. You can feature your work’s logo, core IP image, or iconic lines.

Pins are more likely to stay with readers long-term, constantly stimulating their memories of your work. Customizing pins is quick and easy, and comes at a competitive price. Furthermore, they are suitable for a wider range of situations than business cards, allowing them to be given and used anywhere.

WHAT IS GUEST POSTING? WHY SHOULD I DO IT?

Guest posting is such an underestimated way of reaching new audiences, but along with widening your market reach, you’re also able to improve your Domain Authority by getting loads of healthy, organic links to your site. Especially as you progress and write for bigger and better blogs, these links are going to be invaluable for growing your own, truly getting into that SEO headset.

A guest post is basically where you hop on over to another blog that isn’t yours, and produce content for it. In return, expect links and mentions back to your own blog. To get involved in guest posting, simply reach out to other bloggers or post in Facebook groups, asking if they would be interested in a guest post from you. Sometimes, they may then ask to do a guest post on yours – and then everyone gets exactly the same thing, and it works out perfectly.

If you go down the lane of emailing or messaging other bloggers on social media, start it by stating exactly why you want to guest post on them. They need to know that you appreciate their content and that your values are the same – if you’re a travel blog aimed at mothers who travel the world with their kids, you’re probably not going to be the right fit for a young male travel blogger who only writes about bachelor-hood and all the ladies he gets with abroad. Make sure that your audience is their audience, and draw them in.

Along with that, you should send over a link to your current blog, along with any examples of past guest posts.

To find blogs that widely accept guest posts, you can easily do a Google search for the primary keyword, e.g. South Korea or Solo Travel, plus the words “write for us”, or “guest post guidelines.” Then you can work your way down the results, starting with the most popular blog with the best SEO and working your way down.

As mentioned earlier, some Facebook groups offer guest posts and link swaps, so be sure to take advantage of them when you can!

GET AUTHENTIC COMMENTS

Along with everything mentioned above, you should be constantly connecting with other blogs and bloggers. Find blogs similar to your own niche and comment on them, leaving genuine comments that they will appreciate receiving. If you think their photographs are beautiful, tell them! If you want to go to the restaurant they’ve mentioned because they serve what the blogger called ‘the best dumplings in the world’, then let them know!

Commenting on other blogs not only lets other bloggers out there know of your presence, but it means that you can get into the community. This will create a long-term relationship with other bloggers across the world – and that can only be a good thing!

Bear in mind that when you leave comments on other blogs, avoid leaving generic comments such as, ‘Great post, visit my blog!’ or ‘Nice pictures. Check out my latest post about the top ten reasons to take a road trip around Warsaw this Christmas.’ Because not only is it annoying for the person receiving these comments, but it also makes it more likely that those are the only types of comments you will receive, too.

GIVE AWAY FREE STUFF

Because who doesn’t love free stuff?! For example, hosting giveaways can be a brilliant way of reaching new audiences and expanding your current audience. By hosting giveaways where the applicants have to follow rules such as, ‘comment on two other posts, share to Twitter and Instagram, and follow me on Pinterest to enter’, your blog will be seen by many new eyes!

This can build brand awareness, drive traffic to your blog, increase engagement, improve sales of any items you may already be selling on your blog – and best of all, it can improve your readership!

Also on the topic of free stuff – one great way to build readership trust and let your readers know that you have created a blog to serve their needs rather than yours, is to have free things readily available on your blog. For example, I have a free guide to Wales and another comprehensive free guide to Victoria that you can access easily on my blog. I give away this content in exchange for things such as them joining my email subscription list – meaning that I get more subscribers, my work is being seen by more people, and my audience trusts me just that little bit more because they know I have their best interests at heart. It’s a win-win!

And so, I hope that you have enjoyed the second part of this Blog Masterclass series – believe me, there’s plenty more to come!

Stay tuned for the third part of this four-part series: How to Get Paid for Blogging. And then, whilst you’re waiting, why not read my previous post on how to build a better blog, or check out my interviews with successful travel bloggers?

