Guest Posts

If you’ve got a travel tale to tell and some photos to illustrate it, I’d love to discuss hosting your guest post on my blog. Please contact me with your ideas by e-mail;
Heathercowper(at)blueyonder(dot)co(dot)uk

About Heather on her travels

Heather on her travels aims to provide travel inspiration and destination information to help readers plan their trip and turn their dream into a reality. The blog is primarily destination focussed, although I sometimes also cover travel resources and products that are of interest to my readers. I generally invite guest posts that are about places to visit and the things to see there, experiences to enjoy and places to stay. For more information about the ethos of this blog, please read my About Page.

Guest Posts

I am happy to accept guest posts from other travel bloggers, travellers or small business owners who have something of interest to say about a particular destination. As I can’t travel everywhere and see everything, I love to broaden the reach of places and travel experiences that are featured on Heather on her travels. You get;

• A platform for your great travel stories, experiences and photos
• Coverage on a well established and well regarded travel blog
• Links back to your own blog or website, which help build your readership and your Search Engine Ranking.

I am happy to hear from guest writers who have a small business, such as a destination website, independently owned hotel or guest house to promote. However, the content of the guest post should not be primarily to promote the business, but to give inspiration and information about the area that will interest a wide spectrum of readers. For instance, if you have a guest house situated in a particular region, you might write about the main attractions, best restaurants, favourite beaches, food specialities etc of that region, as well as mentioning the accommodation you offer.

However, recognising that you will wish to promote your website, blog or small business in return for the unpaid guest post I will link to your blog or website in the guest post introduction and in the writer profile at the end of the guest post.  Other links to your website within the body of the article are also fine, as long as they are relevant to the subject and add value to the reader.

As my blog also emphasises the experience of travel, I welcome posts that are written from personal experience and in a personal voice. I prefer posts which explore more unusual locations or experiences, perhaps those that the tourist would not easily find, but that you with personal knowledge can share. Ideas for destination guest posts;

• Typical food specialities of a region and where you can enjoy them
• Lesser known sites or attractions that the average tourist may not find
• Favourite things to do in a particular town or region (themed for families, couples, independent travellers)
• Best food, antique or handicraft markets of an area, or local carnivals and festivals
• Personal account of a travel experience or encounter with local people

For examples of previous Guest posts click here

Sponsored Guest Posts

For commercial companies and websites wishing to promote a destination, hotel, resort or travel service in a specific way, I offer a sponsored guest post. This is similar to an ‘Advertorial’ in a magazine, promoting something specific, but written like a normal article. Sponsored Guest posts may be considered by companies who would otherwise place banner ads on travel blogs and websites but offer the following benefits;

• They may be more cost effective than banner ads as they will stay on the blog as long as it exists and have the potential to attract traffic over a longer time frame.
• A sponsored post may give more information about your travel destination or service than a banner ad could do.
• They are written in the same style as a normal article and although declared as a sponsored post, may attract more ‘trust’ in the service than a typical advertisment.

Sponsored guest posts may be achieved in a couple of ways;

• You may send me the text of the sponsored post and photos to illustrate it. I will lay out in an attractive way with headings, photo captions, title tags, keywords etc to maximise search engine traffic.
• You may send me details of what you want to promote and I may propose article ideas which draw on and promote content already available on your website.

Sponsored Guest posts are always declared as such within the article, normally in the introduction at the beginning of the Sponsored post, for example;

‘My sponsored post today is by X and covers the best hotels to stay when visiting X region’

or in the conclusion;

‘This sponsored post is from X company, providers of (some details about the company or service)’

Links to the relevant website or web pages are generally included in the introduction and conclusion of the article and relevant links may also be included within the text of the article. All text links within sponsored guest posts will be with a no-follow tag. This is to comply with Google advice on Paid Text Links.

I am also happy discuss other mutually beneficial promotional ideas and long term partnerships with travel related commercial websites and companies. The normal charge for Sponsored posts as described above is $60 per Sponsored post and rates for non standard Sponsored posts or promotions can be discussed. Please contact me by e-mail at

Heathercowper(at)blueyonder(dot)co(dot)uk

Photos

Because I love colours, photos and images and believe they enhance the article and blog, I encourage you to send me as many nice photos as you have to accompany your guest post. If you have the relevant photos hosted on a site such as Flickr or Picasa I am also happy to link to this. I will add the photos to the guest post in the way that I believe is most attractive, with titles and tags and in a format that allows fast loading of my website. I’m obviously open to your views on how you would like your photos displayed.

If you do not have any photos available, all is not lost, as I may be able to find suitable photos on Flickr with a Creative Commons Licence. You may also like to suggest any photos you think would be suitable with a Creative Commons Licence. All photos used that are not by myself or you, must have an appropriate Creative Commons Licence, and will be credited at the end of the guest post.