Kat Weiss Butler can hint her love of journey all the best way again to 2012 when she spent a semester overseas in France as a part of her college research. 

Bit by the journey bug, she had a really exhausting time settling into her real-life accounting job after graduating because it took her away from her ardour. 

Kat launched her first weblog again in 2017 and lived as an accountant by day and a journey blogger by night time. Though that weblog did not work out, she did not hand over.

A couple of years later, she felt impressed whereas planning her marriage ceremony and determined to offer running a blog one other shot with a {couples}’ journey weblog known as World Broad Honeymoon. 

When she began to get some traction, she launched a second weblog, France Voyager, so she might share her love of touring across the nation.

At the moment she runs the 2 blogs and a podcast and brings in between $5,500 and $6,500 each month.

Preserve studying to search out out:

• How she navigated her job search
• How she managed work and her ardour for journey
• How she got here to begin her {couples}’ journey website
• The place her earnings comes from
• How she pivoted in the course of the pandemic
• How a lot site visitors her websites get
• Her predominant advertising methods
• Why she launched her podcast and the way she makes use of it
• Her ideas on website positioning
• Her strategy to key phrase analysis and hyperlink constructing
• How she grows her electronic mail lists
• Her favourite assets and instruments
• Her largest problem
• Her best accomplishment
• Her predominant mistake
• Her recommendation for different entrepreneurs

Meet Kat Weiss Butler

I used to be born and raised in Kentucky in a small, rural city about an hour southeast of Cincinnati. 

I’m the youngest of three and found my love of journey again in 2012 once I spent a semester overseas dwelling in Grenoble, France. I traveled as a lot as I might, and even after I graduated from college, I spent 5 weeks solo backpacking round Europe. 

At the moment, I like touring all over the world with my husband, Chris, and I’ve 2 blogs: World Broad Honeymoon and France Voyager, in addition to a podcast devoted to {couples}’ journey known as the World Broad Honeymoon Journey Podcast.

In my free time, once I’m not working or touring, I like figuring out and working, watching interval drama reveals and films, and cuddling with my cat, Professor. 

I at present reside in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Why She Created Her Web site

It was again in 2016 once I was working at a Large 4 public accounting agency and I spotted I hated it. I had simply come off the busiest “busy season” of my life, the place I used to be working upwards of 100+ hour work weeks. I used to be burnt out and drained.

I knew I couldn’t do it anymore, so I began interviewing for different jobs within the space. There was one which seemed interesting, however I actually solely needed it as a result of it provided ample day off so I might do what I liked most: journey. 

After I sadly didn’t get that job, the recruiter advised me it was as a result of I didn’t appear that . 

Whereas I felt horrible that I got here throughout that means unknowingly, he had a degree. I hated accounting and wasn’t inquisitive about it. My then-boyfriend (now husband) inspired me to look into what I did love doing and check out pursuing that. 

However I nonetheless felt misplaced career-wise. I had no concept what I needed to do. 

I spent most of my life working as exhausting as doable to get scholarships, levels, and so forth. to work at top-of-the-line accounting corporations on the earth. Might I do anything? 

Then, throughout my subsequent job interview, an individual requested me what my absolute dream job could be. I unintentionally blurted out that I needed to be an expert journey blogger. The man appreciated my honesty (as a result of who actually needs to be an accountant?) and I bought the job. 

Then, it hit me. If that is what I actually needed, why wasn’t I combating tooth and nail to make it occur? So, I’d come residence from work from my new 9-5 much less irritating accounting job to strive build up my weblog from scratch. 

And I began… Kat and a Backpack. 

As you possibly can think about, making a journey weblog in 2017 about common journey wasn’t going to work. Add on the truth that I had no clue what I used to be doing, and my site visitors was principally family and friends. 

But it surely was round this time that I bought engaged and began marriage ceremony planning. I rapidly realized how costly that was and began journey hacking and accumulating factors to have the ability to get enterprise class flights for our honeymoon to Southeast Asia. 

