TABOOLA
CREATIVE
PLAYBOOK:TRAVEL

2024

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01
02
03
04
TABLE OFCONTENTSINTRODUCTIONTABOOLA FEED &READERSHIP INSIGHTS

CREATIVE INSIGHTS

RECAP

APPENDIX

22

00
Introduction
3

INTRODUCTION
00

WHO
WE AREThe Taboola Creative Shop consists of a
global team of Strategists, Data Experts,
Designers, Video Editors, Copywriters,
Translators, and Engagement Managers
who are here to provide relevant andstrategic creative recommendations to ourmost valued partners.

Creative strategy & analysis
Create, develop, enhance assets
Write and optimize copy
Source images & motion
Landing page & funnel tips
Host custom workshops
Brand lift studies

4

INTRODUCTION
00

OBJECTIVESThis report will provide insights on creative and content trends seen
across the Taboola network, specific to the Travel vertical in order tohelp you source the right creatives for your Taboola campaign.
Analysis is inclusive of data from 2023 across multiple geos andadvertisers KPIs.
Additional insights come from a market analysis of externalsources, as well as Taboola’s own organic readership data.
The category “Travel” is inclusive of Booking Sites, Airlines,
Hotels, Tourism Boards, and Travel Products.

5

01
Taboola Feed
& Readership
Insights

6

APP
PROMOTION
How To Get A Mortgage
10 Steps To Success
BestInvest

STATIC ADS

Reach consumers effectively
and safely through open web
partnerships that deliver
value for marketers.

Run both video and image
assets with formats that
capture attention.

MOTIONAD

TABOOLA FEED & READERSHIP INSIGHTSWE POWERRECOMMENDATIONSON THE OPEN WEB

Top 15 destinations to spend
a perfect vacation in
Traveler

VIDEO AD

Drive business results byreaching people genuinely,
effectively and at the rightmoment.

7

COMPANYCHALLENGE

SOLUTIONRESULTSAir New Zealand China
operates daily direct flights flying
from Shanghai to Auckland andconnects to more than 20 New
Zealand domestic destinations
seamlessly. Their goal is to be
the customers’ airline of choice
when travelling to, from andwithin New Zealand.

Reach new audiences and boost
online ticketing sales directly on theirofficial website.

Launch “A Better Way to Fly,” theirmost recent marketing campaign, using
sponsored content on Taboola’s
discovery platform.

With Taboola, Air New Zealand
China attracts 600+ visitors and10+ flight searches a day. This
totals a 120% ROI each month.

"Taboola has been one of the most effective ways to bring firsttime visitors to the site in comparison to other channels. We
actually had one customer email us with a question about ourlatest promotion, and directly mentioned that he/she saw ourcontent on a Taboola publisher. Their question was related topurchasing a ticket on our website. It indeed shows that thisplatform can help drive customers with high intention!”- Online Manager for Air New Zealand China

600+

10+

120%

Visitors aDay

FlightSearches aDay

Average Return on
Investment (ROI) per
Month

8

This analysis portrays readership data across Taboola’s
network of over 9,000 publisher properties and 500M+ daily
active users, observing various topic insights.

TABOOLA FEED & READERSHIP INSIGHTSTOPIC TRENDS

Topic Insights uses an AI system called Natural Language
Understanding (NLU) to identify the topics of all the articles
from Taboola’s many news publisher partners. Page views
are then aggregated to each of those articles by topic, which
in a sense provides a trending topic indicator reflecting theinterests of news read.

9

Almost half of readership related totraveling was related to means oftransportation such as airplanes, boats
and trains.

TRAVEL2023 TOPIC TRENDSTABOOLA TIP: Seize the opportunity to
showcase how your product or service
enhances the travel experience, offeringvaluable tips or exclusive offers to our
engaged audience
Tourist Destinations, which covers
everything related to tourist attractions,covered over 23% of the readership.

TABOOLA FEED & READERSHIP INSIGHTSOver 34 billion unique pageviews
related to travel have been recorded in
the Taboola Network globally during
2023.

