Working with travel media and content creators is a great way to gain exposure for your business, promote experiences, products, and events, and attract new and repeat visitors year-round. With an ever-growing digital marketing world and various platforms to choose from, determining your focus and targets will help you choose the best fit to host. Understanding the difference between the types of creators, what they offer, and if it aligns with your goals will also help you decide what's right for your business.


Understand the Differences


Travel Media

Travel media tend to be journalists, writers, and bloggers working within traditional outlets like newspapers, magazines, blogs, and TV. These individuals often have a specific assignment from an outlet they are working with; however, they may also visit a region as part of a familiarization trip to learn more and pitch stories to applicable outlets. Travel media do not ask for payment in return for the pieces they produce, as they are paid by the outlets that publish their content. That being said, covering the cost of their experience or giving them a media rate is the industry norm.


Content Creators

Content creators typically have high follower counts and/or an engaged audience on social media channels, most commonly Instagram and TikTok. They may also have a strong audience through owned channels like their website. When working with content creators and influencers, always ask for information on audience demographics, engagement, and samples of work they may have done with similar businesses. If their audience doesn't align with your typical customer base, it’s generally not a good idea to move forward with that particular creator unless you want to generate awareness with the demographics of their audience. Creators often charge content fees in addition to having experience costs covered.

PRO TIP: Whether you're working with travel media or content creators, ask for portfolios and work samples and reach out to destinations or businesses that may have hosted them previously to gather feedback on the experience and outcome. 


Be Clear on Your Marketing Goals

Understanding your customers and online audience is vital before working with media and creators. As outlined above, not all media and influencers are created equal, so ensure you get value from working together.

Before finalizing an agreement, be sure to ask the following questions, at a minimum:

  • What is the composition/demographics of their audience, as it relates to their social media channels or the outlet(s) where an article will be posted?
  • What kind of engagement do they get on social media posts (e.g., Reels, In-feed posts on Instagram, TikToks, etc.)?
  • Is there a guarantee that an article or content will be published?
  • When will the article or content be published?
  • What are they asking for in return for the content/exposure, and what are their rates?


Create an Agreement and Waiver

Once you have your itinerary/assignment finalized, an agreement or contract is a good idea to guarantee follow-through, establish codes of conduct, and avoid any surprise costs or changes. A liability waiver is always a good idea for guests you are hosting.

To learn more about Tourism Kelowna's policies and guidelines and to see what information we request when contacted by media or influencers, click below:


Connect with Our Team

Our Marketing & Communications team has much experience working with media and content creators. We also have access to different platforms that can be used when vetting people to ensure their audience or outlet aligns with your marketing goals. In addition, if you’re interested in adding travel media or influencer marketing to your advertising/marketing mix, we have lists that we can pull from to assist you in finding the best fit for your business.

We also lead the #exploreKelowna Creators Program, with five vetted local creators who attend activities and events across the city throughout the year to gather content for our social platforms. If you want to discuss having one of the creators showcase a new product or noteworthy experience at your business, please contact Darby Svendsen at darby@tourismkelowna.com.

Lastly, let us know about coverage you have received and let content creators or influencers know they can tag Tourism Kelowna and use #exploreKelowna when posting so we can help spread the word and extend the reach of their work to our audiences. 

Have questions? Connect with me shereen@tourismkelowna.com or (250) 861-1515 ext. 204.