On and often people ask me how do I get to go on many FAM trips for bloggers. And before you wonder FAM is a short form for familiarization. They are know by various other names like media trip, junket etc.
There is a short answer to it and there is a long answer to it. The short answer is that I am an awesome blogger 😛 However, since you already know that I am sure you are more interested in my long answer 😀 So here I go.
I have a Bit of a Head Start
Go to my archives, the link is in the sidebar just above the Facebook like widget. Scroll down and see when I started blogging. Tell me the answer in the comment box if you wish, that is why I say I have a head start (which also means I am old).
However, in that era there were no freebies. We blogged because we wanted to. Things changed over the years, and FAM trips happened. However, I have seen people getting established quickly too! So if you have started recently it doesn’t take away anything from you!
Check Your DA and PA
DA stands for domain authority and PA stands for page authority. It is determined by a company called MOZ. For a lot of services you have to pay to use MOZ but you can check the scores for free. The good bit it you can check it out for any site, including mine. So go ahead and have fun comparing all the sites you want. The higher your DA the better it is. Maybe the people who invite bloggers for FAMs check it too?
And while we are talking about authority there is Alexa too. Once again you can check it out for any site, but here the lower it is, the better it is.
There used to be Google Page rank but looks like Google no longer puts emphasis on it. Also, all these figures change frequently.
A word of caution though, if you put a .blogpost domain chances are your DA will be 70 (at the moment) which could be due to the generic blogspot domain having a DA of 70!
Install Google Analytics
Google Analytics gives us an idea about the traffic we are generating for our blogs. It does a lot more but to start with, knowing the total number is good enough. If you are curious you will anyway figure it out. But you can only check your own analytics and not of other bloggers. Companies ask for the traffic figures and most of them go by analytics.
Social Media Platforms
In addition to blogging data, sponsors usually ask for the number of followers at Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. So it helps you have a following on those platforms as well. Once again if the user has not kept their profile private you can check anyone’s numbers.
Learn Some SEO
I resisted it for a long long time. I still do not know much, but I am better than before. Learn a bit of SEO. It can not hurt. It can on the other hand help in getting more traffic to the blog.
Be Professional
When you get invited, or when you are contacted for work, it pays to be professional. I know it is obvious but it is crucial to deliver on the results that you promised for. Acting up (behaving like a diva is closer to what I want to say) after the trip is over is not in your long term interest.
Also going back to the head start bit once again, it pays to be consistent too. There were many awesome bloggers when I started. But only a few kept at it. I am sure it is true for the present time as well.
In conclusion, none of the metrics work in isolation. A company may want a blogger with the DA (or Alexa) in a particular range but with X number of Twitter followers as well! And this is anyway an educated guess on my part about the matrices that may matter! In the end only the people who sponsor us can give a definitive answer.
I hope you will find some of the tips useful. And the next time someone asks me how do I get to go FAM trips for bloggers, I am going to send a link to this post as well!
Nice information on FAM trips. 10 years of blogging.. umm awesome…
Thank you so much Arun.
People buy followers to improve their profile, that disappoints me a lot. The ranking too can be improved with money. Some do indulge in this. It is money power in blogging too not just hard work.
Indrani to each their own 😀
Useful tips. Another point would be participating in events and networking? Have you made a blogger business card yet Mridula?
Yes Shrinidhi that is a very valid point. I got my card done when I visited Sout Africa in 2013 😀 Before that I used my office card. I anyway not don’t have any office business card! So happy that I got it done in 2013.
ok You should make a fresh one for 2016 as full time blogger and travel advisor.
Best wishes
😀
Very informative and helpful post for bloggers. Thanks for sharing with us.
Tank you Arvind.
That was insightful Mridula. And yes you are an awesome blogger and one of my inspirations too ????????
Archana 😀 thank you so much.
