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Welcome to the April edition of the Travel Creator Newsletter, and a special hello to everyone who joined this month!

It might be April Fools Day, but no tricks here. Whether you’re focused on SEO or social media, there's plenty of creator news to catch up on. Happy reading, Kieren (more about me at the end).

GENERAL NEWS

🔔 Mediavine drops hundreds of sites from its network - In a controversial move, Mediavine removed 500+ sites from their Journey by Mediavine ad platform without notice. They later clarified that these were suspected AI sites and that the cull was part of their commitment to a creator-first future.

🔔 Influencer faced deportation for her wombat video - A US influencer received major backlash after posting a video where she appeared to take a baby wombat from its mother while in Australia. She quickly left the country once officials got involved, but a petition to block her return has 50,000+ signatures.

BLOGGING & AFFILIATE NEWS

🌐 Google algorithm update lands - The first core update of the year rolled out in March, ending 27/3. Early analysis suggests big movement, with forums, mass-produced content, and local listings targeted (source).

🌐 Google sets a deadline to help small publishers - In an exchange with content creators on X, Google's search liaison team committed to improve the visibility of small publishers in the search results by 31st December. Don't get too excited, they also shared new AI travel planning tools aimed at keeping searchers on their platform - make up your mind Google!

🌐 Moz shared some SEO hot topics for 2025 - Moz hosted a webinar with a handful of SEO experts on some hot topics for the year ahead. This recap summarises what they said.

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

📣 YouTube to host creator events in every state - YouTube announced that its 'Creator Collective' will host YouTuber meetups in every US state throughout the coming months, with a focus on growing your channel and creating short-form content. Find the full list and reserve a spot here.

📣 Instagram could finally add a repost button - Instagram updated their help documents with info about the long-awaited re-post button, which looks to be in testing. This month, they also added 2X speed for reels and quietly discontinued notes on posts and reels.

📣 Bluesky launched Flashes, a new Instagram competitor - Bluesky has been making waves as a replacement for X/Twitter. Now, they're taking on Instagram with the launch of Flashes, a photo-sharing app that runs on the same technology as Bluesky. It's a good time to grab your username on both.

TIPS & TRICKS

💡 How To Navigate Your First Press Trip - Matador Creators shared a quick guide for anyone going on their first press trip to answer some common questions.

💡 Create Reels That Grow Your Following, Email List & Income - In this video, Jessie on a Journey sits down with Raimee Travels to share strategies for creating high-performing Reels.

💡 Content Syndication For Travel Bloggers - In this two-part series, Michael Schreiber from MediaFeed speaks to Stay22 about content syndication and how it can amplify your reach as a travel brand.

💡 Here's The Best Time To Post on Social Media - Hootsuite analysed 1 million posts to discover the best time for posting on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and more.

💡 A Guide To Photo Posts on TikTok - Straight from the horse's mouth, TikTok shared a full guide to creating and optimising photo posts on their platform.

TRENDING TOPICS

🔥 Behind the Scenes with Nomadic Matt [Podcast]

🔥 How blogging has changed (+ what’s actually working in 2025) [Reddit thread]

INDUSTRY EVENTS

📅 11th Apr - IMM Brazil, São Paulo (media applications here)

📅 14th-16th Apr - WTM Latin America, São Paulo (media applications here)

📅 16th - 18th May - Women in Travel Sumit, New York (tickets onsale here)

📅 27th - 29th May - ITB China, Shanghai (media applications here)

📅 28th - 30th May - AdventureElevate North America, Colorado (media applications closed)

📅 4th - 8th June - TMAC Conference and Media Marketplace, Saskatoon (ticket info here)

📅 14th - 18th June - IPW, Chicago​

📅 16th - 19th June - TBEX North America, Québec City (tickets onsale here)

AD REVENUE PREDICTIONS

Below are Mediavine's predictions for the highest-performing ad revenue days this month. Even if you use another ad partner, these trends are worth noting.

MONTHLY POLL

📊 Result of last month's poll: What's your monetisation focus for 2025?

📊 This month's poll: How do you feel about the future of content creation?

WHO'S BEHIND THIS NEWSLETTER? Hi, I'm Kieren, I've been travel blogging for 6+ years (full-time since 2021). I love nerding out about all things blogging, SEO, social media, and AI. I started this newsletter to connect with fellow content creators - whether you're just starting out or a seasoned pro. Hit reply to chat!