{"id":30793,"date":"2026-10-30T14:27:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T11:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/?p=30793"},"modified":"2026-10-30T14:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T11:35:21","slug":"tips-from-traverse-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/tips-from-traverse-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Social media for travel bloggers: tips from Traverse 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Travelpayouts crew just got back from Hamburg, where they were <s>skipping work<\/s> attending Traverse, one of our favorite travel events of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, that\u2019s not fair \u2013 our dear colleagues were actually working hard. Our partnerships manager Alexandra presented insights we\u2019ve learned by studying Travelpayouts\u2019 top 5,000 partners, and our business development manager Oleg furiously took notes at other sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this post, we\u2019ll bring the conference home to you by sharing the juiciest tidbits. There was a lot of great advice on socials, so if you\u2019re wondering how best to use Facebook, how to gain traction on TikTok, or how to turn social audiences into blog traffic, this one\u2019s for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to grow a huge Facebook community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nele created <a href=\"https:\/\/thenavigatio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Navigatio<\/a>, one of the biggest Japan travel sites around. How did she do it? Partly by building a Facebook community with nearly a million members. Now, 50% of all her traffic comes from socials.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"748\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nele-van-hout-navigatio-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30822 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nele-van-hout-navigatio-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nele-van-hout-navigatio-2-300x281.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nele-van-hout-navigatio-2-768x718.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nele-van-hout-navigatio-2-522x488.jpg 522w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nele-van-hout-navigatio-2-416x389.jpg 416w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are a few gems from her talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros of Facebook communities<br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Facebook skews older<\/strong>. Yes, that\u2019s a good thing \u2013 older travelers might be less likely to know about your blog, so these will be new contacts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You learn from your audience<\/strong>. Direct questions and discussions that arise help you keep you stay on top of hot topics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons of Facebook communities<br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>This is rented ground<\/strong>. Facebook can cap your reach or ultimately decide to shut you down.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You can\u2019t rely on Facebook alone<\/strong>. Use it to grow your newsletter \u2013 then you have an owned audience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Promote the community in other content, especially at first<\/strong>. The first 1,000\u20131,500 members are the hardest to get. (In the beginning, Nele mentioned her community in EVERY article.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Comment<\/strong>. Be as active and helpful as possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Content first, monetization later<\/strong>. Once you\u2019ve grown, you can start gently promoting links.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pin a FAQ to the top of the group<\/strong> with all your affiliate links and discount codes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>On that note \u2013 keeping links at the top of pages is a good idea on your blog, too. Our partnerships manager Alexandra gave an interesting data point in her own talk: conversion is 4x higher for links placed above the fold of the page, where readers see them immediately, than for ones lower down. Don\u2019t forget to make sure offers are easy to spot in your mobile version, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The mysterious TikTok algorithm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"686\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/speaker_1_ae292460d8a6a4d2-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30824 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/speaker_1_ae292460d8a6a4d2-2.jpg 686w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/speaker_1_ae292460d8a6a4d2-2-300x280.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/speaker_1_ae292460d8a6a4d2-2-523x488.jpg 523w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/speaker_1_ae292460d8a6a4d2-2-416x388.jpg 416w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 686px) 100vw, 686px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/laurbubble\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Laura Edwards<\/a> is a comedian and content creator with over a million followers on TikTok. In her session, she talked about how to get the most out of its algorithm.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Laura recommends captions of 150-300 characters, with the first 100 being the most important.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keywords should appear onscreen in the first couple of seconds (and many creators even hide more keywords, matching them to the background color).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aim for four hashtags: two trending, two niche.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>TikTok is heavily pushing the POV feature right now, so if you use it, you may get a boost.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">User interaction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Comment first on your videos, and use stories to boost engagement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grab attention within the first three seconds, and close your video with a CTA (follow, check out my other video, etc.).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Users typically subscribe after two to three views, so make series and follow-ups.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Location, location, location<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>TikTok is international, but location is really important for discovery.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only post in one language.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Post at peak times for your target audience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From socials to owned traffic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nick and Hannah, the couple behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saltinourhair.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Salt in Our Hair<\/a>, have been steadily reducing their reliance on Google. In 2023, 80% of their blog traffic was organic, but now, that number is only 51%, thanks mostly to their focus on socials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"746\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u-746x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30814\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7285114824139772;width:573px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u-746x1024.webp 746w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u-219x300.webp 219w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u-767x1053.webp 767w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u-1119x1536.webp 1119w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u-1492x2048.webp 1492w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u-356x488.webp 356w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u-391x536.webp 391w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/imgonline-com-ua-Mirror-hrgEYuitCM3u.webp 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alexandra catching up with Nick and Hannah (Salt in Our Hair) in Hamburg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But how do you turn distracted scrollers into loyal readers? Here\u2019s what Nick and Hannah suggest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common travel creator mistakes on Instagram<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Your posts\/reels give away too much.<\/strong> Users have no reason to go check out your blog.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Friction: the link in bio is too hard to get to<\/strong>, so users don\u2019t bother.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A user opens a link and loves your article\u2026 then closes it and leaves forever. <strong>You need a way to reach readers again.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Solutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In the reel, prove you\u2019ve got something to say. Save the best for the blog post.<\/strong> Hannah and Nick save food, budget, transport, and stays for their articles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To avoid link-in-bio friction, <strong>use Manychat for pre-designed interactions<\/strong>: \u201cReply with word X and we\u2019ll DM you a link.\u201d (But they\u2019ve still got a blog link in their bio.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As part of DM interactions, <strong>offer email goodies like destination guides<\/strong>. Nick and Hannah were able to build up a mailing list with more than 8,000 addresses this way.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hopefully you\u2019ll be able to attend the next creator event in person \u2013 but if not, we\u2019ll bring you the roundup. Good luck growing your socials!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"cta-shortcode cta-block-register --blue  \">\n    <div class=\"cta-block-register__image --right\"><\/div> \n    \n    <div class=\"cta-block-register__content\">\n        <div class=\"cta-block-register__content-wrap\">\n            <h5 class=\"cta-block-register__title tpe-title-m\">\n                Join the Travelpayouts partnership platform\n            <\/h5>\n\n            \n\n            <a class=\"cta-block-register__link tpe-btn-default tpe-btn cta-shortcode__btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/?tp_place=leadblock\" target=\"_blank\" sp-signup>\n                Join today\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <div class=\"tag --a\">\n                <span>Earn more with <em>Drive AI<\/em><\/span>\n            <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"tag --b\">\n                <span><em>600k<\/em> partners already trust us<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"tag --c\">\n                <span><em>90+<\/em> travel<br>brands<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n    \n    \n    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The hottest takes, hand-delivered. Brilliant creators, brilliant ideas, and you get them all without the flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":30794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[192,21,48],"class_list":["post-30793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advices","tag-affiliate-marketing","tag-content","tag-monetization"],"acf":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30793"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30825,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30793\/revisions\/30825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}