How We Got Brand Deals With A Small Travel Blog
We’re not influencers. We don’t have a viral Reel. Our blog was barely getting traffic. But somehow, with 1,500 followers, a packing list, and a Pinterest pin, we landed over £600 in gifted gear from brands we actually love.
Here’s how it happened, what we sent, what we didn’t… and how you can pitch brands too, even if your audience is still growing.
Let’s get this out of the way:
We’re not influencers.
We don’t have a viral Reel.
Our blog wasn’t even getting consistent traffic when we pitched.
And yet…
BaseLang gave us $179 worth of Unlimited Spanish lessons fr a month
Level8 sent us a £300 suitcase
CabinZero shipped over £200 in backpacks for our upcoming trip through South America
Total gifted value: £679 / $850+
And we’re still under 2,000 followers, only 36 email subscribers and 700 monthly visitor traffic.
Here’s exactly how it happened and how you can land brand collaborations too (even if you’re just getting started, and especially if you’re a travel blog with low traffic).
The Collaborations We Landed (With Real Numbers)
1. BaseLang – $179 in Unlimited Spanish Lessons
We’d been talking publicly about learning Spanish as a family, with all the chaos that includes. We shared stories about the kids confusing “hola” with “olé,” about late-night cramming sessions, and why learning the language was core to how we wanted to travel.
I also not long started to use Baselang too.
I pitched BaseLang directly with:
A short email that included why we loved their platform
Applied based on their referall program
Sent them my media kit
🔄 They said yes within 48 hours.
I then wrote a 1500 word article review on my experience with baselang and my plan for learnign Spanish.
Here is the article: Baselang Review 2025
2. Level8 – £300 Suitcase
Here’s the twist: we didn’t pitch them. They found us.
How? Pinterest.
We’d created a pin using Canva (Thats how we create all our pins) a packing checklist for long-term travel. That pin led to a blog post that was getting fewer than 50 views a month.
But Pinterest doesn’t care about your monthly blog traffic. It cares about search intent and visuals. One of our pins was saved, reshared, and eventually spotted by someone on the Level8 team who liked what we did..
They sent over an email. After a short chat and a follow-up media kit and expectations, we had a shiny new suitcase en route.
You don’t need viral reach. You need discoverability.
Pinterest is perfect for this, bear in mind it is a long-term burner.
3. CabinZero – £200 Backpack Bundle
This one started with research. We were building a list of great travel brands to pitch, and CabinZero stood out: practical, family-friendly, and focused on real-world adventure gear.
After finding them, we reached out through Heepsy, a creator-brand platform, and pitched a simple idea:
Two honest, useful videos in exchange for gear we’d actually take on our trip.
They agreed and sent us two backpacks and a tech pouch we selected (worth just over £200). In return, we created short-form video content for their team and our own channels.
🔄 This wasn’t viral. It was strategic: targeted research, a clear offer, and a great fit.
Why This Worked, Even With a Small Following and Low Blog Traffic
Here’s the truth: brands are shifting.
Yes, some still chase influencers with big reach. But more and more are looking for:
✅ Authentic creators
✅ Niche-aligned stories
✅ Long-term content potential
1. We led with our story, not our stats.
We didn’t pitch “followers” we pitched a journey:
“We’re a family of four, prepping for long-term travel through South America. We’re worldschooling, packing light, learning Spanish, and documenting the whole thing.”
That’s the kind of story that aligns perfectly with a language platform, a luggage company, or a gear brand trying to reach parents and real-world travellers.
2. We used Pinterest (even when our blog was tiny)
Pinterest is a search engine, not a social media platform. That’s why it worked when Instagram or TikTok weren’t giving us reach yet.
Our Pinterest approach:
Created 5–10 fresh pins per blog post
Focused on searchable keywords like “family travel checklist” and “packing with kids”
Used Canva to make pins that looked clean and clickable
Linked directly to our blog (even if traffic was low)
And it worked. That’s how Level8 found us.
🔄 If you’re not using Pinterest, you’re missing one of the easiest visibility tools available to small creators.
We used Tailwind to make this process a lot easier for ourselves
3. We had a media kit
We created a simple 5-page media kit using Canva.
No long word docs. No fluff.
Just a clean, easy-to-skim deck with:
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Who we are
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The kind of content we create
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Our travel timeline
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Sample collabs
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What we’re looking for in brand partnerships
It took one afternoon to pull together and pitching has been way easier since. We’ve even linked it in our IG bio so brands can find us anytime.
How You Can Pitch Brands With 1,000 Followers (Or Less)
You don’t need a huge audience. But you do need a plan.
Here’s what actually helped us land deals:
1. Start with the content you’re already creating
Document, don’t perform.
If you’re prepping for a trip, packing gear, sharing your route, or just talking about your goals, that’s all content brands love.
2. Use Pinterest as your quiet superpower
Every blog post should have a matching pin. And every Reel can be repurposed into a pin with a headline graphic.
Use keywords like:
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“packing list for family travel”
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“long term travel with kids”
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“travel gear for toddlers”
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“Spanish learning apps for families”
Pinterest doesn’t care how many followers you have. It rewards clarity and consistency.
We built our Pinterest plan by using Keywrods People Use, check out our article on how we did our keyword research using this tool
3. Make your own pitch page
Skip the fancy media kit. Just be clear.
Use Notion, Canva, or a Google Doc and include:
Your story
Why you’re creating content
Where you’re going
What kind of content you’re offering
A way to contact you
Pro tip: Even one blog post and two Reels is enough to show what you’re about.
BONUS: Want Our Exact Pitch Page Template?
We’re sharing our actual Media kit we send to potential collaborators
Drop your email below to get access to the free template
You don’t need a big audience. You just need a good story and a clean offer.
Final Thoughts
We’re not full-time creators.
We don’t have agents or ads or fancy production.
But we are showing up with:
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Consistency
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Storytelling
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A clear niche (family travel, prep chaos, real talk)
That’s what brands care about.
If you’re thinking, “Could I do this too?” the answer is yes. Start now with what you’ve got.
Bookmark this post if you’re:
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Starting a travel blog
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Trying to land your first collaboration
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Tired of waiting for “10K” before you pitch
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Looking to monetise your content before you even hit the road
Also read: How we’re Monetising our Family Travel Blog