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One of my favourite bloggers when I first entered the game was Adventurous Kate – I loved her energy, her travels, and her writing. If it weren’t for her continuously producing inspirational travel content, then I’m certain that Wandering Everywhere wouldn’t be even close to where it is today.

A couple months ago, I was finally able to interview the wonderful Adventurous Kate – and here’s what she said.

Firstly, what was the main motivation behind you quitting your job at the age of 26 and travelling across Southeast Asia? Have you always wanted to stray from the 9-to-5 life?

Women’s empowerment is a big theme on your blog. How did your family and friends react to you breaking the news that you would be travelling solo, and did it turn out to be as unsafe as everyone said?

From the outside, it looks like you live the dream life. What’s it really like to build and sustain a blog, and subsequently travel the world?

How did you originally monetise your site? How do you maintain it now?

Why exactly did you decide to settle down in NYC instead of travelling the globe nonstop forever?

What country would you recommend for female solo travellers?

What would you say to other females who ache to travel but believe they don’t have the confidence/ opportunity to?

But luckily for you, you have me to tell you the answers. We will begin this blog masterclass with the first of this four-part series: How to actually start a travel blog. Because there’s no use in affiliate marketing or media packs if you don’t even own a domain!

** Psst – I’m also running an online course which goes into all the gory bits of starting up a travel blog! **

WHAT QUALITIES SHOULD A BLOGGER HAVE?

Let’s be honest – times have changed since 2012, and now the blogging industry is pretty saturated. It can be extremely difficult to start up a blog if you don’t have the right tools, and even harder if you have no idea where to even start. Audiences can be difficult to attract, social media can be finicky to use, and an incredible amount of time and effort has to be invested into a blog. 

As such, the two qualities that you will need to become a blogger are being motivated and passionate. Without them, this will not be an easy journey.

Along with these, you need to be good with setting tasks and deadlines and sticking to them, as your readers will want regular content – especially as you grow. There’s no point in getting them hooked if you only post once a year.

You need to be able to adapt and stay on top of trends, staying aware of your competitors and audience demand – and most of all, you need to be willing to learn. I have learnt so much over the past few years with my travel blog – more than I ever thought possible! – and it never would have happened had I closed myself off to the possibilities.

And if you’re starting, you’ll soon see that creating blogs isn’t just about writing. It’s about staying consistent, researching properly, and building a strong connection with your audience. When you focus on these skills, your blog will grow into a trusted space where readers keep coming back for fresh ideas and valuable insights.

Plus, it helps to have a trusty mentor such as yours truly to help you navigate the hurdles (;

GET A NOTEBOOK

Before you do absolutely anything, you should first grab yourself a notebook.

You’ll need a good notebook from the get-go, to write down your thoughts, keep track of blog post ideas, plan scheduling, scribble to-do lists, and overall help to organise what is inherently going to be a pretty chaotic journey.

Some (boring) people keep track of this with online documents, but personally, I like to write my notes by hand and have a physical copy of them by my side as I go about life. But of course, this is up to you. 

REFER TO A BLOG PLAN

Some of the first things that you will then be putting into this notebook will be your blog plans. You will need to answer the following questions:

– Why did you decide to create a blog?

– What audience are you looking to attract?

– What sort of content do you want to produce?

– What do you want to accomplish on a daily basis?

Once you’ve figured out exactly why you’ve decided to start up a blog and have a general idea of what you’ll be doing, you can then think about the specifics, such as:

– What is your niche, your USP?

– What will your readers benefit from reading your posts?

– How much time and resources are you willing to invest?

I know that it can be easier said than done to come up with a USP. I personally went about doing so by drawing a large spider diagram on the first page of my notebook, filling it with the things I was most passionate about. This included writing, food, and solo and female travel.

Then, I wrote about things that I knew a lot about, and within this I jotted down YA books, Crohn’s disease, and tea. I then thought about what sort of audience I want to attract, and decided to go for the target audience that I represented, resulting in a primary audience of female solo travellers aged between 18 and 26 and a secondary, more general audience, which loves tea and books, and had some sort of illness (especially those good ol’ autoimmune diseases!).