TABOOLA TIP: Use the popularity ofTourist Destinations by crafting
engaging content that inspires travelers
and highlights the unique attractions ofeach destination.
Business Travel, Hotels andspecialty travel which provide
travelers with access to uniqueexperiences covered more than 17%of the total readership.
TABOOLA TIP: Tailor your advertisingstrategy to highlight the uniqueexperiences your brand offers,
capturing the attention of travelers
seeking memorable and distinctive
journeys.

*Based on Taboola’s proprietary categorization algorithm within the Travel category

10

BOAT

PARIS OLYMPICS

+9%

+41%

Traffic in the last 90 days

Traffic in the last 90 days

AIRBNB

BEACH

+335%

-48%

Traffic in the last 90 days

Traffic in the last 90 days

TRAVEL GUIDE

TRAIN

+112%

-17%

Traffic in the last 90 days

Traffic in the last 90 days

TABOOLA FEED & READERSHIP INSIGHTSTRAVELKEYWORD TRENDS OVER THE PAST 90 DAYS

11

TABOOLA FEED & READERSHIP INSIGHTSTRAVEL
PUBLISHERSOVERVIEW
Looking at Taboola’s
top Travel publisher
partners to see what
type of content istrending and try to
identify key trends.

12

First Person: Headlines written in
first person from the perspective of areal traveler, often in a review-style.

Types of Transport: Featuring thelatest news about airlines, trains,
cruises, and other modes of transportthat bring opportunities to travelers.

TABOOLA FEED & READERSHIP INSIGHTSKEY TABOOLA INSIGHTS:
ORGANIC OVERVIEW OF TRAVELPUBLISHERS & CONTENT

Do’s & Don’ts: Educational tips,
tricks, do’s and don’ts as they pertain
to every detail of travel - from booking
to planning, to flying and vacationing.

Flying Freely: Updates that provide
travelers with valuable insights on
affordability, saving, and cost-cutting
travel hacks.

Storytelling: The telling of original
inspiring stories related to how
travelers maximized their experiences.

BONUS: Inclusion of numbered lists
outlining “best places” or othervaluable tips, in addition to featuring
weird or unique places to visit.

13

Review keywords trends:
Incorporate high-performing
keywords into your titles.

LA
TABOO
TIP:
Explorea
TaboolTrendsTABOOLA FEED & READERSHIP INSIGHTSTABOOLATRENDS:TRAVEL

Review keyword
trendsUse Dynamic Keyword Insertion
drive up click through rates.

Review image and video trends:
Follow creative best practices andavoid using text overlays.

Review image
and video trends

Use Motion Ads to drive up clickthrough rates.

14

02
Creative Insights

15

KPIs
Use Taboola’s algorithm for lower funnel
promotions, content articles for performance &direct response to landing pages
Drive actions:◆ Leads◆ Purchases◆ Click to Call
◆ Bookings◆ & more
CTA
ButtonSuggestions

How
Cash BackFor
Top 3Savvy
StocksTravelers
to Watch Get
in Summer
22 Despite
Looming Recession
Vacation(Try This)
Brand Name| Travel Brand
Sponsored

BOOK NOW

9Startof World's
Best
Beaches
To AddToday
To Your
Saving on
Your
Car InsuranceWith [Brand]
[30%
2024
Must See
Listoff]
Brand Name| Travel Brand
Sponsored

READ MORE

Learn
Get More
Offer

CREATIVE INSIGHTS FOR PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNSBOOST YOURPERFORMANCE KPIs

Read MoreBook
Now

GET OFFER

16

Travelers & Tourists: It’s known
that images inclusive of people
perform well on Taboola. Featurepeople in beautiful destinations,enjoying activities, traveling in-flight,
or preparing to travel.

Seasonal Wanderlust: Be timely
about your visuals. Feature holiday
markets or winter scenes during theholiday season, flowers in thespring, beaches in summer, and fall
foliage.

