Recently I've noticed more than a few travel bloggers becoming frustrated. Frustrated about being passed over for blogging opportunities. Frustrated at being left off lists of “top” travel bloggers. Frustrated over feeling left out of the clique of “cool” travel bloggers who seem to be so much more successful than everyone else.
Someone said that travel blogging feels a lot like being back in high school. The kids who are deemed cool remain so, and it's difficult for any newcomers to reach that same level of coolness.
I've felt frustrated, too. It's not easy to always feel left out, or feel like you're lagging behind with no chance of catching up. I think it's especially bad when I put a blog post out there that I'm really proud of, and then it flops. Some days, I wonder who I'm even blogging for; I wonder if anyone is even out there, paying attention.
But I think this feeling of frustration is only natural.
The “cool kids” of travel blogging started in the exact same place that I am now. True, there wasn't as much competition in the travel blogging market a decade ago as there is now. But everyone has to start somewhere.
So, on those days when I start feeling frustrated, I try to remind myself of a few things:
- It's not the end of the world if no one leaves a comment, or retweets my new post. Sure, it's disheartening. But, in the grand scheme of things, one off day shouldn't ruin my whole week. If anything, it should just inspire me to try harder next time.
- Sometimes, it's just dumb luck. I can write what I think is a brilliant post, but maybe I just post it on the wrong day. Maybe the people who would also view it as brilliant just aren't around. And maybe the next day, when I post some silly Top 10 list, that's the day someone like Lonely Planet decides to retweet my post. Often, I think it's just one of those things that's very hard to predict, and impossible to control.
- There can be no success without failure. I'm really just a baby blogger when it comes to the travel blogging universe. I haven't been doing it for that long, and yet I'm slowly crawling my way up in the ranks. The little successes — the RTs from Lonely Planet, the occasional big boosts in traffic — feel even better due to the little failures. If I keep at it and don't let the frustrations ruin the experience, eventually those successes will come more and more frequently.
- It's not anyone's “fault.” I cannot blame everything on the successful bloggers. I can be jealous that they continually get opportunities I would kill for, but I can't blame them for being successful. They've worked hard to get where they are, and what I should be doing is taking note of how they made it happen for themselves.
Obviously I'm not going to become one of the “cool kids” overnight. Contrary to popular belief outside of blogging circles, travel blogging is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work, and even more dedication. It's not something you can just half-ass and expect to be successful at.
I know that, in the end, I'm the only one who can make my blog as successful as I want it to be.
And no amount of whining or feeling sorry for myself is going to change that fact.
Are you feeling like this too? Are there days when you feel like you're just screaming into a void, begging to know if anybody is even out there?
Well, you're not alone. Believe me.
Giving advice on handling this sort of frustration is near impossible. But here are the best tips I can come up with to try and break into that “cool kids” clique. It's my plan of attack, at least:
- Post a variety of quality things. Some insightful, some silly, some practical. You don't want to pigeon hole yourself into one specific sort of advice or writing. (Or maybe you do?) Especially when first starting out, I think a bit of experimentation with your writing can help you figure out what works and what doesn't for your blog. But, no matter what, focus on quality. Proofread your stuff. Make people believe that you know what you're talking about.
- Stay true to yourself. Even though you want to try and hone in on what people want to read by trying a variety of approaches, you also want to stay true to yourself. Don't write about something you don't enjoy. And certainly don't write about something you don't believe in, just because it's what you think people want to hear. Stay true to your own convictions; your voice will shine through.
- Don't make comparisons. No two blogs are the same, because no two bloggers are the same. You shouldn't be comparing yourself to others, or feeling bad because you don't feel like you stack up. If all bloggers were the same, what would be the point? Be who you are, and others will undoubtedly appreciate it.
- Read and comment on other blogs. If you remain in your own little blogging bubble, it's going to be much more difficult for people to find you, and — more importantly — relate to you. Read other travel blogs. Leave comments and share your insights. After all, how can you expect others to do the same on your blog if you're not doing it yourself? Plus, reading other blogs can give you a sense of different styles, and perhaps help you figure out the sorts of things you do and do not want to write about yourself.
- Be active in social networking. Start a Twitter account. Utilize StumbleUpon. Create a Facebook page. Engage with your potential readers, and forge some online relationships with other travel bloggers. Not only will you make some friends, but it's likely that you can help each other out by driving new traffic to one another's sites.
- Be open to guest blogging. A good way to gain some free exposure when you're just starting out is to write a guest post for another (perhaps even more successful) blog. Save something good for your guest posts, and you'll likely be rewarded with some new readers.
- Try new things. Never tried your hand at video editing? Not sure if travel photography is really your thing? Try it out anyway. Who knows, you may discover a new talent. And adding things like strong images and video to your blog will only make it more appealing.
