Matt Kepnes’s Superstar Blogging Review: Will It Make You A Successful Travel Blogger?

October 24, 2023

Nomadic Matt’s Superstar Blogging is an online course designed to teach beginners and aspiring travel bloggers to set up and monetize their blogs. It covers website building, branding, networking, and blog writing. The course aims to help bloggers monetize their blogs, but they give the best value for travel bloggers like the Nomadic Matt travel blog.

According to Social Media Today, blogs remained relevant as 77% of all internet users read blogs daily. Marketers also see this value as 97% of them answered Content Marketing Institute’s survey that they consider content marketing as a worthy marketing asset to invest in. Demand Metric’s findings supported this as 60% of people said they purchased a product after reading a blog about it.

Before you decide to dive into blogging, it’s also noteworthy that there are 30 million travel blogs around the world, according to My Global Viewpoint. Based on Ahref’s research, the blogs at the top 10 of SERP are over 2 years old and they also rank for about 1000+ related keywords. Not just that, Growth Badger found that quality of content is the number one factor for the success of bloggers. Orbit Media’s study also showed 56% of bloggers posting daily has strong results. With the demand for quality content every day, is it really a workable money-making business in the long run?

In this Superstar Blogging review, we’ll study the course contents, its pros and cons, reputation and its creator’s credibility, Matt Kepnes. If taking this course is will help you succeed in blogging or is there is a better business model to take advantage of Google’s search engine?

Superstar Blogging Pros and Cons

Pros

Reputable Travel Blogger: Matt Kepnes is a travel blogger for 15 years. His website has 1.3 million views per month.

Cheap Course: The Superstar Blogging curriculum will be accessible to students for a lifetime with just $99.

Covers Foundational Knowledge: The online course covers all the basics of blogging (how to write for an audience), branding (building email list and website design), and monetization (affiliate marketing, digital product creation and brand partnerships)

Self-Pace: Students can take their time to master each module before going to the next one.

Cons

For Beginners Only: Matt mentioned it’s for any level of bloggers, but their FAQs section and most students say it’s best for beginners only.

Questionable External Reviews: Superstar Blogging has an affiliate program, so the external reviews you’ll see from other sites might be biased.

Nomadic Matt’s Success Blueprint: The course is based on his successful travel blog he started 15 years ago. So, it might not be as effective in the current competitive blogging industry.

Price

The price of Superstar Blogging is $99 for a lifetime access to the curriculum.

Refund Policy

The refund policy of Superstar Blogging is 14-days guaranteed money-back.

Reputation

The reputation of Superstar Blogging’s creator, Matt Kepnes, is positive and solid around the internet.

Will It Make You A Successful Travel Blogger?

It will make you a successful travel blogger if taken alongside another advanced travel blogging course. Superstar Blogging will help you build a strong foundation for monetization, blog writing, branding and search engine optimization. However, to be a successful travel blogger, you need to have multiple income streams from your blog website and you're earning past the $5,000 median salary for bloggers per month. To achieve that, you will want to take another travel blog course that covers advanced SEO practices or specializes in a monetization option like affiliate marketing.

What is Superstar Blogging?

Superstar Blogging or Superstar Business Masterclass is an online course for bloggers, especially travel writers. It is said to be one of the best blogging courses out there, with 28 lessons split in 8 modules. Students can take their own pace or follow through the 8-week program.

The travel writing course covers all bases, from signing up for a hosting service to installing WordPress, branding and building your audience through newsletters, connecting to other bloggers and companies, and monetization options. It also has a closed FB group with over 1000 members.

Who is Superstar Blogging For?

Superstar Blogging is for aspirational travel writer or travel blogger who is looking to set up and design their website, and build their brand intending to turn it into a profitable blog.

Superstar Blogging is not for anyone who is already a successful blogger looking to scale their blogging business. While you might still find something useful from the course, it’s not the best value for your money.

What Are People Saying about Superstar Blogging?

Superstar Blogging has a reputation of being the best travel blogging course. The amount of student feedback on their site is a clear evidence of that. One of them, Stacia, praised it for providing “fundamentals of building a functional blog.”

