Travel Blogger Email Marketing Playbook

Step 1. Create your free MailerLite account and sender details

Sign up for the free plan with your real name, blog name and website — MailerLite reviews new accounts to protect deliverability, so unrelated or misleading details slow approval down.

Set a sender name readers recognise (“Emma from The Wandering Map” beats a company name), a reply-to address you actually read, and authenticate your domain with the DNS records MailerLite gives you.

Free plan limits on subscribers, emails, forms and automations change over time. Check the current plan page before you build.

Step 2. Pick one destination and create one lead magnet

Start with the destination post that already gets the most visits. Offer something that solves a planning problem for that exact trip — not “my travel tips”.

• A 3-day itinerary for the city in the article
• A Google Maps list of the places you mention
• A list of bookings that sell out (and how far ahead)
• A budget planner for that country

Keep it short enough to use on a phone. Host the PDF where readers can open it without an account.

Step 3. Create one subscriber group per lead magnet

In Subscribers → Groups, create a group such as “LM – Lisbon Itinerary”. The LM prefix keeps your list readable when you add “LM – Japan Packing List” later.

This lets you deliver the right file automatically and later send Lisbon content only to Lisbon readers. Don't create groups for resources you haven't made yet.

Step 4. Build the signup form and confirmation email

Create an embedded form (“Form – Lisbon Itinerary”), link it to the group, and ask only for an email address — add first name only if you'll really use it.

If you enable double opt-in, rewrite the confirmation email so readers know a guide is waiting. Test it: submitting the form is not the same as confirming.

Headline: Get your free 3-day [destination] itinerary
Description: A ready-to-use route for each day, practical transport tips and a map of the places worth visiting.
Button: Send me the itinerary
Privacy note: You'll get the itinerary and occasional travel emails. Unsubscribe any time. See our Privacy Policy.

Subject: Confirm your [destination] itinerary

Thanks for requesting the free [destination] itinerary!
Please confirm your email address with the button below. Once you've confirmed, I'll send you the guide and occasional tips to help you plan your trip.

[Confirm my subscription]

Step 5. Place the form inside the article — and check it on a phone

WordPress: connect the official MailerLite integration and insert the form in the post. Other platforms: paste the universal snippet and form code into the custom-code/embed block your builder provides. No script support? Link to the form's hosted page.

Put the form right after the most useful section (the itinerary, the favourite places), not in the sidebar — on mobile, sidebars end up below the footer, where nobody scrolls.

Step 6. Automate the lead magnet delivery

In Automations, create “Welcome – Lisbon Itinerary” with the trigger “When subscriber joins a group” → LM – Lisbon Itinerary. Add the delivery email, link the PDF, preview and click the link.

Test with a fresh address you've never used, including the double opt-in step. Also decide what happens if an existing subscriber requests the guide again: group-based workflows often won't re-run for someone already in the group.

Subject: Your [destination] itinerary is here
Preview: Your free three-day guide is ready to use.

Hi [first name],

Thanks for requesting my free [destination] itinerary. Here it is:
[Download your itinerary]

Inside: a route for each day, practical tips and a map of the places I recommend.

One quick question: when are you planning to go? Just reply — I read every answer.

Happy travels,
[Your name]

Step 7. Add four more welcome emails with delays

After the delivery email, add delay → email steps. A pace like day 2, day 5, day 8 and day 12 works; useful content matters more than the exact schedule.

Only write “I visited” if you did. If a recommendation comes from research, say so — readers trust that more than a vague first-person claim.

Subject: One [destination] mistake worth avoiding

Hi [first name],

The thing that makes most city trips more stressful than they need to be: trying to fit too much into one day.
In [destination], group nearby places together instead of crossing the city several times. You save time and leave room for the places you'd otherwise miss.

More practical advice in my guide: [Read the guide]

What are you most looking forward to?
[Your name]

Subject: A place I'd make time for in [destination]

Hi [first name],

If I were planning [destination] again, I'd leave time for [neighbourhood, viewpoint or experience].
Why: [a real observation from your visit — or "based on my research", if you haven't been].

More suggestions: [Read the full guide]

I only recommend places and services I've used or researched carefully, not because something pays a commission.
[Your name]

Subject: Where are you travelling next?