Then, you will want to research 5+ leading blogs similar to your niche and note what they do successfully, and then what you would change to improve them. You will want to cover the following points:

– Their niche

– The length of content

– What they are doing that you like

– What they are doing that you don’t like

– The quality and regularity of images used

– The frequency with which they produce content

– The amount of followers they have on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

– Their target audience (check their comments and social media engagement)

Finally, research 5+ blogs that are smaller and have a much slower growth and compare to the first few you looked at – why are these not as successful, and what does this tell you about what audiences enjoy? By answering the same questions again, you should be able to see how this impacts their popularity.

GAME PLAN

The final aspect of your blog plan should include objectives in regards to growth and income. A strong game plan for the first month may look like this:

• First week: purchase domain name, set up social media and email addresses under the same handle. Share the blog and social media with all friends and family, aiming to get 100 followers by Sunday. Order business cards and pay a designer to design a logo and header.
• Second week: Publish first post, share on all social media, get friends and family to do the same. Find similar blogs and engage with them, aiming to get 10 comments by Sunday. Sign up to affiliate sites to understand what a business looks for in a blog.
• Third week: Write second post, aiming to get 15 comments. Spend 20 hours taking photos in local area and creating strong blog photography. Sign up to Google Adsense and Amazon Affiliates. 
• Fourth week: Write third blog post, aiming to get 20 comments, two social shares, and first commission from Amazon Affiliates. Spend 40 hours learning how to edit photos and publish high-quality images across all social media, directing them to blog content.

Long term-plans such as “I would like my posts to feature in Forbes online” or “I want my brand to be recognisable” should also be noted. Start thinking about how you can achieve these, and always keep it in the back of your mind as you go ahead.

GET THE EQUIPMENT

To create killer content, you need the equipment. I take my photographs with a Nikon D5300, which is a pretty good start-up camera which only cost me about £300, and over the years I’ve kept the body and just updated the lenses. So long as your photos are clear and help to illustrate your content, you should be golden.

Alternatively, you could always source royalty-free photographs online, but this lack of personality will absolutely be felt by your audiences.

Along with a good camera, it’s likely you’ll also need some sort of editing equipment to really bring the photographs to life. I personally use Lightroom and Photoshop, although I did start by using the inbuilt Photos editor on my Macbook!

You will likely need a good computer/ laptop with extra RAM, space, and a good processing speed, and little costs will always crop up – such as a new site designer, extra security for the website, a tech person to help speed up your site. So be warned that whilst travel blogging is one of the most rewarding jobs you can do, it can come with both big upfront costs and loads of little costs that crop up as you go along.

CHOOSE A NAME

And now, with your trusty notebook beside you, you should start brainstorming name ideas for your blog.

You will need to choose something catchy, something you will stick to for years to come. Personally, I changed my blog name so many times that by the end of it, even I couldn’t remember what it was called. Because of this, there are still endless links across the web to my old blog addresses, confusing potential audiences that will now never read this here blog post. 

With that in mind, think about your blog name BEFORE you start a travel blog. This will ensure that your branding is consistent and that audiences will always know where to find you. I recommend putting aside a week or so for constant brainstorming, using online name generators, looking at other blogs for the sort of vibe they go for, flicking through books and dictionaries – anything that could potentially result in a name that you’d still see yourself with in years to come.

One thing to make sure is that your blog name isn’t limiting in any way. For example, had I named my blog ‘Amy Travels Wales,’ I would have potentially been subjecting myself to only write about Wales. As great as the country is, I would have gotten bored with it eventually.

Along with that, make sure that your chosen name is available across all social media platforms. Mine wasn’t available on Instagram, so I had to beg the old owner of the account to give it up for me… Oh, how I grovelled.

What is it that they always say in American movies? Ah, yes. CONSISTENCY IS KEY. 

PICK YOUR PLATFORM

Like the whole name game, this is another thing that you’re not going to want to chop and change. You need to pick one platform and stay with it.