It was then that the concept of a pair’s journey weblog and subsequent podcast (which got here out in 2019) was born. I needed to speak about romantic locations and nice concepts for {couples} that don’t essentially break the financial institution, particularly after marriage ceremony planning. 

I’ve had that weblog since 2017, and in 2021, I started France Voyager as a result of I needed to have a extra area of interest weblog, but additionally get to share my love of France journey with the world! 

Now, each of those blogs are on Mediavine and are fairly profitable each in advert income and affiliate earnings. 

How A lot She’s Making

Between each blogs, I make about $5,500-6,500 per thirty days. Nonetheless, I simply bought France Voyager onto Mediavine in December, and haven’t acquired my first pay for that but. 

I’d say that my advert income is about 70% of my earnings, whereas my affiliate income makes up about 29%. I make a tiny little bit of advert income from my podcast (round 1% of my month-to-month earnings). 

My affiliate income principally comes from Stay22, Amazon, CJ, Awin, Get Your Information, and World Nomads. 

It will increase annually with extra work and weblog posts. I actually began to search out my groove round 2019 after I used to be in a position to give up my job and we might reside off my husband’s earnings for a bit. 

It gave me time to study website positioning, advertising, and the best way to write and edit, which made an enormous distinction in additional site visitors. This, in flip, meant more cash. 

Clearly, in 2020 I took an enormous hit, however I pivoted to creating extra native and US journey which helped loads. And my earnings elevated additional after 2021 as soon as I began France Voyager and had one other weblog for adverts and associates. 

Even in comparison with this time final yr, I’m up 35%. I’m hoping to interrupt 5-figures a month finally, however it takes time and there’s a little bit of a studying curve. 

I work about 30-35 hours every week these days on my enterprise. 

And once I’m on the street I attempt to solely verify emails, take notes, and take pictures. I do most of my work whereas again residence. 

Earlier than I streamlined issues a bit, I used to be working between 40-50 hours every week. 

How A lot Visitors Her Websites Get

France Voyager will get round 40-50,000 pageviews a month, whereas World Broad Honeymoon will get round 60-70,000 pageviews a month. 

The podcast will get round 6-7,000 downloads per thirty days, with round 200-300 downloads within the first week an episode is launched.

Kat’s Fundamental Advertising and marketing Technique

website positioning is my predominant technique. I like utilizing KeySearch for key phrase analysis and ensure I incorporate loads of my key phrases inside a publish whereas additionally maintaining it pure. I additionally attempt to present as a lot high quality content material as doable. 

It additionally helps to have a quick web site. Don’t get a theme that slows the location down, and it’s price it to pay somebody to make things better to maintain all the pieces transferring rapidly. 

I’ve discovered that staying the course, tuning into website positioning suggestions from locations like Mediavine, and going by previous posts to replace them actually helps. Then, I can determine the best way to make my posts higher so that they’ll rank increased. Generally it really works, and generally it doesn’t. website positioning is usually a little bit of a thriller at occasions. 

However one other nice advertising technique I discovered by coincidence is my podcast. Podcast listeners get to know you personally in a means that many weblog posts can’t do. 

Most individuals coming to learn a weblog publish are coming in from Google and need a solution to a selected query like “How do I spend 3 days in X.” They need helpful info and useful suggestions, however not essentially your private tales. 

Nonetheless, in podcasting, individuals benefit from the private tales. They like attending to know Chris and myself and our banter forwards and backwards as we focus on journey suggestions, embarrassing moments, and our private experiences touring someplace. This builds a bond and our listeners are our superfans. 

They attain out probably the most, subscribe to all the pieces, and skim the weblog loads. That is nice as a result of if they’re contemplating going someplace, they try the weblog and podcast first earlier than anybody else. Podcasting doesn’t earn a lot cash immediately for us, however we’ve been in a position to construct one of the best relationships with our listeners and make cash from the oblique site visitors it drives to the weblog. 

