Rachel K. Belkin, M.Ed Portfolio – Writer, Content Creator, Marketing Strategist
Profile
I’m a creative, lifelong learner with strong skills in marketing, social media, writing, and interpersonal communication. I enjoy teaching and sharing my knowledge and passion for digital content creation, social media marketing, and community building.
- Over 17 years of experience in social media marketing, digital content creation, search engine optimization, and email list building.
- Demonstrated track record of problem-solving, developing, and implementing marketing and content strategies
- Sold a six-figure business that I started from scratch
- Verified Muck Rack Journalist
Contact me for consulting rates or to schedule a meeting.
Work with me on sponsored campaigns, writing, press trips, and promotions.
I offer packages and à la carte options for sponsored articles, product reviews, travel writing, media/press trips, user-generated content (UGC), photography, event coverage, public speaking, social media, blogging, and SEO, AEO, and GEO training.
Below are a few examples of articles and campaigns I have worked on.
Travel Writing & Collaborations on Probe the Globe, AP News, and More. Direct Publisher on MSN
User Generated Content (UGC)
Lake Austin Spa Mother’s Day Weekend
Flower Child Instagram Takeover For a Day
Example: Sponsored Campaign with Winter Park, Colorado
Winter Park Resort YouTube Videos
biography
Rachel K. Belkin, M.Ed., is a writer, marketing strategist, travel advisor, and community builder based in Austin, Texas (and part-time in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).
She’s curious, creative, and loves adventure. Whether hiking through magical cloud forests, tasting local flavors, or engaging in deep conversations with locals, Rachel uncovers the stories behind destinations (their history, culture, and people). She combines immersive storytelling with marketing expertise, creating content that connects with readers and creates brand awareness.
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬
Travel brands, CVBs, and tourism boards don’t just get a skilled writer; they get a marketing professional who knows how to engage audiences, optimize reach, and deliver results.
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
Rachel is the founder and editor-in-chief of Probe the Globe, a travel publication featured on MSN, Yahoo News, AP News, and worldwide syndications. She and her work have also appeared online and on TV segments for HuffPost, Matador Network, EuroNews, Yahoo News, Associated Press, WGN, Fox 7 Austin, KXAN, CBS Austin, and more.
With over 16 years of experience in writing, content creation, partnerships, and campaign strategy, she helps brands tell their stories with clarity, authenticity, and impact.
𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 & 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
She’s especially passionate about experiential travel, covering emerging trends like wellness, slow escapes, noctourism, global relocation, and heritage journeys.
Her personal focus includes travel with teens and young adults, girls’/women’s getaways, adventures for middle-aged travelers, language and cultural immersion, wellness, and destinations that blend culture, relaxation, and remote work potential.
𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
Rachel’s travels are about more than just seeing new places and checking destinations off a list; they are about connection and learning. From studying at the University of Sevilla in Spain to teaching English in Israel and volunteering as a physical therapist in a Costa Rican nursing home, these experiences contributed to her appreciation for culture, language, and the everyday lives of people around the world. These weren’t just trips; they were opportunities to connect deeply with people, places, and purpose.
𝗪𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥
Rachel’s blend of global perspective, marketing expertise, and storytelling helps tourism brands increase awareness and spark interest in their destinations. She creates content that resonates with readers and drives measurable results.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 •
Portfolio with writing and marketing samples: muckrack.com/rachel-k-belkin
Instagram: @rachbelk | @probe.the.globe |
email: [email protected] (marketing, freelance writing) or [email protected] (travel articles, editorial placement)
Writing and Public Speaking Examples
Written, edited, applied SEO, and refreshed more than 1,000 blog posts, including managing and editing content submissions from other writers.
Syndicated freelance writer with articles published on HuffPost, MSN, Associated Press, Hometalk, and more.
Experienced public speaker comfortable in front of live audiences and cameras, including TV segments for Fox 7 Austin, KXAN, and CBS Austin.
