Need more cash? Here's how to find travel copywriting gigs
Breaking into commercial travel writing can be as tricky as breaking into the travel media.
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Getting those commercial gigs isn’t always easy — especially the ones that pay a healthy rate. Often, they’re even harder to find than the editorial gigs in the media, largely because commercial content departments aren’t usually public-facing. Commercial copy — such as in brochures, on product pages (like this) or on social media — is very rarely bylined, and the contact details for those who commission it are hardly ever made public.
That means you have to do some digging. Want to know who writes all those trip descriptions for Intrepid, or who pens the copy in those holiday brochures by the likes of Kuoni or TUI? Your first port of call is probably going to be the marketing department. Find a name there and you’ll be on the right track. But what next?
Don’t worry, we’ve got a step-by-step guide to breaking into commercial content writing in travel. This isn’t the only way, but it’s the way we know…
Pitching to travel content agencies
One of the simplest ways of getting experience in travel copywriting is by joining an agency talent pool. Some agencies advertise when they’re opening their pools up to new freelancers, while others tend to seek out new writers based on their needs at any given time.
These aren’t always the most lucrative gigs — agencies tend to have set day rates and rarely offer major wiggle room, so if you’re looking for the big bucks, keep scrolling. If you’re just after experience and perhaps some regular work, then crack on. Here’s our guide to getting involved.
1. Get to know the agencies
If you’re looking to get into bed with a content agency, it’s worth knowing who does what. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of agencies in the UK and beyond, that have tourism-related clients. Those clients might be hotels, airlines, tour operators or cruise companies, and the agency will probably be responsible for their website copy, social media and other written communications like brochures or branded magazines.
Search “travel content marketing agency London” and you’ll find loads of companies with clients in the tourism sector. Meanwhile, here are some agencies and media companies we know of that use freelancers in the UK:
2. Identify the right people
Once you’ve found an agency you think you might like to work with, you’ll need to find out who to talk to about joining their bank of freelancers. If it’s a tiny, boutique agency you could go straight to the Founder/CEO or Content Director/Editor-in-Chief, or the company might have a Head of Talent.
Alternatively, seek out some of the mid-level management team who are likely to have commissioning responsibilities, such as Senior Content Managers.
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3. Send an LOI
The term LOI is a little confusing here. In the business world, it stands for Letter of Intent and is sort of like a contract. But in this instance, it means Letter of Interest and it’s your way of introducing yourself to the right people in the agency and registering your interest in being part of their team on a freelance basis. Here’s a template for you to follow:
Hi [relevant human],
I’m reaching out to see whether you’re taking on new freelance travel content marketing writers at this time?
I’m a travel journalist with five years’ experience writing about everything from adventure cruises in the polar regions to wine tours in Argentina. I’ve written for a range of publications, including Time Out, The Telegraph, Wanderlust and Rough Guides.
You can find my full portfolio of writing on my website [link], but I’ve also attached a selection of clips showcasing my work to this email.
Please let me know if you’re currently hiring new content writers and I look forward to hopefully working with you in the future.
4. Follow up
As with pitching stories to the media, persistence is key. Follow up politely and succinctly a fortnight after you’ve sent your LOI. Perhaps suggest a call or video meeting to discuss further — people are always more likely to do business with those they’ve met.
Pitching your talent to individual companies
The other way to get great copywriting gigs is to approach indvidual brands or companies and offer your services. This requires a little bit more work and a lot more balls — you’ve really got to be confident in how you can add value to their business.
Steph is an absolute pro at this, so here’s her guide to winning bespoke brand work:
Know your content
The key to getting started in this sector is understanding what types of content might be written by freelancers. While lots of brands will have their in-house marketing teams and brand managers penning lots of key copy on websites and in communications, lots of it is outsourced to other writers. In our experience, this could include:
Blog posts
Product pages
Gated content (free ebook downloads, white papers)
Landing pages (for destinations, gated content downloads, newsletter opt-ins)
Social media posts / event invites
Brochure copy
Guest posts/ghost blogs on behalf of a brand that will be hosted on another website
Use your niche
While it’s not always essential to have a niche in travel writing, when you’re pitching for commercial work it can be useful — especially when approaching specific brands rather than agencies. You need to be able to explain why you’re the right writer for this company to invest in, so if you can show you’ve got experience in writing for their audience already, use that to your advantage.
Your niche could be 50+ female travel, solo travel or travelling with your dog (hi, Lottie). Mine your writing clips and/or previous roles to see if you can bolster your qualifications for this job.
You then need to match your niche or experience with the kinds of companies that feel relevant — such as adventure travel operators, cruise liners or luxury hotel groups. But also go beyond the obvious: think about the different services that travellers in your niche use, such as travel agents, tourism boards, transport companies (airlines etc.), luggage companies and other travel products. All of these organisations will likely need some written copy somewhere on their websites.
