UPDATE: If you want to start a blog but aren’t sure where to start then I’d love to tell you about a simple and easy resource that worked for me. Bonus points because it’s actually FREE right now. Get the First 10 Steps of a Profitable Blog that walks you through the 10 steps you MUST get right in start and building your blog here.
January 2016 Blog Income Report – $9,362.64
I’m a full time blogger. Which means that I get to work from home, with my kids and help people with something that I’m passionate about. It’s an unbelievable job and I pinch myself every day that this is my life. I wanted to share my blog income report because I wanted other moms to realize that blogging is a “real job”, and it’s one you can do with your kids at home.
If there’s one thing that I want to pass on to you, is that I am NOT special. I’m not crazy smart. I don’t have a writing degree and I’m certainly not a grammar expert (although a free app called Grammarly helps a ton).
I just love to write and I love to help people and I’m really good at reducing our spending. So, I blog about that and am able to support my family making far more than I ever could in my previous career.
If that sounds like something you want to do, I can help you make that a reality with step-by step instructions (for free!). You can find instructions for how to start your own blog here (even if you aren’t great with computers).
The best part? Blogging is a super cheap (almost free!) hobby that makes you money! Starting your own blog isn’t very expensive! Starting a blog that makes you money while working from home starts at about $3.95/month!
Income Report:
This month was unbelievable. I had taken almost all of December off for the holidays and was so motivated by the fact that my income hadn’t dropped. Getting to see the power of passive income lit a fire in me and I really worked hard in January. That December break was just what I needed to stay focused and excited.
I was also blessed enough to take a blogging retreat with Kim from Thrifty Little Mom, Kalyn from Creative Savings (and Jessi from The Budget Mama was there in spirit while she held down the fort at home). We spent a few days holed up in a beautiful pristine lake house in North Carolina planning what we wanted out of our blogs in the new year.
Pageviews exploded in January. Keep in mind that January is a really popular time for money saving bloggers (as everyone starts committing to paying off debt and recovering from Christmas spending), and I’m expecting pageviews to settle a bit in the next few months. Ad networks earnings usually drop pretty drastically in January as well, but with the crazy high pageviews I was pretty pleased with ad earnings.
Pageviews and Income:
Pageviews: 874.603 (up from 476,264 last month) *That’s extremely unusual growth so I suspect it will go back to “normal” in the next few months.
Income: $9,362.64 (up from $6,469 last month) plus about $240 credit to my absolute favorite budget clothes shop- ThredUp (you can grab a free $20 gift card to them by clicking here). Update: Your credit will be automatically added to your cart.
Income Broken Down:
$1000 Sponsored Posts
$4,832 Ad Networks
$3,430.64 Affiliates
$100 Coaching
(further breakdown of my strategy for each category below)
I started offering Pinterest coaching on a case-by-case basis. I get almost all of my pageviews from Pinterest with a system (using Boardbooster) that only takes me 4 hours a month to maintain. That system has a lot to do with how I can grow the business with the number of hours that I work each week. You can email me at [email protected] for more information. Sessions will be ending on April 1st 2016 and we only have a few slots left to fill.
My goals for January were:
Goal Planning for 2016: Set a goal and then work backwards from it to create a road map to achieve it in 2016.
This was such a win! We spent 4 days doing exactly that during our bloggers retreat. I set my goals for the year, and then figured out the action steps that would need to be completed before my goals was possible. Then Kim from Thrifty Little Mom helped me make it into a vision board that’s currently hanging over my desk. I have one major goal, and 16 action steps to complete in the next 10 months.
Increase Passive Income: Focus on growing passive income through affiliates.
Win! I had almost half of my income this month come through passive affiliates. I started reviewing my favorite affiliates in blog posts, as well as going through my top posts and adding appropriate links there. I follow the golden rule of never ever recommending a product that isn’t amazing.