बस इतना ही कहूँगा कि दूसरों को देखकर मन सभी का होता है उस ऊंचाई को पाने का लेकिन उसके पीछे छुपे संघर्ष को , प्रयासों को नही समझना चाहता !
कभी किसी को मुकम्मल जहां नही मिलता
कहीं जमीं तो कहीं आसमां नही मिलता !
जिसे भी देखिये अपने आप में गुम है
जुबां है मगर हमज़ुबां नही मिलता !!
Yogi and being a Hindi blogger makes is doubly difficult I believe. How do you guys manage SEO?
A great initiative for helping the fellow bloggers 🙂
Thank you Ravish.
I would also add that you build a body of work before people start noticing you and offer you trips / projects/
True Anuradha, thank you for adding that point.
😀 Thanks so much for sharing these tips. Thanks for mentoring the rest of us.
Ami 😀 if this helps in demystifying the process a bit I am happy that I wrote it.
Establishing yourself is so important and irrespective of numbers, the quality shows up in the write up. Way to go Mridula – bloggers like me look up to you 🙂
That is so kind of you to say Parul.
Very nice and informative post Mridula . For newcomers like us this is so helpful
Thank you Anindya. 😀
Very useful blog for those who have never been to FAM. Thanks for sharing tips with us.
Abhinav, 😀 I am sure it will happen soon!
Superb tips Mridula!
Thank you Megha.
Hii Mridula Ji,
These tips are the welcome gift of 2016. I always look upto you as guiding force.
Did first FAM to Chhattisgarh in 2015 and hope to hop on more with your tips.
Best regards,
Himanshu
Hi Himanshu,
Wishing you many more trips and more travel in 2015.
Superb tips! Thanks so much for sharing. As shrini said networking also helps. You are an inspiration! Truly! 🙂
Happy to hear that you liked it Divsi. 😀
Thanks a lot for sharing 🙂 Nice tips
Thank you Rupam 😀
Thanks for sharing some secrets and I guess the biggest secret to your success is your willingness to share your experience and knowledge.
Prasad I thought there was no secret behind it, all this is open secret! But maybe I was wrong.
Thanks for Sharing your experience. Its really motivating.
Hi Shubham, you have a lot of content. Looking at DA I am guessing your website is new? Also Alexa could be better. Have you made peace with SEO?
I am trying to learn Seo. Yes, our website is just 4 months old. It would be really helpful if you can provide me with some effective tips to improve Alexa rank.
Shubham mine is a 10 year old blog so a lot of things happened organically, not much idea otherwise. But there are excellent SEO sites they should be of help!
Wow. This is helpful. Now I know where to start. Thanks! 🙂
Happy to hear that this is of some use!
Helpful tips, thanks for sharing Mridula. The only concern and I am not sure if it was a concern when you started back- is the ‘fake game.’ Some times it is quite annoying, especially, if you have just started and don’t even know the basics 🙂
I understand that! When I started in 2005 there was nothing in Blogging other than passion, there were no FAM trips, Instagram was not even there. For the fake game I say, it is an individual choice. Some do it some stay away from it. I too agonized over it but then made my peace knowing I won’t do it. I am OK with lesser followers than fake ones!
This post cleared a lot of my questions.
You are someone I admired from the day I started understanding about travel blogging.
It is sometimes frustrating when I see newer people getting more FAM trips and followers when I have been struggling for months. May be I should persevere more.. 🙂
Keep at it and find other ways if traveling, FAM would happen eventually if you keep at it.
Nice presentation. It clarified a lot of doubts.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you for your feedback!
That was really helpful.
Thank you, happy to know that the post was of use to you!
Hi Mridula,
Shared some good tips about blogging and a few related aspects. Yes, SEO is an integral part of blogging. One need to know more about it and the magic it can do with our blogs.
I too came to know about it lately and learned a lot by reading and practicing it. I have published a good number of SEO related posts on my pages written by myself as well as guest posts.
Nice to be here today.
Keep writing
Keep sharing
Regards
~ Philip