You are viewing an old revision of this post, from 25 November, 2011 @ 12:15. See below for differences between this version and the current revision.
While Gary Arndt is off running around the world, I’m making sure things run smoothly. A significant portion of my job is working with tourism boards and other Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) to ensure he has what he needs.
It is rare that a week goes by that I don’t see a travel blogger group on a press trip hanging out on Twitter. Identifiable by their catchy hashtags, these groups are usually arranged by a PR group or a tourist board. They choose the bloggers they approach, the itinerary they will offer, and the dates of the trip. While there are great benefits to these trips, they don’t always fit a blogger’s needs. If you have a destination you want to visit it may be time to pitch a private press trip. Pitching to a DMO can be intimidating, but if you follow my tips it doesn’t have to be.
Decide on Trip Specifics
Decide on where you want to go and when you want to do it. Know how many nights you need at the destination, any transportation needs and whether you’ll need a guide. Having a theme in mind for the trip and subsequent coverage is a good idea. For example, a theme like “Christmas in Venice” or “Coastal Walks in Wales” can help you and the DMO plan your trip activities. It is important to note that DMOs are not known to be particularly fast acting. Begin this process months in advance of your desired trip date for the greatest chance of success. Also with long trips remember to plan sufficient time into your schedule to write and to do mundane, but important, tasks like laundry.
Find a DMO Contact
Once you know your destination, work to find a contact at an appropriate DMO. I try to contact the country’s tourism board or PR firm first. If they accept my pitch it usually means less work for me, especially if my trip will span several cities or regions. They usually have the largest amount of hotel and tour partners at their disposal as well. City and regional tourism boards can be equally as helpful, but working with each separately on a countrywide trip can be a chore. Hotels and resorts can also sponsor press trips, but their resources and scope are usually very limited and are not usually your best bet for first contact.
Having a person to email and address is always preferable to a blind message to a shared inbox. If a person isn’t named on a destination’s website as a press contact, reach out to others in the travel blogger community to see if they know someone. Also, keep all the business cards you receive at conventions. I have compiled an extensive database of contacts sorted by country and find this to be an invaluable resource to press trip planning.
Send an Email Pitch
Outline your trip specifics and spell out exactly what you ideally want the DMO to provide. Put down everything you identified earlier (hotels, tours, rental car, train tickets). If you need plane tickets to the destination, include that request. Some destinations are able to provide them, others cannot. You will not know until you ask, but do not be surprised if they say air travel isn’t covered.
While the trip details are necessary, above all a DMO wants to know how they will benefit from your visit. They need to be able to justify the expense to themselves and their partners. The more specific and concrete you can be in your pitch email, the better. Not all travel blogs equal, and they know it. A simple “I’ll blog about it!” will not cut it.
Name Your Audience
You should include your average monthly blog visitors on your pitch. This is something that corresponds very closely to the average circulation numbers of a traditional media magazine and is something they will want to know. But this might not tell the whole story of your blog. If your blog reaches a specific desirable demographic or you have a community of fans that engages with you on Facebook or Twitter, include this information.
Describe Their Coverage
Tell them what coverage you plan to give them. While you don’t have to have a concrete title, the specifics of your visit and your chosen theme will probably give you a good idea of the articles you will write. If you plan on submitting freelance articles to other websites or publications about your press visit, let them know. Don’t over promise what you can deliver, but it is essential to give them an idea of what they can expect.
Give a Timeframe of Coverage
It’s a good idea to give a date you expect to publish your article by. Make sure it is timely and fits with your theme. It’s not very attractive to pitch a Christmas themed article you don’t plan to publish till June of 2013.
What’s Next?
Each DMO handles the next stages differently. They may require a form to be filled out containing the same information you just emailed them, or they may begin discussing possible activities that fit your theme.
Other DMOs won’t get back to you at all. But be persistent! This is one of the reasons you start this process early. There was one press trip where I began with a contact at the country tourism board. Even after I followed up several times, I received no response. I then moved on to regional and city tourism boards. After following up with them and working with everyone separate I was able to put together a comprehensive press trip throughout a country. But it took a lot of work, lots of time spent with a map and many, many emails.
