Travel Copywriting

Sep 03 2018

Just Launched: Facebook Group for Travel Copywriting & Content Marketing

travel copywriting facebook group — This group is for you. Yes, you!

Want more bookings? Then, this Facebook group is for you.

Yes, you – for all you small-business owners in travel & hospitality. For the hotels, the vacation rentals, the travel & tour agencies, and all you other tourism and hospitality businesses that want to fill your calendars.

This is for everyone who wants to grow a business through a better website, better copy, and better content marketing.

For anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by all the you-musts and you-shoulds of building, maintaining, and growing your own website.

This group is dedicated to all things travel copywriting and travel content marketing – from creating killer calls-to-action and writing for organic (unpaid) SEO goals, to sending more effective email marketing campaigns and blogging for bookings.

Ask questions. Share challenges. Revel in your successes.

Because this group is for you.

Jul 11 2017

5 More Hotel & Travel Copywriting Mistakes That Cost Bookings

(This post is Part 2. Before you read any further, you may want to brush up on the first 5 travel copywriting mistakes that are costing you bookings.)

Here’s a copywriter secret for you: Copywriting is a pretty straightforward kind of deal.

That’s not to say it’s formulaic – the best kind of copywriting depends heavily on the client and target audience – but it is a science.

And that means, there are rules that we copywriters follow. There are definite dos and don’ts. Don’t focus on features. Do focus on benefits. Do spend lots of time brainstorming killer headlines. Don’t rely on clichés and hyperbole. Do keep your writing simple and descriptive.

Etcetera, etcetera.

There are reasons behind these rules. Those reasons are based on buyer psychology, science, user experience, and other tried-and-true copywriting rules, honed over decades of marketing successes and misses.

All this to say, copywriting is relatively straightforward because there’s a mostly-right way (and a mostly-wrong way) to do it. If you deviate from these rules, disaster may follow. The easiest solution: Don’t. Don’t make these travel copywriting mistakes, and you’re already halfway to effective copy that makes connections, appeals to travelers, and gets more bookings. Yes, as easy as that.

[Read more…]

Jun 27 2017

Travel Calls-to-Action (CTAs): 9 Best Practices and 6 Examples

Do your website and blog inspire travelers to trust, remember and interact with your brand?

If your answer is “I don’t know” (or worse, “no”), then Houston, we have a problem.

The good news: There’s an easy solution to that problem. And that solution is to deploy powerful, engaging travel calls-to-action throughout your website.

This post will walk you through the what, why, and how of the travel call-to-action, or travel CTA. Because, while they may sound like marketing-speak, in practice, calls-to-action are very straightforward: they simply guide travelers to whatever action they should take next. Think of a CTA as your final instruction to website visitors – an instruction you present in the form of a button or a link, such as Sign Up, Download Now, Leave a Comment, Contact Us, or Read More.

What is a Travel Call-to-Action?

Now that we have the basic definition down, let’s get a little more specific; let’s talk about tourism. In hospitality, a travel call-to-action provides direction to, well, travelers. (Shocking, right?)

But really, that’s as complicated as it gets. The sole purpose of a travel CTA is to help travelers do what they already want to do.

They’re already interested in your destination, your inn, your itinerary, your vacation rental, your fill-in-the-blank. So, if they’re looking for more information about your bed & breakfast, then your CTA should direct them to more information about your bed & breakfast. If they’re hunting down great travel advice for your area, then your travel call-to-action should link to your downloadable travel guide. Etc. etc.

From there, it’s up to your messaging and travel bookings funnel (aka “the buyer journey”) to do the rest: How does interest in your destination, become interest in your inn, become a confirmed booking? Your calls-to-action are an important part of the equation.

So, back to the topic at hand. Common travel industry CTAs include Book Now, Check Availability, Reserve, Inquire, and similar terminology. (More on that later.) For now, my point is simple: Strong, well-planned travel calls-to-action are your direct path to converting website visitors into booked travelers.

Want to get started?

Book a Free Consult

☝ Oh hey… what’s that? ☝

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Jun 20 2017

Travel Copywriting & Marketing Roundup (June 20)

They’re baaaack! (I hope you just read that in a Poltergeist II voice.)

Yes, The Travel Copywriter blog and my bi-weekly blog roundups – that’d be, travel copywriting and marketing tips, advice, and insights from around the blogosphere – are back in action. And I’m pretty stoked about it.

It’s been a busy few years for me, and while I haven’t been blogging, I have been listening. I’ve been keeping up-to-date with the latest copywriting, SEO, marketing, and other related happenings in the travel industry.

That’s why I know it can be overwhelming. There are simply so many experts out there, with so much free (and wonderful) advice, that it’d be a full-time job just to read it all. So, that’s the idea behind these roundups: If you don’t have time to read it all, just hang with me.

Every two weeks, I’ll post a quick roundup of my favorite recent reads: copywriting, marketing, SEO, and other stuff important to the travel industry. I won’t link-bait you; there will always be enough info to determine whether you want to click for more information. And I’ll keep it short and sweet, with just a short summary for each article, followed by my thoughts (but only if necessary).

Now, let’s get to it:

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Jan 13 2015

5 Travel and Hotel Copywriting Mistakes That Cost Bookings

hotel-copywriting-mistakes

Words have power.

In the travel industry, it’s easy to favor a shiny image over the written word. After all, sparkling photos effortlessly capture a traveler’s initial interest. But the visual affair is short-lived. So let’s say it again: Words have power.

After the wonder of a great photo has passed, it’s good hotel copywriting that will entice guests to stay a little longer. To click a little deeper. To disappear down the rabbit hole of travel planning.

Travel copywriting has power – the power to produce bookings. Likewise, bad hospitality copywriting has the terrible power [cue thunder, spark lightening!] to cost bookings. And unfortunately, bad copywriting is far too common in the travel and hotel industry.

Here are some of the worst (and most common) hotel copywriting mistakes I see – and simple ways you can avoid them, improve your copy, and boost the power of your words:

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