What worked this month:
Sensational Headlines: We’re not talking about click bait, since I’m delivering on the title of the post. I’ve noticed though that the posts that go viral all have a sensational headline. Like “Our $70/Week Meal Plan” or “The 4 Side Jobs that make me over $3,000/month”. All of my viral posts have similar headlines- things that grab your attention or seem unbelievable. Now, as I write articles, I take 5 minutes to think if there’s anything sensational about it. Often I can tweak the headline to give it more traction. For instance… “Our $70/week Meal Plan” was going to be “Cheap Chinese Strirfry” until I tweaked it when I realized how cheap that menu was.
Negotiating higher affiliate rates: An easy way that I’ve found to increase your affiliate income is just to negotiate a higher rate. I successfully increased several of my affiliate rates this month. You can do this by reaching out to the program contact and asking for an increase. If you follow my core affiliate strategy found below, mention that you only promote a few companies but that you promote them frequently.
What didn’t work this month:
Mailchimp: While re-targeting a campaign (when you send a campaign out again a few days later to people that didn’t open the first one), I got distracted and sent it out with the same title. Which is a big “no-no” since it looks like spam when you do that. If you do this, you need to change the title and at least a few sentences in the email. Mailchimp suspended my account while they reviewed it right after.
In their defense, I was back in my account in less than 8 hours. But, the fact that they had no customer service number to call and they didn’t answer my increasingly panicked emails means that I’m switching to Convertkit. To be fair, I would actually still recommend Mailchimp- especially if you aren’t tech savvy since they’re so easy to use, but I’m still happy to move up to Convertkit.
The honor system: I had my first sponsor fail to pay after I wrote the post. It actually didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would, but likely if it happens again, I’ll reconsider my sponsored strategy of charging less than average. On the flip side of that, I’ve worked with so many awesome sponsors, that I would hate to change a system that works well for everyone because of one bad experience.
Goals for next month:
Brainstorm 3 months of post ideas.
Link the top 10 posts on my site with affiliate links and links to other posts.
My Income Strategy:
This is an overview, but for the full strategy, you can get The First 10 Steps to a Profitable Blog (<<<free if you click that specific link) that breaks down my strategy for quick growth and income for a new blogger.
I earn income in three major categories with my blog. I’ll run over my strategy for each of them. I should mention that I attribute my success to an amazing class called Elite Blog Academy run by Ruth Soukup. I started that class having no idea how bloggers made a full-time income, and 18 months later, I’m making over $9,000/month. It’s only available once per year, your best bet is to sign up for the waiting list here.
Sponsored Posts
I focus most of my sponsored post efforts on reaching out to brands that I use and love and offering a sponsored post package at a rate that’s a little lower than “industry standard” (which is highly debatable). That lets me increase the “yes!” emails I get in response, and ensures that I can count on making a certain amount every month on sponsored posts while still being really picky about which brands that I’ll work with. I also go through each of my brand networks (places like Tapinfluence and Clever Girls) to see if there are any assignments that would be a good fit for my blog).
Ad Networks
In general, more pageviews equals more ad earnings. I use Adthrive (you can apply with them once you have 100,000 pageviews) and love them. My RPM (The ad revenue that I get per 1,000 pageviews) bounces between $4.40 and $10.00 depending on the season.
I increase my pageviews by marketing my blog content through Pinterest using a fantastic tool called Boardbooster. I a/b tested everything on Pinterest (and still do) for about 6 months until I figured out a system that works for me. My favorite thing about Pinterest (at least with Boardbooster) is that I spent only 4 hours a month running my Pinterest strategy. That leaves me tons of time to grow in other areas.
Affiliates
I focus on a core group of affiliates that I think almost everyone in my target audience should be using. Since I run a budgeting website, I factor cost into the equation. If something is a great product, but is too expensive for my readers, I likely won’t add them to the core affiliates list. Having the core list lets me easily track special sale dates that my readers shouldn’t miss and lets me focus without getting overwhelmed with the barrage of affiliate “offers” hitting my inbox daily.