Do you have any tips for approaching DMOs?
Image: Zanalee
Post Revisions:
- 25 November, 2011 @ 12:18 [Current Revision] by Amy Moore
- 25 November, 2011 @ 12:15 by Alastair McKenzie
- 25 November, 2011 @ 12:07 by Alastair McKenzie
- 25 November, 2011 @ 11:07 by Alastair McKenzie
- 25 November, 2011 @ 11:07 by Alastair McKenzie
Changes:
| 25 November, 2011 @ 12:15 | Current Revision | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Content | |||
| - | [kicker]Most people in the travel blogging don't know me, but you probably know the blog I work for, <a href="http:// Everything-Everywhere.com" >Everything-Everywhere.com< /a>.[/kicker] | + | [kicker]Most people in the travel blogging community don't know me, but you probably know the blog I work for, <a href="http:// Everything-Everywhere.com" >Everything-Everywhere.com< /a>.[/kicker] |
| [dropcap]W[/dropcap]hile Gary Arndt is off running around the world, I'm making sure things run smoothly. A significant portion of my job is working with tourism boards and other Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) to ensure he has what he needs. | [dropcap]W[/dropcap]hile Gary Arndt is off running around the world, I'm making sure things run smoothly. A significant portion of my job is working with tourism boards and other Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) to ensure he has what he needs. | ||
| It is rare that a week goes by that I don't see a travel blogger group on a press trip hanging out on Twitter. Identifiable by their catchy hashtags, these groups are usually arranged by a PR group or a tourist board. They choose the bloggers they approach, the itinerary they will offer, and the dates of the trip. While there are great benefits to these trips, they don't always fit a blogger's needs. If you have a destination you want to visit it may be time to pitch a private press trip. Pitching to a DMO can be intimidating, but if you follow my tips it doesn't have to be. | It is rare that a week goes by that I don't see a travel blogger group on a press trip hanging out on Twitter. Identifiable by their catchy hashtags, these groups are usually arranged by a PR group or a tourist board. They choose the bloggers they approach, the itinerary they will offer, and the dates of the trip. While there are great benefits to these trips, they don't always fit a blogger's needs. If you have a destination you want to visit it may be time to pitch a private press trip. Pitching to a DMO can be intimidating, but if you follow my tips it doesn't have to be. | ||
| <h2>Decide on Trip Specifics</h2> | <h2>Decide on Trip Specifics</h2> | ||
| Decide on where you want to go and when you want to do it. Know how many nights you need at the destination, any transportation needs and whether you'll need a guide. Having a theme in mind for the trip and subsequent coverage is a good idea. For example, a theme like "Christmas in Venice" or "Coastal Walks in Wales" can help you and the DMO plan your trip activities. It is important to note that DMOs are not known to be particularly fast acting. Begin this process months in advance of your desired trip date for the greatest chance of success. Also with long trips remember to plan sufficient time into your schedule to write and to do mundane, but important, tasks like laundry. | Decide on where you want to go and when you want to do it. Know how many nights you need at the destination, any transportation needs and whether you'll need a guide. Having a theme in mind for the trip and subsequent coverage is a good idea. For example, a theme like "Christmas in Venice" or "Coastal Walks in Wales" can help you and the DMO plan your trip activities. It is important to note that DMOs are not known to be particularly fast acting. Begin this process months in advance of your desired trip date for the greatest chance of success. Also with long trips remember to plan sufficient time into your schedule to write and to do mundane, but important, tasks like laundry. | ||
| <h2>Find a DMO Contact</h2> | <h2>Find a DMO Contact</h2> | ||
| Once you know your destination, work to find a contact at an appropriate DMO. I try to contact the country's tourism board or PR firm first. If they accept my pitch it usually means less work for me, especially if my trip will span several cities or regions. They usually have the largest amount of hotel and tour partners at their disposal as well. City and regional tourism boards can be equally as helpful, but working with each separately on a countrywide trip can be a chore. Hotels and resorts can also sponsor press trips, but their resources and scope are usually very limited and are not usually your best bet for first contact. | Once you know your destination, work to find a contact at an appropriate DMO. I try to contact the country's tourism board or PR firm first. If they accept my pitch it usually means less work for me, especially if my trip will span several cities or regions. They usually have the largest amount of hotel and tour partners at their disposal as well. City and regional tourism boards can be equally as helpful, but working with each separately on a countrywide trip can be a chore. Hotels and resorts can also sponsor press trips, but their resources and scope are usually very limited and are not usually your best bet for first contact. | ||
