Alicia Tenise Chew is the proprietor and writer of the Los-Angeles primarily based vogue, way of life, and journey weblog, Alicia Tenise. Her ardour undertaking was launched in 2011, initially as a vogue weblog, after getting back from a 6-month internship in New York for New York Style Week (NYFW). Earlier than going full-time along with her weblog, Alicia labored within the advertising trade for a number of media and software program teams.
She grew up simply outdoors of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia and attended Virginia Commonwealth College, graduating in 2013 with a level in Mass Communications. As a university scholar, her funds was restricted, so touring wasn’t her important focus when she began. As Alicia and her viewers received older, the subjects she selected to cowl expanded to suit her personal way of life.
Alicia is not any stranger to the web. When she was ten years previous, she created her first web site and has had a presence on-line, on and off, ever since. Success doesn’t come straightforward within the influencer world, however Alicia’s sturdy work ethic, consistency, consideration to element, and professionalism has allowed her to proceed to construct her following.
Since Alicia Tenise began her weblog in 2011, she has been named one of many prime D.C. vogue and sweetness Instagram accounts to comply with by Washingtonian Journal, featured on Essence Journal’s Web site, interviewed by The Washington Put up, and appeared in ELLE Journal of their April 2017 situation.
In February we linked with Alicia to take a deeper look into how she grew to become the influencer she is immediately and study extra about what it takes to turn out to be profitable within the journey running a blog trade.
Photograph credit score: Tom McGovern
When did you first understand that you just needed to start out the weblog, Alicia Tenise?
“I initially began as a vogue blogger, however as I received older, I needed so as to add a bit extra depth to my weblog and canopy extra subjects. Once I moved again to D.C. after I graduated from faculty, I liked having the possibility to discover my hometown in a brand new mild as an grownup. I additionally took a job at a regional journal, which required spending my weekends touring all through the D.C. Metro space attending native occasions and festivals. I liked incorporating this way of life component into my weblog, and I rapidly realized that my native content material was fairly thrilling journey content material for readers who lived outdoors of the realm.
I began by doing staycations and small guides for D.C. — I didn’t have an enormous journey funds in my early 20s, so doing native content material was important. The native content material I produced caught the eye of different regional inns and journey companions, and I began to develop my protection space and started to cowl locations that had been 2-4 hours away. After just a few years of regional journey, I began partnering with manufacturers outdoors of my space and was in a position to fly to and canopy different locations.”
What is a few recommendation you possibly can give to inexperienced journey bloggers simply beginning out within the trade?
“Begin out sharing finds in your individual metropolis. What you may contemplate to be native content material is journey content material for another person. Staycations and native restaurant opinions are a good way to get began and work out your voice and content material manufacturing model. You will have to supply content material by yourself dime earlier than partnering with manufacturers, so beginning native is a good way to create constant content material with decrease overhead prices.”
Photograph credit score: Tom McGovern
How did you begin to acquire consideration on the Alicia Tenise weblog and develop your following?
“First, I engaged with different bloggers’ content material—following, leaving feedback, sharing, and so on. Pre-COVID, I actively collaborated with native bloggers for shoots and content material on a fairly common foundation. It’s a bit intimidating chilly emailing one other blogger or influencer to accomplice on a undertaking, however it’s one thing that positively helped me develop. Lastly, I attempt to give attention to creating shareable content material—making journey guides which can be so researched, thorough, and focused that you just’d wish to share them with a good friend. Being weak and sharing private posts that folks can relate to can be an efficient option to seize your viewers’s consideration.”
What are your finest ideas for making a profitable journey weblog?
“Consistency is vital at first. That is the way you’ll develop your viewers. I’ve additionally invested in a number of workshops and running a blog conferences through the years to assist enhance the standard of content material I produce. I’m not afraid to outsource some issues I may not be the very best at as my enterprise grows (i.e. pictures, video enhancing, and so on.). I additionally assume it’s important to seek out your individual voice and present your character. My viewers trusts me like a good friend relating to journey, and it’s vital to attempt to discover what makes you distinctive and personable.”
“Discover your individual voice and present your character.” – Alicia Tenise Chew
How a lot time, power, and work does it take to be a journey blogger?
“It’s positively a full-time job. A loopy one which I find yourself working 50-60 hours per week. Since native content material for me is journey content material for another person, I all the time have a protracted record of locations to discover in my local people to share with my viewers. Whenever you’re touring for the weblog and partnering with manufacturers to supply content material, you all the time should be “on”—pleasant with PR individuals, interviewing cooks, native reps, and so on., ensuring you’re on time for appointments, and so forth. You don’t have a lot time to calm down if you’re actively journey running a blog, however I nonetheless want it to sitting in a cubicle!”
Photograph credit score: Tom McGovern
Prime 5 Takeaways for Aspiring Journey Bloggers by Alicia Tenise:
- Consistency is vital. Being in line with the content material you share will assist develop your viewers.
- Present your individual voice and character—your viewers will belief you extra like a good friend when you’re authentically your self.
- Collaborate with different bloggers and influencers—it will will let you attain a bigger and extra various viewers.
- Discover what makes you distinctive and personable. Followers don’t prefer to see the identical content material they’ve seen 1,000,000 instances earlier than. Spice it up and share what makes you, you.
- Begin native and share finds in your individual metropolis. What you contemplate native content material may very well be journey content material for another person!
Freelance contribution particularly written for Discover Your Affect by Jordan O’Connor.