Symbolism: Travel is represented

Hidden Gems: Are there any

by many visual objects to include:
flags, passports, luggage,cameras, and more.

visually-unique attractions to catchthe eye? Something amazing thatfew have seen? Add these

BONUS: The possibilities are endless with Motion Ads
when it comes to travel - sun setting, waves crashing,planes flying, flags waving, etc. Include motion to catch
attention & improve CVR.

This3Country's
Rich Culture
Will 22
Transport
Top
Stocks to Watch
in Summer
DespiteLooming
Recession
You [DiscoverIt]
Brand Name| Travel Brand
Sponsored

CREATIVE INSIGHTS FOR PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNSKEY TABOOLA INSIGHTS:
IMAGE & MOTION

Learn
ReadMoreMoreattention-grabbing visuals.
Cultural Importance: Every

En Route: Feature modes ofdestination has a unique cultural
influence. Respectfully featuretransportation: airplane exterior orinterior, in-flight or parked.

visuals of local food, people,
products, and more that will attract
visitors to learn about their heritage.

Additional options include trains,
cruises, or open roads.

Tips &
TricksonFor
Using
Points To Today
Save On
Start
SavingYour
Car InsuranceWith[Brand][30% off]
Holiday
TravelBrand Name| Travel Brand
Sponsored

Read
More
Try Now

17

Travelers &Tourists

Symbolism

Seasonal
Wanderlust

Hidden Gems

CulturalImportance

CREATIVE INSIGHTS FOR PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNSTABOOLA VISUAL EXAMPLES:
IMAGE & MOTIONEn Route18

by providing how-tos, tips, and tricks

Historic Relevance: Readers are
intrigued by learning, and many
travelers want to see historic sites.

to alleviate potential roadblocks andLean into historic facts, dates, andmaximize value.

landmarks.

Inspiration Lists: Take numbered

On The Road Again: After a long

23 Highly-Rated
UniqueHistoric 22
SightsTo
Top
3 Stocks to Watch
in Summer
DespiteLooming
Recession
See Around
Europelists up a notch by talking about top

period of limited travel, many are

Brand Name| Travel Brand
Sponsored

or best travel destinations, reasons

traveling again. Phrase your copy towhy, things to do, etc. Add audience

support rediscovery, and dusting off.

Travel Guide: Be a solutionsoriented content source for travelers

Learn
SignMoreUpcallouts or year for relevance.
Motivational Buzzwords: Get yoursaving opportunities front & center:audience inspired with encouraging
words: discover, explore, bucket list,

actual price for X nights,

immerse, wanderlust, etc.

All-Inclusive: Put pricing and

CREATIVE INSIGHTS FOR PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNSKEY TABOOLA INSIGHTS:
TITLES & DESCRIPTIONS

affordability, cheapest days, cash
back and points benefits, etc.

Questionable Intrigue: Blend
questions with a bit of mystery toHighly-Rated: Reviews are criticalengage readers and hook them toin the travel industry. Lead withread more.

Consideringa Summer
Checklist
Start
Saving on
Your Car Vacation?
Insurance TodayWith[Brand][30% off]
To Avoid
Headaches
Brand Name| Travel Brand
Sponsored

Read
More
Downloadrankings, accolades, star ratings,
good reviews, and press features.

Story Time: People relate tohuman connection. Tell the stories

Seasonal Specials: Make yourof real customers who had positive

copy relevant to the moment by

unique experiences at yourcalling out the best things to do

destination.

there during the current season.

BONUS: Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion to
dynamically place specific keywords in titles based onwhere the user is located, the day of the week or thedevice they are currently using. Use Descriptions to tellmore of your story and increase your conversion intent.
19

Travel Guides:
How To Adjust Travel, Use Airline Credits,
Optimize Points

Historic Relevance:
History Buff? This Colonial Town Is Full of Vintage
Finds

Inspiration Lists:

On The Road Again:

17 Top Travel Destinations For Foodies On

Best Ways To Rediscover The World When

The Go In 2023

Ready To Travel Again

All-Inclusive:
These Affordable All-Inclusives Are Under

Motivational Buzzwords:
You’ll Feel Like a Jetsetter With Wanderlust$400 Plus Bonuses

