Social media, travel platforms, affiliate programs, and creator networks. Set up all of these before you start posting content. Check them off as you go.
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Social media accounts
Your content platforms — create all with the same handle
Day 1
Lock the handle first. Check all platforms at once — if @yerramazing is taken on one, find a handle that's available everywhere. Consistency = brand recognition.
TikTok — Business Account
Growth engine. Algorithm favors new accounts posting daily. Business account gives analytics + link in bio. Post 1-2x daily for the first 30 days.
Priority #1
Instagram — Professional/Creator Account
Hotels check IG first when you pitch. Professional account unlocks insights and the "contact" button. Cross-post best TikToks as Reels. Post 3x/week + daily stories.
Priority #1
YouTube — Brand Account
Long-form money machine. Need 1K subs + 4K watch hours for ad revenue (or 10M Shorts views). Upload weekly vlogs + cross-post TikToks as Shorts.
Priority #1
X / Twitter — Reserve the handle
Not a priority platform for travel content, but reserve the name. Post occasionally for brand presence.
Reserve now
Pinterest — Business Account
Sleeper platform for travel SEO. Pins rank in Google. Create boards for each destination and pin your content. Low effort, compounds over time.
Week 2
Linktree or Beacons — Link-in-bio page
Free. One link in all bios → points to YouTube, media kit PDF, affiliate links, booking inquiries. Professional look from day one.
Day 1
Business email — hello@[brandname].com
Google Workspace ($6/mo) or Zoho Mail (free). Branded email instantly looks more legit than Gmail when pitching hotels.
Day 1
Domain name — [brandname].com
Namecheap or Google Domains. ~$12/year. Even if you don't build a website yet, lock the domain. You'll need it for email and eventually a blog.
Day 1
2
Review & travel platforms
Build your reviewer reputation — hotels and restaurants notice top contributors
Day 1-7
Why this matters: A TripAdvisor "Top Contributor" badge or Google Local Guide Level 5+ is social proof when you pitch hotels. It shows you're a legitimate reviewer, not just someone asking for free stays. Start reviewing everything now.
TripAdvisor — Create account, start reviewing
Review every restaurant and hotel you visit. Detailed reviews with photos. Work toward "Top Contributor" status. Hotels see this when you pitch them.
Both do this
Yelp — Create account, aim for Yelp Elite
Review restaurants with quality photos. Yelp Elite status gets you invited to exclusive food events and tastings — free content. Apply for Elite after 20+ reviews.
Both do this
Google Maps — Level up as Local Guide
Leave reviews + photos on every place you visit. Level 4+ gets Google perks (early access, rewards). Your reviews also appear in Google Search — SEO for free.
Both do this
Booking.com — Create account, start Genius program
Book through Booking.com → Level up to Genius 2/3 → Get room upgrades, discounts, and priority support. Also has an affiliate program for earning on referrals.
Either
Hotels.com — Sign up for Rewards
Every 10 nights booked = 1 free night. Stack this with content trips. Even paid stays earn toward free ones.
Either
Google Travel — Set up flight alerts
google.com/travel — Track prices for destinations you want to visit. Get email alerts when flights drop. Screenshot deals for content ("flights from NYC under $100").
Both
3
Affiliate & monetization accounts
Start earning from day 1 — no follower minimum on most of these
Week 1
The play: Every video description and bio link should include affiliate links. Someone watches your buffet review, clicks your Booking.com link to check the hotel, and you earn commission. It adds up fast, even with small audiences.
Amazon Associates — Affiliate program
Link your gear in every video description: camera, gimbal, mic, tripod, travel accessories. Commission on everything the person buys (not just what you linked) for 24 hours. No minimum followers.
Day 1
Booking.com Affiliate Partner
Earn commission on every hotel booking through your link. Put your Booking.com affiliate link in every travel video description and on your Linktree.
Day 1
Travelpayouts — Travel affiliate network
One platform, many brands: flights (Kiwi, WayAway), hotels (Booking, Agoda), tours (Viator, GetYourGuide), insurance. Higher payouts than going direct. No minimum.
Week 1
ShareASale — Join travel brand programs
Affiliate network with Viator, TripAdvisor experiences, Priceline, and hundreds of travel brands. Apply to programs individually after joining.
Week 1
Impact.com — Brand partnership platform
Used by Airbnb, Uber, and many hotel chains. Sign up and apply to individual programs. Some require minimum followers, others don't.
Week 2
CapCut — Referral program
If you edit with CapCut (free), include your referral link. Earn when people sign up through you. Easy passive income from "how we edit" content.
Day 1
4
Creator & influencer programs
Apply when you hit the minimum followers — some accept as low as 500
Apply when ready
Don't wait. Apply to everything as soon as you hit the minimum. The worst they say is no — and you can reapply in 90 days with better numbers.
Circle Line NYC — Influencer Program (500+ followers)
circleline.com — free cruise tickets + food + beverages for you and guests around NYC. Perfect first partnership. Apply immediately.
500 followers
TikTok Creator Fund / Creativity Program (10K followers)
Get paid per view on TikTok. Need 10K followers + 100K views in last 30 days. The Creativity Program (videos >1 min) pays significantly more.
10K followers
YouTube Partner Program (1K subs + 4K hours)
Ad revenue on videos. Also unlocks Super Chats, channel memberships, and YouTube Shopping. The real money machine for long-form content.
1K subs
Trip.com Influencer Planet (5K followers)
Comped hotel stays worldwide in exchange for content. One of the best programs for micro-influencers. Apply with your media kit.
5K followers
Viator Creator Program (1K followers)
Free tours and experiences to review — walking tours, food tours, boat rides, adventure activities. Great content without spending money.
1K followers
Royal Caribbean / Norwegian — Influencer programs
Comped cabin + food on sailings. Find the PR/influencer email on their website. Pitch with media kit once you have 2K-5K followers. "First cruise ever" = incredible content angle.
2-5K followers
Marriott Bonvoy Creators
Content creation for Marriott properties. Varies by region and property. Apply through their PR portal or pitch individual hotels directly.
Varies
NYC & Company (nycgo.com) — Press/Media list
NYC's official tourism board. Get on their media list for invites to press events, new hotel openings, restaurant launches. Fill out the form on their website.
Apply now
Caribbean & Latin American tourism boards
DR, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Mexico, Jamaica — all want US-based Latino creators. "Two NYC Latinos visit [country] for the first time" is exactly what they want to promote.
2K+ followers
5
Tools & software accounts
Everything you need for editing, scheduling, and analytics
Set up
CapCut — Video editing (free)
Free, powerful, and what most TikTok creators use. Templates, auto-captions, effects. Use on phone or desktop.
Free
Canva — Media kit, thumbnails, graphics (free tier)
Build your media kit, YouTube thumbnails, Instagram carousels, pitch decks. Free tier is enough. Search "travel media kit template" for starters.
Free
Google Drive — Shared folder for all content
Create a shared folder structure: /Trips/[Destination]/Raw + /Edited + /Posted. Both of you can access footage and photos from anywhere.
Free
Later or Buffer — Social media scheduler (free tier)
Schedule posts in advance so you can batch-create content and not worry about posting at optimal times. Free tier handles 1-3 platforms.
Free
Wave — Accounting software (free)
waveapps.com — Free bookkeeping. Track every business expense, connect your bank account, generate reports for your accountant at tax time.
Free
Google Sheets — Travel dashboard
Your shared travel log: trips, hotels, restaurants, contacts, expenses, content tracking. Both pin it to your home screens. See our dashboard template.