To me, the key to affiliate marketing is to never promote anything that you haven’t used yourself and you don’t love. My philosophy is that if you only promote companies and products that you would tell your best friend about enthusiastically, then you’re doing it right.
If you need help finding affiliate programs that will work for your audience, I have a list of the top programs in each niche here. 🙂
If you want to see my full list of blogging resources that I use, you can find them here.
Update 3/16/2017: If you’re looking to increase your blog’s income, the FREE guide to Finding Affiliates that Work for You is a MUST GRAB. It even lists all of the top affiliate programs in every niche, organized by commission and topic. Grab it for FREE here for a limited time.
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
Thanks for sharing your experiences, tips, and lessons learned so openly! I’ve been blogging for less than a year, but I am really enjoying it. One of my goals for February is to sign up with Board Booster and really delve into the program to learn what works for me. Best of luck with your goals for February!
Angee Wentz says
Dang girl! You’re blog is blowing up! I’ve been subscribed to your emails for a few months now and i’m always blown away by your new income report! So awesome! Your blog has a TON of amazing content and I read it religiously! Sorry to fangirl-geek-out on you, but I just had to tell you that I love your blog! You truly, constantly, inspire me to work harder on my blog and feel like I can do it for a living. I had previously subscribed to another blog and was always left feeling like I couldn’t do it or that I wasn’t good enough to make money at it. But with your blog I truly always feel rejuvenated! Thank you so much for being freaking awesome!
The Busy Budgeter says
Hahahaha, You just made my whole night Angee! You rock!
Emma | Money Can Buy Me Happiness says
Wow – that is seriously inspirational. Congratulations! I think you’ve convinced me to sign up for EBA this year 🙂
The Busy Budgeter says
Best. Investment. Ever.
Jordan says
Hi! Looks like the course is closed, but you have certainly peaked my interest! I will start with the e-book. Congrats on the growing success…. very inspirational!
Abby Jo says
Ok, I’m new to your blog! One of your posts that went viral caught my eye a few weeks back, I signed up on your email list and will be contacting you shortly to ask about your coaching. My husband and I are really impressed how you give out your information to your readers and are so inspiring at the same time!
– AbbyJo@ Forgotten Way Farms.com
Richard says
Hey Abby Jo,
I just wanted to leave a comment re: Rosemarie’s coaching. I was lucky enough to grab a place last week and jumped online with Rosemarie for a chat. It was *fantastic* and well worth the investment. If you’re wavering I would strongly encourage you to sign up. Trust me – I don’t earn anything from the recommendation but I really feel very strongly that Rosemarie really knows her stuff and I’m sure you’ll benefit 🙂
The Busy Budgeter says
Aw! Thanks Richard!
The Busy Budgeter says
Thanks Abby Jo! I love getting to help!
Elle says
Awesome job Rosemarie! I’m not surprised by your results – you’re a hard and smart worker. I will always be grateful for your Pinterest tests (and for telling me about BoardBooster); it’s been a wonderful source of traffic and has opened Couple Money up to another audience.
Wishing you the best in 2016 for you and the fam!
The Busy Budgeter says
Aw! Thanks Elle! You’re the best!
Jason Butler says
Congrats on a great month. I’m still in the process of trying to figure it out. I have seen some growth in traffic since I started focusing on it more. I’m looking forwards to more growth.
The Busy Budgeter says
You’ll get there Jason! A blogging class made all the difference to me!
Carl says
Hey Rosemarie – Just wanted to stop by and say a big congratulations on your awesome start to 2016!!
I have included a link to this post in my latest blog income report round up – hope that’s ok for you!
Looking forward to seeing how February goes for you – best of luck!
The Busy Budgeter says
Awesome. Thanks Carl!
Kristia says
You’re killing it, Rosemarie! Congratulations!!!!!
Diane says
Wow. What an amazing month.
