Learn how to pitch your travel writing and become a content creator who travels the world.
My trusty Nikon DSLR has tripped the globe with me more than once!
Once upon a time, I was a professional travel writer and editor. Having been on both sides of the pitching fence - as writer and editor - I’m frequently asked to share my wisdom to newbie or up-and-coming travel writers, but I find it hard to make the time to sit down with each of you and share what I’ve learned over the years. So here’s a little compilation of tips I hope will help you on your path.
1. Concept
My journey would start in Colombia but over time we would clock up some 15+ countries in just over 2 years. Pitching my trips by concept proved to be a successful formula. In Colombia, my angle was sustainable travel and wellness. A year later, we came up with ‘Crossing Asia’ (doubles as a hashtag), with the concept of crossing from India to Japan attempting to use no planes and no plastics. More recently, I pitched and am publishing pieces on innovative tech in Montreal, luxury adventure in Morocco, and I’m currently filing some pieces on the best vegan eats France’s southwest.
It’s simply not enough to email and editor and announce, “Hey I’m going to Colombia, feel free to pay me to write about it!” Have a solid understanding of the typical content published on the platform or in the magazine you’re pitching to, think about where you’re going, what you want to do, and what kind of original content concept you can pitch for your trip that will be original, entertaining and informative while appealing to the target audience. More about this in tip #2.
2. Know who you’re pitching to
Where do you want your work to be published? Knowing who you’re pitching to is key to crafting your pitches. If you haven’t already thought about this, now’s the time to start. Pull out a notebook and pen and start googling. I am always checking the Newsagencies in different cities and countries to see what travel magazines are selling and taking a photo on my phone of the cover and credits page – you want to know who the editor is and their email address, which you can usually find here. I’m also always checking in-flight magazines or searching online for what airlines fly a route to where I’m planning to travel. No point pitching a story on Iceland to Jetstar Asia’s in-flight magazine.
Once you have a list of magazines, online sites, and their editor’s, make sure you’ve done your research on the type of content they publish and style. Many publications have a style guide online or a downloadable PDF outlining their submission requirements. Read these before you pitch.
3. Headlines and single sentence pitches
Once you know your concept(s), come up with three to five headlines with an additional single sentence summary for each. Examples:
Coasting Through Colombia – connecting with Mother Nature and the beauty of our Planet in an underestimated land best known for narcos…oh, with two kids in two.
Finding Luxe and Adventure in Morocco – you can have the sand in your camel’s toes and your plunge pool, too.
These could be grouped by headlines per country or city destination, experience (if you are planning to stay at length in one destination, for example, you may have a few separate journeys planned), or theme, such as food, wellbeing, or luxury. Editors are busy and don’t need to know your full itinerary (unless they ask for it), but if you have something quite unique planned then do let them know. I sometimes include a few dot points under the headline and one-line pitch, for example (for Colombia):
· Yoga at an eco-refuge hostel in the Chichamocha Canyon in Santander;
· Permaculture farm in Minca, near Santa Marta;
· Trekking through Tayrona National Park;
· Surfing on the far north coast.
Download: Coasting Through Colombia, from Australian Natural Health Magazine (PDF).
With the kids in Bali, after a fun little surf session! Including pictures in your travel writing swag is key!
