Journals stand out as one of the most popular Amazon KDP no-content book categories.

But what if you could take your journal game to the next level with a dash of creativity. We’re talking about hybrid journals – a seamless blend of planners, trackers, and sometimes even calendars.

In the following sections, we offer advice on how to create an all-in-one, streamlined no-content book. We also explore how popular mixed journals are among goal-setters, schedule-keepers, and anyone in between.

What are hybrid journals?

Before we jump into the details, let’s take a moment to lay out the basics.

What are hybrid journals?

Hybrid journals are multifunctional journals on Amazon KDP that cater to a variety of needs and interests. These no-content books often combine features of planners, trackers, journals, and sometimes calendars, making them highly versatile.

By purchasing such a product, users can track various aspects of their lives while also enjoying space for reflection, goal setting, and personal development.

But their multi-functional capabilities are only a part of the equation.

The reason why hybrid journals are attractive from a seller’s perspective is that they’re an outstanding way to position a single listing in multiple categories. This also means targeting various audiences with minimal effort.

Naturally, all of this leads to increased traffic and higher sales potential.

As always, let’s see if the numbers support our theory.

Are hybrid journals hot on Amazon KDP?

To invest time and effort into the creation of hybrid journals, you must be confident that the market offers fruitful returns.

In the next sections, we uncover the market’s potential by looking at three core metrics – number of listings, BSRs, and search volumes.

Number of listings

Using Book Bolt’s powerful features and capabilities, we discovered that hybrid journals represent a well-developed, saturated market.

According to the tool, there are more than 500 top-performing listings in the journal category that rank for “tracker” and “planner”. This proves that many bestsellers are promoting their listings as “journal trackers” or “journal planners”.

We also identified 144 chart-toppers that rank for the word “calendar”. Although not as popular as the other two combos, calendars are also a trendy mix for journals.

BSR

Next, we looked at the average Best Sellers Rank of high-achieving journals that contain the words “tracker”, “planner”, or “calendar”.

As it turns out, hybrid journals have an average BSR below 300,000.

This number is quite low, indicating that there are impressive sales volumes in the segment.

Search volume

When examining shoppers’ search behavior, we noticed that the search for “hybrid journals” is zero.

This is unsurprising, as the term isn’t an official one used by consumers or sellers.

Instead, we focused our research on a combination of phrases, like “journal tracker”, “journal planner”, and “journal calendar”.

Here are our findings:

Journal tacker

• 5&1 fueling tracker daily journal – 309,302
• habit tracker journal – 38,033
• apiary journal beekeeping log & colony tracker – 18,815

Journal planner

• 2024 journal planner calendar – 10,389
• bullet journal stickers calendar – 8,842
• year 2023 calendar planner journal Christian – 4,487

Journal calendar

• ibayam journal planner pens – 38,280
• day journal planner – 17,352
• self – love journal & planner – 10,206

Next to each keyword, you can see its monthly search volume.

Right off the bat, we can confirm that there is substantial search demand for hybrid journals. Some phrases generate more than 300,000 searches per month, creating attractive opportunities for journal creators.

An interesting conclusion from our keyword research is that users typically browse for journals that only mix one other category (for example, journal trackers).

However, below we reveal that merging more than two categories proves successful.

A sneak peek into the top sellers in the hybrid journal space

Now that we’ve established that hybrid journals are a lucrative option to explore, it’s time to analyze all that the bestsellers are doing to land sales.

One of the top performers in the space is “I am Doing This for Myself: Weight Loss Journal for Women | Cute Food & Fitness Tracker | Daily Motivational Diet, Exercise and Workout Planner”. The product sells for $7.99 and has a BSR of 16,299, securing around 353 sales per month.

The seller offers a no-content book that combines the functionalities of journals, trackers, and planners. The listing is positioned in a specific niche – fitness and weight loss. It takes advantage of crucial keywords that represent individual themes. Some of these include “weight loss journal for women”, “food & fitness tracker”, “diet”, “motivational”, “workout planner”, and “exercise”.

All of these words have significant search volumes individually. Used together in a listing title, they serve as a powerful weapon for success.

A similar example is the “Weight Lifting Log Book: Workout Journal for Men and Women, Exercise Notebook and Fitness Logbook for Personal Training, (WeightLifting and Cardio Tracker ), Gym Planner” listing. Sold at $5.99, it has a BSR of 5,742 and lands 443 monthly sales.

Immediately, you’ll notice that the niche matches that of the previous scenario (fitness). In this case, the seller merges more categories. Apart from journals, trackers, and planners, the listing is also described as a notebook and logbook.

This strategy rewards the merchant with extra eyeballs on the item.

Why? Because users searching for all of the outlined categories are likely to land on this listing. Of course, this is only a given if the listing is properly optimized for additional keywords, imagery, descriptive text, and more.

Crafting a winning sales strategy for your hybrid journals

Taking into account all of the insights from above, you can set the stage for a top-selling hybrid journal.

Just in case you’ve missed something, we’ve summarized the essentials for creating a combined journal that brings in revenue.

Choose your categories wisely

A hybrid journal doesn’t have to weave all no-content book categories into one. Instead, you can choose two or three options that fit best with the needs of your audience.

When selecting your categories, rely on keyword research. For example, earlier we identified that “5&1 fueling tracker daily journal” receives more than 300,000 monthly searches.

What’s specific here is that this phrase centers around a particular theme – 5&1 fueling. However, it’s a strong indication that journal trackers are a trend among customers.

Don’t forget to consider your niche. For instance, trackers, planners, and log books are bound to be popular in the fitness niche. On the other hand, journals related to the New Year theme will sell better when tied in with calendars.

Niche down. Always.

Analyzing the top sellers in the hybrid journal space, we came to the conclusion that all of them sell in a specific niche.

Whether it’s fitness, travel, gardening, or religion, pinpoint a wave-creating niche. Form your journal’s exterior and interior based on the peculiarities of the theme.

When creating your listing, it’s essential to craft a rich and compelling title, featuring diverse, niche-related keywords.

This approach will help you rank higher, attract a wider audience, and turn your hybrid journals into a success story.

Design an interior that screams quality

Go the distance when it comes to hybrid journal interiors. Produce pages that grab with attention to detail, organization, and impeccable design.

Based on your categories and niches, provide space for different features, such as:

• Inventories
• Layouts
• Wish lists
• Ideas
• To-Do lists
• Calendars
• Monthly/Yearly planners
• Logs
• Notes
• Goal lists

These are only a few ideas. The appropriate selection will entirely depend on your product’s exact niche.

Be creative with your exterior

Last but not least, design an exterior that instantly grabs attention.

What’s tricky about producing high-quality hybrid journal covers is achieving the right balance. The goal is to visually represent the product without taking up too much space for lengthy text, describing the many purposes of your journal.

Most of the bestsellers focus on the illustrative elements. In terms of text, the majority of top-performing covers only feature the niche, the main category (journal) and one more sub-category (for example, planners).

You can use the listing title and description to explain in detail the features of your hybrid journal.

In a nutshell

Hybrid journals are a tempting market to explore on Amazon KDP. They represent an established segment, and have a low average BSR and high search volumes.

But the vast interest in these products also means high competition.

To stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to make all the right choices and always be a step ahead. Luckily, Book Bolt’s reliable modules offer everything you need to complete this mission.

Use the tool to your advantage and watch your Amazon KDP gig thrive.