Inspiring equal parts wonder and wanderlust, Atlas Obscura celebrates the strangest and most curious places in the world.
Client: Atlas Obscura, an American-based travel and exploration company. It was founded in 2009 by author Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker/author Dylan Thuras.
Role: Copywriter, hired to work with the Webby Award-winning audience development and marketing team following a round of Series B funding led by Airbnb to grow Atlas Obscura’s bookable trips and experiences business.
Years: 2019–2020
PANDEMIC PIVOT
Make It Matter
When Atlas Obscura canceled its lineup of 2020 trips, we needed a way to all at once continue building momentum, supporting our trip leaders, and keeping our travelers safe. I wrote the Make It Matter campaign to accomplish our competing goals.
INBOX INSPIRATION
Trip Itinerary Newsletters
Using trip itineraries and places from the Atlas, I developed weekly emails focusing on the strange and curious things to do that travelers would discover on each trip.
GETTING PERSONAL
Trips Blog Newsletter
To expand storytelling opportunities, I launched the Atlas Obscura trips blog where we interviewed trip leaders, past travelers, and photographers to bring itineraries to life.
Trip Leader Interviews
Traveler Moments
Photo Essays
Wonder From Home
ARMCHAIR TRAVEL
Wonder From Home
When travel was on pause during the pandemic, I curated Wonder From Home, a microsite designed to inspire people to find wonder in their own homes and backyards.
“If you’re unsure what your audience wants, ask them. During the coronavirus crisis, Papa has been conducting weekly polls of Atlas Obscura’s followers to ask them which destination they should focus on. He then curates the company’s new “WFH” (Wonder from Home) virtual content to reflect this.”
—Contently, “No More Hidden Gems: How to Hook Consumers and Avoid Travel Content Clichés”
“Nick dives into how Atlas Obscura is playing the long game, how to succeed at travel during a pandemic, and where both strategies connect to social media and newsletters.”
—REVISION, “Nick Papa: I want content to be interesting, whether or not it leads to bookings”
