How Anh Le Earns $10k+/Month From Her Travel and Personal Finance Blogs With SEO and Media Exposure

Anh Le has always been interested in travel, which led her to visit more than 30 countries. But she’s also passionate about finance. 

After becoming a CPA and working at a large international firm as a tax consultant, she decided she wanted more. She launched her first website, Luxury Under Budget, to share her secrets with travelers looking for a high-end, low-cost experience. She went on to create a second site, Hoang Anh Le, where she shares financial and life insurance advice.

She quit her six-figure job before turning 30 to run her websites, which are currently earning $10k+ per month.

Keep reading to find out:

• Her experience before creating her travel website
• Why she waited to quit her job
• What happened when she lost half of her savings
• Why she created her second site
• How long it took her to reach her current revenue
• Her main marketing strategies
• How she gets featured in major media outlets
• Her approach to keyword research and link building
• Her go-to tools
• Her biggest challenge
• Her greatest accomplishment
• Her main mistake
• Her advice for other entrepreneurs

Meet Anh Le

I'm a travel and finance enthusiast with a story that began as an international student from Vietnam who arrived in the US with just two suitcases at the age of 17, thanks to a scholarship. 

My passion for exploring the world on a budget led me to visit over 30 countries. 

Even after becoming a CPA and working as a tax consultant at a big global firm, I couldn't shake my love for travel and sharing amazing deals with others. 

Writing is another passion of mine, and through it, I'm able to blend my financial know-how with my wanderlust.

Why She Created Her Sites

As a young traveler, I once rejoiced in the cheapest deals, but with time and experience, I learned that value often outweighs the cheapest option. 

Traveling smarter means maximizing both time and money. I've found ways to fly business class and stay in luxury hotels without breaking the bank. 

This knowledge ignited my desire to share money-saving hacks with a wider audience, leading to the creation of Luxury Under Budget. 

I initially had no idea it could become a full-time income, but as I delved deeper into the world of online business, I realized its potential. I invested in coaching programs to improve my income further, recognizing that investing in a business is crucial for success.

I originally created the website with no prior knowledge of SEO. I just learned from free articles I could find on the internet and kept learning as I went, but it wasn’t until I started making money that I invested in coaching programs. 

I tried a few coaching programs, but my favorite is How to Scale Your Travel Blog. 

As my blog income stabilized, I contemplated leaving my full-time job. However, given the advent of AI, I approached this decision with caution.

In 2022, my focus shifted significantly. 

A traumatic childbirth and the cancer diagnosis of a 29-year-old friend, combined with market downturns that erased half of our savings, prompted me to prioritize financial security for my family's future. 

During this time, I came across life insurance with living benefits, which not only provided protection against market downturns but also covered critical illnesses, including cancer. 

This sounded like an ideal solution to my concerns at that time, but in order to truly understand and utilize this product, I decided to obtain a life insurance license. 

It was then that I recognized the potential for additional income, particularly by leveraging my online presence and expertise. I am now dedicated to assisting others in maximizing their income and planning for early retirement, with a focus on optimizing lesser-known financial strategies such as life insurance to potentially secure tax-free lifetime income. 

I’m doing this through a second site I created, where I use my name for branding, Hoang Anh Le. 

I got featured on Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, etc., by pitching on HARO and directly to the editors. 

How Much She’s Earning

To be conservative, I would say that my travel blog averages $6,000 per month while Hoang Anh Le averages $4,000 per month. However, it's worth noting that we often exceed these figures in many months.

For the travel blog, given that the commission per transaction is relatively small, we rely on a high volume of transactions. Consequently, it took a couple of years to build the site to the point where it can consistently generate this level of income.

My other site benefits from higher commissions for financial products, requiring less traffic to achieve significant earnings. This is why it only took a few months to reach this level of income.

In terms of traffic, my sites get an average of 50,000 to 80,000 monthly views. 

I work a lot on my sites because I truly enjoy what I do and helping other people. 

There are weeks I could do 30-45 hours, and there are weeks when I want to enjoy quality time with family and I work 5-10 hours. 

Her Top Marketing Strategy

My top marketing strategy has traditionally been SEO. 

However, with the recent Google Core Update and the growing influence of AI in search algorithms, I've made a strategic shift towards building a strong media presence. 

This entails getting featured in prominent publications that align with the interests of my target audience. 

Leveraging this media exposure not only helps in reaching a wider and more engaged audience, but it also establishes trust and authority within my niche. 

I’ve been featured in Business Insider and Fodors, among others.

Here are a few tips for getting featured:

• Identify your target media: Choose relevant media outlets that align with your niche or industry.
  
• Craft newsworthy stories: Develop compelling, timely, and unique stories that interest both the media and their audience.
  
• Build relationships: Connect with journalists, editors, and influencers in your field to establish rapport.
  
