NEWSLETTER 2!
The first month of 2024 has come and gone. How was it for you? While the end of the month has brought some warmer temperatures, we also suffered through some brutal cold in the Midwest. Hopefully the real cold weather is behind us!
If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, please have them visit TravelwithaWiseguy.com and sign-up!
SOME MORE 2023 STATS
Before I get into January of 2024, I wanted to recap a few more things from 2023. I saw YouTube superstars Kara and Nate do a video that summarized their year and thought about how some of their stats would relate to me.
In the last newsletter I showed how many subscribers, views, top videos, etc. happened in 2023. And here are a few more interesting numbers:
I released 104 videos (compared to 79 in 2022). Those 104 videos equaled 85,826 seconds (or 23 hours, 50 minutes, 26 seconds. In theory you could watch every video of the year from start to finish in one day! Please no one attempt this :)
Kara and Nate also kept track of things like miles traveled, flights, hotels, etc. I didn’t keep track of any of that … BUT I have already started keeping track of many things this year. For example, in January, I stepped foot in 7 states and spent 1924 miles traveling in a vehicle. It should make for some interesting data to look back on at the end of the year.
JANUARY REVIEW
As I talked about last time, all of the videos I released in January (8 of them) were filmed in 2023. I’m heavy into the indoor track season at Wichita State (my full-time job) and don’t have any free time right now to travel for YouTube. Technically on January 1 I drove back to Wichita from Florida (that’s where I got most of the 7 states mentioned above). I spent 2 days in Lawrence, KS, and 2 days in Lincoln, NE, for meets. So that means 5 days on the road and 26 days in Wichita for January.
As for the videos, I released some really random stuff. This was by design as I was using January to test the waters with videos from different states (Florida, Tennessee, Alabama). As expected, those videos didn’t get as many views as the ones I released from Missouri, Kentucky, and Texas. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how the Tennessee State Route 13 video performed. I think there is a base of followers who enjoy the “road trip” type videos no matter where they are located geographically. What do you think? How important is the location of the video for you to watch and enjoy? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
While none of the January videos went “viral”, two of them did pretty well. Kentucky Ghost Towns Part 4 had over 8,000 views. I’ve only released 5 total videos about Kentucky through the years, but they all have done much better than expected. It makes me want to do more videos about the state anytime I’m in the vicinity. The other video that did well, which I DID expect to do well, was Three Notch Road, Missouri. Missouri videos generally do above average on the channel, and with the title being “oldest road in the state” I knew it would get plenty of clicks. It has nearly 9,000 views in two weeks. I even had a radio station contact me for an interview on air last week. Unfortunately they don’t archive their shows online, but thanks to KSGM in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, for the great conversation!
Two videos that haven’t done so well were two of my all-time favorites. Most of my videos are done solo, so to include my family in a trip to Key West was special. We’ll always be able to look back at that and remember a fun week! The three family members in the video were the main people I made it for – and they all loved it – mission accomplished! My other favorite video was about the Daytona Beach and Road Course. The reason I liked it so much was how it came together in the editing process. I was able to combine drone footage with walking footage with old, archived NASCAR videos to tell the story. I wish I could make all the videos turn out like that, but it’s impossible. But every once in a while, I get lucky. The views have been few, but I think it’ll live a nice life on YouTube for many years to come.
I also opened a merchandise store in January and sold some shirts, mugs, and stickers! Thanks you all of you who purchased something – it definitely helps with expenses. I am hoping to put out some new stuff later in February with the “small town, USA” theme.
WHAT’S COMING UP IN FEBRUARY
The shortest month of the year will see 9 new videos on the channel. I’m still tinkering with what I’m releasing. I was sick for much of last week, so I got behind in editing and now I’m trying to catch up. However, today I released the first of two videos about Stonewall County, Texas (filmed in late November). I think these will be well received. I found one of the most interesting old courthouses I’ve ever seen in part 1.
During February I’ll also be traveling for track to Lincoln, NE, Topeka, KS, Fayetteville, AR, and Birmingham, AL. Busy time of the year for the Shockers!
Q&A
Last time I asked for questions and got a couple. Please send any questions you have to jwise@goshockers.com and I’ll try to answer them next time!
Q1: How do you pick the places you choose to explore, visit, and video? – Jennifer
A1: It depends. I plan the long road trips out well in advance and try to find something either scenic, historical, or hopefully both. For other shorter videos I often just start looking at maps of rural counties and try to find something interesting. I’ll do a little research and then try to figure out how long it’ll take to visit those places and if it’s realistic based on my location and budget. I have a long list of places I want to go that I don’t have the time and money yet!
Q2: What travel atlas do you use? Why do you choose it over other options? – Dawn
A2: I use the Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer. Each state has its own detailed maps. I think there are a couple companies that do maps like this, but they are the best I could find. I believe Garmin sells them these days, so I’m not sure who actually physically puts them together. I have 23 of them! If anyone knows someone at Garmin and wants to sponsor me for the other 27 please let them know! Haha!
BEHIND-THE-SCENES YOUTUBE STUFF
Back on September 21, 2023, I released a video about Arches National Park and Utah Route 128 (Upper Colorado Scenic Byway). When I uploaded this video, YouTube said the original music was in copyright violation. I think it was a glitch in their system because it was on their free music license to use. Anyways I had to change the music, or it wouldn’t be allowed to be monetized. So I changed the music and went through the appeal process with the original music. I liked the original music better, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. A MONTH later my appeal was upheld, and they said I could use the original music. This was well after I released the video, so I didn’t go back and re-release it. But if you’re interested, here is the video with the original music over the Upper Colorado Scenic Byway part (which is better in my opinion).
Thanks for the continued support! Until next time, safe travels!
Comments