Thank you for publishing such a detailed income report. It’s not only inspiring for those of us hoping to emulate your success but instructional, too.
Hope February is just as awesome!
Karina says
Wow! So amazing! Proof that had work and determination payoff.
Thanks for sharing your info – it’s so inspirational!
~Karina
Rhonda says
Congratulations on your blog success! That’s amazing! Love your blog as well and getting ready to sign up for your email list.
The Busy Budgeter says
Aw! Thank you Rhonda!
Sarah says
The hardest part of blogging for me is time! I work full time as an event planner and I’m a newish mom, so squeezing it in when I can is a challenge!
Sarah
http://www.sugarmaplenotes.com
DazzleWhileFrazzled says
Great advice! I’m four months in, am overwhelmed with how much there is to learn and have yet to see any $! (I know it takes time.) I have it on my long To Do list to check out BoardBoaster and I’ve been taking the free EBA classes but maybe I need to look at the “real” thing so I’m not spinning my wheels. Visiting from Monday Funday.
Ann says
Wow, this is a REALLY motivating article! I just registered for EBA and am SOOOO excited to see how my blog grows as a result. I’m ready to kick it into high gear, and you are a wonderful example of what can happen! Thanks for encouraging all of us “younger” bloggers! (Cuz I am definitely not actually younger than you, lol. Quite the opposite… sigh…) 🙂
Shirley Wood says
This is all wonderful information. I’m so glad you shared with our readers at Merry Monday. It’s awesome when we can share tips and advice with our fellow bloggers like this. Pinning.
Tiffany Griffin says
Wow, that’s impressive! I’ve been a regular reader of your blog, but this is my first time commenting. I have gotten so many great tips from Busy Budgeter, and have been inspired to improve both my personal and professional life because of your posts.
Congrats on having such an awesome month!
Rich says
Congrats! I am encouraged to read all of this . Especially the honest email marketing journey. Thanks for sharing!
I’d be tempted to spend more if my income got a boost. How do you avoid living like a rock star, I mean over spending?
Lisa Rumain says
That’s impressive. I’m new at blogging. My goal is to start earning $2k per month by the end of 2016. After reading all these blogs. I’m actually starting to feel less crazy and more optimistic that this goal can be obtained.
Tommy @ LeisureFreak says
Your results are very impressive and worthy of congrats. Thanks for sharing what makes you successful. I didn’t know about Adthrive and will have to look into them. I just found your site through Twitter and happy I wandered over. I am always happy and grateful to learn new ideas from people who are successful and willing to share their success tips.
Thanks again
Aime says
WOW! Congrats on your blogging success and thank you for sharing that information with your readers. It’s truly motivating as a new blogger to read a post like this and appreciate the honest advice and insight you provide. BTW: your $70/week post is what originally drew me to your blog! I’m also participating in EBA and fully agree with you that it is a worthwhile investment. Thanks again!
Carmen says
Just been following for a few days now and love it all!!! i love how much you share. you dont keep your best kept secrets to yourself! love how real you are!
Regina says
A huge high-five to you, Rosemarie. Because of you, I signed up for EBA and I can already tell it was the move I needed to make. Thank you for being so transparent and sharing with us. Congratulations to you!
Bruna says
Hi there Rosemarie,
You girl have made my life looking through a different angle and i love it, i don’t want to change that angle please. you made me subscribe to EBA and got my name on the waiting list, hope to get a reply soon from them and meanwhile will not let you go away my dear. Waiting more advice from you and thanks all for your help you are sharing with all of us. Cheers to you. 🙂
Meggan Eckersley says
Thank you for this post! I am currently doing my research on how to start my own blog and I love all of the different tips you add in to help current and future bloggers.
MsCrookedHalo says
Wow. Very impressive numbers. Great tip to recommend products that you actually use and love. Now I just have to figure out what those products are for me. Subscribed to keep up with your great tips.
