- Give users a starting point with a physical address they can find easily with Google Maps. For example, a museum is easier to find than a statue because it has a street address. (This section of the tutorial gives some tips for providing clear, concise information about the starting point when you complete your tour’s final touches.)
- Find a partner that will help you promote the tour if you start it at or even nearby their place of business. They could be a tourist attraction, a tourist info centre, a local café or restaurant, a bicycle rental company or any other business that might benefit from extra foot traffic. The starting point of Official London Theatre’s tour with Sir Ian McKellen is TKTS, for instance, where they sell tickets for West End shows. A partner at your tour’s starting point could put up a poster, distribute flyers and help you get your tour itself added to Google Maps. They might also be interested in selling copies of your tour.
- For walking tours, stick to areas close to, or easily accessible by, public transport.
- For driving tours, pick a starting point where listeners can park safely while they get the tour going.
- For cycling tours, it’s best to start the tour near a bike rental shop or city bike stand. Listeners tend to take this for granted, and when there isn’t a bike for rent near the starting point of a cycling tour, we get asked for refunds. Plus, shops can help promote the tour and even sell copies directly to their customers, bundled with the rental bike.
