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Happy New Year! With a swarm of algorithm changes, the looming TikTok ban, and the ever-growing rise of AI, it was certainly a busy end to the year.

Here's everything you need to know as we head into 2025. Happy reading, Kieren (more about me at the end).

Thank you to everyone who shared your kind feedback on previous editions - feel free to reply and share your thoughts anytime!

GENERAL NEWS

📣 Cameo now open to all creators - The once invite-only platform is now open to all, allowing creators to sell custom video messages to fans. Dozens of travel creators are already signed up, with The Bucket List Family and Adventurous Kate among well-known names. See all the travel creators on the platform here.

📣 Egypt feuds with travel blogger - After a travel blogger described Cairo as the "world's worst airport", Egypt's government published a 1,100-word attack on the blogger and released CCTV footage of him "enjoying" the airport. The feud was reported by the New York Times (read without paywall here).

📣 Flipboard announce a brand new platform - Now in public beta, Surf Social brings together feeds from popular Fediverse apps (such as Threads, Bluesky, Flipboard) with podcasts and YouTube. This guide gives a good overview of how it could help travel publishers. Join the waitlist here.

📣 Booking wants to revolutionise trip planning - Booking(dot)com's CEO shared his vision for an AI-powered future. He hopes the platform will offer all-in-one trip planning that proactively recommends destinations, hotels, & activities. All based on data they have gathered about users. Read the story here.

📣 Influencers are the new power brokers in travel - This article explains how travel creators will play an increasingly important role as social commerce becomes mainstream. Looking at China as an example, it highlights how companies like Klook are shifting focus from traditional advertising to creator collaborations.

BLOGGING & AFFILIATE NEWS

🌐 Two core updates and a spam update in a pear tree - Less than a week after the November core update finished Google released the December core update, shortly followed by the third spam update of 2024. All updates have now finished, but Google warned to expect "more core updates, more often" in 2025.

🌐 ChatGPT Search goes live for all users - After a few months in beta, ChatGPT search became available to all logged-in users (try it here). It's predicted that ChatGPT Search could account for 1% of all searches by 2025 (source).

🌐 Submissions for the TravMedia awards now open - Nominate yourself or fellow creators for categories such as 'travel blogger of the year'. Deadline for submissions is 21/2 with the awards taking place in May. Enter here.​

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

🔔 TikTok ban looming - TikTok could be banned in the US from 19/1 unless it's sold to an American owner. While many speculate that the ban won't be upheld, creators are still preparing for the possibility. Stay up to date with the latest developments here or get tips to prepare for the ban here.

🔔 Instagram Trial Reels live for all users - The feature allows you to test reels with a sample of non-followers to see how well it resonates (see the full announcement here). Some creators have been sharing their experiences with the feature here and here.

🔔 Creators could get "AI versions of themselves" for engaging with fans - Tired of answering DMs from fans? Instagram's latest project will allow creators to build an AI version of themselves to help with admin tasks. Read full story.

🔔 Facebook to show affiliate links more prominently - Following a similar announcement by TikTok last month, Facebook said it will increase the visibility of affiliate links in posts, comments, and reels. See how it looks here. Only a few affiliate programs will be supported initially, with no major travel sites (full list here).

TIPS & TRICKS

💡 Case Study: HCU Site Recovery - In this interview, Todd Sarouhan explains how he grew his San Diego travel site back to pre-HCU traffic levels.

💡 Growing a 7-Figure Travel Blog with The Broke Backpacker - Will Hatton appeared on The Travel Creator podcast to share insights from his journey building TBB into an online empire.

💡 How To Sell Your Travel Photography As A Content Creator - Expert travel creator Megan Indoe appeared on the Make Money Travel Blogging channel to share her tips for pricing, licensing, and selling your photography to brands and destinations.

TRENDING TOPICS

🔥 How much I made in November as a travel blogger [thread by @travelherstory]

🔥 How we're growing 30-50k followers each month on Instagram [IG carousel by @thecreatorpassport]

🔥 Creators, share how much you make from content creation! [thread by @caroline.elkhoury]

🔥 4 Lessons from 10+ Years of Blogging [reddit thread in r/blogging]

INDUSTRY EVENTS

📅 22nd-23rd Jan - IMM North America, New York City (media applications here)

📅 22nd-26th Jan - Fitur International Tourism Fair, Madrid (tickets onsale here)

📅 27th Jan - Blogger Breakthrough Summit [free virtual event]

📅 10th Feb - Meet the Media, Dublin (media applications via email)

📅 13th Feb - IMM Australia, Sydney (media applications here)

📅 17th-18th Feb - IMM UK, London (media applications here)

📅 3rd Mar - IMM Germany, Berlin (media applications ​here​)

📅 4th-6th Mar - ITB, Berlin (media applications here)

📅 12th Mar - IMM France, Paris (media applications here)

📅 14th-16th Mar - Travel Con, Arizona (tickets onsale here)

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MONTHLY POLL

📊 Results of last month's poll: Do you use stock photos/videos on your travel blog?

📊 This month's poll: What will be your biggest focus in 2025? (select as many as you like)

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!