To begin with, I used Blogger, which wasn’t bad at all (for 2012). It came with easy-to-use themes, gave me all of the tools to build a blog myself, and was a perfect way to start out. However, with Blogger, the domain ended in .blogspot rather than .com – and who’s going to trust awkwarddonkey.blogspot.co.uk to write travel guides for them? 

When I decided to go for a whole blog redesign in 2017, I made the switch to WordPress. I didn’t buy my blog directly from them, though – instead, I used a hosting provider. If you’re serious about building and growing a blog, then it’s imperative that you go through hosting to maintain full ownership and control of your site.

To make it simple, I went through a hosting provider called Bluehost. They set me up with a matching email address, a domain name, and 24 hour support, and are super helpful with everything blog-related (such as acquiring security certificates, protecting against malware, recommending designers, etc). If a hosting provider doesn’t offer all of this, then you should be a bit sus.

For me, I spent about £350 on hosting – which covered the following three years – and £200 on a blog designer. Plus, if we’re being honest about it, £25 on a kickass notebook.

BRAND IDENTITY

And then, congrats, you have a blog! Or at least, partly.

The key now is to work on your brand identity. I highly recommend that you get your own blog designer, which you can find by either scouring the net, looking at design marketplaces, using services such as Fiverr and Upwork to hire a freelancer, or even stalking your favourite blogs, as sometimes at the very bottom of the page, their blog designers would have signed off and may have added the copyright notice.

I found my blog designer on a design marketplace called Envato, and they were super helpful in sorting out everything design-related on my blog. Since then, however, they have actually dropped off of the face of the earth – but luckily, ya boi knows HTML.

You should work out which theme, colour structure, and logo you would like, and your designer will work closely with you on this. The brandmark – AKA the logo – is one of the most important parts of the whole process as it will define your brand. Once you have received your brandmark, be sure to use it in everything you do – it should be clear at the top of your blog header, should be used when guest posting, and should be utilised to the max if you ever create any tangible products. 

You should then refer back to your notebook where you wrote down your targets and blog plan, and make sure that it all aligns. If you’re creating a travel blog for people with disabilities, make it clear in the branding! You’re going to want your audience to recognise the blog and content instantly, so make it memorable.

ONCE IT IS UP AND RUNNING…

One great way to make sure that your blog link is already embedded on the internet – even before your first post – is to submit it to websites such as Yandex, Bing, and Google. You can do this by typing things such as ‘submit blog to Google/ Bing/ etc’ into the search engine. This will then bring up the related search console, where you simply add your blog link to be ‘recognised’ by the search engine. It’s actually pretty simple, and shouldn’t take much time.

LEARN SEO

Right from the start, you should learn how to use SEO – also known as Search Engine Optimisation – so that you can steadily work yourself to the top of Google’s search results. You will pick a lot of this up as you go along, but it is useful to understand the basics from the get-go.

SEO is important as it will draw traffic to your blog as people search for terms relating to your content – in my case, ‘solo and female travel’ and ‘Crohn’s travel’. Google looks for pages that are high-quality, relevant, have consistent readers that find your content interesting, and that have been around long enough to establish some sort of authority. But to start building on this, you need to make sure of several things.

First, we have mobile friendliness, which we spoke about a little earlier. By optimising your blog for mobile, you ensure that traffic is able to visit you from multiple devices.

Following this, you should make sure that you have a good loading speed. This can be checked on PageSpeed Insights by Google, which also happens to give you some information on how you can improve the speed of your specific page. One of the main causes is images that are too big – so make sure that you never upload RAW photography files to the blog!

Then, you should think about the keywords people will be using to find your blog. You need to first really think about your audience – what are they interested in? What sort of problems may they have that you could solve with a blog post? What sort of language do they use to describe the things they do?

If you’re targeting your blog towards travel foodies and you just happen to live in Cardiff, you will need to make sure that you’re the leading player in the Cardiff foodie scene by producing loads of good quality, helpful posts regarding cafes and restaurants in Cardiff, using keywords such as ‘foodie’, ‘Cardiff’, ‘Cardiff food’, ‘where to eat Cardiff’ and so on.