Oliver pointed out how the course helped him build his brand and form a network with bloggers. However, he also mentioned not to take the course before starting your blog as it’s best for refinement rather than creating from scratch.

According to Nathan, the most valuable information he picked up from the course is “how to contact companies for partnerships.” The email templates and Matt’s advice showed him a much higher response rate from companies.

Overall, the online travel course provides valuable information across different aspects of blogging that bloggers at different levels might pick up.

Superstar Blogging Review Reddit

There are no reviews about Supertstar Blogging on Reddit but I found a 2022 review from eBizFacts rating the course with 2 out of 5 because it has “no clear direction.” Steve said the technical support was the “most helpful part” but found that there is no clear strategy for how to monetize and optimise his blog.

Superstar Blogging Course Outline

Module 1: Setting Up and Getting Started

This module includes an introduction to Nomadic Matt and the setting up of WordPress. From installing WordPress to picking a theme and the basics of SEO practice to make your website SEO-friendly.

Module 2: Building A Brand

This module tackles lessons about picking your niche and the importance of website design.

Module 3: Writing Content

Writing Content module is all about making engaging and quality content for your audience. It also has writing resources.

Module 4: Mastering Social Media and Networking

This module goes into lessons on how to succeed in each of the established social media sites, like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Snapchat. There are also lessons about guest blogs and how to widen your blogger network.

Module 5: SEO

Module 5 focuses on search engine optimization (SEO) and its importance, with advanced topics like keyword search and the best tools you can use to rank on search engines.

Module 6: Newsletters

Newsletters are used to build your audience and in this module, you’ll learn how to use tools like ConvertKit and Mailchimp for it.

Module 7: Monetizing Your Blog

This module includes lessons about teh various ways you can monetize your travel blog such as affiliate marketing through affiliate link unique to your blog, and creating digital products and how to market them.

Module 8: Partnering with Brands, PR Agencies and More

The last module introduces Media Kits, tips on working with PR and brands. It also includes other monetization options like ads, tours and consultation.

Does Superstar Blogging Actually Teach You How to Start a Travel Blog?

Superstar Blogging teaches you how to start a successful travel blog from scratch. The lessons go over from setting up WordPress, choosing your niche, and building an audience to the ways you can monetize and market your blog.

Does Superstar Blogging Teach Travel Blogging for Beginners?

Yes, Superstar Blogging teaches blogging for beginners. The course covers all the basics of travel blogging, how to write travel content for your market and information about working with travel brands.

Who is Nomadic Matt?

Nomadic Matt or Matt Kepnes is known for his travels on budget. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, “How To Travel The World On $50 A Day.” Matt started traveling in 2006 after he finished his masters in Business Administration at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Matt’s supposed gap year turned into 18 months of travelling, and by 2018, he started his travel blog, Nomadic Matt. It was first made to document his travels, provide a guide for other travellers on a budget, and fund his own travel. Now, the site gets 1.3 million visits per month and Matt is hailed as the travel blogger with the highest income.

Nomadic Matt Net Worth

Nomadic Matt’s net worth is estimated to be around $5 million.

Is Nomadic Matt’s Travel Blogging Course Free?

Nomadic Matt’s travel blogging course is not free. It costs a onetime payment of $99 with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

What is the Business of Blogging?

Business of Blogging is just the same Superstar Business Masterclass course under a different name.

Nomadic Matt’s Claims

Nomadic Matt claims that through his Superstar Blogging course, travel bloggers will gain readers, rank high in search engine and monetize their blog.

Nomadic Matt’s Claims DEBUNKED

You can earn money from blogging, but you won’t be able to generate significant income because:

  • Saturation - According to Web Tribunal, there are 600 million blogs today and 18% of the new blogs last year are travel blogs as per Rank IQ’s report. On top of that, Nomadic Matt’s site is a giant in this niche and you’re directly competing with him.
  • Authority - Based on Productive Blogger’s research, blogs that are 10 years old and above have an average monthly income of $4.9k while blogs under a year old barely make a dollar per month. Older blogs have more authority and Google ranks them higher in the search results. So, while Superstar Blogging will help you build a strong foundation for travel blogging, it’ll take you years before you even reach the median salary of a travel blogger.
  • Monetization - You can earn money from blogging through ads, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, subscription or selling your own products. Ads is the top income source of bloggers, according to Growth Badger. And to gain a significant income from ads, premium ads managers like Mediavine and Raptive are your best option, but they require a 50k to 80k page views per month just to sign up.

