I get it, I doubt you are doing all this work just out of love. When it comes to the crunch we are all trying to make money and travel, and ideally we can do them both at the same time!

However, too many people spend too much time looking for shortcuts or thinking it will just happen eventually. In reality, you’re going to have a tough time making money on social media without making the effort to BUILD STRONG FOUNDATIONS. We don’t expect houses to stand the test of time and weather without strong foundations, and we don't expect to become a sports champion without learning the skills and continual practice, so why is it we think things will still work out if we don’t worry about doing the groundwork on our profiles when it comes to social media?

So many people are chasing the crazy idea that going viral is the secret to seeing their dreams realised, but it will likely all come to nothing if you don’t have your account / brand / business (yes, your social media is a legit business!) set up to transform it into ongoing success. You have more chance of winning the lottery than building a long-lasting brand through going viral.

You do not want to be a one-hit-wonder or only have 15 seconds of fame, you want to be in this for the long haul, making money for years to come. Going viral may get you a big influx of followers and even put you on the radar of some brands and potential sponsors, but if they find your account is unprofessional, has a bunch of off-topic content, or rarely posts, then that wave of interest will flow back out to sea.

You may be the ultra-rare case like the Kardashians, but even if that's the case you will need some super-smart marketing behind you to maintain the heat.

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say something like that... well, I'd have hundreds of dollars. But the real point is that most of these people haven't done the groundwork, and haven't taken the time to build a business. Let me tell you, impatience is definitely not a virtue, but it is the cause of many potentially successful people never getting anywhere.

Too many people try to fast track their success and believe they should and will get paid from day one. You are much more likely to start getting paid sooner through social media if you have put in the work to show you deserve it and have long-term value to offer.

So before you worry about making money you need to do two things:

1. focus on building a brand / business that is consistent, professional, and well defined.
2. Be patient and continue to grow. That may mean a few years, not just a few months.

I have another post with my Top 10 Tips to get started as a Travel Content Creator, and some of you that have read it may have been disappointed that it didn't have any info on the money-making side of the gig. Now I hope you understand why. It's all about doing things in the right order.

I want to help you have a long-lasting career where you can keep evolving as a brand, build long-term partnerships, and make more money each and every year! And I can't stress enough how important it is that you build those foundations before you try and put up that mansion. Read through those 10 tips again and check that you are on the way to the next phase.

GOOD NEWS: Building those strong foundations is nowhere near as overwhelming as it seems and know that I am here to help!