If you then head over to Google and search these exact keywords, it will then come up with suggestions, such as ‘Cardiff snack bars’ and ‘vegan Cardiff’. You can then make sure that these keywords are used in your title, in your meta description, and in your image tags. Be careful to not use the same keyword 5,000 times in the same post – instead, spice it up with synonyms, similar phrases, and other variations.

Another thing that you can do for SEO is to have loads of healthy, organic links all over the internet leading to your blog. One great way to do this is with guest posts – which we will delve into on the next masterclass.

STORYTELLING

One of the most important parts of blogging – and perhaps one of the most underrated – is the fact that so much of it is centred around storytelling! A good post has a solid story arc,  serves a purpose, answers a question, personifies the people mentioned, and (if the blog is  travel-related) talks about the dazzling beauty of the places involved.

A lot of my blog pieces tend to have full-blown story arcs, simply because I know how much an audience responds to a well-planned story that happens to hit all the right spots (plus, I have a writing degree, which is useless for quite literally everything else). They posts are interesting, they’re helpful, they touch upon my own emotions and experiences – and it also happens to answer every question my audience happens to have!

One of the easiest ways to make sure that your blog post is going to be interesting is simply by doing interesting stuff. If you’re constantly pushing yourself, trying new things, and opening yourself up to new experiences, you already have content that audiences would likely be interested in reading.

Following this, you need to be able to edit. I write my posts straight onto the blog, but sometimes I paste them into Google Docs, choose a different font, and use the in-built spell checker to make sure I don’t miss any typos or grammatical issues. Getting friends and family to check over your posts or getting Google to read your post back out to you can both be super helpful if you’re a rubbish editor.

USE CTAS

Learn and optimise behind-the-scenes marketing through the use of CTAs (Call-To-Actions) – primarily sidebar CTAs, bottom-of-the-post CTAs, and Connect on Social Media CTAs.

Sidebar CTAs are where you place images or links on the side of your blog that state things such as ‘Check Out My Most Recent Post’. Readers can then click on the link to be redirected to exactly that, both making your site easier to navigate, and offering readers more helpful things to look at in the sidebar of your blog. You will be able to add these easily under the Appearance and Customisation part of your blogger dashboard.

Adding social media related CTAs tells your reader that you are available on other platforms, where you also happen to regularly produce content. Adding buttons that state things such as ‘Let’s Connect on Instagram’ will draw readers into checking out your social media, where you can then connect and build a following.

And bottom-of-the-post CTAs, such as the words ‘Do you agree? Tell me what you think in the comments!’ will generate more engagement on your blog as you encourage your reader to offer their own thoughts. From this, you can engage with your readers – making sure to answer any questions they may have, and thanking them if they compliment your writing/ photography skills.

CTAs are so important for keeping the audience engaged and interacting with your site for longer. And you know what they say, the longer the site time, the longer the…

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Anyway! I hope that you have enjoyed the first part of this Blog Masterclass series – there’s plenty more good stuff to come!

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding anything I’ve talked about (or not talked about) – after all, there’s nothing like an audience interacting with a CTA (;

Stay tuned for the second part of this four-part series: How to Build an Audience. And then, whilst you’re waiting, why not read my previous post on how to build a better blog, or check out my interviews with successful travel bloggers?

WHILST YOU’RE AT IT, WHY NOT SHARE THE LOVE AND PIN THIS POST?

 

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MISTAKES YOU MADE IN REGARDS TO BLOGGING, OR THINGS YOU WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY (ESPECIALLY IN THE BEGINNING)? 

WHAT LANGUAGES HAVE YOU LEARNT ON YOUR JOURNEYS AND HOW IMPORTANT HAVE THEY BEEN IN REGARDS TO GETTING AROUND? 

I don’t speak any language (well) besides English and I’ve traveled to over 90 countries.  Language is not a huge deal, especially when you know English.  It’s one of the languages that someone everywhere will know a little bit of.  There seems to always be someone willing to help or translate (especially when you get into areas that have very little English spoken!) Personally, I learn the basic pleasantries before I visit a new country and carry a phrase book or Google translate for the rest!

