Kevin Wilkerson on Building a Nightlife & Travel Blog

Join us as we delve into the vibrant world of nightlife and travel with Kevin Wilkerson, the force behind PubClub.com. In this interview, Kevin shares his journey, revealing the secrets to creating a successful online platform that blends the excitement of global nightlife with the allure of travel adventures. Get ready to discover the strategies, challenges, and triumphs behind one of the most engaging lifestyle and travel destinations on the web.

Content Strategy

SBS – What inspired the niche focus on nightlife and travel, and how do you consistently generate fresh content ideas in these areas?

Kevin – I like nightlife and travel, and as Mark Twain once said, “Write about what you know about,” that became the focus when I launched PubClub.com. I was already doing a weekly nightlife column for a Los Angeles website but wanted to go beyond that, which led to the creation of PubClub.

Generating fresh content is both challenging and easy — you have to constantly be on the lookout for potential posts, but also, just going out inspires ideas from the places I go and the people I meet.

Monetization

SBS – How do you monetize PubClub.com, and what strategies have been most successful for generating revenue?

Kevin – Initially, it was Google AdSense, and that is still a big part of the revenue. But today, it also involves sponsored posts, which is really the lifeblood of every website, large and small. You just have to be careful not to have a blog full of sponsored posts because otherwise, it has no value to the reader.  

Audience Engagement

SBS – What tactics do you employ to engage your audience and encourage repeat visitors to your website?

Kevin – People can leave comments on articles, and I always respond to them. I also have a pop-up on the website in which people can ask questions on the PubClub.com Facebook page. I use social media to engage with people and

I am constantly out meeting people and promoting the site. Sometimes — a lot of times, really — it’s all about face-to-face interactions. 

SEO and Traffic Generation

SBS – How do you optimize your content for search engines, and what are your main strategies for driving traffic to your site?

Kevin – SEO is still the key element to driving traffic to a website. I optimize every single article and also write articles to take advantage of trending topics in the hope that they will generate additional traffic. I support this by posting article links on social media, including on related Facebook groups. I use other social media outlets, namely TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, for brand awareness through videos.

Lately, I have been focusing on landing pages for places or events on which I have substantial content. These are known as pillar pages, and they contain links to more detailed stories, an essential element of good SEO. Here is an example of one such pillar page.

I am also open to media interviews such as this one, I have done several radio interviews, once had a radio show, and created brand ambassadors, called the PubClubettes, for the site.

One other important strategy incorporates an element from when I did Public Relations in auto racing, and is that I always wear PubClub.com merchandise when I am out in public. This is called grassroots or guerrilla marketing, and it is extremely effective. One recent example is when people in a bar took pictures of a branded sweatshirt I was wearing because they liked the martini glass logo and the slogan I created for the shirt.

Social Media Integration

SBS – How do you leverage social media to enhance your brand and attract more visitors to your website?

Kevin – Social media is a huge part of any company’s success today, and it is largely free to use, so it’s important to utilize your resources in any business. I post videos on social media platforms, links to articles and, to reach a really targeted audience, utilize Facebook groups. The latter was a very effective social media strategy when I was writing about the passing of Jimmy Buffett, as there are dozens of pages devoted to the legendary troubadour.

In fact, due to a tip, PubClub.com was the first website to report the news, and I used FB groups to spread the word.

Collaborations and Networking

SBS – Can you discuss any collaborations or partnerships you’ve formed and how these have impacted your business?

Kevin – I have worked with Anheuser Busch and Kona Brewing, covering events each sponsored as well as providing social media and blog posts on their promotions and branding. Since these were paid collaborations, they had a very positive impact on my business.

Additionally, I work with several spirits and wine brands, hospitality/travel PR agencies, and tourism boards for content on the site, including going on press FAM trips to destinations, tastings, and press events.

Challenges and Solutions

SBS – What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced running PubClub.com, and how have you overcome them?

Kevin – The biggest challenge is the constantly changing search engine algorithm, and I’ve not yet overcome it. I built PubClub.com from zero to 500K page views a month, but then the constant change of the algorithms created a steady decline. The algorithm is supposed to favor longevity as a trait of being a reliable source of information, but instead, it favors big sites with much more money and resources than a single person. This is a constant battle, and quite frankly, I’m spending so much time on it — including sometimes trying to be the first to post on a particular topic — that the quality of the articles suffers. It’s also not as much fun as it was just a few years ago.

One way to overcome this is to get creative in order to generate page views beyond the search engines. So, I created a podcast. It’s actually a visual podcast called PubClub LIVE!, with myself and two co-hosts, and it is done on location at bars and destinations around the country. One podcast had the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar as a guest.

Content Diversification

SBS – How do you balance the focus on nightlife with other topics like travel and lifestyle on your platform?

Kevin – By experience. When I started PubClub.com, the focus was on the pubs and clubs in cities around the world, but I knew from experience you can’t be in a bar the entire time. So I included articles on the destination itself, with one article focusing on the basics (airport location, transportation, hotels, the weather), another on things to do, and one on recommended restaurants and the types of food found in that city. From the start, the content went beyond pubs and clubs to include travel, lifestyle, and even big events in destinations.

I like to tell people that the content on PubClub.com is “anywhere in the world you can have a drink in your hand.” That seems to sum it up quite well!

Community Building

SBS – How have you built a community around your website, and what role does this community play in your site’s success?

Kevin – I have a newsletter that goes out to the PubClub community. In it, I post links to the latest articles as well as links to updated articles tied to upcoming events.

Technological Innovations

SBS – How do you stay abreast of technological changes and incorporate new digital tools into your website and content strategy?

Kevin – I read a lot, see what others in the technology and web world, and evaluate how new technologies and trends might help the site. For example, I am currently seeing how AI technology could enhance posting content, although I would never exclusively rely on it.

Competitive Edge

SBS – What do you believe sets PubClub.com apart from other nightlife and travel blogs?

Kevin – With boots-on-the-ground experience, PubClub covers a diverse area of nightlife and travel with more than 150 destinations worldwide, plus major events such as Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, the Super Bowl, Munich Oktoberfest, New Year’s Eve, and the infield scene at the Indy 500 and Kentucky Derby. It’s a one-stop website for all things nightlife. 

Future Plans

SBS – What future developments or expansions are you planning for PubClub.com?

Kevin – The future plans of PubClub.com call to continue posting new and engaging content from around the world. Expansion depends on paid collaborations and sponsorships, something I would welcome because, to quote a line from a Buffett song, “There’s still so much to be done.” 

Advice for Aspiring Bloggers

SBS – What advice would you give to aspiring bloggers who want to enter the nightlife and travel blogging industry?

Kevin – The biggest advice I can give to aspiring bloggers is that if you do it, stick to it. Don’t just post whenever the mood strikes you, do it often, at least once a week and, better yet, several times a week. A good tip is to set up an editorial calendar and stick with it.