4 Nov 2018

October 2018 Blog Income Report

 

OCTOBER 2018 BLOG INCOME REPORT

 

I really didn’t like writing these blogging income reports when I started doing them, but now I look forward to them. There have been so many people who have given me great advice, inspiration, and kind words along the way that I hope I can do the same for new bloggers struggling to make just a few bucks on their blog.

 

{This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. Full disclosure policy.}

 

October 2018 blog income report

 

October 2018 BLOGGING STATS

 

Traffic: 26,243 14,756 pageviews

 

Another GIANT drop in traffic. Not gonna lie I was sad, like someone ate my last piece of brownie sad. Both in September and October my traffic started declining from my all time high.

 

After throwing myself a pity party and making rainbow sprinkle cookies I started taking action and being patient, not that I had too much of a choice.

 

Here are the things I did to spark some life back into my traffic numbers right at the end of the month:

 

I filled my Tailwind queue with pins for every day and am getting MORE new Pinterest followers every day. I have even started pinning things for days ahead in case I get too busy to pin.

 

Repinned directly from my blog, from Pinterest, Tailwind, and from Google Analytics.

 

Pinned my most popular posts to each of my own boards in intervals.

 

Created a bunch of new pins for all my old posts that I am gradually funneling into the Pinterest machine, starting with my own boards using the interval option in Tailwind, then adding them to my group boards.

 

Created a list of new group boards to join as I haven’t joined any new ones in a very long time. I sent out 3 emails and will finish out the rest this week.

 

I am adding more pins to my secret group board that I will open to collaborators this month.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

PINTEREST:  1,297 1,522 followers

 

FACEBOOK: 552 557 followers

 

INSTAGRAM: 483 504 followers

 

TWITTER: 1,021 1,027 followers

 

I gained 225 new Pinterest followers this month! I attribute this to Tailwind and the tips in this blog post.

 

I had 21 new Instagram followers. This may not seem big, but it’s HUGE! This is a result of posting more frequently and things that are relevant to my blog.

 

I’m going to make a statement with no facts to back it up other than what I’ve read on the internet and heard from some bloggers, but I believe it. Instagram is not the best driver of traffic. People go there to follow brands, get inspiration, and see cute photos. They don’t always click on the link to your profile, which means if you want to make money by getting traffic to your blog don’t expect to get it from your IG followers. I see bloggers with thousands of followers, but when I read their income reports I see the majority is from Pinterest.

 

So why even bother wasting time on IG? I do it to grow my following in case I want to work with brands in the future. They tend to look for bloggers with big social media followings. I’ll just spend a few minutes a week, but still focus on content and Pinterest most.

 

REVENUE FOR October 2018: $314.48

 

Ads

 

Mediavine: $304.48

Mediavine’s  payment cycle is NET 65. This means that I won’t get paid for the money I made in October until January 5th. The big increase in earnings is worth the wait.

 

I have decided to change how I report my earnings starting with this income report. Previously I wouldn’t report an income unless I was paid in that month. If I continue to follow this rule I’ll be reporting zero income or close to it until December, which to me seems like an inaccurate report. I’ve seen bloggers do it both ways, but this way makes the most sense at the moment.

I want to be as transparent as possible when it comes to how I earn my money blogging. If anything changes I’ll make note of it.

 

 

Sponsorship

Linqia: $0

 

Linqia was my very first pay-per-click sponsorship opportunity, but I didn’t receive any new opportunities this month.

They offer a lot of support, pay you within 10 days of project completion, and the average earning is $220 per program.

 

It’s a great place for new bloggers to start doing sponsorship opportunities because they look at your combined traffic and social media reach. Other networks require you have a huge following that can take a long time to achieve. When I joined I didn’t have even 1,000 followers on any of my social media profiles.

 

Sign up for Linqia here!

 

 

Referrals

 

I genuinely love these sites because they help people save money doing things they already do and buy and they aren’t blogging-related.

