Here’s your chance to get to know me and know more about how I grew as a travel blogger. You asked and I answered!
Can’t watch the video right now? No problem! I include a recap with details below ▾
How do you come up with your content? (0:09)
- I pick what I like about each travel blog I read and put it together with the content I create and make sure it’s informative, within the brand, and blog topic.
How did you come up with your name, Traveling Petite Girl? (0:26)
- It started when I wrote a tweet on a plane about being small because people could walk over me when they needed to go to the bathroom.
Why the pineapple? (1:01)
- The pineapple represents hospitality and warmth which is who I am as a blogger and as a person. This is also why I host Eat & Greets! It’s also delicious and juicy as f*ck and I love eating it!
What do you recommend for growing a following for newbies on Instagram and travel blogging? (1:31)
- Instagram: Participate in comment pods/engagement groups
- Travel Blog: Host irresistible giveaways your readers would love to win
How do you have a consistent work discipline while traveling? (3:00)
- As a student, I slowly transitioned from a full-time onsite student to part-time onsite and part-time online. So I was able to learn the discipline working/studying from home or on-the-go. That way when I graduated, it wouldn’t be that hard. I’m also already a disciplined person so it was innate and that helps a lot.
How did you get your style for blogging? Like the design of the cover pics of each blog post, color schemes and the fonts and all that. (3:23)
- First, write your mission and vision statement.
- Then research, research, research! Until you find design ideas that best represent your mission and vision
- Then sketch, sketch, sketch until you find a design you love.
How in the heck did you grow like that? Did you pay? Advertise? Just consistency? Did you do a lot of collabs? (3:59)
- Giveaways
- Facebook ads
- Blogger & brand collaborations
- Comment pods/Engagement groups
What or who influenced you to start Traveling Petite Girl? (5:11)
- It started summer of 2016 when my sister asked me, “What is an ideal day for you? Describe it from the moment you wake up to the moment you sleep.”
- My (brief) answer: I wake up in a beautiful, oceanview apartment in Greece. Ride my bike to an open-air market. Eat all the food I like, take photos of it, and later write about it. Then go to bed.
- It sounded like a food or travel blogger. I was so lit up so I went ahead and pursued it that very week.
How do you stay so motivated and accomplish your goals? (6:06)
- I think backwards! aka the “Be, Do, Have” way of thinking motivates me and that’s how it brought me to where I am today.
How did you get started working with brands and earning money following this passion? (7:05)
- Aside from affiliate links and Google ads, I haven’t earned money by directly working with brands. I do get sent free products but I haven’t earned moolah yet. I was set to build a loyal following in my first year of Traveling Petite Girl and now that I have that, my next goal is to make money.
- As a new travel blogger, you need to hustle hard and keep putting yourself out there. Tell everyone what you do. Network, network, network. Email all the brands you want to work with. Put yourself out there.
Do you do this full time? (8:10)
- Traveling Petite Girl is part-time. Working with businesses in the tourism & hospitality industry as a social media strategist is my other part-time.
What is it like talking with companies to get sponsorships, jobs, products, etc. when you’re so young? (8:20)
- I’m 26 years old and there are much younger bloggers/vloggers who are killing the game so age has nothing to do with this. That said, I do carry myself with professionalism and maturity when working with brands and I make it as easiest as possible for them to work with me.
Best way to get comments? (8:50)
- Comment pods & engagement groups like mentioned in (1:31)
What are some things you wish you knew before you started travel blogging? (8:55)
- Lucky for you, I dedicated a whole post to this! “19 Nuggets of Advice for First Time Travel Bloggers.”
Do you have a certain structure when contacting potential “sponsors?” (9:07)
- The structure always gets created after I’m able to talk to brands but I always keep the first email succinct & sweet:
“Hi _______!
I’m Jojo and I’ve been blogging with https://www.travelingpetitegirl.com for X months. I love you brand. I love _______ about your brand and because of that, I’d love to help promote you.
We can discuss the details of course but first, I’d like to check if this was something you’re interested in? If so, would it be okay if I send over a few ideas on how I could help?
For my social media and blog stats, please see my attached media kit.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Best, Jojo”
What is your favorite Filipino dish? (9:42)
- In the video, I said: dinuguan, kare-kare, sinigang, turon, and gising gising.
- But if I really had to think about it, it would be dinuguan + puto, tinola (I make a bomb-ass tinola!), cassava cake, fresh taho, and still gising-gising (extra spicy please!).
Where do you see yourself in the big picture? Like 10 years from now? Will this be a permanent occupation? I’m debating whether I really need a college degree if I decided to pursue photography so that’s why I’m a little curious on what you plan to do in the far future. (10:05)
- I see my travel blog bringing towards another venture in the future.
- I see myself as a rich ass business women who keeps it humble, 10 years from now. But I’m really aiming for 3-5 years.
- And I want to be a speaker that touches, moves, and inspires people to live the best life they want. And I also want to be a speaker for photography and travel blogging topics. I just want to speak in front of a lot of people and share myself. That’s my fullest self-expression.
How do I ignite it?! How do I really start? How do I keep that spark in me even though I won’t get noticed when I start? Btw – I am just the type of person who likes to perfect things when doing it – so, tbh i am afraid of failure. (11:43)
- Consider the “Be, Do, Have” way of thinking. That’s why I do it.
- The beginning phase of getting started is the perfect time to make all the mistakes you can make. It’s the perfect time to fail! Every time you fail, you learn something new.
- And don’t get focused on going unnoticed. It’s true, you’re a nobody which is all the more reason to make mistakes now than later on when people do start recognizing you and your work.
- I go into more detail about this in my post, “14 Harsh Truths You’ll Learn In Your First Year of Travel Blogging (Have you learned these yet?)”
There’s obviously a lot more juice in the video so I highly suggest you watch it when you can, especially for the questions you want to know the detailed answers too! Aside from that, thank you for reading! If you have any questions or want to hear my answers in greater detail, comment below and I will answer it!
Congrats on growing such a big following in a short amount of time, Jojo! Thanks for sharing your Q&A 🙂 Very informative.
Thank you so much! and you’re very welcome Louise! I’m glad you found it informative!