Jen Ruiz is lawyer turned travel blogger and author. She is a #1 Amazon bestseller and Readers' Favorite Award winner. Jen is also a TEDx speaker and has been featured by The Washington Post, Huffington Post, and ABC News. Jen documents her adventures on her website, Jen on a Jet Plane, where she shares tips on finding location and financial independence.

What is your background? How did you become an influencer?

I’m a lawyer turned travel blogger and author. In 2017, I set out to take 12 trips in 12 months before my 30th birthday while employed full-time. I ended up taking 20 trips total, finding deals like a $16 flight to Ecuador and $22 roundtrip flight to San Francisco. I wrote my first book about finding cheap flights and decided to quit my job in April 2018 to dedicate myself to running my blog and building an online business. I’ve since written 4 books, given 2 TEDx talks, and worked with brands like Royal Caribbean, I Love New York, and Tropic Air.

What 3 things does anyone starting in your industry need to know?

First and foremost, you do not own your presence on a social media platform. It’s great to build a following on Instagram or Pinterest but you want to direct that audience somewhere that you can collect email addresses and contact them in the future, otherwise you’re losing warm leads.

If you only learn one skill as a new blogger, make it search engine optimization (SEO). You want readers to find you because Google showcases your website as having the best answer to their question. You don’t want to constantly beg your friends and family to click on your articles. Target the right audience and provide value so they have a reason to stick around and keep coming back.

Take a screenshot of every tweet, email, direct message, text, comment, etc. where someone offers you praise for your service or says they took action because of your recommendation. Save these screenshots in a “win” folder. They will serve as social proof when it comes time to work with brands and you won’t have to go back and look through old messages to find them.

What would you do differently if you were starting in your industry now?

Anyone starting a travel blog right now is entering a heavily saturated space. If I were starting from scratch right now, I would learn a distinguishing skill like video production or drone photography. I would also stay away from Instagram and Facebook which are hard to grow and don’t lead to high click-through rates or conversions. I would focus on Pinterest to drive traffic. Views from there tend to have a low bounce rate. I would also aim to be an early adopter of a new channel like TikTok to gain followers quickly.

Which people or resources have had the most influence on your growth and why?

I find the Make Traffic Happen community extremely helpful. I attended an in-person workshop and using their SEO strategies I improved my traffic from 10k to 100k views/month in 10 months and started making meaningful passive income off ad revenue on the site.

I also can’t speak highly enough about the Wanderful community. They run the Women in Travel Summit and also have a creator’s network that hosts webinars, online happy hours, workouts, and virtual tours around the world.

What do you think is the top key to success in your business?

To succeed as a blogger, you need to diversify your income streams. Understand that you’re an entrepreneur, not a salaried employee, and need to protect yourself in case one of your income streams fails. I also recommend making your own products versus relying on affiliate sales, contrary to what others might advise. In my experience, you make more money with 100% of your products than 10% of someone else’s.

How did you come up with your pricing model?

I have 4 books on Amazon, all of them under $12. In pricing them, I looked at my competitors and made sure I wasn’t pricing myself out of the market while still making a profit.

My advertising revenue is based on an “RPM” model meaning revenue per $1,000 impression. My ad rates are set by Mediavine, the publisher network that works with my site, and based on a combination of demand, advertiser budget, season, and demographics of my audience.

In regard to campaigns with brands, I based my rate sheet on conversations with similarly positioned bloggers. I found that oftentimes I would be on a campaign and someone would be getting paid $1k+ more than me, simply for my failure to be aggressive in the ask. That’s why I think it’s important for us to share rates and establish an industry-standard, otherwise campaign fees can vary wildly on tangential factors.

Talk about the biggest failure you've had. What did you learn from it?

The biggest failure I’ve had was not in blogging but in college. I worked for years to be a student government president only to find that in the end, my running mate was planted by my opponent and I was left with a week to find a replacement. I didn’t find an ideal candidate but I ran anyway. My shirts came out the wrong color so I turned my bathtub into a dye shop and hand-stirred 200 shirts myself. They never really dried and my street team was less than thrilled at the smell but I learned so much from that experience.

First, life is not fair. Nothing is guaranteed and everything can change at the drop of a hat. Second, sometimes failing actually makes for a better story and valuable life experience. Third, I like knowing I can count on myself. That last realization is what has powered me through the long hours and ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.

How do you market your business? What has been the most effective form of marketing?

I market my business through social media channels, word of mouth, and my email list. I would say the most effective form of marketing is email marketing. Instead of trying to convince strangers of why they should stop scrolling for your products you’re connecting with old friends who’ve already shown an interest in your work. As an author, my email list is the most important factor in ensuring a successful book launch.

How do you find brand partnerships? What is your advice to those starting out?

I first try to meet with brand representatives at a conference or event to establish a connection and stand out from the hundreds of pitches they’re getting. Then, in my follow-up email, I reiterate how excited I am to work with them and try to get them on the phone to discuss my ideas in depth. By that time, I will have done some keyword research and already know what the demand is regarding their product/location. After that, I prepare an official marketing proposal with various packages meant to meet their goals and prepare a contract.

My advice to those starting out to the network. Join blogger groups. Go to brand events. Attend every conference you possibly can. There is no substitute for a face-to-face connection in a world where we’re all used to interacting through a screen.

What does a typical day in your week look like?

My days are busy. I have a handful of goals I’m working on at a given time. I write out my tasks for the day and start with my most demanding project. I work out around noon and split my afternoons between social media, podcast interviews, community hangouts, webinars, etc. Normally, I take one to press trips a month so I’m always promoting a new destination or campaign and catching up on work. On Sundays, I like to explore locally, take time to unwind, and catch up with friends.

On press trips, my schedule is completely different. It’ usually 4-7 days of nonstop work, with a full schedule and posting requirements throughout. Those days, my workout consists of walking around a city or hiking a mountain. To date, my most physically demanding trip included a 14-mile hike in 10 hours with an elevation gain of 5,000 feet.

What keeps you going when things get tough in your business?

I would trade the freedom I have as a blogger and entrepreneur for anything. Whenever it gets challenging, I remember how lucky I am to set my own schedule, decide what I want to work on every day, and pursue goals that are important to me.

How can our readers get in touch with you?

You can find me on my website, Jen on a Jet Plane (www.jenonajetplane.com). You can also find me across social media on:

- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jenonajetplane

- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/jenonajetplane

- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jenonajetplane

- Twitter https://www.twitter.com/jenonajetplane

- Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/jenonajetplane