So many creators in the travel vlog sphere start out by simply sharing their adventures. When a few of us get lucky and our channels instantly blow up, those who are still in the struggle will often shrug it off as “tits and ass” content (demeaning, but another topic altogether), “they had a good story”, “it’s just the location they’re visiting”, “it’s because they have expensive gear”, etc etc etc.

Some of those reasons are true, but it all boils down to ONE THING.

Does your content Add Value?

This is a concept most of us will need to hear over and over for its meaning to ‘click’.

Adding Value in your travel vlog is improving your audience’s life in some way.

It may be through the inspiration you provide, the visual appeal, the locations you explore or the people you include. You may also provide value through the facts you provide or the skills you teach. There’s a myriad of ways a channel can provide value.

Generally speaking, the more types of value you provide, the better your videos will do. However, there is a caveat that your videos must also provide a consistent experience (e.g. If you are a “How-To” channel provding value through the skills you teach, you must stay a “how-to” channel).

EXAMPLE: La Vagabonde Sailing!

You can love them or hate them, but you cannot deny their success.

​La Vagabonde Sailing is the top performing channel in the sailing travel vlog sphere by a longshot and are one of the best examples of Adding Value. The whole family is easy on the eyes. They visit beautiful locations that are visually appealing. They push themselves to do risky things and live an unusual life that inspires people. And they sprinkle their episodes with a mix of interesting information and fun times that teach you about what the world has to offer and make you dream of life’s possibilities.

They add value in a myriad of ways.

How can YOU add value?

It starts with how you plan your overall YouTube channel. Some questions to ask:

• How is my channel going to Transform someone’s life?
• What is the New Thought, Perspective, or Idea I want to give the audience?
• What emotion does the audience start each video with, and what emotion do I want them to have at the end?
• How am I going to make the someone’s day better?
• How are my videos going to inspire someone?

You need to know where you’re going to get there, and thinking through the experience you want to provide will help your YouTube channel stay focused.

ACTION

Then it comes down to your production process.

EVERY TIME you start thinking through the story you want to tell, get in the practice of asking yourself, “How do I want to add value to my audience through this story?”

EVERY TIME you pick up the camera, get in the practice of asking yourself, “What can I say right now that is actually valuable to my audience or helps progress the story?”

EVERY TIME you make a cut during your edit, get in the practice of asking yourself, “How does this clip add value to my audience? Is this clip necessary to understand the story? Is my emotional attachment to this clip getting in the way of me prioritising adding value to my audience?”

I started doing this only recently, and I have seen a HUGE impact in audience comments, retention, and watch time (the amount of time they binge!). Your audience is CHOOSING to be on your channel, so make sure they aren’t wasting their time.