Hi [first name],

Some readers are still dreaming about a trip. Others have flights booked and need practical details.
Which one are you? Just reply with:
- Where you're planning to go
- Roughly when

Your answer helps me send you guides that actually fit.
[Your name]

Subject: More guides for your next trip

Hi [first name],

I hope the itinerary has been useful. If you're still planning, these might help:
- [Practical tips for destination]
- [Where to stay in destination]
- [How to get around destination]

All my destination guides: [Explore the blog]
Every two weeks I'll send a short email with one useful tip and an honest recommendation.
[Your name]

Step 8. Record destination and trip stage

Use groups for the lead magnet (destination) and a custom field or segment for trip stage: dreaming, planning, booked, recently returned. Don't build a group for every combination.

Replies to email 4 don't update profiles by themselves. Update the field manually at first; once replies pile up, add a short preference form.

Step 9. Choose every two weeks — and put six dates in your calendar

You don't need a new blog post for every send. A practical tip, an update to an old guide or an honest recommendation is enough. Consistency beats volume.

Step 10. Use the postcard format

Four fixed blocks you can fill in 30–45 minutes, even from a train.

• From the road — a short real update
• One useful tip — something readers can apply
• One recommendation — only if it fits
• Your turn — one question to reply to

Subject: [One concrete thing], from [place]

Hi [first name],

From the road: [2–3 sentences about what actually happened].
One useful tip: [transport, timing or a booking to make early].
What I'm using: [one item or service you genuinely used, and why].
Your turn: [one question readers can answer in a line].

[Your name]

Step 11. Create, test and send the campaign in MailerLite

Campaigns → regular campaign, internal name like “Newsletter – Lisbon tip 01”. Add subject line, preview text and sender, then check every link, the phone layout and personalisation. Send a test to yourself.

Double-check the audience: a Lisbon-specific email to your Japan subscribers is the fastest way to earn unsubscribes. Avoid subject lines the email doesn't deliver on.

Step 12. Turn each new or updated post into a newsletter

Take the one most useful takeaway, explain why it matters, link to the full article and end with a question. A 2,000-word Kyoto “where to stay” post becomes a short email about choosing the right neighbourhood — not “New post, click here”.

Step 13. Know your options

Pick what fits your blog; you don't need all of them.

• Affiliate recommendations — stays, tours, insurance, gear that fits the trip
• Your own digital product — a detailed itinerary or planner
• Sponsored newsletters — once relevant brands notice your audience
• Your existing guides — with clearly disclosed links

Step 14. Match the offer to the trip stage

Before any commercial email: does it fit the destination, is it useful at this stage, have I explained it honestly, disclosed affiliate links and rechecked prices, opening times and entry rules?

Step 15. Write a promotional email that helps first

Lead with a planning decision the reader has to make, then the recommendation, then the disclosure.

Subject: Planning [destination]? Decide this before you book

Hi [first name],

When you put your [destination] itinerary together, decide which activities need booking in advance and which you can leave flexible.
I've collected practical recommendations here: [Read the planning guide]

If you book, compare the details, cancellation conditions and total price first.
Some links in my guides are affiliate links: if you book through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Happy travels,
[Your name]

Step 16. Measure what matters, monthly

Track confirmed subscribers per month, form signups per destination article, successful deliveries, clicks and replies, and affiliate clicks and sales per email. Don't judge on open rates alone — privacy features make them unreliable.

Once a month ask: which article and lead magnet brought the most relevant subscribers, which emails got clicks or replies, which links led to sales — and what to improve next.

The form doesn't show on my site

Check you published the change, used the right embed code and added the universal snippet if required. Test in a private window and on a phone.

The PDF isn't delivered

Check the automation is active, the trigger group is correct and the link works. With double opt-in, make sure the test subscriber confirmed.

The welcome series doesn't start

The subscriber must meet the trigger while the workflow is active. Someone already in the group may not re-enter.

Someone requests the guide twice

Decide whether to resend it or show a download page, and test how your trigger handles existing subscribers.

Emails land in spam

Authenticate your domain, use a recognisable sender, only email people who subscribed and remove invalid addresses. Never buy lists.

I hit the free plan limits

Check subscribers, monthly sends and automation limits. Upgrade only when the extra capacity earns its cost.