• Leverage HARO: Sign up for Help a Reporter Out (HARO) to respond to queries from journalists seeking expert opinions.
  
• Show social proof: Showcase previous media mentions on your website and social media to enhance credibility and attract more media attention.

Keyword Research

My keyword research process and strategy primarily involve using Ahrefs to identify and target low-competition keywords. 

While the search volume might be indicated as low, I prioritize interesting and relevant topics. 

This approach has often yielded surprising results.

By focusing on low-competition keywords, I can more easily rank and gain visibility in search results, especially when creating high-quality, informative, and engaging content. 

Link Building

Link building is indeed important for SEO, as it not only contributes to higher domain authority but can also drive additional traffic to your website. 

While I initially relied on low-competition keywords to achieve good rankings, I've come to realize the value of a strategic approach to link building. 

My current strategy involves pitching to prominent publications to secure media exposure and backlinks. This not only boosts my website's authority but also increases its visibility and credibility. I do pitching by myself.

I have found that some link building tactics, such as certain directory listings or low-quality backlinks, have not yielded positive results and can even potentially harm SEO efforts, so I've steered clear of these strategies.

Anh’s Content Creation Process

My strategy is to balance evergreen content with seasonal posts so the traffic is consistent year-round. I have about 100 articles on my site. 

I publish 4 times a month.

Her Email List

I collect emails through freebie opt-ins on my site. I have a few different topics throughout the site, including travel hacks and general finance budget hacks.

Her Favorite Resources and Tools

Ahrefs has an excellent YouTube channel with a lot of valuable information for free. 

As for tools, I use the following:

Ahrefs: I utilize this tool to identify relevant keywords and phrases that my target audience is searching for. This research guides my content creation strategy, ensuring that I produce content optimized for search engines.

Canva: Canva is my go-to solution for both web and presentation design needs. I leverage the wide array of templates and design elements available in Canva to create visually appealing web graphics and presentations that align with my brand's identity.

ChatGPT: This plays a pivotal role in refining my written content. After creating articles or drafting important messages, I use ChatGPT to polish and enhance the language and structure. It acts as a valuable writing assistant, suggesting improvements, and refining clarity.

Anh’s Biggest Challenge

One of the most significant challenges I've encountered as my businesses have grown is imposter syndrome. 

This pervasive feeling of self-doubt and fear of being undeserving of my achievements can be quite crippling. 

Her Greatest Accomplishment

My most important accomplishment as an entrepreneur, in my view, goes beyond financial success. It was a defining moment when I had the privilege of speaking at a FIRE (Financial Independence Early Retirement) event. 

During my presentation, I shared insights on generating passive income through online presence (blog/social media) and the importance of securing a stable financial strategy for retirement. 

In particular, I highlighted the significance of life insurance with living benefits, which can provide protection against medical debts and the need for GoFundMe campaigns in times of crisis.

What made this moment truly remarkable was a heartfelt encounter I had after my talk. 

A lady approached me and shared her personal experience as a beneficiary of the same policy I talked about. 

She explained that she had been able to cash out 80% of the death benefit after paying into the policy for just three years when her 8-year-old son had a brain tumor. She asked me to continue sharing what I shared because I would be helping more families like her.

What She Wishes She Knew When She Started

One valuable lesson I've learned along the way that I wish I had known when I first started is the importance of surrounding yourself with the people you aspire to become. 

Building a supportive network of mentors, peers, and advisors who can provide guidance, insights, and inspiration is crucial for personal and professional growth.

How do you do this? Look for networking events, entrepreneurial conventions, and mentorship groups, or invest in coaching programs.

Her Main Mistake

The most significant mistake I've made on my entrepreneurial journey, in hindsight, is not seeking the guidance of a coach or mentor sooner. 

Attempting to figure everything out by myself consumed a considerable amount of time and resources that could have been better utilized for business growth and personal development. 

About eight months passed between when I started and when I hired my first coach. However, since then, I've been using my revenue to engage several different coaches to improve in various areas. I currently work with an SEO coach, a media coach, and a business coach. 

I used to sign up for free webinars from coaches who advertise on social media, but these coaches’ services are usually a lot more expensive and it’s typically just group coaching. 

Now I find coaches by looking up those featured in my favorite media, I visit their websites, and contact them to inquire about their coaching services. 

I've found that this gets me the opportunity to work one-on-one with these coaches for a much more affordable price.

Her Advice for Other Entrepreneurs

My advice to entrepreneurs in the process of building their businesses is simple yet essential: Keep an open mind, have the courage to dream big, and be prepared to work tirelessly to turn those dreams into reality. 

Embrace change and learning, remain adaptable, and stay resilient in the face of challenges. 

Entrepreneurship is a journey filled with ups and downs, but your passion and hard work will be the driving forces behind your success.

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