| Having a person to email and address is always preferable to a blind message to a shared inbox. If a person isn't named on a destination's website as a press contact, reach out to others in the travel blogger community to see if they know someone. Also, keep all the business cards you receive at conventions. I have compiled an extensive database of contacts sorted by country and find this to be an invaluable resource to press trip planning. | Having a person to email and address is always preferable to a blind message to a shared inbox. If a person isn't named on a destination's website as a press contact, reach out to others in the travel blogger community to see if they know someone. Also, keep all the business cards you receive at conventions. I have compiled an extensive database of contacts sorted by country and find this to be an invaluable resource to press trip planning. | ||
| <h2>Send an Email Pitch</h2> | <h2>Send an Email Pitch</h2> | ||
| Outline your trip specifics and spell out exactly what you ideally want the DMO to provide. Put down everything you identified earlier (hotels, tours, rental car, train tickets). If you need plane tickets to the destination, include that request. Some destinations are able to provide them, others cannot. You will not know until you ask, but do not be surprised if they say air travel isn't covered. | Outline your trip specifics and spell out exactly what you ideally want the DMO to provide. Put down everything you identified earlier (hotels, tours, rental car, train tickets). If you need plane tickets to the destination, include that request. Some destinations are able to provide them, others cannot. You will not know until you ask, but do not be surprised if they say air travel isn't covered. | ||
| While the trip details are necessary, above all a DMO wants to know how they will benefit from your visit. They need to be able to justify the expense to themselves and their partners. The more specific and concrete you can be in your pitch email, the better. Not all travel blogs equal, and they know it. A simple "I'll blog about it!" will not cut it. | While the trip details are necessary, above all a DMO wants to know how they will benefit from your visit. They need to be able to justify the expense to themselves and their partners. The more specific and concrete you can be in your pitch email, the better. Not all travel blogs equal, and they know it. A simple "I'll blog about it!" will not cut it. | ||
| <h2>Name Your Audience</h2> | <h2>Name Your Audience</h2> | ||
| You should include your average monthly blog visitors on your pitch. This is something that corresponds very closely to the average circulation numbers of a traditional media magazine and is something they will want to know. But this might not tell the whole story of your blog. If your blog reaches a specific desirable demographic or you have a community of fans that engages with you on Facebook or Twitter, include this information. | You should include your average monthly blog visitors on your pitch. This is something that corresponds very closely to the average circulation numbers of a traditional media magazine and is something they will want to know. But this might not tell the whole story of your blog. If your blog reaches a specific desirable demographic or you have a community of fans that engages with you on Facebook or Twitter, include this information. | ||
| <h2>Describe Their Coverage</h2> | <h2>Describe Their Coverage</h2> | ||
| Tell them what coverage you plan to give them. While you don't have to have a concrete title, the specifics of your visit and your chosen theme will probably give you a good idea of the articles you will write. If you plan on submitting freelance articles to other websites or publications about your press visit, let them know. Don't over promise what you can deliver, but it is essential to give them an idea of what they can expect. | Tell them what coverage you plan to give them. While you don't have to have a concrete title, the specifics of your visit and your chosen theme will probably give you a good idea of the articles you will write. If you plan on submitting freelance articles to other websites or publications about your press visit, let them know. Don't over promise what you can deliver, but it is essential to give them an idea of what they can expect. | ||
| <h2>Give a Timeframe of Coverage</h2> | <h2>Give a Timeframe of Coverage</h2> | ||
| It's a good idea to give a date you expect to publish your article by. Make sure it is timely and fits with your theme. It's not very attractive to pitch a Christmas themed article you don't plan to publish till June of 2013. | It's a good idea to give a date you expect to publish your article by. Make sure it is timely and fits with your theme. It's not very attractive to pitch a Christmas themed article you don't plan to publish till June of 2013. | ||