Freelance Examples
Associated Press
The “High” Road to Ethical Consumption
HAAM’s Ray Benson Birthday Bash Raises $260K for Austin Musicians with Surprise Performance by Spoon (Press Release)
Costa Mesa Emerges as Southern California’s New Family Travel Hub
HuffPost
Scanxiety: 8 Tips to Cope with Scan Anxiety
Yahoo News
Tenerife targets US tourists in drive to promote the island as an exclusive luxury destination
MSN
Escaping The Heat and Exploring Alaska’s Beauty With an Alaskan Cruise
Things To Do in Nashville if You Don’t Like Country Music
Hometalk
How to Grow a Pineapple at Home
How to Stain Concrete Floors Indoors and Outdoors
Matador Network
Barnsley Resort Review
WGN – Chicago
Costa Mesa Emerges as Southern California’s New Family Travel Hub
KXAN – NBC Austin
Costa Mesa as a Base for Exploring Southern California
Public Speaking and Media Appearances Examples
Conference Speaker at Survive and Thrive Symposium – Created and presented a session at a conference for cancer survivors.
Rachel Belkin on Studio 512 KXAN News Austin – Household Beauty and Cleaning Products You Can Make at Home
Rachel Belkin, Austin Cancer Survivor on Fox 7 Austin – Breast Cancer Awareness Month: New BRCA Gene Mutation Guidelines
Search Engine Optimization Presentations for Networking Groups
An SEO Win!
This is my post from LinkedIn
An SEO Win!
After selling my blog/brand business a little over a year ago, I have been building my consulting business. I focus on marketing, content creation, and freelance writing, specializing in SEO.
I recently took on the challenge of creating content about South by Southwest that would rank well in Google searches.
And I’m proud to say that even though my current site is relatively new, I was able to outrank local newspapers and news stations, Eventbrite, and even the official SXSW website on some keyword searches!
My hard work paid off even more when one of my articles was published on MSN and other publications through the AP Wire.
As a result of my articles and social media posts, several businesses reached out to me to work with them during SXSW. I even had a client from Costa Rica who found me through a Google search and hired me to help him network at the event.
So, what’s the moral of the story? You don’t need a huge site with thousands of backlinks to get noticed by Google. Focus on creating high-quality, relevant, and helpful content that’s current and engaging.
Or hire me to help you with your SEO. 😀
Blog and Social media growth
I started a healthy lifestyle blog, brand, and community, in 2008 with $0.
With a business background and through hands-on learning, taking courses, reading books, listening to podcasts, and attending conferences, I organically grew the website, email list, and social media accounts.
Sold: September 2021
2008
With $0, I started blogging on the free platform, Blogspot.
2016
Increased the website traffic to more than 100,000 page views per month, qualifying the site to be monetized with a premier ad network.
Instagram: 4,000 followers
Facebook: 9,400 followers
Pinterest: 20,000 followers
Twitter: 31,000 followers
Email: around 1,000 subscribers
2020
The site and social media channels continue to grow.
Monetized the site with affiliate revenue, ad revenue, and sponsored content influencer campaigns.
Instagram: 21,000 followers
Facebook: 10,000 followers
Pinterest: 33,000 followers
Email: about 8,000 subscribers
YouTube: Several popular videos getting over 50,000 views including one with over 250,000 views.
Consulting Experience Examples
Travel Company- Analytics and training
I worked with a multibillion-dollar company to analyze help center web traffic, give presentations on reading and running reports, strategize customer journeys, and make recommendations to improve the customer experience and meet KPIs.
I collaborated across teams and gave developers assignments and procedures to track specific events.
Then, I trained the team to use and analyze the Google Analytics reports I generated.
Real Estate Company- SEO
I helped a local real estate business to improve search engine optimization. I analyzed their data and created a strategy to improve their search traffic.
Food Truck- Social Media Management
I managed a local food truck’s social media accounts using Hootsuite.
Education – Instagram account Growth
I created a strategy to improve engagement and increase followers and taught the user how to implement the changes. She exceeded her goal in followers and engagement.
Clothing Boutique-
E-commerce + SEO
I helped the brand transition to a new point-of-sale system. I analyzed their website traffic, made and implemented changes, and trained the employees on the new system and search engine optimization.
Social Media Examples
Awards and Accomplishments
From 2011 (when I started using Google Analytics) to September 2021 (when I sold the site), the site had 7,800,000 pageviews.
Trademarked the name, Cha Ching Queen.
Ranked #12 on the Influence.co list of top Austin, Texas influencers
#11 of Top Texas mom blogs on Feedspot
15 of the Very Best Texas Bloggers
SEO: Listed and displayed in the top position on search engine results pages (SERP) for “top Austin bloggers” and “top Austin blogs”
