The Professional Bloggers Sponsorship Guide, a talk at TBU Rotterdam travel bloggers conference, delivered by Kate McCulley of Adventurous Kate. http://www.adventurouskate.com/

1. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
The Professional Blogger’s
SPONSORSHIP
GUIDE
Custom press trips,
comps, and evaluating
your worth
Kate McCulley
@adventurouskate
Travel Bloggers Unite
#TBUPOR
May 18, 2013

2. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
In the past, simply getting a free trip was seen as the pinnacle of success.
That’s not the case anymore.
Income streams are disappearing.
Text links have dried up.
Established bloggers are feeling the pressure and quitting.
Others are creating unique projects.
Are unpaid trips worth your time? Think about it.

3. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Self-Organized Custom
TripsA well-planned custom trip reinforces your personal
brand.
You can build in unique aspects to your trip that no
one else will have.
You won’t be held to a DMO’s wishes or budget
constraints.
You can build in much-needed downtime and work
time.
Taking on a project like this enhances your credibility.
You get to pick the destination!

4. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
VALUE YOURSELF

5. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
VALUE YOURSELF
Do not get into the mindset that vendors are doing you a
favor. YOU are the one doing THEM a favor.
Do not let vendors talk you into overcompensating them.
Do not make it easy for vendors to offer you less -- pitch for
complimentary products only, not discounts.
Do not worry that your site isn’t good enough. Provide your
vendor with an accurate media kit and let them make their
own decision.
DO NOT BELIEVE FOR ONE SECOND THAT YOU
ARE GETTING SOMETHING FOR FREE. You are
working for it.

6. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
THINK THEMATICALLY
Go beyond your niche.

7. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
theme (n): a unifying or
dominant idea, motif, etc., as in
a work of art.

8. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Themes That WorkBacon is Magic -- A lifelong love affair with pork
products.
Man vs. Clock -- Self-improvement through personal
challenges.
Neverending Footsteps -- Stepping out of an
extremely narrow comfort zone.
Stop Having a Boring Life -- The go-to golf and fishing
guy.
Vagabond3 -- A taco in every town, a theme in every
country.
Travels of Adam -- The hippest hipster on each

9. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Literal themes: Is there any activity that you have done
in several countries?
Personality-driven themes: Do you find yourself in
similar situations again and again? How do you act?
Life themes: Do you have an interesting background
that you haven’t brought into your blog yet?
What are your most popular posts? Can you repeat
the magic?
Find a thread. Connect it. The possibilities are
endless.
What are your themes?

10. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Getting Started
Media Kit -- you need this!
Sketch out your complete trip -- everything from
activities to lodging to transportation to food. Include
your ideas for vendors.
Create a social media plan and choose a hashtag.
Build a page for your trip on your site. Refer all
vendors to it.
Start pitching!

11. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Types of Companies to
Pitch
City Pass
Competitive Activities
Tours, Excursions and Activities
Restaurants
Lodging
Transportation

12. City Pass
EASY
City passes provide high
value for a blogger: a
variety of sights, plus
transportation.
In most cases, city
passes cost DMOs
nothing. (There are
exceptions.)

13. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Competitive
Activities
EASY
If a destination is home to a
signature activity with many
providers, vendors will most
likely be eager to increase their
profile.
Steep competition is your
opportunity.

14. Activities and Excursions
EASY
Could be almost
anything: outdoor
excursions, cooking
classes, extreme sports,
tours of all kinds.
Most of the time, it costs
vendors little to nothing
to bring an extra person
or two along.

15. Restaurants
MORE DIFFICULT.
Pitch with a firm angle --
“I would like to try the
restaurant” isn’t enough.
Go for tasting menus,
unusual or famous
dishes, themes that fit
with your earlier work.

16. Lodging
MORE DIFFICULT.
Pitch with a firm angle --
a hotel with a story.
Much easier: working
with a lodging provider
like HostelWorld,
Wimdu, Roomorama,
etc.

17. Transportation
EASE VARIES WIDELY.
Train: popular in
developed countries.
Public transit: look into
city pass.
Car rental: difficult but
not impossible.
Airfare: nearly
impossible.

18. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Before You Pitch, Think:
Do I actually want to do this activity?
Do I actually want to write about this activity?
Will getting this activity comped save me a lot of
money?
Will my readers want to read about this activity?
If not, can I make this into an entertaining post?

19. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Do Not Use This Crap Pitch
Hello,
I want to take surfing lessons with Welsh Waves but it’s too
expensive for me. But if you could give me a free or
discounted lesson, I could write a post about it on my travel
blog, AmazingWorldTravels.com. I know it’s a lot to ask, but
I would appreciate anything you could do.
Amanda White

20. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
DO Use This Awesome
PitchGreetings, Welsh Waves --
I am interested in featuring your surfing lessons on an upcoming media trip. My name is Amanda White and I am the
publisher of Amazing World Travels (www.amazingworldtravels.com). I am currently planning the Great Welsh Outdoors
Media Trip (www.amazingworldtravels.com/great-welsh-outdoors), in which I feature the best outdoor activities in Wales,
and I would love to add surfing with Welsh Waves to my itinerary.
I would like to join one of your three-hour surf classes for beginners on Wednesday, September 26, or Thursday,
September 27. My research tells me that of all the surfing companies in Pembrokeshire, Welsh Waves provides some of
the most in-depth instruction for beginners, which would be valuable to my readers.
In exchange for a complimentary class, I will provide a full post detailing the experience on Amazing World Travels, as well
as mentions of Welsh Waves in pre-trip and wrap-up Great Welsh Outdoors posts and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
and Pinterest. The review will be featured prominently on the site, which receives10,000 unique visitors each month. For
more details, please see my media kit (www.amazingworldtravels.com/media-kit).
Please let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Amanda White
AmazingWorldTravels.com

21. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Send a thank you email to vendors within 24 hours of
your activity. Say when the post will be going live.
When writing the post, BE HONEST and fair. Disclose
that your trip was complimentary.
After the post goes live, wait until it has a few
comments on it before sending it to the vendor.
Once all the posts are up, build a case study. Include
social media and site statistics, photos, and feedback
from readers.
Posting and Follow-Up

22. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
CASE STUDIES
Great Trips from the Past Six Months

23. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Young Adventuress in
Turkey
Liz Carlson -- Young Adventuress
Liz Carlson -- Young Adventuress
Theme: Solo Female Travel in Turkey
Location: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale
Freebies: Accommodation, including a cave hotel; hot
air balloon ride; abseiling; Turkish food tour; more
tours and activities
Why It Worked: It was a very relatable trip: short,
taking in Turkey’s most visited regions. The average
traveler could easily replicate it.

24. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
A Texan in Lapland
Kristin Repsher -- Boots and a
Backpack
Kristin Repsher -- Boots and a
BackpackTheme: Winter Adventure Travel in Lapland
Location: Far northern Norway, Sweden and Finland
Freebies: Unique accommodation including an igloo
and a snow castle, dogsledding, ice floating, ice
carting, many cultural activities.
Why It Worked: No stone was left unturned. This was
an in-depth guide to all the regions of Lapland during
the winter and took in a wide variety of experiences.

25. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Ice Run
Nellie Huang and Alberto Molero -- Wild
Junket
Nellie Huang and Alberto Molero -- Wild
Junket
Theme: Traveling Europe’s coldest regions by train in
the winter.
Location: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark,
Germany, Switzerland
Freebies: Eurail pass, unique accommodation
including a UFO hotel, Northern Lights viewing,
dogsledding, Glacier Express train, several more tours
and activities.
Why It Worked: Great, short name (perfect for
tweeting!) and a theme that was clear yet all-
encompassing.

26. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
Further Income Streams
Sponsorship: find a corporate sponsor to mention
throughout the trip.
Publishing: standalone ebook, guide to destination or
theme, something else?
Advertising deals with companies featured as vendors.
Consulting with DMOs: use this trip to parlay into
future trips for pay.
Leading tours through the destination featured in the
trip.

27. Kate McCulley | @adventurouskate
BE SMART.
Do things that make the rest of us look good.

28. Thanks for Coming!
Any questions?
Come see me. I’ll be around.
Or find me online:
adventurouskate.com
@adventurouskate
kate@adventurouskate.com