| <h2>What's Next?</h2> | <h2>What's Next?</h2> | ||
| Each DMO handles the next stages differently. They may require a form to be filled out containing the same information you just emailed them, or they may begin discussing possible activities that fit your theme. | Each DMO handles the next stages differently. They may require a form to be filled out containing the same information you just emailed them, or they may begin discussing possible activities that fit your theme. | ||
| Other DMOs won't get back to you at all. But be persistent! This is one of the reasons you start this process early. There was one press trip where I began with a contact at the country tourism board. Even after I followed up several times, I received no response. I then moved on to regional and city tourism boards. After following up with them and working with everyone separate I was able to put together a comprehensive press trip throughout a country. But it took a lot of work, lots of time spent with a map and many, many emails. | Other DMOs won't get back to you at all. But be persistent! This is one of the reasons you start this process early. There was one press trip where I began with a contact at the country tourism board. Even after I followed up several times, I received no response. I then moved on to regional and city tourism boards. After following up with them and working with everyone separate I was able to put together a comprehensive press trip throughout a country. But it took a lot of work, lots of time spent with a map and many, many emails. | ||
| <strong>Do you have any tips for approaching DMOs?</strong> | <strong>Do you have any tips for approaching DMOs?</strong> | ||
| Image: <a href="http:// www.flickr.com/ photos/zizzles/ ">Zanalee</a> | Image: <a href="http:// www.flickr.com/ photos/zizzles/ ">Zanalee</a> | ||
Note: Spaces may be added to comparison text to allow better line wrapping.
Hi Amy
Nice post. Virtually all these points apply to people trying to get help for freelance old school print media commissions too.
Ultimately these things often boil down to budget.
Pitch earlier in the year… most DMOs work Jan to Dec so there will be less cash in the pot to support individual trips in Nov than in Feb,
Jeremy
Thank you for sharing these valuable tips!
This is something I’ve been wondering about lately. Now, I feel like I have a starting point to begin approaching these organizations.
Better get to work!
Thanks for the tips! I’ve recently submitted a pitch and am ready to do a follow-up, hopefully this will help me seal the deal
Amy, you’ve done a great job of covering the major points.
Another thing that a site owner can do, in terms of building credibility with PR people and advertisers, is to have an “Audience” page with a Google Analytics screen shot and, for U.S. publishers or bloggers, a Quantcast “U.S. Demographics” widget. (With the latter, you just paste a script into your page code, and the page automatically displays a Quantcast U.S. Demographics table. This table is updated each month, and it displays data on how the site compares to the Internet baseline for various age groups, income levels, education, etc. To see the table for your site and get the code, go to http://quantcast.com and enter your domain in the search box.)
Wow, that’s a great tip, Durant
Hi Amy -
Great summary! As a travel PR representative, it may be helpful to know that we receive a very high volume of requests for all types of media – online, print and broadcast – which means we often need to prioritize which press trips we can and should support. As you’ve noted, the more information (and time) we have to be able to evaluate, respond, and plan for media visits, the more likely we’ll be able to assist.
With all due respect to the myriad of other wonderful posts you’ve published – this is one of the best articles T5 has featured, certainly one of the most helpful. I love seeing the comments coming in that only add more to the discussion as well. Thank you Amy for your insight and helpful tips!
This is one of the most useful articles I have seen. This is exactly what I want to see on T5 and I think it will help a lot of bloggers getting into the game.
These suggestions are terrific. I was planning on starting to pitch my travel blog for press trips in 2012, and these are exactly the kind of concrete tips I appreciate when searching for information. Thanks for the great article!
Excellent ideas – although many bloggers are getting invited on blog trips these days and it works well for many, there are others, and I am one, who prefer to organise individual trips where possible. I’ve made a lot of good PR contacts from blogging conferences & World Travel Market and it’s always worth checking up on the client lists on all those folk who send you random press releases.
