Free-ish Marketing via Popular Travel Blogs

[Silverspoon]

I recently had such an offer from a free-lance writer who claimed to write for travel sites and blogs. I googled the name and came up with a famous English journalist. That seemed strange, as I can't imagine a well respected journalist requesting free lodging or ideas for articles about our area.
So I e-mailed back asking for some examples of published works so I could verify and be helpful with the kinds of recommendations of the area that suited the writer's style of travel.
Never heard back.
When a request for "comp" lodging comes from our Chamber of Commerce, a trusted, well respected source for publicity, I will occasionally honor it and give a free night to help out. But I never expect a review. Usually, a review is posted but I can't say that I have ever received a booking due to a blog review.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

To give an example of the type of articles that I'm talking about, I have to link to something I did last year, in a beautiful place in Austria:
http://www.brinzan.com/2013/05/sankt-wolfgang-im-salzkammergut-austria-april-2013-hdr/
Me and my wife stayed in that location for 1 night only, we needed a break in the "countryside". The place is awesome, beautiful scenery, so of course we both took a lot of photos.
I also took the liberty to link to the hotel that we stayed at, even though we didn't get anything for that (and did not expect anything in return either). It was a very nice hotel for which we paid in full (booked via Booking).
So I would image that an article like this might turn to be somewhat helpful for some business owners, etc.
Wanted to know how you would "value" something like it..

Make your money off of ads on your blog so you can afford to stay at these places.
No freebies for bloggers at my place either. It's just not going to reap enough rewards unless the travel blogger has a large base in my region. The last time I gave a freebie was for our coast's big magazine. They did a 2 page spread, large pictures. It was beautiful. We only got 1 or 2 bookings from it, but let me tell you a lot of weirdos came out of the woodwork calling us!

 

[user 26]

there are lots of people with travel blogs - some have HUGE followings. i don't know how many followers this particular blogger has. dumitru, it sounds like you really want to try this in spite of what others are saying. but i think it should have a disclaimer that the writer stayed for free - not sure how you'd word that.
i enjoy rick steves on pbs - traveling to places i wish i could go. i imagine he gets perks just because of the tv cameras following him around, even if he pays for the rooms. who knows.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

there are lots of people with travel blogs - some have HUGE followings. i don't know how many followers this particular blogger has. dumitru, it sounds like you really want to try this in spite of what others are saying. but i think it should have a disclaimer that the writer stayed for free - not sure how you'd word that.
i enjoy rick steves on pbs - traveling to places i wish i could go. i imagine he gets perks just because of the tv cameras following him around, even if he pays for the rooms. who knows..

there are lots of people with travel blogs - some have HUGE followings. i don't know how many followers this particular blogger has. dumitru, it sounds like you really want to try this in spite of what others are saying. but i think it should have a disclaimer that the writer stayed for free - not sure how you'd word that.
i enjoy rick steves on pbs - traveling to places i wish i could go. i imagine he gets perks just because of the tv cameras following him around, even if he pays for the rooms. who knows.

You're right SS about the disclaimer. I follow several very popular travel bloggers and they always say when they are either testing out a travel product as a request from the manufacturer or when they have used a travel service, i.e. tour company in lieu of compensation.

 

[gillumhouse]

To give an example of the type of articles that I'm talking about, I have to link to something I did last year, in a beautiful place in Austria:
http://www.brinzan.com/2013/05/sankt-wolfgang-im-salzkammergut-austria-april-2013-hdr/
Me and my wife stayed in that location for 1 night only, we needed a break in the "countryside". The place is awesome, beautiful scenery, so of course we both took a lot of photos.
I also took the liberty to link to the hotel that we stayed at, even though we didn't get anything for that (and did not expect anything in return either). It was a very nice hotel for which we paid in full (booked via Booking).
So I would image that an article like this might turn to be somewhat helpful for some business owners, etc.
Wanted to know how you would "value" something like it..

While it was nice of you to do that, who knows of your blog post? as an owner, it would not be worth free nights stay to me. Thanks for the link,but again, anyone can link to any place. Not worth a free night.
.

Well, for starters, search engines know of my blog post.
Backlinks are among the best (if not THE best) factors influencing the search rankings of a website.
For hotels and lodging properties getting backlinks is pretty difficult, as there aren't many occasions on which you would get one.
So a couple of quality backlinks from a few travel blogs can put you ahead of your competition.
I believed that in 2014 this is common knowledge...
.

Ahhh, back links. I get a LOT of 1 page hits from places I never heard of. I am not looking for link love, I am looking for heads in those freaking beds! I DID get a rez this morning from someone in the Nat Guard who said one of the guys told him about us - they will be here for their honeymoon. And the couple that was here this weekend for him to go to a seminar on the gas wells said we were listed in the materials they received as a lodging place. I did not recognize there they said, but I will take it!.

 

[Generic]

I've said it before... and I'll say it again, there is a legal requirement of disclosure.
The FTC in the US requires that bloggers disclose when they have received something for free. So if the person doesn't disclose that they received a stay to review the place they are in violation of the law and you are complicit in that fraud. If they do disclose then it's just a paid advertisement.
In other words, it's tainted, either way.

 

[dumitru]

seashanty & Jon Sable, you are both making a great point about the disclosure.
It surely is something to consider, so I got some more thinking to do. Thanks for your input, really appreciate it.

 

[April]

We get requests all the time from bloggers (everybody with the website is now a blogger!) and travel writers (mostly from obscure, never hear of newspapers) and often for the high season dates. No body is staying at my place for free - if they are reputable writers they should have a budget for travel. We do not provide free vacations.

 

[JBloggs]

Dumi there will be something here that we will all say "BINGO!" to, I promise...one day soon.

 

[egoodell]

Nope would not.

 

[dumitru]

Dumi there will be something here that we will all say "BINGO!" to, I promise...one day soon. .

That will be one glorious day, one for the books!