Her Ideas on website positioning

For World Broad Honeymoon, I get lots of site visitors each from website positioning and Pinterest. For France Voyager, most of my site visitors comes from website positioning, so it’s crucial.

Once more, key phrase analysis is vital. You want to know the way usually persons are in search of your key phrase, what your opponents are like, and what your likelihood is for rating. 

Then, it’s about high quality content material. Create high quality content material that solutions precisely what the consumer is in search of and it helps. Once more, website positioning is usually a little bit of a thriller, however I like to recommend buying a course or e-book to study extra about how one can higher use it on your weblog. 

I liked Make Visitors Occur’s books, however they’re sadly not obtainable. 

Additionally, having a distinct segment actually helps for website positioning. World Broad Honeymoon was once about journey itineraries with a lightweight sprinkling of {couples}’ journey suggestions and honeymoon stuff. That doesn’t rank a lot, although, in comparison with greater websites. 

As an alternative, I began focusing extra on honeymoon-specific issues together with my itineraries to rank extra.

So I knew going into France Voyager that I’d stick to only France and write some implausible content material about France to encourage individuals to go there and plan their journeys. 

Key phrase Analysis

I exploit KeySearch as a key phrase analysis device. My course of isn’t terribly difficult. I’ve an concept of what I’d like to put in writing about primarily based on my niches and the place I’ve traveled. 

So I kind in key phrases and see which have the upper search quantity with much less competitors. 

Then, I write down as many advised key phrase variations that KeySearch tells me and ensure to include as lots of people who sound pure in my weblog publish as doable whereas nonetheless offering high quality content material. 

Hyperlink Constructing

I ought to most likely do higher at this, however I principally simply use Fb hyperlink constructing teams the place individuals will put out a name for collab posts. You recommend a vacation spot for the collab and also you write a 200-300 phrase blurb and ship a photograph for the collab publish and so they’ll embody a hyperlink to a related publish. 

Is it one of the best? No, however it does construct hyperlinks again to articles, which is all the time good for Google. 

I used to do visitor running a blog for hyperlinks to weblog posts, however I don’t try this anymore. To start with, that’s lots of work for $0. Secondly, I might simply as nicely write that for my very own weblog and get the advert income and site visitors fairly than have it go elsewhere for my exhausting work. 

Her Content material Creation Course of

I attempt to publish a brand new weblog publish every week for World Broad Honeymoon and a pair of to three occasions a month for France Voyager. I record out potential article concepts and attempt to write the next month’s articles the month earlier than.

For instance, I wrote all of my articles for February again in January, edited them, and already scheduled them out. Now, in February, I’m engaged on March and a few of April, as I wish to have weblog posts go reside even once I’m touring, which I might be quickly. 

I’ve 268 posts reside on World Broad Honeymoon and 56 reside on France Voyager.

Her E mail Record

I’ve virtually 1,000 subscribers on World Broad Honeymoon and virtually 100 on France Voyager. To be honest, I actually didn’t begin doing electronic mail stuff with France Voyager for a bit. 

So far as rising it, for World Broad Honeymoon, I do have a freebie individuals can get after they subscribe. I additionally use Mediavine’s Develop subscribe widget. It mechanically inserts it into my weblog publish the place they suppose it’ll do finest and it really works. 

I solely use Mediavine’s Develop subscribe widget for France Voyager and no freebie. I discover that I’ll get extra individuals unsubscribing to World Broad Honeymoon after I ship out my month-to-month publication as a result of they solely needed the freebie. 

As an alternative, virtually none of my subscribers from France Voyager unsubscribe once I ship month-to-month newsletters as a result of they signed up particularly for these updates. 

I assume I additionally do use a Mailerlite subscribe type on the backside of my weblog posts, too, which does herald subscribers generally, however not practically as many as Mediavine’s widget. 

Her Favourite Assets

When you’re attempting to construct a journey weblog, I like to recommend getting the Famous person Running a blog Course. That’ll assist you to get your web site up and working. And investing in an website positioning course is useful, too. 