Kelly Cox says
Rosemarie – thanks for sharing this post! I’m in EBA and stuck in Chapter 5! I am trying so hard but it’s hard to get everything done!
I am guest posting for Jessi on Monday and I’m excited about that! 🙂
Love your blog and am pinning this! You’ve inspired me today and I’m so hoping to make at least a part time income from home!
Erik Christian Johnson says
Awesome job, Rosemarie! Wow, those are great numbers! I like how you mention that if you’re going to promote affiliate products, you should use them and love them yourself. This really does help in writing content around these offers. Thanks again.
Jan Brown says
Thank you so much for all the encouragement you give to others! I have been researching and contemplating starting my own food blog. The whole process of starting a blog is a little scary, but it’s something I would love to do!
Kirsten Noon says
Thank you for sharing! I’ve learned a lot from you when it comes to starting my blog! I’m only about a month into it, and I think I’m kinda sorta getting the gist of it!
Caitlin Edythe says
This is honestly so inspiring! I just started blogging (my first post went up yesterday actually!) and I’m super excited, and hey, maybe one day I can bring in revenue from it too!
Whitney says
Thanks for your post. I’m loving your mention about the vision board. I have one for school and life goals, but I have yet to create a specific one for growing my blog. Your post is very detailed and helpful. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the success of your blog.
http://WWW.FROMWHITNEY.COM
Ralph says
Wow! Another inspiration for me! I am about to start my own blog. And your posts keep me motivated. ? I hope I could reach whatever you’ve reached and also inspire the other prisoners of 9-5 shift. Haha! More power and I am looking forward for your blogs and more financial advices!
Sam says
So thankful for your posts! Started a blog this week, thanks to your inspiring words! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for awhile but doubted myself. Thank you for being so honest about where you were at as a beginner. It gives all of us newbies a little confidence to hit the start button!
layla says
good luck with your blog!
Katlyn says
These are really great tips! It’s so nice how honest you are, that’s pretty rare nowadays! I think the hardest part about blogging is coming up with original content-there’s so many blogs out there now, everything has been written about at least ten times over. But that’s also one of the best parts, because you get to put your unique spin and opinion that no one else can offer on your content.
http://www.collegiatecents.com
layla says
HI i would love to have bloggers interested in doing a product review for a free give away
https://www.etsy.com/shop/livefitapparel
Chevelle says
Hello there! You have inspired me to open up my own blog and I am loving it! I crochet sew and do so much more and have my own etsy store! I would love for you to check out my blog and give me some tips?!? Thank you so much!! http://itsmycreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Alicia says
Hi! Your posts are amazing and has really helped me get started blogging. I’m really having trouble getting affliliated links to work on post pages. I don’t have much going on my blog but I’m going through as many blogs as I can that may be able to help. Do you have any tips for when the affiliate links aren’t working? Thanks so much
Nancy Espenshade says
High my name is Nancy. I tried to download the information you are offering for free regarding income for blogging. Unfortunately my computer is on the outs and I can not use the uppercase on my numbers so I could not enter my email address. I would really appreciate if there is any way you could send me this info. I have been disabled for the last 16 yrs., have gone thru 7 back surgeries which have mostly failed. I try keeping a positive attitude but I am going stir-crazy. i do some type of crafting almost every day and would like to share this knowledge with others who would like to learn. i have no idea where to begin. I thank you in advance for anything you can do to help me.
The Busy Budgeter says
Hi there! A great place to get started is this post: https://www.busybudgeter.com/how-to-start-a-blog-when-you-arent-good-with-computers/
Jacqueline says
Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us!! I am a new blogger and it feels overwhelming to get started, so this is so encouraging!!
