Job Opening: Feature Blogger

Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa

In Fall 2009, I began accepting contributions on Go Backpacking, and since then, I've had the chance to feature dozens of bloggers, and work with quite a few on a regular basis, including Danielle who has been helping from an editorial standpoint for almost a year.

It has been a rewarding experience for me, the blog, and hopefully everyone who has shared their writing and photography.

In 2011, I'd like to bring on a Feature Blogger.  This is a paid position, and can be done from anywhere in the world.

What I'm Looking For

I'd like to build a long term relationship with a travel blogger to help grow Go Backpacking's audience and reach. I'm looking for someone who can commit to at least 6 months if they're accepted for the role.

The blogger would be responsible for one post per week, which will be published on the busier traffic days (Mon/Tues/Wed) for maximum exposure. Topics will be brainstormed together, and will be a mix of ideas from both the blogger and the editor-in-chief (me).  Please review the submission guidelines and Archive to get a feel for the format and types of posts being published on the blog.

In addition, it's expected that the Feature Blogger will actively participate in promoting his/her posts via social media (esp. Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon) and respond to comments left not only on his/her posts, but also participate in the comments of all posts that appear on Go Backpacking. (not literally every single post…the idea is to help foster comments across the blog, not just his/her contributions.)

The Benefits

• Competitive payment on a per post basis.
• Complimentary membership to Travel Blog Success.
• Regular exposure to Go Backpacking's audience (Jan 2011: 100k+ page views & 5,000 subscribers).
• Allowed to use contextual links to their own blog if/when appropriate (Go Backpacking is PR 5).
• Author Bio box under each post, including links to personal blog and social media.
• Listed on About page as Feature Blogger.

Skills Required

• Knack for recognizing “social media friendly” topics.
• Understand the basics of Search Engine Optimization.
• “Blogger's level” understanding of WordPress – enough to navigate your way around the WP admin panel, upload photos, etc.
• Ability to research and source your own content – you will review new topics with the editor-in-chief (me) each week before drafting the post, or month if you prefer to submit a month's worth of posts at once.
• Ability to source your own photos – preferably using your own whenever possible.  If you are familiar with photo editing, Lightroom, or other software, please mention this when applying.
• Timeliness – you must be able to consistently meet your deadline each week, without exception.

Compensation

Payment will be competitive, and paid via PayPal on the last day of each month.

To Apply

Stage 1

Email [email protected] with:

• Your travel experience (countries where you visited and/or lived).
• Subject areas of interest/expertise.
• 3 examples of your best/most popular posts from 2010, either on your blog or another (URL's only).
• 3 suggested “social media friendly” article topics.
• Preferred pay
• Availability
• And a few sentences about yourself and why you're a perfect fit for this job.

The deadline to apply is 10 pm EST, Sunday, January 30, 2011.

Stage 2

If after Stage 1 it looks like you would be a good fit, then I will ask you to write a post based on one of your suggested articles. This post will be published on Go Backpacking as a trial run (think of it as an audition).

Only the person who is ultimately hired for the position will receive compensation for the trial post.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the Comments below, or contact me privately.

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.