And, most importantly:
- Don't give up. If travel blogging is really what you want to pursue, then don't let those rough days get you down. Don't let anybody tell you that you'll never succeed. Because, if you're serious about it, I think you can make it happen. You have to be persistent. You have to actively go after what you want. Eventually, it will pay off.
The frustrating days suck. But, often, at the end of those days, I get an e-mail from someone who has just discovered my blog, or a great comment, or a kind retweet from someone I respect. And those make all the difference.
So hang in there, fellow travel bloggers.
Because, yes, it seems there is somebody out there, paying attention.
Do you sometimes get frustrated with blogging, too? How do you cope?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
Love this post! Whenever bloggers congregate, it does feel a bit like high school. There’s a ton of gossip and jealousy. I admit, I am not immune to it! I think the same is true for any creative field where people’s job is to promote themselves– like writing, stand-up comedy, art. This is a good reminder to hang in there; good things will come 🙂
Thanks, Leslie! And yes, I think in order to really fit in to this travel blogging community – and to be sucessful in it – you have to have a bit of an enlarged ego. You have to promote yourself, talk yourself up, and make other people believe that what you’re putting out there is worth reading. If you lack a lot of self-confidence, that’s often hard to do!
But those of us who love doing this enough, and who want it badly enough, will indeed hang in there and sift our way through all the gossip and cliques to find our place in the community.
It definitely is tough seeing other bloggers being way more successful, especially when it sometimes feels random and when you work so hard. And particularly when quality is not always the indicator of the most popular blogs. I love Kara’s advice, that sometimes being proactive is the way to be successful. I agree that it can definitely feel cliquey. A lot of people blew me off at TBEX in NYC even though I’d been blogging for a year–they just weren’t interested in talking to me or ignored me when I approached a group to say hi/introduce myself. It sucked and made me question whether that was a community I wanted to be a part of. But I did find some cool chicks who were really open to making new friends, and one of them has continued to be a good friend and blogging ally.
To be honest, one thing that concerns me about the travel blogging world is that so many of the bloggers have started writing for bloggers. Posts about how to improve SEO, get free trips, succeed with social media, etc. Maybe it’s because so many travel blog comments are from other bloggers, but I worry that it would turn off regular readers who arrive there and think, “Wait a sec, this is a travel blog for travel bloggers? I don’t want blogging advice, I want travel advice/stories.” That’s something I avoid like the plague since I want to appeal to regular travelers who want some information or inspiration. I know it works for some people, but that trend concerns me.
Anyway…I’m glad to hear from one of the other commenters that the food blogging community can feel like high school, too. I guess it’s normal for weird social dynamics to happen when a group gets large and competitive. I like your advice of just being true to yourself and continue putting out good work. People are obviously paying attention with this many comments 🙂
Thanks for the great comment, Emily!
While the travel blogging community for the most part is warm and welcoming, there are always going to be exceptions. And there are always going to be days where we feel like we don’t fit in, or get frustrated with the whole thing. I think this is only natural.
As for blogging about travel blogging, I think there’s definitely interest in posts like that (and I’ve done a few myself that have been pretty successful), but I try to avoid doing them too often. Shaking it up every once in a while is fine, I think. But I would never want to do a blog post on blogging once a week or anything.
[…] we do these things then perhaps, like Amanda Williams, we will be able to stop asking is anybody out there? and have a sticky blog and you will all come back again. Won’t you? Please. We’ll give […]
Great post! I completely understand this feeling. I always say continue to do what you love, and if people pay attention, that’s a bonus. Thanks for the great advice. I have only had my travel blog for a month, but I am going to keep at it because I love it! 🙂
Thanks, Olga! You seem to have the right attitude about the whole travel blogging thing — keep doing it as long as you love it, and look at everything else as an added bonus. When you’re doing what you love, it will show through your work, and people will respond to it. You just have to hang in there for a while first. Good luck with your travel blog!
Excellent post, just what i needed to read. I’ve only recently started blogging about my travels and i’m still waiting for my first comment, but i’m sure it’ll come. I’m enjoying the process of working on my site, so what have i got to be down about? I appear to have an article featuring on the ytravel site some time next week, so maybe that will kick start a few things, until then i shall do as you say and contine with my work, and smile at the memories the process brings.
Cheers,
Neil.
Well it sounds like you definitely have the right attitude about it, Neil. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, it’s no use stressing about the comments or pageviews or anything else. If you work hard enough, those will all come in time.! 🙂
I feel as though I’m just coming in from the dark – where are the posts about frustrations and “cool kids?”
I didn’t go to high school in the US, so I’ve always found these comparisons a little confusing. At my school, the cool kids were pretty much those who never excelled at anything. They were cool at school and then, a year later, nowhere…
Ah, well maybe high school elsewhere is a bit different? I don’t know, all the “cool kids” at my school were the ones who were good-looking, popular, good at sports, often smart, etc. Though, I admittedly have no clue where most of them are now…
The more I think about it, the cool kids were the ones who smoked, took drugs, skived off and got arrested. Anyone who did well at exams or at sport was desperately uncool…Anyway…As many before me have said, don’t worry about coolness. It looks as though your blog is going very well, anyway! But for those who aren’t where they want to be yet, keep writing, keep studying the technical stuff and keep on going. It takes time and effort. (And PS – enjoy the moments when noone seems to be responding. That’s when it’s much easier to experiment and make mistakes. Further down the road, everyone will notice every little slip – up!)
