Building a Blog for a Luxury Tour Operator

Background

From 2018 to 2020, I worked as managing editor for a luxury tour operator's ambitious content marketing project.

The goals of the project were to:

• Showcase extraordinary global itineraries

• Inspire travelers to embark on new adventures

• Boost website traffic

With my experience as an associate editor at a major lifestyle publication and a writer for top-tier travel outlets, I was brought on board by a content marketing agency to collaborate closely with the client's marketing team and agency account managers.

Challenges

1. Recruiting writers: I successfully built and managed a team of more than 20 skilled freelance travel writers with firsthand knowledge of unique and remote destinations.

2. Balancing stakeholder expectations: I successfully managed brand priorities while maintaining editorial integrity through effective communication and developing detailed content briefs.

3. Streamlining the interview process: I established efficient workflows that made coordinating interviews between subject matter experts and freelance writers efficient and productive

4. Engaging a global audience: I ensured a consistent writing style and used inclusive language to resonate with an international audience.

5. Prioritizing Visual Storytelling:  I developed stories based on the client's existing images and integrated SEO later without compromising storytelling and editorial quality.

Impact

• Our efforts resulted in a remarkable doubling of U.S. website traffic over two years.

• The blog became a cornerstone of the brand's content marketing strategy.

• Repurposed blog content in newsletters became a key growth driver.

• Select posts continued to draw traffic even after publication slowed during the pandemic.