Is Superstar Blogging Worth It?

Superstar Blogging is worth it for beginners and aspiring travelers looking to monetize their travels through blogging. It provides valuable information in an easy to understand way, and covers all the basics for such a cheap online course.

You need to buy a travel blogging course to have a successful travel blog that you can monetize. While the basic information about website design, SEO practices and tips to starting a blog are available in a single search query, a course often comes with a community and tech support. These are great aid in launching your travel blog and save you years of work and mistakes to learn. Superstar Blogging is a good course to start, but you will need another course that will cover advance topics in order to rise above the competition.

Other Blogging Courses:

  • Blogging Fast Lane - This is an 8-week training program by Anna Faustino and Tom Rogers focused building a profitable blog for affiliate marketing. For a price of $679, you’ll get video lessons, worksheets and a 12-month roadmap to track your progress. 
  • Perfecting Blogging - Sophia Lee’s Perfecting Blogging covers all the bases of blogging from niche selection to content planning and displaying ads. The course costs $247.
  • Scale Your Travel Blog - A coaching program for travel bloggers at all levels by Mike and Laura. Aside from the course and the community, Mike and Laura personally offer assistance for blog post reviews, site audits and keyword search. The program costs $2497 or 6 months' installment of $427.
  • Travel Blog Prosperity  - This online program by 6-figure blogger Jessica Festa (Jessie on a Journey) is for travel bloggers and bloggers from different niches. It has a massive course collection with new one added each month. Membership is $49 per month.  

3 Challenges of Blogging

  • Saturation - According to WordPress, 70 million blogs are published every month, with an approximately 77 blogs published every second. For travel bloggers, specifically, 59% of them have more than 1 blog as per Optin Monster. On average, it also takes 1-2 years before your blog gets any traction from search engines. The competition is tight and it will only continue to be tighter as the content industry continues to rise in value. 
  • Short Attention Span - Based on Klipfolio’s report, readers only spend 58 seconds reading a blog. Thus, you must present a useful information right away or you risk losing your readers just as fast.
  • Not Passive - Orbit Media’s research showed 47% of bloggers publish weekly or several times per month and they report “strong results.” Additionally, once your blog posts hit 1000, a decrease in traffic is observed. This happens because old blog posts must be regularly updated to stay relevant and ensure quality in content.

Conclusion: Is Blogging A Great Way to Make Money Online?

Local lead generation is a great way to make money online in contrast to blogging. Blogging’s main problem is saturation, as there are millions of blogs circulating on the internet. You are competing for keywords on a global scale against marketing and blogger agencies with a budget at their disposal. In contrast, you’re only competing with local companies in local lead gen.

Blogging is still popular with 77% of all internet users reporting they read blogs daily, according to Ahrefs. However, the average time people read a blog is only 58 seconds. Local lead gen also avoids this attention problem. Your digital estates will provide details for services of small businesses, rather than baiting readers to continue reading and purchase a product through affiliate marketing.

The views bloggers need to get paid is 1000 page views which takes 1-2 years of constant quality content before your site gain traction. According to Wise, AdSense pays you between $0.2 to $15 per 1000 page views. This depends on the region of your audience and the niche of your blog. Compared to this, local lead gen only takes 6 months to rank with fewer pages. So, once your website ranks, you can rent it to small businesses, and the income becomes passive.

Local lead generation

For this, my top recommendation for generating passive income with your website is local lead generation. Case in point, the Grand Rapids Tree Care site above generates me $2k monthly since 2015. And it only required minimal maintenance. With all the digital estates I own today, I passively earn $52k a month. So, if you’re looking for a business venture with less competition and high success rate, check out my local lead gen coaching program.

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Ippei Kanehara
Founder/CEO

$52K per month providing lead generation services to small businesses

Ippei.com is for digital hustlers, industry leaders and online business owners.

His #1 online business recommendation in 2024, is to build your own lead generation business.

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