How to find and evaluate good bloggers

What we will cover today

• A sea of travel bloggers but where are the good ones?

• Trust your gut: qualitative analysis• Looking at the numbers: quantitative

analysis and how blogs inflate numbers• How the Professional Travel Bloggers

Association (PTBA) can help you

Who are we

Michael Hodson@GoSeeWrite

Laurence Norah@Lozula

Laurel Robbins@Laurel_Robbins

Qualitative Analysis

• Design• Self-hosted• Niche• Age of site• Frequency of posting• Appropriate content• Photo vs. video vs. text• Informational vs. narrative• Comments and interaction with readers

Social Media

• Numbers alone are NOT the key

– What social media platforms do they use– Who are their followers– Are they contributing regularly– Are people interacting – is there conversation

or just broadcasting?

Facebook interaction

Twitter interaction

Navigating Quantitative Analytics

The Standard: Google Analytics

Before working with a blogger ask

• Statistics– Who reads them?

• Demographics now on Google Analytics

– Google Analytics only

• References of people they have worked with in the past

• Example of previous press trip posts, photos, or videos

The PTBA

The PTBA

• Formed to help develop travel blogging into Formed to help develop travel blogging into profession with a set of professional profession with a set of professional standardsstandards

• 50 bloggers and 10 industry members worked 50 bloggers and 10 industry members worked for 12 months to develop structurefor 12 months to develop structure

• Almost 275 international blogging members Almost 275 international blogging members right now and growingright now and growing

• Located at Located at travelbloggersassociation.comtravelbloggersassociation.com

Customized search

• Search by location, language and nearly 40 niches

• Industry standard statistics for site evaluation• Metrics for all social media platforms• RSS subscribers and newsletter subscribers• Outside evaluation included (Klout,

PeerIndex, Kred)• Unlimited number of searches, using any and

all criteria you want

Search Engine

Blogger Profiles

Questions

Big Announcement

Thank you

Michael Hodsonmichaelshodson@yahoo.com

Laurence Norah laurence@findingtheuniverse.com

Laurel Robbinsinfo@monkeysandmountains.com

For PTBA inquiriescontact@travelbloggersassociation.com