As everyone else has mentioned, this is a great post with useful takeaways!
I’ve worked with DMO’s but only as a client/meeting planner – it never actually dawned on me that they could be a great source for pitches, as well! Does it make any difference as to the size of the DMO’s that you pitch to in order to get a positive response?
Thanks to everyone for their kind words. I am glad you find the article helpful.
jenjenk – Every DMO is different. The worst responses (or total lack of responses) I have encountered are with some of the larger DMOs. I guess you can equate it with visiting a big skyscraper hotel in a downtown vs a B&B in the country. One is more likely than the other to work with you and craft your experience. But, like Jeremy Head mentioned, they are more likely to run out of money near the end of the year.
I’d guess that a lot of the bigger DMOs don’t feel a compelling need to work with bloggers (or with the traditional press, for that matter). Their destinations already get plenty of attention, and the press can’t afford to ignore them.
In such cases, it might be better to concentrate on vendors or smaller organizations at the destination. For example, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a public announcement of a press trip to Paris (though there may be some), but I’ve often seen postings in the International Travel Writers Alliance newsletter from upscale hotels in Paris that have welcomed travel writers with assignments. Similarly, if the New York CVB doesn’t respond to an inquiry, the Brooklyn CVB might.
And, of course, there are times when it’s simpler and easier to just pay your own way. Whether that’s a practical alternative to soliciting freebies depends on your budget and anticpated ROI. (It’s an approach that may work best for destination specialists who know that a visit to Widgetberg or Whatsitville will yield incremental traffic and revenues for an existing Widgetberg or Whatsitville site.)
I’ve got what is, potentially, a “how long is a piece of string” question. But in terms of pure numbers, what kind of stats do you think you need before a DMO takes you seriously? It seems that having a lot of monthly pageviews is not as important if you can prove you have a target audience they’re after. But surely there’s still a level most DMOs would expect you to be at…?
Tough question. You know I’m going to say “It totally depends!”, right? :) There are many parameters we could sit and discuss, but I think the two biggest are going to be who you are asking and how much you are asking for.
One thing I’d highly consider doing if you are looking for press trips but your blog doesn’t have impressive numbers would be finding one or more freelance outlets that you can write for regularly. Having their site stats to fall back on when you are building your own blog content and traffic can be helpful. If you can’t convincingly answer “What’s in it for the destination?” your chances of success will be much less and you might be better off with Durant’s advice of paying your own way.
I pitched to 6 city tourist boards this month for travel in December and 5 of them agreed to host me and provide city passes/tours (the other offered a city pass and personal guide). I didn’t provide my traffic stats (only Twitter and Facebook) and none of them asked for those stats. If you want to go somewhere, just tell them what you can offer and what you would like in return. It can’t hurt to ask.
Another thing to think about is why you want the press trip or comp. Is the trip a means to an end, or is the trip the end goal? Let’s face it: Writing a handful of blog posts and tweets is a small price to pay for a week in Europe, Thailand, or the Caribbean, and travel writers who are “in it for the lifestyle” have been around since the days of Linotype machines.
As trips and comps for bloggers become more common, PR people are likely to develop higher expectations–not just in terms of a blogger’s credentials, but also about whether the blogger is a “producer.” That’s why it’s important not to overpromise, and not to request trips or comps that aren’t likely to result in measurable value for the DMO or travel vendor.
This is such a wonderful post. Lately I have been taking lots of press trips and I am finding my blog has a bigger travel component to it all the time. It is in my plan to pitch more and more DMOs. Very helpful info!
Amy:
Great post, lean, mean & straight to the point. Gary is lucky to have you in his employ, allowing him the freedom to travel & generate great content. Nice work, the both of you!
JSC @CravenTravels
Great post and Gary is a very lucky guy. My question is: do you do that only for Gary? Or do you represent other bloggers too? Just curious :)
I have been pitching the DMO’s for the past few months and I have been very fortunate to get some great responses, due to a lot of interest in the Brazilian market. But in my case, so far, I have been pitching to places where I was already planning to travel and in most cases, I am paying the costs for transportation. Thanks for the insight about the budget.
