Before reading this article, please read “How to Write a Travel Writer?” read my post.
Now we are at the hardest part of the job. It is almost impossible to travel in Turkey in this way and to meet the travel expenses through a sponsor.. This difficulty cannot be overcome because people’s thoughts are generally in the “ohh man, how nice he is traveling, we send him money” mode.. But of course, if you are good at your job and the main theme of your trips is good, you are likely to find sponsors in the long run.. Yes, but first, you should have a minimum of 75,000 real followers on your social media accounts and a minimum of 600-750 daily unique visitors on your website.. It should be; Let the sponsor company know that there is a return for its support.
I can say that the main resources here are facebook, instagram and website.. Of course, twitter and youtube will also be included, but I think they can’t be in the top three because the way of sharing is limited.. This is not a good situation if most of your followers on Facebook are under the age of 20 or over the age of 40-50.. I think the target audience of potential sponsors is between the ages of 20-40.. Or at least that’s what I’ve always experienced.. Then, if you present such technical reports in the meetings with the company, you will both show how seriously you take the job and give you good statistical information about your followers.
Finding a sponsor when you meet the conditions I mentioned above. it could be a little easier. But know that it’s still very hard work. This situation is directly proportional to what you expect from the sponsor.. Finding sponsors may be easier if you just want equipment. But if you want financial support to make your trips, then things get difficult.
Can’t you find a sponsor without a website or social media accounts?
you have a project. If you can express yourself well while meeting with companies and communicate with people who can understand you, of course, there is a possibility.. There is, but if you ask me, it’s extremely unlikely.
Why should companies sponsor travelers?
The Internet has entered our lives so much that even if we were to buy perfumes, we would go online and go online. , we are looking at user comments. Or when buying a car or buying a computer and a phone.. The same applies to the equipment used by travelers.. One of the most read pages on my website is the page where I write the equipment I use.. In the simplest way, even showing and promoting the products of brands here can be a reason in itself to attract companies to you.. Or if you have a large number of followers, sometimes a very good photo you share can reach 2 million people.. Imagine showing the brand’s logo in that photo.. While there are countries with a population of 2 million in the world, your single post can reach so many people.. Almost like TV. Companies that see that the internet and social media are so powerful are already doing their social media work.. It does, but this event is not very common in Turkey yet.. Eventually, companies in Turkey will also appreciate the value of professional bloggers.. Let brands advertise on TV as much as they want, the blogger said, “I am not very satisfied with that product.. If he says he doesn’t deserve his money, his followers will not turn to that product.. Don’t think about it just for travel blogs. Almost anyone professionally engaged in blogging can be included in this framework.
Note: I need to add something here.. Unnecessarily exaggerated words should be avoided when promoting the sponsors’ product.. Praising a product you don’t like just because they sponsored you may not be realistic and will damage your reputation in the eyes of prospective people.. But when we consider the brands that can sponsor a traveler, I don’t think you will have such a problem with maybe 95% of the products.. So at least I haven’t introduced any product that I don’t like so far.. On the other hand, I properly praised this shoe that I have been wearing for 7 months with extreme admiration.
Before my last trip, I barely had 15-20k followers on social media. I prepared my project and tried to meet with companies that could be potential sponsors.. I sent mail to some, phoned some, and talked to some face-to-face.. I have contacted at least 100 companies, but I have not received a positive response from any of them except one.. Qatar Airways Turkey office is the only company that says we will support you. And indeed, they provided the Istanbul-Miami flight that I used on my last trip.. In general, they said that our support will continue for tickets from and to Istanbul.. While I could not get a positive response from dozens of companies, I was very happy to receive such support from a world giant company.. Why did I tell you this. In other words, you will apply to hundreds of companies, but you will not get a positive answer from any of them.. Don’t lose hope, though, and continue to do your job properly.
Then I realized that when you go to companies, you have no value.. But as the number of followers on social media and the hit of your website increase, companies start to find you.. Do not break your line, continue to do your job properly, if you do your negotiations with companies with the same seriousness, it is possible to find sponsors or support.. But know that it is still very difficult.
If you want to get sponsorship or equipment support from camera brands, you must first be a photographer.. Or even as a hobby, you should understand photography better.. Otherwise, you may be promoting the company’s product badly.. Imagine a new, expensive camera in the hands of a traveler who doesn’t know much about photography.. Our traveler friend shares photos, but not very high quality frames.. Probably the first thing the followers will say will be “is this machine shooting like this”. In other words, you may do more harm than good to the company that supports you.. That’s why you have to be absolutely good at photography to get camera support.
Potential industries outside of the camera could be clothing and outdoor equipment brands, tourism companies, and airlines.. In addition to these, magazines can also come to you and request text and visuals.. He may want to, but 13-14 magazines that have come to me so far said that they could not provide the slightest financial support.. Their only concern is to make their bosses a little richer by using the content you produce.
If the sponsor company will support you, you have to give it back in some way.. No one says it’s ok, you go your way, we don’t want anything from you.. So I hope you find someone who says, but I don’t think he does.. For this reason, you should show the support you receive either on your website or in your social media posts.. This can be done by showing the brand logo in the photo, sometimes by writing the brand name, and sometimes by sharing the promotion of the brand directly.. If you have followers who are uncomfortable with these posts, don’t take any of them seriously.. I’d say block it outright.. As soon as he sees an advertisement on TV, he says nothing, half of the screen is an advertisement while scrolling through Facebook, one out of every five posts on Instagram is an advertisement again, and again, you don’t get bored, but you share a post about the company that shares your dreams, he talks nonsense, he says, why are you advertising?. There is this mentality that always says to me, not to be with you.
Before I started the trip, I said I contacted over a hundred companies.. While I was traveling, I talked to at least a hundred other companies.. maybe even more. As a result, we started sponsorship activities by making an agreement with my main sponsor, Columbia Sportswear Turkey, Canon Turkey and Dore Sigorta.. Thanks to Özdağ Wrought Iron, he has always provided his support.. But do not think that these sponsors are the product of only 15 months of work.. I have been trying to travel the world since 2011 and I have never shared my trips for the first 3 years.. I spent these last 15 months to the fullest with the knowledge and experience of those 3 years.. That’s why, don’t give up because you struggled for a year and couldn’t find a sponsor.. Your search may take months or years.
