In today’s world, having a social media profile is almost a given. For travel journalists, maintaining an active account is nearly mandatory, serving as both a portfolio and a showcase for their work. This approach helps to reach a broader audience, increase visibility, and act as a window into all your projects. We guide you on creating a social media personal brand and professional profile tailored to personality archetypes, shaping the style, tone, and types of destinations featured.
Branding Yourself on Social Media
To establish a social media personal brand and professionalize your career as a travel journalist, it is essential to develop a clear content strategy and apply a unique personal touch to stand out from other users. Positioning and differentiating yourself through valuable, original, and high-quality content is crucial. Begin by choosing 2 or 3 social networks to focus on for consistent content creation. Select the platforms that best align with your personality and style. Remember, the key to success is steady progress: move forward without rushing, but without pausing.
- Twitter or X: demands fast-paced, dynamic content, requiring at least six posts per day. Success on this platform hinges on the strategic use of precise hashtags integrated into your text and incorporating relevant keywords to optimize for the algorithm.
- Twitch: This emerging platform has yet to attract a significant number of travel content creators, making it the perfect time for you to carve out your niche. Success on Twitch requires live broadcasts featuring real-time content, along with interactive Q&A sessions.
- Telegram: This platform enables real-time chat groups where you can share information, opinions, and engage directly with users. This creates a sense of friendship and fosters close communication through travel recommendations and advice. Treating your followers as friends helps build a strong sense of community. Real-time updates and exclusive content add significant value, and the use of video and audio further enhances the sense of closeness.
- YouTube: This social network is highly visually demanding, requiring top-quality horizontal video content. It thrives on contributions from travel journalists who produce detailed, high-quality video blogs or audiovisual travel guides, as well as interviews with locals and experts. Good editing skills are essential to incorporate music, sounds, and graphics effectively. Additionally, the platform features YouTube Shorts as its “emerging” content, similar to Reels or TikTok, allowing for the reposting of one-minute vertical videos across these three social networks.
- Instagram: Renowned for its widespread popularity, Instagram reigns supreme among social networks. However, its highly visual nature necessitates strong photography and video editing skills. The platform offers opportunities for collaborations with brands, other content creators, and advertisers such as airlines or hotels to promote destinations. Content on Instagram is divided into reels, vertical posts or carousels, and stories. Engaging with your audience is crucial, whether through comments, private messages, answering questions, or hosting live videos.
- Facebook: While it may seem outdated to younger users, Facebook boasts a wide audience and diverse demographics. It is beneficial to repurpose content from Instagram and share it on Facebook to reach a broader audience and boost engagement.
- TikTok: As the trending social network of the moment, TikTok is rapidly growing and becoming increasingly competitive. The platform thrives on short, dynamic videos with creative visual narratives. Embracing viral trends and challenges can help you navigate the algorithm more effectively. As travel journalists, we can leverage TikTok to educate with practical travel tips, interesting facts, cultural insights, and personal experiences.
Building a Social Media Personal Brand with Personality Archetypes
To determine the 2 or 3 personality archetypes to adhere to strictly for your social media personal brand, consider the following:
- Interests
- Personality
- Type of Travel
In addition to addressing these key questions: Which social network aligns with my reality? and What brand personality do I want to establish on social media?
Your social media personal brand is defined by how you present yourself on networks, encompassing your tone, communication style, and the content you share. This approach will attract specific audiences, so it is crucial to define clear and consistent personality traits to connect with your target audience. In the following sections, we outline 12 personality archetypes. At the end of the article, select 2 or 3 archetypes to incorporate into your social media personal brand strategy. Take note!
Explorer – Adventurous Traveler
Destinations such as the Atlantic Forest of Brazil or the Sahara Desert are ideal for the exploring traveler who seeks to document their experiences. This archetype is defined by a bold, adventurous, and curious personality, driven to uncover new experiences. Such content creator travelers focus on scenes where nature plays a significant role, capturing breathtaking landscapes and engaging in outdoor activities that emphasize exploration and discovery social media personal brand.
The Wise – Expert Traveler
The old Lello Bookstore in Oporto and the Museum of Natural History in New York are exemplary destinations for the expert traveler seeking to explore in depth. This archetype focuses on producing rich, detailed content that offers value, insight, and education to its audience. One of the key challenges for this type of traveler is to capture and retain the audience’s attention within just one minute, even when presenting dense and complex content.