Hi, Claudia. Thank you for the kind words! As of right now I work strictly for Gary. But a spirited post on the FB group Global Bloggers Network has me considering branching out and working with other bloggers.
Air travel is the hardest thing to convince a DMO you warrant in a press trip. There are some countries that don’t cover it period, or won’t cover it for bloggers. Other countries will reimburse you a percentage of ticket cost. That’s why we often work to stretch his travel. If he’ll be somewhere for a conference and paying for a plane ticket anyway, I’ll work on press trips in neighboring countries.
Thank you for a post that speaks directly to some questions I have about how to link my blog to my greater mission of teacher education and volunteerism. I still have a lot to learn, but this post helps me focus on what exactly those things are.
I’m trying to expand tourism to Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia through teacher exchange/ outreach. Do you know of any non-profits that might support such an effort? Or whom to ask?
Thanks again!
“Air travel is the hardest thing to convince a DMO you warrant in a press trip. There are some countries that don’t cover it period, or won’t cover it for bloggers.”
I’ve been doing press trips for about 10 years, and during that time, airlines have become less generous with free flights and upgrades–not just for individuals, but also for DMOs. National tourist offices that used to get free business-class flights from their countries’ airlines frequently have barter or other quid pro quo arrangements with the airlines these days. And sometimes, they need to pay cash like anyone else.
Also, a growing number of DMOs–including some government-owned tourist offices–are operated like businesses these days, which means they’re more acccountable for their expenditures and are looking harder at the bottom line than they did in previous decades. (I traveled with a man from a European NTO a few years ago who kept referring to the “company,” even he was a government employee.)
This is a really interesting article. As a Destination Marketer, it’s nice to see things from the other side of the fence. Durant Imboden’s tip on developing an ‘Audience’ page with Google Analytics stats is also worth bearing in mind – I’d find it really professional to see something this detailed and it would definitely make me more keen to contact the blogger.
Emailing is the best way that I’d like to receive a pitch, but generally I’m looking for people to link up with rather than them chasing me. I would love it if more people would have the guts to pitch! If I’ve got a destination where bloggers haven’t really tapped the potential (it’s popular with tourists but nobody bothers to document their experiences) then I’ll be really keen to explore blogger trips, but also great content examples. Don’t be afraid to offer to be a guest blogger as well, as this is a great way to build up a relationship with Destination Marketers and get your blog heard by a wider audience. We don’t bite, and we love travel as much as you do!
Thanks, Polly! Great insight from”the other side”. Would love to get connected with you if you want to drop me an email at amy (at) everything-everywhere.com
Hi Amy,
I started a thread on Global Bloggers Network about developing a media kit — I just created a two-page PDF all about my site: mandate, demographics, metrics on one side; and advertising and sponsorship details, ideas and opportunities on the other. We’ve had a great discussion about it and many people feel it’s a handy tool, something you can easily email to PR and DMO people.
I’ve had several people say that emailing attachments in a “cold” email is not desirable as they don’t want their email disregarded due to virus fears. That is why I didn’t specifically advise for a pdf in this post. However, I’m with you all the way. My pdf is one page and was designed specifically for DMOS and then I make the individualized destination pitch within the body of my email.
I just finished a round of email pitches to a ton of DMOs, and I’m finding that the hardest obstacle is not that they aren’t willing to work with bloggers (they are) but finding the right contact info. I’ve had to make a lot of cold pitches because it isn’t always clear who I need to get in touch with, so it can be really frustrating at times. That’s why I’m finding value in attending conferences where I can meet DMO representatives face to face. :-)
Amy, I agree that it may not be a good idea to e-mail a PDF file, for two reasons:
1) Recipients may be leery of attachments, or…
2) Recipients who are traveling or using mobile devices may not want to be forced into downloading large files.
Fortunately, there’s an easy alternative: Give an “elevator pitch” in your e-mail and include a link to a more detailed PDF document (either a general backgrounder or a personalized proposal) on your Web site. (Tip: If you don’t want the document to turn up in search engines, put it in a private or “nosearch” directory that you’ve blocked from crawlers with your site’s robots.txt file.)