Exploring HereHighly-Rated:

Questionable Intrigue:

This Hotel Ranked #1 For Quality And Is In

Guess Where? This Country Is Perfect For

Top 50 Globally

Culture-Lovers

Seasonal Specials:

Story Time:

Guide To Winter Sports and Mountain

Tourists Take Trip of a Lifetime Thanks To This

Attractions In Northeast

New App

CREATIVE INSIGHTS FOR PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNSTABOOLA COPY EXAMPLES:
TITLES & DESCRIPTIONS

20

If you’re not an advertiser in the travel industry, but you offer a
product or service that improves the travel experience, there areseveral ways to elevate your creative to cater to audience interests
while communicating your unique selling proposition.

Made For Travel: Talk about how your product was made for travel,
especially if it was done with a unique purpose, technology, or material
that proves it effective.

These
Shoesto
Are
Made
Comfy
Top
3 Stocks
Watch
in ForSummer
22 BusinessDespiteLooming
Recession
Travel With
Unique Technology
Brand Name| Travel Brand
Sponsored

Learn
ShopMore
Now

Travel Better: Communicate how your product improves the travel

CREATIVE INSIGHTS FOR PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNSKEY TABOOLA INSIGHTS:
BONUS TIPS FOR PRODUCTS

experience, whether it’s saving a traveler money on booking, or bringing
comfort to their flight.

Get Specific: Determine the exact problem your product solves fortravelers, and call it out. Back it up with quotes, testimonials, ratings, or realcustomer success stories.

Experts
Sayon
These
Drown
Start
Saving
YourHeadphones
Car InsuranceWill
Today
With
[Brand] [30%off]
Out Airplane
Noise
Brand Name| Travel Brand
Sponsored

Read
Buy More
Now

Trusted Source: Position yourself as a trusted source or thought leader
for your audience, where you might provide valuable tips for travel,
supported by inclusion of your product.

21

KEY TABOOLA
INSIGHTS:LANDING PAGE

Check Out This
Great Title
Add Subtitle here
BY MARTHA DÍAZ MARCH 12TH, 2022

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit,

Page Design: Clean look and feel similar to a

sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore

native publisher article. Minimal use of colors infonts (black font on white background), headers or

magna aliqua laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo
consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.

navigation bars. The text is designed in a narrow
way with wide shoulders.

CREATIVE INSIGHTS FOR PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNSADVERTORIAL

Page Structure:- Header includes: Logo (top left corner), ‘Advertorial’
disclosure, and excludes navigation bars or links toother pages on site.
- Writer or editor is included by headshot, nameand title, as well as date of publication to add
both trust and relevance.

Ut enim ad minima veniam
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit,
sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore
magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud
exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

22

ABOUT US

BLOG

ARTICLESSIGN UP

Check Out This Great Title
Add Subtitle here
BY MARTHA DÍAZ JANUARY 12TH, 2023

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut
labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco
laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commod.

- Page includes one hero image, GIF, or video.
Given the nature of the Travel industry, many herovisuals were featured in motion.
- Social proof and trust additions: Testimonials,
featured press etc.
Content Structure:- Headline consists of 5-7 words on average.
- Content consists of 300-800 words.
- The content is separated by section headers.
Between 1-3 sections about the product USPs (i.ewhat do we do).
- 4-5 lines for each paragraph.

Ut enim ad minima veniam
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore
et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut
aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit ess.Bus ius
dolorem porectis dit aut porrum consero omnihit qui dolorem quunt in eostrum nienisciur.

Ut enim ad minima veniam
Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui
dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi
tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

Sign up for our awesome
service
SIGN UP NOW

CREATIVE INSIGHTS FOR PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNSADVERTORIAL

Call to action:- Pages include products and CTAs that are often
gamified for engagement in the form of a selection
tool, or product demonstration.