 

Groupon: $0

 

eBates : $0

eBates lets you earn cash back on items that you already buy. They also provide great promo codes and discounts. We earn a few hundred dollars a year though our online purchases.

I’ve had several people sign up through my link and didn’t even realize it! One was in July and another in August. I will only get paid when they make a qualifying purchase.

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

 

iBotta: $0

Ibotta is an app that lets you get money back by submitting your grocery receipts. I had a few people join my team and am just waiting for them to submit a qualifying receipt to get a referral payment.

 

 

Product Reviews

 

Monica Lam Intellifluence Influencer Badge

 

Intellifluence: $10

Intellifluence connects brands with influencers who want to try and review their products. Some are paid while others are only given the product to try for free.

I received free Birdrock Baby Leather Moccassins and was paid for photos I took for the brand. My daughter has tried them before and loved them so I was excited to get her another pair.

 

Affiliate Marketing

 

Amazon Associates: $0.85

 

I made $0.85 on Amazon this month. My posts have affiliate links in them, but aren’t all geared towards selling a specific product which is why my conversion rate is extremely low.

Like I said before, I plan on reporting money earned instead of money paid, which means I was short for last month. I will review and adjust everything in my year-end income report.

 

Related posts:

*September 2018 Income Report

*August 2018 Income Report

* July 2018 Income Report

* 13 Easy ways to get new Pinterest followers

 

 

Blogging Resources

 

Pinteresting Strategies by Carly Campbell: $47

 

I LOVE this course for several reasons.

 

#1 Unlike other Pinterest courses that say you need to purchase a pin scheduler to get tons of traffic, this course is focused on manual pinning. Carly gets over 200,000 pageviews a month without using a scheduler.

 

#2 It’s super cheap compared to the other Pinterest courses out there.

 

#3 The book focuses on a unique pinning strategy using Google Analytics that I have not read about anywhere else and I do my research.

 

#4 Carly runs a Facebook group that is full of the most helpful people, it’s even has some big name bloggers. They all give great advice (FREE) and answer questions ASAP. Carly also does Facebook Live videos and gives updated Pinterest traffic tips.

 

#5 My traffic got a huge spike after implementing her tips and my Pinterest follower growth has consistently been growing since taking her course.

 

 

 

I bought Carly’s book because all of the great advice she gives, her honesty, and the fact that she doesn’t actively promote her book. The majority of her book promotion is through word of mouth. I read the reviews on her page and they were all singing her praises. Check them out here at Mommy on Purpose!

Carly’s book just went up $15, but is still a steal. She switched “providers”. Not sure if that’s the term, but basically you can do through the course online and she’s added a ton of new information and changes to Pinterest that I’m working through right now.

 

The Billionaire Blog Club

Pinterest Manual (BBC)

 

BBC offers a $39, 165 page Pinterest Manual that Scriv’s the mastermind behind this blogging membership periodically updates to give you the best and most current information.

 

It is currently in its 3rd edition and has a bunch of pictures. I’m a visual person so it works for me. If you liked my post on how to gain new Pinterest followers you will absolutely love the BBC Pinterest Manual because it goes into such detail.

 

BBC is now Dare to Conquer (DTC). I swear I don’t know how he finds time, he must not be human. He has new SEO and Pinterest course modules. I’ll let you know how I like them after I’ve gone through them and started implementing some of its teachings.

 

TAILWIND

 

I use Tailwind to look at my stats and used Tailwind Tribes to triple my traffic in August.

 

I try to manually pin as best I can using Carly’s Pinteresting Strategies because she was getting OVER 200,000 pageviews a month strictly through manual pinning. She now uses Tailwind when she’s too busy.

I love Tailwind’s SmartLoop feature and ability to pin at intervals. I am working on filling up my queque and hope to get it filled by the week.

 

Sign up for Tailwind here and get 100 free pins and a $30 credit!

 

 

GOALS FOR November 2018

 

Create my first roundup post instead of just talking about it. FAILED for the hundredth time..

