Looking for further tips? I got you 👊. I’ve gone through hundreds of portfolios and intro emails and seen so many things that miss the mark (to put it nicely).

I’ve made a list of small changes you can make today to help you land an exchange immediately. Here's my quick wins:

🚫 Stop using templates: Sending pre-written, copy-pasted messages is a mistake. We can tell. It's generic and robotic. It tells the manager you’re spamming everyone with the same pitch. Tailor your message to the hostel and make sure you sound like a real person.

🤖 Or AI: This goes for using AI too. If you’re going to use it, at least proofread the results! Get rid of the [brackets] and actually enter the relevant info.

📉 Don't lead with stats: (unpopular opinion) leading with your "numbers" in this case can actually hurt you. My experience is, when a creator leads with stats, they’re looking to negotiate for more than what the hostel is offering.

✨ Keep your portfolio simple: If you’re going to send a portfolio, it needs to look professional. I’ve seen many broken or messy Canva sites. If you aren't a designer, don’t do too much. Pick a clean Canva template and drop your content in—let the template do the hard work.

📍 Keep your content relevant: Your profile should actually look like a travel or backpacker account. If you post about cosmetics and suddenly switch to hostels, it’s off-brand. It won't help you or the hostel. Ask yourself: if a stranger looks at my feed, is it obvious that I’m a travel creator?

🗓️ Be flexible with dates: If a hostel asks for specific dates, there’s usually a reason—maybe a festival, an event, or a new activity launch. If you're flexible and work around their schedule, you’ll immediately get the exchange.

💡 Offer your ideas: Hostels need content. But they don't know exactly what that is. They need someone to guide them. If you can deliver what they asked, plus, offer creative recommendations, you’ll become their top candidate.

Try these simple low effort hacks and let me know how you get on. Peace ✌️