Other Page Types:- Sectionized landing pages that included theprimary product, its benefits, and an opportunity tosign up, download, or shop. Often with lead forms.
- Deal/Offer booking sites- Gamified quiz pages
23

03
Recap

24

RECAP

Video | Awareness& Motion: Test a variety
03 Imagesof images including travelers,

KEY STEPS TO
CREATE YOURTRAVEL AD

beautiful destinations, cultural
inclusivity, seasonal attractions,hidden gems, airplanes, andtravel icons.

Airline Is Now Flying New Routes. See Why
It's Rated 5 Stars
Sponsored | Travel Brand

Watch Video

Sponsored Content | Consideration

04 Content & Landing Pages:
Put your brand front &01 Video:
center, use subtitles, tell a story,
wrap it up with an end card andCTA button.

Write content that educates andinspires your audience, and hostit on an advertorial-style pagethat’s inclusive of Taboola’s Best
Practices, benefits, and CTAs.
Traveler Review: My Experience and Ultimate
Guide To Spain& Descriptions:
02 Titles
Pull inspiration from organic
publisher headlines, use Taboola
Trends keywords tool, andDynamic Keyword Insertion. Be
inclusive of tips, pricing, andinspiring stories.

Sponsored | Travel Brand

Audience & KPIs: Tailor your ad

05 creatives by audience, funnel

Read More

Sponsored Content | Performancestage, and primary KPIs for acreative strategy that’s focusedand more likely to exceed
expectations.

Ready To Book? These Are The Most
Family-Friendly Places
Sponsored | Travel Brand

Book Now

25

RECAP

A/B TESTINGRECOMMENDATIONS●Start with 4-6 ad items●

Optimize, pause and add new creatives
every few weeks●

Don’t pause items during the campaign
learning phase●

Don’t adjust campaign settings during thelearning phase●

Test your creatives separately by device●

Run landing page design and content tests
as wellA

B

26

RECAP

CREATIVE KEY
TAKEAWAYS
what is trending using this guide, as well as reviewing
01 Research
Taboola Trends and Travel publisher content.
in your branding through video to boost your
02 Invest
performance and trust with potential customers.
Experience Thailand For As Little
As $329 For 4 Nights
Brand Name | Sponsored

your landing page according to your campaign KPI
03 Design
to drive engagement and the highest-converting outcome.
key creative elements in your visuals and copy
04 Incorporate
to elevate your creative strategy and tailor it to your audience.
test and iterate by mixing & matching top-performing assets
05 A/Bto ensure you are leveraging all your possibilities.

27

04
Appendix
28

APPENDIXTABOOLA ADTECHNICALREQUIREMENTS

9 Tips for Creating Winning Campaign
Creatives
Sponsored

CALL TO ACTION

29

APPENDIXTABOOLA VIDEO AD:TECHNICALREQUIREMENTSMedia Type: MP4, MOV.
3rd Party Tag Specifications: VAST 2.0,
VAST 2.0 with VPAID 2.0 JS, VAST 3.0.
Aspect Ratios: 16:9 (preferred,) 4:3, 1:1.
Video Size Limit: 50 MB.
Bitrate: >=2500 kbps.
Video Length: 6-30 seconds(preferred), 90 seconds maximum.

30

APPENDIXCONTENT STRUCTURE
BEST PRACTICE
01 What is the Problem?

Start by speaking about the problem your product is solving.
The reader needs to understand the problem first, not the
product.

Should this Problem be Solved?
02 InWhy
1-2 sentences, educate your target audience on the importanceof solving their problem. Speak about how their lives will improve
if they fix the issue.
Mention the pros and cons of eliminating the problem, and ruleout the cons the reader might have.
Make the solution to the problem simple. The reader should
clearly understand that taking action to solve the problem will beeasy, especially regarding time, effort, and cost.

31

APPENDIX

03 How Can Your Product Help?

Explain the solution to the problem, not the product.
Put emphasis on the unique selling points yourproduct offers. Show your expertise in a simple,
concise manner.

04 Why Should They Take Action Now?

Define why it’s important for the user to takeaction immediately. Use techniques such as
urgency or FOMO, user testimonials or reviews,
comparisons to competitors, and other points.

32