The world is brimming with natural wonders. And there’s no better way to record your upcoming experiences than through an adventure planner or bucket list journal.

Amazon KDP is rife with such no-content books, offering a lucrative niche for sellers.

But to venture into this space and capitalize on sales, it’s essential to understand how to craft the perfect adventure planner.

In the following sections, we guide you through the process.

Are bucket list journals worth it?

Bucket list journals are a thriving category on Amazon KDP, as evidenced by their average best-seller’s rank (BSR) of 1,786,417.

But there’s more.

We used Book Bolt to determine which high-search-volume keywords buyers are using to find these products. The tool also helped us identify the most popular words sellers are optimizing their listing titles with.

Let’s dissect our findings.

Search demand and keyword saturation

In terms of search demand, we extracted the top-performing keywords with a search volume of over 2,000.

Here are the most popular ones:

• “Bucket list couples”: search volume – 4,145
• “Bucket list journals”: search volume – 4,131
• “Bucket list couple”: search volume – 4,052
• “Bucket list books”: search volume – 3,872
• “Book bucket list”: search volume – 3,739
• “Fall bucket list”: search volume – 3,736
• “Bucket list book”: search volume – 3,736
• “Florida bucket list”: search volume – 2,990
• “Divorce bucket list”: search volume – 2,989
• “Couple bucket list”: search volume – 2,973

Instantly, we can see that shoppers are actively browsing for bucket list journals for couples, among other themes.

On the other hand, the most trending words among listing titles feature:

• Seed keyword: bucket (176), list (175)
• Type of no-content book: journal (131), book (14), notebook (12), log (7), planner (6), organizer (3)
• Purpose of the product: gifts (29), travel (21), adventures (19), birthday (18), gift (15), adventure (14), memories (6), keepsake (4), goals (4), dreams (4)
• Occasion: graduation (7), retirement (5), wedding (4), engagement (3), traveling (3)
• Target audience: couples (25), women (13), family (7), granddaughter (5), couple (5), girls (4), girl (4), daughter (3)
• Location or type of adventure: national (15), parks (12), park (9), state (7), states (4), Texas (4)

The data from above provides a brief overview of the types of bucket list journals that are in demand. In addition, it can demonstrate what keywords bestsellers are utilizing to boost rankings.

Profitability

Before we dive into the process of creating a winning bucket list journal, we also analyzed the profitability in the niche.

We discovered that the two bestselling listings are generating earnings of between $611.94 and $706.42.

These are substantial amounts, making the market one worth considering.

Now, let’s find out what the main features of a bucket list journal are.

What are the main features of a bucket list journal?

As the name implies, bucket list journals feature an interior designed in a journal format with lined pages for writing.

As such, they are considered no-content books. They enable users to pen down their memories and fill the pages with every sight, smell, and sound they experience during their travels.

The content of such a journal is minimal, making them naturally easy to create.

However, when it comes to the exterior, you’ll have to pay attention to your specific niche.

For instance, are you tailoring your bucket list journal for a divorced individual or a couple? Are you marketing one that’s specifically crafted for Florida or Idaho?

Although the covers usually feature maps, travel-related items, and exotic destinations, you can be creative and align your cover with your intended audience.

Most top-performing exteriors follow design hierarchy principles. This means ensuring that the eye always focuses on the main title first, followed by subtitles and any other images or text.

Furthermore, we identified that the majority of bucket list journals are in the region of 110 pages. In addition, they’re predominantly targeted at adults – the primary audience in this niche.

Planning and creating your journal

Now, let’s move to the nitty-gritty – setting up your bucket list journal for success.

In this section, we’ll guide you through some of the key elements for creating this type of product.

Step 1: Identify your niche

Even if you create the most exceptional bucket list journal imaginable, it may not generate sales if you haven’t narrowed down your niche.

Selecting a niche is a vital component of ensuring you connect with your intended target audience effectively.

For this purpose, we cannot overemphasize the importance of performing extensive keyword research. Take into account buyers’ search volume and choose a theme that’s in demand.

Don’t forget to study your competition and aim to create a product that outperforms others.

Step 2: Carefully select your target audience

Identifying your target audience is critical for your success.

Based on the keywords we extracted from Book Bolt earlier, we can confidently say that bucket list journals are a perfect fit for adults.

This includes individuals on the cusp of adulthood as well as those who have accumulated life experiences and are mature enough to travel and savor their adventures.

Step 4: Design an attractive cover

Creating an appealing cover involves choosing the right colors, shapes, image and text ratios, and more.

Let’s look at a real-life example.

One of the best-selling bucket list journals on Amazon KDP is targeted at young, 18-year-old females. The product features a pink cover adorned with elegant cursive handwriting, evoking a whimsical ambience.

Another top-selling item is a couple’s bucket list journal that uniquely uses cut-out letters from newspapers and magazines to spell out the words “Our Bucket List”.

Both items perform exceptionally well.

This only proves that your cover design must speak to your audience. Ensure that you meet your shoppers’ expectations for greater chances of success.

Step 5: Don’t forget the details of your interior

If you intend to please your customers, it’s also key to focus on your bucket list journal’s interior.

Remember that your pages should also be customized to your audience.

For example, if you are targeting an older demographic, it’s recommended to use greater line spacing.

Why? Because older consumers tend to have weaker eyesight, which often leads to larger handwriting.

Alternatively, you might consider offering purely blank pages to ensure that your customers can doodle or add pictures to preserve their travel memories.

As for the book’s length, the ideal length for an adult’s bucket list journal is around 110 pages, based on the top-performing bestsellers in this niche.

Step 6: Set a competitive price

The significance of a well-thought-out pricing strategy cannot be overstated.

In our experience, selling your items at a price near the market average is the optimal solution.

This approach guarantees that your product won’t be considered too cheap or too expensive. Instead, it will be positioned competitively.

Using Book Bolt, you can quickly and easily extract insights on the lowest, highest, and average prices across different segments.

Optimizing your listing for success

Once you’ve created your product, it’s time to optimize your listing for success.

To do this, you need to use a holistic strategy that involves the following:

• Optimizing your listing titles and descriptions with the right keywords
• Creating a catchy cover
• Pricing effectively

Here are our recommendations based on some of the bestsellers in the bucket list journal domain.

Keywords

Identify the audience that you are targeting first.

The keywords with the highest search volume suggest that couples are the primary audience searching for bucket list journals. This is also confirmed by the fact that the seller making the most sales in this niche is targeting this consumer segment.

The second biggest target audience is young girls or teens with major milestones coming up.

Apart from mentioning the audience, we advise specifying whether your journal is intended as a gift directly in the title.

Price

Another best practice to follow is pricing close to the market average.

As mentioned earlier, adopting this pricing strategy is almost certain to result in higher royalties and increased profitability.

Ideally, aim for a price that’s slightly below the average.

Cover design

When crafting your bucket list journal cover, always think of your ideal customer.

Whether teens or adults, couples or singles, make sure you have a clear audience in mind before you proceed to design your cover.

Use your exterior to incorporate elements that are bound to attract the right buyers.

Don’t neglect the importance of design hierarchy and best practices.

Final remarks

The bucket list journal niche on Amazon KDP is lucrative and has the potential to earn you significant sales. However, to craft listings that will sell like hotcakes, you’ll need reliable market insights.

Use the features and capabilities of Book Bolt to your advantage and make all the right decisions.

At only $9.99 per month, the tool can provide all the data you need to take your side gig to a whole new level.