Glad I found this post – and all the responses. Happy blogging!
Thanks, Abi; and good advice! Taking advantage of that freedom to experiment a bit is really important. You can’t be “successful” if you don’t try some different things every now and then!
Swallowing the fact that it’s hard and you want have followers very quick is a good start.
Great article Amanda. My wife and I started blogging last year so friends and family could join us on our journey to South America, but now I catch myself going through the same mental crap you speak of like getting upset when no one leaves a comment. How did this happen?!! The writing was supposed to be fun and now, sometimes, it’s stressful. Thanks for reminding me to write for myself and not worry about that shite.
Cheers!
Thanks so much! I know it can be tough at times; even I need to remind myself some days to just take a deep breath and not take it all too seriously. If you start stressing out about comment counts and traffic stats, you kind of take the fun out of blogging. Good luck with your blog (and your travels)!
You capture the feeling so well….
I take it you know the feeling well, too? It’s okay — hang in there!
What a great article – just what I needed to read! I only started my blog a month ago and am enjoying the ride so far. Im trying to remain patient as I know it’s going to be a long haul to get where I want to be so thanks for your insights, it’s definitely made me feel better about the direction Im headed. After all ‘If you build it, they will come!’
Your blog has just been added to my ‘must read’ list!
Hi Nicole! I’m glad you stopped by, and so glad that this post has motivated you and made you feel better. That’s exactly why I wrote it all those months ago! I’m glad to see it’s still resonating with people.
Good luck with your blog! As you said, enjoy the ride.
I guess it’s hard to be really known in this blogging niche because there are so many places out there to visit, and one person can’t cover all of them in a lifetime. But i’m sure people read these blogs when they look for specific information, rare places that not many traveled to.
And more importantly, the way you write can have a major impact. It doesn’t matter if i don’t intend to visit Tibet, if you make your story interesting you can be sure i’ll read it and enjoy it.
Yup, you’ve really said it! The world is so huge, and nobody can really hope to see it all. And, at the same time, there are sooo many travel blogs out there to choose from. It takes a lot of hard work to stand out from the pack!
But I agree that often it’s all about the content. If you are producing interesting, engaging content, I’m likely to read it and respond positively to it, no matter what the topic is.
We have a pretty new blog and just had this conversation the other day. You laid it out much more eloquently than I did verbally, however! 🙂
The one that really gets me is the “dumb luck”…sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’re an excellent writer or a hack…it’s the dumb luck of being in the right place at the right time.
Just found your blog today and will definitely be returning!
Hi Steve! Welcome, and thanks for the comment. I wish you luck with your blog! Hang in there. I’m sure you’ll strike one of those “dumb luck” moments, too. 🙂
As a (very) baby travel blogger, I really appreciate this advice! It can totally be disheartening when I facebook a new post right above someone else who has shared a video of a laughing baby or some other 30-second youtube clip of mindless entertainment, and they’re the ones who get 15 “likes”. But even with these eye-rolling incidents the internet is a great platform and I think we’re lucky that at least we’re not struggling for attention in the print media world the way we would have 10 or 20 years ago.
I know what you mean about Facebook. I still struggle with finding an audience on there some days. But, I agree with you that the Internet is a really great platform. Best of luck with your blog!
Nice post about travel blogging and your points on how to do it well are right on. (As another commenter pointed out, however, it’s tough to complain about a lack of comments when you’ve got 73 of them!)
It seems that travel blogging is an exercise in “manual labor” (literally). Assuming a minimal level of writing ability and personality, success in the travel blogging sphere depends on using your hands — tons of commenting and lots of activity in the social networks.
Enjoyed your post and judging from your number of responses, you are doing great.
Jason
Thanks, Jason. And yes, I realize I look a bit silly with this post now that it’s gotten so many comments. But I really wrote it to show support for my fellow bloggers and tell them to hang in there when things get tough. Judging from all the awesome feedback on this, it looks like I got the message across! 🙂
Thanks Dangerous Biz! This is a reassuring read 🙂 And you’re right in your other post, already I’m seeing that other travel blogs are so friendly! Me and my blog team are in a slightly different position because we’re doing a blog connected to our business, but it’s still the thing we look forward to contributing to at the end of the day – a chance to be creative, and connect with others. And I’m learning so much about new fangled technology, haha!
So glad that you connected with this post! Blogging comes in all sort of different types, but most people, like you said, are still looking to get some sort of connection out of it. Good luck with everything!