Then, I’d attend journey conferences just like the Ladies in Journey Summit, TravelCon, TBEX, and so forth. This offers you an opportunity to get to know others, create buddies and mentorships with different bloggers, and community with manufacturers and tourism boards.

Her Go-To Instruments

The three most helpful instruments for me embody KeySearch, Adobe Lightroom, and my planner. 

KeySearch is my go-to in terms of performing key phrase analysis. It helps me see what my likelihood is for rating and compares the competitors together with their key phrases, their area authority, what number of hyperlinks they’ve, and so forth. 

It provides me an concept of how I can create one thing higher and the way I can get it to probably rank. 

It additionally provides me associated key phrases to make use of as nicely. 

Adobe Lightroom is a should for enhancing pictures. I take pictures each on my iPhone and Olympus Digital camera, and pictures from each all the time want a contact of enhancing to make them look nearly as good as actuality. 

I don’t wish to overedit, however I do wish to make my pictures sharper and fascinating. 

And lastly, I reside by my planner. I’ve an enormous weekly/month-to-month planner the place I write my targets for the yr after which divvy out what I need to do every month primarily based on these targets. 

Then, I determine what to do every day to achieve my month-to-month targets. I like having one thing to scratch off on the finish of the day, it’s so satisfying. And I record out all the pieces I have to do the following day so I can absolutely flip off and never give it some thought that night. 

Her Greatest Problem

I really feel like the most important problem is making the primary greenback on-line. It took me a full yr to earn only a single greenback, and after that, it bought loads simpler. 

When you’ve completed that, it’s simpler to maintain incomes extra. 

You discover ways to develop your viewers and month-to-month viewers till you possibly can lastly get on an advert community, you determine the best way to correctly incorporate affiliate hyperlinks to generate gross sales, and also you study to create worth for readers. 

However the time-frame from saying you’re going to begin and getting to some extent the place you truly earn cash is a problem.

Her Best Accomplishment

Oh goodness, I really feel like all time a reader or listener reaches out and thanks me or says they took my recommendation. I really feel so grateful. The truth that somebody truly took the time to learn the issues that I wrote or hearken to the issues that I produced means a lot. 

I actually wouldn’t be doing this full-time with out their assist.

What She Needs She Knew When She Began

I want I had recognized that this isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme by any means. It actually is a labor of affection. 

I’m simply now surpassing the earnings I made in my previous profession, and I’ve been doing this for 7 years! Issues simply take time. 

However not simply that, your success shouldn’t be measured by another person’s. If somebody began across the similar time as you and is doing much better, that’s okay. Belief me, there are many different individuals who aren’t in that spot, too. 

It’s like working a race. There’ll all the time be individuals forward of you and folks behind you. Nonetheless, in the event you simply preserve going, you all can attain the tip objective! 

Additionally, have fun each win! Rejoice each new subscriber, a rise in pageviews, extra earnings coming in, and so forth. It helps preserve you going to have fun each accomplishment, each tiny and huge!

Her Fundamental Mistake

Beginning a enterprise that earns zero {dollars} is a weak place to be. And sadly, there are lots of people who wish to benefit from that. 

I wasted fairly a bit of cash on a “life teaching” course, and I virtually bought sucked right into a pyramid scheme-like factor that didn’t look that means at first. 

I even paid for a course on the best way to develop my Fb web page, just for it to be principally the best way to purchase followers, and by the point I spotted it, I had all these random followers who weren’t my target market in any respect. I’ve nonetheless not been in a position to clear all of them out. 

Don’t buy a course from somebody who is barely profitable of their enterprise as a result of they declare to make you profitable in your corporation. Be certain they’re profitable previous to their course. 

Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs

Don’t hand over! Generally issues don’t work out and also you’ve bought to pivot a bit, however don’t hand over! 

Keep on the course and also you’ll get there finally. Simply be prepared to study out of your errors and course appropriate alongside the best way.