 

Be active on each social media platform once a week, minimum. SUCCESS

I was more active on Instagram and am gaining new followers. It goes up and down, but I think if I routinely post it’ll continue to go up.

 

Publish 7 new posts. FAILED

I only published 4.

 

Work through the new courses on BBC and some of the resources from the Genius Blogger Toolkit I purchased previously. FAILED

I started working through Carly’s course because I wanted to give my Pinterest traffic a boost.

 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 

This is my highest income month ever even with another big decrease in traffic.

 

I continue to get comments on my most popular posts including great money tips and Pinterest is “liking” me at the moment though I won’t take it for granted.

 

My most popular posts are:

 

11 Things rich people do that poor people don’t

6 Bank accounts you should have

16 Ways to cut your electric bill (an old post that has increased in popularity since creating a new pin)

13 Important Things to Do After Becoming Debt-Free

Things we stopped buying to save money

Interview with a millionaire

 

CONCLUSION

 

I have decided to stop writing down a blogging goals list every month. I just wrote a post on how to successfully achieve your goals and am taking my own advice lol.

 

I think by writing about how I’m going to do a roundup post I keep pushing it off. Weird I know. Instead I am going to focus on the goals most important to me each month and keep pushing until I accomplish that goal and then move onto the next. That’s not to say I can’t multitask, just that I won’t put too much pressure on myself.

 

To stay positive I’ll still be listing my accomplishments for the month.

 

My one goal for November is to keep on top of my Pinterest game and keep up with my blogging education without getting caught up with the holiday chaos.

 

Til next month, happy reading!

 

 

 

About Monica

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55 thoughts on “October 2018 Blog Income Report”

  1. Great info, thank you for sharing! I will use your experiences to help me understand different ways to monetize my blog, and I will definitely put some energy in to Pinterest! Thanks!

  2. You’re welcome Amanda. I started with Google AdSense and they don’t pay much unless you’re getting thousands of pageviews a month, in which case you’re better off with Mediavine. I put Google ads up as soon as I was approved to my readers could get used to seeing them. The better way to monetize in my opinion is by creating your own product or affiliate marketing. I know I should practice what I preach so maybe the next month of two I’ll be reporting something more. Best of luck, don’t give up, and join some Facebook groups for support!

  5. Hey Monica!

    This is awesomeeee! Again, congrats on Mediavine — that’s a HUGE win!

    I know that Pinterest traffic can be so fickle, it kills me too! *UGH*

    In any case, keep pushing! I can’t wait to see your November results. I am cheering for you 🙂

  13. Hey Monica – thanks for sharing. I really like your information on Pinterest. We haven’t started that social media platform yet, but it looks like a great way to get traffic – it also looks like A LOT of work! I can’t keep up with what I’m doing now. But, I still work full-time, so I say this is a marathon, not a sprint! We have not done anything yet to try to earn income. We want to build our following first as we’re probably going to go the sponsored post route. I’m not a fan of ads on our site. But, we’ll see how that goes. Even though you are cutting back on listing your goals, it’s great that you have them! Keep up the great work.

  14. Thank you! You aren’t going to make a ton of money from ads unless your traffic is always up every month. I thing sponsored posts and selling your own product are a great way to make money, but working full time too I haven’t found the time to create one. I know many successful bloggers that don’t do ads and I respect that. However, I do enjoy getting a small paycheck each month that can cover my webhosting, blogging expenses, and blogging education.

  15. You’re doing great! Thank you for being so honest in your posts. It is definitely motivating and interesting to see how you are analyzing the changes!

  16. Thank you 🙂 Blogging has been a challenge for me and only recently did I start making some money. It’s fun to read income reports from bloggers that make thousands a month, but they’re at such a different point in their blogging career that I find it very hard to relate or fathom getting there at the moment.

