How to Break Into the Exciting World of Travel Writing: Insider Secrets from Sarah Gilliland | Ep. 288

• Sarah started as a mommy blogger writing about parenting struggles and found community and monetization opportunities. After 7-9 years, she realized she was chasing others' dreams (food, crafts) rather than her own passion.

My husband suggested that I focus in on one thing that I was good at... people are always asking you for travel advice because we travel a lot with our kids.

• She rebranded her blog in April 2020 during the pandemic, which gave her time to learn SEO and travel-specific content creation before launching.

• Tiffany highlights how entrepreneurs often attach their identity to their business and get stuck. Sarah shares her fear of losing traffic and followers during rebranding.

I'm so much happier. And I don't care as much if I lose people these days... Now people know when they come to me... they know what they're getting.

• Sarah emphasizes having a financial safety net (spouse's job and insurance) before making such a drastic pivot.

• Sarah stresses that no one owns their social media accounts—platforms can remove content or ban users at any time.

We should all have learned that we do not own any of our social media accounts... You really need to invest in a space on the internet that belongs to you.

• She recommends saving all social content to your own website as backup and controlling your own monetization, ads, and design.

• Travel writing is highly competitive and requires SEO knowledge. Simply traveling and taking nice photos is not enough.

It is not and you cannot be an overnight success. It just isn't how that works. You're not going to go viral.

• Tiffany references Mr. Beast, who built his platform for over 10 years before major success. Sarah advises planning for long-term effort and potential rejection from publications.

• Behind the fun photos and videos, travel writers handle hundreds of images, plan content calendars, pitch stories, and create posts while on location.

When I go to Walt Disney World, there are times when I am strictly there for work. I have gone before on a trip and not ridden a single thing because I was there to write about food.

• Sarah discusses the difficulty of separating 'travel writer Sarah' from 'mom Sarah' and the challenge of being present with family while working.

• Sarah shares her website and social handles. She notes that Google is often the easiest way to find her freelance articles across various outlets.

• Website: ontheroadwithsarah.com
• Instagram/TikTok/Pinterest/Facebook: @sarahgillilandtravels
• X/Twitter: @sarahgilliland