The Hero – Traveler with a Cause
Driven to confront challenges, this traveler ventures to remote corners of the world with the goal of contributing to a transformation in tourism. They focus on capturing content featuring people, wildlife, dramatic landscapes, and moments of progress to craft compelling written and visual narratives.
The Caregiver – Healing Traveler
Sulfur hot springs amidst the Azores forest or a beauty treatment in Korea are examples of destinations a healing traveler might explore. This archetype focuses on physical and emotional well-being, incorporating elements of mysticism and spirituality. Their journey often includes practices such as meditation, yoga, and eco-therapy, like ayahuasca, to enhance their overall healing experience.
The Rebel – Scheme-Breaking Traveler
Depicting a favela in Brazil or the legacy of Pablo Escobar in Colombia are examples of themes a rebellious traveler might explore. This archetype focuses on showcasing destinations with unconventional narratives, aiming to provoke discussion and challenge perspectives. Specializing in “alternative” destinations, the rebellious traveler seeks to highlight marginalized communities, urban poverty, and intriguing rituals or traditions, all while aiming to surprise and engage their audience.
The Lover – Seductive Traveler
Focused on emotions and sensory experiences, this traveler aims to convey the sensory pleasures of their journeys. Destinations such as a paradisiacal beach in Jamaica or a sunset on a Bali beach are among their favorites. This archetype seeks out exotic landscapes, romantic getaways, and luxurious settings, emphasizing seductive details like gourmet cuisine, spa treatments, and upscale hotels. Their objective is to create visually appealing content that represents an aspirational lifestyle.
The Creator – Traveler Artist
This archetype showcases content on social media that emphasizes expression and innovation from a creative and artistic perspective. Whether capturing vibrant cultural scenes, artistic enclaves, or cosmopolitan cities, it focuses on depicting street art, music, dance, fashion, and design.
The Ruler – Exclusive Traveler
Destinations such as Dubai, Monaco in the South of France, and Capri in Italy are ideal for the exclusive traveler. This archetype emphasizes the luxurious aspects of travel, focusing on exclusive hotels, high-end restaurants, and a display of elevated lifestyle and purchasing power. Their audience is discerning and expects less frequent but higher-quality content. The exclusive traveler aims to showcase impressive architecture, gourmet cuisine, and premium beverages, all to convey a sophisticated and opulent lifestyle.
The Innocent – Positive and Happy Traveler
Visiting destinations such as Disneyland Paris or Universal Studios in Los Angeles are ideal for the positive traveler creating content for social media. This archetype is characterized by optimism, simplicity, and purity. It focuses on showcasing idyllic locations, peaceful towns, and family-friendly activities, catering to a broad audience, including children and families seeking inspiration for their next vacation. The positive traveler avoids controversy, instead presenting a world of joy and happiness.
The Magician – Dreaming Traveler
Singapore and Tokyo are prime examples of cities that the magician archetype would choose to explore, showcasing theme parks and cutting-edge technology. With a visionary and innovative approach, this social media personal brand aims to highlight places that seem to emerge from the imagination, including futuristic destinations, creative projects, and groundbreaking communities.
The Jester – Funny Traveler
It is characterized by a fun, spontaneous and entertainment-focused personality type. In general, it portrays vibrant, festive events full of energy and fun. This archetype captivates audiences by blending witty commentary with engaging travel insights, transforming mundane experiences into entertaining narratives. By using humor to connect with followers, the jester archetype not only entertains but also makes travel content more relatable and memorable.
The Ordinary Man – Common Traveler
This archetype embodies the essence of an everyday person, focusing on authenticity and genuinely reflecting daily experiences. It explores popular destinations within conventional tourism—such as beaches, parks, and cities—while capturing authentic, unembellished moments. The emphasis is on portraying simple activities like city strolls or sampling street food, often through straightforward, candid imagery.
How to Apply the Personality Archetype in Social Networks?
To establish and differentiate ourselves from other content creators, we must select two social media personal brands that align with our character, interests, and the nature of our travels. The first archetype should define our core identity and attract a specific audience. The second archetype serves as our “grounding force,” distinguishing us and enhancing our ability to engage with the public or attract brand collaborations.
For example, a combination of the Innocent and Wise archetypes might involve sharing intriguing facts about Nickelodeon Park. Conversely, using the Everyman and Jester archetypes could mean exploring street food in Thailand with a humorous approach.
If you’re looking to professionalize your travel journalism on social media, the Master in Travel Journalism program at the School of Travel Journalism offers comprehensive training and guidance in developing your media strategy and social media personal brand alongside seasoned travel communication professionals. It’s time to travel and create!