  17. Thanks for your transparency! This is very encouraging to me in my own blogging journey. I think I’ve made .08 cents so far on Adsense haha! I have a long way to go, but this gives me hope!

  18. I was at that exact same point for months so I know how you feel. I remember making over $1.00 and being happy lol. Continue to write new content, create multiple pins to add to your own boards then to group boards, and include lots of keywords. It took me over a year to join Mediavine so don’t feel discouraged, you’ll get there.

  20. I totally agree about Instagram. It’s nice to have it though because I’ve already had a couple of opportunities that were like $10 in pay just for posting on Instagram. There’s definitely potential there.

  22. Love the income reports. They help me feel better and realize it is possible to make some money. I also like how you track your followers, etc each month. I think that’s a great way to keep track of your increases. Will definitely be checking out Mediavine!

  23. Thank you! Definitely read income reports from successful bloggers within your niche and see how they make an income. It’s a great way to discover new ad networks, products, and other money making opportunities.

  24. Some great tips here! Pinterest is definitely my biggest driver. I have to apply for media vine. Can I ask how many posts you have and or how long you’ve been blogging?

  25. I currently have 82 posts published and have been blogging almost a year and a half. Man I need to post more lol. I’ve seen people have way more success than me with significantly fewer posts, however a lot of them are in the blogging niche. It’s about getting viral pins, posting consistently, and working on SEO, which I need to do more of.

  27. This is such a helpful post. Do you have to have certain numbers to apply to mediavine? I would love to get more income through ads.

  28. Yes, you need 25,000 sessions. When I started getting close I focused on creating new pins for my most popular posts and sharing in a lot of my groups and on Tailwind.

  29. I know I need to focus on Pinterest…I just need to figure out how! Thanks for the information on where to find the help!

  30. I sucked at Pinterest in the beginning. I would pin to one or two boards and then expect to get a ton of traffic and that never happened. It took me a long time to go from 200 pageviews a month to over 25,000 a month, but it’s still work 😉

  31. Keep up the hard work, you’ll get there! And, thanks for sharing! I’ve been in a little slump lately (mostly my own fault haha) so these are some great tips, and it’s nice to know I’m not the only one!

  34. It sounds like you are doing great! I haven’t made one penny since starting my blog, but I have a decent amount of followers. I don’t think I was using the Amazon affiliate program correctly, so I’m switching some things up!

  35. I made pennies a month for a long long time so don’t feel bad. It’s definitely about finding the right strategy. I’m starting to change things up with my affiliate marketing strategy and hope that helps. Best of luck!

  36. Congrats on Mediavine! Blogging is such an up and down roller coaster, but I truly believe we make headway with each action we make. So, eventually, we will all get to where we want/need to be!

  37. Thank you and what a great point. I’ve had a lot of highs, but also many lows and I think bloggers need to figure out the best way to spend our time without being so hard on ourselves.

  38. Thanks for sharing! I am working on my Pinterest. I will have to look at getting the book you recommended.

  39. There’s a lot of great and free information out there, but it’s always changing so it helps to get a book like Pinteresting Strategies and the BBC Manual because Carly and Scrivs both make updates without any extra costs. I would pin my images one time and think that was it. If I was better at pinning from the beginning I would have been making more money a lot faster, but I’ve learned a lot since then. Best of luck!

  41. Great work! I’m working on my Pinterest as well. You’re an inspiration to me with your monetization–I need to get on it! Thanks!

  42. Thank you! It took me a long time and I know some people have what you would call an “overnight” success which can be both encouraging and disheartening to hear about. Remember we each started at the bottom at one point. Pinterest is always changing so one day it may love you the next not so much so keep creating new pins and content to see what works best for you.

  43. Great report! Keep up the good work and congrats on Mediavine! I’m still working on understanding all this myself, so I appreciate the breakdowns and encouragements. Good luck in November!

  44. Thank you!! I didn’t realize how much there was to constantly learn in the blogging world. Some things have gotten easier, but now it’s a matter of finding the time to do it all lol

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