Keyword Research Reinvented: A New Path with Outdoor Blogger Kate Cooper
In this episode of The Ultimate Blog Podcast, Kate Cooper of the outdoor blog Kate Outdoors shares her unique approach to blogging while balancing a full-time job and another business (The Legal Influence, which helps creators navigate the legal side of their job). Today, she’s sharing how she went from a social media content creator to outdoor blogger and attorney for creators, how she was approved for Journey by Mediavine, and her “backwards” approach to SEO. We know you’ll be inspired by this one!
Meet Kate Cooper
Kate is an outdoor blogger and an attorney for creators. When she’s not in the office you can find her hiking, camping, and exploring around Colorado and the western United States.
Kate Cooper’s “Backwards” Approach to Keyword Research
When Kate started Kate Outdoors, she says she took a backwards approach to keyword research. Instead of doing the keyword research and deciding what she wants to write about first, she’ll focus on the hikes first, and create content from there.
At the end of the day, her goal is to encourage people to get outside and connect with nature, so she tries to keep that at the focus of her work. And we appreciate that she’s keeping the main thing, the main thing!
Blogging as a Passion Project
Kate started her blog during the pandemic because she wanted to share her love for hiking and outdoor adventures. Despite a demanding full-time job and another business, she continued to write when inspiration struck, without pressuring herself to meet specific deadlines. This helped her avoid burnout and focus on quality over quantity.
Kate says that success in blogging takes years of consistent effort to see significant results. But by staying true to her passion and focusing on creating valuable content, Kate has built a blog that reflects her love for the outdoors and helps her audience connect with nature.
How Kate Cooper Got Approved for Journey by Mediavine
Kate set a goal early in 2024 to join an ad network, but she felt like Mediavine’s 50,000-session threshold was intimidating. Mediavine’s Journey program had a lower 10,000-session threshold, so it was the perfect opportunity.
Kate aimed for 10,000 sessions, even while managing another business, and installed the grow extension on her blog. Despite being shy of the session threshold, Kate applied and was accepted! Now, even though ad revenue can fluctuate, overall she’s getting more consistent income and her blog is paying for itself.
Kate’s Goals for 2025
In 2025, Kate’s goals are to post more consistently and create more comprehensive blogs that both give readers the information they need and use ads to create more income.
We loved hearing about Kate’s realistic and honest blogging journey. It’s a refreshing and motivating contrast to the “six-figure success in six months” stories we hear so often.
In this episode, we covered:
- How Kate Cooper went from a social media content creator to a blogger and attorney
- How Kate turned her passion into a blog that helps people connect with nature
- Kate’s “backwards” approach to keyword research and SEO
- Why Kate takes the pressure on herself to churn out a certain amount of content
- How Kate got approved for Journey by Mediavine
- Kate’s goals for 2025
Links and resources mentioned in this episode:
- Connect with Kate on her website and Instagram, and grab her hiking resources here
- Try Keysearch for SEO
- Sign up for our newsletter
- Check out last week’s episode
We’re so glad Kate could share her inspirational blogging journey! What did you think of this episode? Send us a DM over on Instagram @sparkmediaconcepts and let us know!