How small creators land free trips (or get paid to travel)
No huge following. No fancy equipment.
James here.
Most writers/creators think they need thousands…
…or millions of followers…
Before any brand or tourism board will give them free trips.
Turns out…
You don’t.
Tourism boards are actively seeking authentic storytellers.
Even tiny ones with engaged audiences.
(All engaged means is they open your emails, or like/comment on your posts.)
Getting paid to travel is all about knowing where to look.
While everyone else frantically builds their following?
Smart creators are landing sponsored trips.
The process is simple... just Google "[city/state] tourism board."
That first search result?
Likely the main website of the tourism board…
And your gateway to free or paid travel opportunities.
However…
There’s no link on these sites that says “Get paid to come here.”
You gotta do a little digging.
In the footer or dropdown menu…
Look for "Media," "Press," or "News" sections.
These sections have the keys to unlock the door to paid trips.
Direct contact information for the decision-makers.
Those decision makers…
Could be PR…
…Could be Media Relations…
…Find someone and email them.
If they’re not the right person?
Most people are nice.
They’ll direct you to the right person.
Once you find the right person?
The questions become…
What do you say to the travel board to get them to work with you?
How do you show you’ll take the assignment seriously?
And if you have a tiny audience (or no audience at all)....
What can you do for them that’ll have them excited to bring you in?
TBH
I’m learning too.
So I went and found someone who’s done this a while.
Her name is Anna and she’s been getting paid to travel for the past 6 years.
She doesn’t have a big audience.
… And never has.
Yet she still gets paid to go all over the US and the Caribbean.
Anna was kind enough to give us a recording of a class she taught where she talked about how to pitch tourism boards and get paid to travel.
I learned a lot in this short class.
I hope you do too.
In your corner,
James Foster