PRIOR TO TRAVELLING, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE? 

Travel slow. It can be tempting to try to see it all. With limited vacation time, we are always trying to squeeze everything in — rushing through 20 cities in 20 days, or 100 countries on our round-the-world trip. In the end, all we have to show for it are photos, stress, and a whirlwind of experiences but no real knowledge of the places we went. (After you try to rush through Australia, you’ll be burnt out and realize you saw everything but nothing at all. You’ll wish you did it slower.) Don’t rush your trip. Make time to spend a relaxing day in the park or just sitting in a café people watching. Slow down. It gives you time to take it all in.

You don’t need a lot of gear. When I went to Costa Rica in 2003, I brought a bag filled with tons of stuff — hiking boots and pants, a fleece jacket, too many clothes, and more toiletries than a CVS. It all sat in my bag, taking up space, as I lugged them across the country. The lesson: Pack light. You’ll have less to carry. Buy a small bag so you aren’t tempted to pack everything under the sun. If you truly need something, you can pick it up as you go. Trust me, you won’t need as much gear as you think!

Go with the flow. When every day is planned out and there are timetables to follow, you can get stressed. Very stressed. And when you plan too much, there’s no room to experience the happy accidents of travel. Put some flexibility into your schedule and go with the flow. Plan one or two activities and let the rest of the day happen. It’ll be a more enjoyable and less stressful experience. You’ll be surprised by what happens (like when your friend invites you to an island in Thailand and you can stay a whole month). Let life unfold.

Don’t be so shy. It takes courage to talk to strangers but everyone is in the same boat. All around you are other solo travelers looking for friends. They want to meet new people too. Just say “hello” and everything else will fall into place. Ask to join people’s drinking games and conversations in hostels. No one ever says no. Take the first step. Take off your headphones, turn to the person next to you, and say hello. You have nothing to lose and, in the process, this is how you’ll get over your shyness, make new friends, and get better at conversation.

You are not alone. Wherever you go, there is a network of travelers who will be your friends, give you advice or tips, and help you out. They will guide you, point you in the right direction, and be your mentors. You aren’t out there on your own. You will make friends. You will be OK. Though you are traveling alone, you will never be alone. I know you’re nervous about heading out into the unknown. That’s normal. It’s human nature to worry, but you make it on your trip and become a better person because of your travels. So take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy!

It was so great to learn more about Matt and how he’s both able to travel the world and run a blogging empire. I hope it’s interested some of you guys also, and if so, let me know in the comments below!

BUT BEFORE YOU DO – WHY NOT SHARE THE LOVE AND PIN THIS POST?

REFER TO A BLOG PLAN

These first three points stand to help organise a game plan. To begin with, ask yourself the following questions: Why did you set about creating this blog? What do you want to accomplish on a daily basis? What do you owe your readers, and how do they benefit from reading? What’s your niche and USP? Once you’ve got solid answers, you’ll know exactly where you want to take your blog.

RESEARCH OTHER BLOGS

Following that, research 5+ leading blogs similar to your niche and note what they do successfully, and then what you would change to improve them. Then research 5+ blogs with a similar following to yours and compare to the first few you looked at – why are these not as successful, and what does this tell you about your own?

SET MILESTONES AND LONG-TERM PLANS

The final aspect of your game plan should include objectives in regards to growth and income, setting goals such as “I would like to earn £20 the first week, £200 the second, and then £2,000 by the end of a six month period” gives you a clearer vision. Long term-plans such as “I would like my posts to feature in Forbes online” or “I want my brand to be recognisable” should also be noted. Start thinking about how you can achieve these.

FOLLOW THE 80:20 RULE

Once you’ve got a solid game plan, then you should really focus on the posts themselves. A typical rule is that you spend 20% of your time creating a blog post (writing the text, taking the photographs), and the other 80% promoting it through social media and marketing.

LEARN SEO

I found a helpful guide by Google that covers the basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) that I found quite helpful to begin with. To make sure your posts score as highly as possible in internet rankings, learning and mastering SEO is a must.

CONSISTENT BRANDING