Look out for the annual “best of” round ups in the likes of Conde Nast Traveller, where you’ll find a mix of established and up-and-coming brands. Also keep an eye on new companies that are starting out — they could well be in need of an excellent copywriter.
Work out who can afford you
Lots of organisations don’t know they need a writer yet, so part of your job will be to convince them of the value of your services. But before you can convince them of that, you need to figure out whether they might have the cash to invest in the first place.
Analyse their websites a little to see what they’ve invested in their digital offering so far. Does it run smoothly, is it well laid out, what’s the photography like? Is their social media out of date and poor quality? If it’s all looking a bit ropey, it’s likely because they don’t necessarily have the cash to do it right.
Also look at the price of their services and have a think about how much they might be making on their product. If they’re a budget travel company selling nights at hostels or low-cost tours, it’s possible you’re not going to have much luck. If they’re a small organisation selling £15,000 safaris, though, you might be onto a winner.
Identify the team
As we said in the introduction to this email, your first port of call should be the marketing team or brand manager. These are the positions most likely to be in charge of written communications for any given brand. There’s no set way to find these people — there’s no handy database like we have on TravMedia for example — but a search on LinkedIn or Twitter is likely to throw up a result. Type “marketing manager [brand name]” into Google and have a scroll through the results. It really shouldn’t be that hard.
If you’re struggling to find the right person, make a phone call. There will likely be a phone number listed somewhere for the brand or company you’re trying to reach, so give them a ring and ask for a contact in the marketing department. (If picking up the phone isn’t your bag, fire off an email to their generic info@ or hello@ email address, or tweet them asking for the correct contact.)
If you’re approaching a small company or start-up, you might want to go straight to the founder or CEO.
Send an LOI
Your Letter of Interest needs to be tailored for each company, so be sure you’ve done your research and then set out your talents. Your LOI needs the following elements:
A subject line establishing industry experience, for example: Freelance travel content marketing writer specialising in family travel
A sentence about your specialism — this may include photography, writing engaging social media content or writing concise but enticing descriptions of a product or place
A couple of reasons why your work will provide value to their company — whether the fact that “compelling copy describing a tour will help drive bookings” or “engaging social media copy can boost brand awareness among new customers”
A sentence or two about relevant content marketing experience in the field, as well as trade/consumer journalism experience to show you have knowledge about the topic/audience. If you’ve got any stats about how your work performed, include them here
Links to relevant examples of your work — three to five clips covering a range of different skills relevant to the client but linked, where possible, to their specific niche/audience
Hi [relevant human],
I’m reaching out to see whether you use freelance writers?
I’m a travel journalist with five years’ experience writing about [subject that is tailored to the brand and their audience]. I’ve written for a range of publications, including Time Out, The Telegraph, Wanderlust and Rough Guides, with my piece for Time Out on [subject tailored to the brand] becoming one of the website’s top performing articles that month.
The impact of good copy in your tour descriptions and brochures can’t be understated, as compelling writing that helps potential customers imagine themselves on your trip is a crucial factor in helping to drive bookings. To give you an example of my writing style, I’ve attached a selection of clips showcasing writing I’ve done around [subject tailored to the brand] including [a couple of words explaining each piece], and you can find my full portfolio of writing on my website [link].
Please let me know if you’re currently hiring new content writers and whether you might be interested in organising a call to further discuss your current content needs and the ways that I can bring value to your business.
Tweak your LOI for each company and edit it more thoroughly if you’re pitching for work in a different niche.
Both The Freelance Content Marketing Writer and The Six-Figure Travel Writing Road Map have really useful chapters on writing LOIs directly to brands — we highly recommend checking them out if this is your first time pitching a company directly.
Follow up
As with pitching stories to the media, persistence is key. Follow up politely and succinctly a fortnight after you’ve sent your LOI. Perhaps suggest a call or video meeting to discuss further — people are always more likely to do business with those they’ve met in person.
Keep networking
You’re sick and tired of hearing it from us but you know it makes sense: networking is the key to success here. Get your name and (when we’re allowed) face out there and keep making new contacts, and you never know how and when this sort of work might arrive at your door. We’ve had companies get in touch because they follow us on Twitter, or organisations have Googled “travel writer London” and got in touch through our portfolio. Want to refresh your memory on networking? Head to this newsletter about networking platforms and events you need to join.
This was the final newsletter in our birthday month series, where we’re republishing our most-read articles. Want more travel writing tips to get your teeth into? Check out Meera Dattani’s webinar series on travel writing here — new webinars are coming in June, too, so keep an eye out here for announcements. Our online course has tonnes of tips on this topic; head to our Teachable shop here.