Travel content creation is a competitive game these days. Don’t get me wrong – there’s still plenty of opportunity out there, but you do need to work extra hard to make your travel content stand out from the crowd. Read on for my seven top tips on how to set yourself apart on Instagram.

1) Pick a Niche

It’s important not to be too general – especially when you’re first starting out. Don’t be scared of getting specific!

Lots of beginners worry that by being too specific they will box themselves in and slow their growth, but the opposite is true. Picking a distinct niche is what will help you build an engaged audience. If you try to speak to everyone, you won’t be heard by anyone.

Niching your content doesn’t mean that you won’t gain followers outside of this niche. 

For me, focusing on luxury travel for the modern female jetsetter is what really helped my content stand out. I have plenty of luxury travel aficionados in my audience who seek to learn from me, but I also have followers who are just there because they appreciate my content.

Being an influencer is about having an engaged audience. Plenty of micro influencers with less than 10,000 followers still receive sponsorships and brand collabs because they have such an engaged audience who trust them and take their recommendations. The more engaged your audience is, the more influence you have and that’s what brands want. 

Moral of the story: pick a niche!

2) Experiment

Get creative with your content! At this point, the same old photo has been posted to Instagram 10,000 times so you should always be looking for ways to make your content unique.

I definitely like to create some more experimental photos from time to time – I especially love this photo of multiple Isabellas at Pullman Maldives.

Don’t be afraid to change it up and try out new things. That’s what growth is all about, so have fun with it! 

3) Get Personal on Stories

The grid is where you share beautiful, curated content but your stories should give more of an insight into who you are as a person. Talk to your audience and make them feel part of your journey. 

I’m not saying you need to share your deepest, darkest secrets but do give your followers an insight into your daily life, personal quirks and the more realistic side of your travels. You probably wouldn’t share a jetlagged photo of yourself to your grid, but showing up after 20 hours of travel on your stories will certainly make you more relatable to your audience. 

Check out this article for the best apps to create engaging Instagram stories.

4) Geotag 

Instagram removed location and hashtag stories in late 2020, but your audience still want to know where you are! More than anything, geotagging your stories will save you from having to reply to thousands of DMs asking you about the name of a certain restaurant, landmark or cultural site! 

Geotagging your grid photos will still help you to reach new audiences, too. This is how I find new influencers to follow and how I gain new followers myself. When planning a trip or trying to get a feel for a place, one of the first things I do is check out the Instagram posts under the geotag. 

5) Get the Right Photography Equipment

I’ve said before that using a good quality smartphone camera is sufficient when you first start out. I love the camera on my iPhone 12 Pro Max. It creates beautiful stories and great videos! But if you are serious about becoming a full-time content creator, I would recommend getting some proper photography equipment as soon as you’re able to.

As I said before, Instagram is becoming an increasingly competitive place for travel influencers and a good quality DSLR camera and lens can help you to create the stunning visual content you need to stand out.

Here are some of my photography favourites for beginners. For more recommendations, read my full guide here! 

6) Create Video Content

Instagram used to be all about photo content, but no longer. There has been a definite shift towards video thanks to the emergence of TikTok. Reels have become the holy grail for increasing engagement on Instagram. How long this will continue is anyone’s guess but if you want to grow your following as a travel content creator, I highly recommend creating some fun Reels to keep your audience hooked.

Read my full guide to Instagram Reels here.

7) Network 

Collaborations with fellow influencers uplevel your content, help you reach new audiences and push both of you to be better. What could be more inspiring than combining creative forces with a fellow travel expert?

This is one of the main reasons I created my Maldives group trip. I have taken part in many group tours before, and the best part was always the opportunity to network with fellow creators. However, the tours fell short in other ways – I didn’t always come away with the skills or content that I wanted, or I spent too much time working and didn’t get to enjoy the destination.

My Maldives luxury wellness content creation group tour is the trip I wish I had had when I first started out. One of my main objectives for this tour is to give you the chance to meet, bond and collaborate with fellow creators to produce something really amazing that will help you grow your brand.

Click here to find out more and reserve your spot!

For more on Instagram, check out my 7 secrets for a beautifully cohesive feed or the lowdown on the new guides feature.