<3
Jacqueline
Hayley says
I’ve just started blogging and am so excited to see where it takes me. Thank you so much for sharing your insightful tips and congrats for getting so much out of your blog! awesome work. 🙂
Erika says
Hi! Thank you for your aspiring post! I’m hoping to start my blog in the next month or two! I’ve always wanted to start a blog and never could think of the right topic. Last year it hit me and I figured out the title but it was bad timing. The timing seems good now and I’ve researched doing this for years now. Where should I start? Lol. Do I just get it set up and start writing posts? Can I start with affiliate links right away or better to wait for audience? I’m motivated but need a plan ? Do you recommend taking the blog course mentioned above before or after I’ve started? I’ve heard a lot of bloggers rave about it. Thank you for any help you can give!
The Busy Budgeter says
Hi there Erika!
Yes, just set it up and start writing! You might consider having 3-5 posts ready to go prior to going live, but it’s not a huge deal. Starting is a huge first step, regardless of how you do it, and I bet you’ll find ways you’d like to adjust as you grow and learn anyhow 🙂
You’ll find conflicting opinions on ads/affiliate links from the get-go, but you’ll have to decide for yourself. Many affiliate programs require you get a sale within a certain time period after joining or you’ll be ousted, so you might consider waiting until you have an audience just for that.
As far as the Elite Blog Academy – YES. It’s what took me from making $18 to $90,000 a month. From home! It’ll be available soon, so be sure to get on the waitlist (through this link) to find out the minute it goes on sale. I can’t recommend it enough.
Jade says
Thanks so much for posting these helpful tips, this is so great! I’ve been blogging for a little under two months and these tips are so helpful. Can’t wait to try out using affliliates! You go girl!
<3 Jade
Dave says
Thank you for a great post. The information is very motivating! Starting is the first step! I have been revising ever since I have started the blog. As time goes by you realize what works best for your unique audience.
Marie @ Girl Knows Tech says
Loved to read this blog income report even two years after 🙂
Jocelyn says
Such great, detailed information! Thank you so much! Bummed that I miss the Elite Blog Academy 🙁
The Busy Budgeter says
Oh, no! That is a bummer. If you haven’t already, you should definitely check out Ruth’s book, How To Blog For Profit Without Selling Your Soul. It’s a great way to help you get started blogging, and you can do it in between the times EBA is available 🙂
Joe says
Congrats on an amazing month, hopefully it will maintain at this level for you. I do have a question how is adthrive different then just using Google Adsense?
The Busy Budgeter says
Adthrive pays better than Adsense, and they also help you manage your ads 🙂
Paige Overturf says
This is so helpful, great post! Thanks a million for sharing your strategies. I have 5 new tabs pulled up from this one post. You go girl!
Sadie Prise says
Thanks for sharing. I’m new to the blogging world. Trying to balance working full time in IT, being a new mama and blogging part time. Your advice is great! You’re awesome. I’ll definitely be reading more of your content.
Hollie says
Thanks for sharing, Rosemarie. I’ve only just started my blog, with the ‘one day’ goal of being able to earn a side income from it. I love writing and would like to see that earn some income. This post has given me some real food for thought on how to proceed when I’m ready!!
Thanks!
Hollie
Cheree says
Thanks for sharing so honestly! I love reading your posts and you have awesome ideas that I will be implementing in my blog. You have a beautiful blog!
Lidiya K says
Stumbled upon this income report of yours, and although a bit old, I enjoyed reading it.
Loved the idea of creating a ‘core affiliates’ list and added it to my to-do list. I noticed it gets a bit chaotic (and serves as a distraction) if I mention too many companies on my site.
Thanks 🙂
Taylor @ Not Quite an Adult says
Rosemarie, You’ve seriously changed my life.
Last year I listened to your first episode of the Side Hustle Nation podcast and it opened my entire world to blogging and now my blog is my main source of income and it makes me so happy.
I signed up for EBA this year and couldn’t be happier! You’re an inspiration, thank you so much for everything you do
The Busy Budgeter says
Aww…Thanks. 🙂
Antri C. | Beauty Blogger & Reviewer says
Congrats!! I quite like your post and its structure. However I am gonna pin this post in order to save it for later xoxo
http://hiddeninbeauty.com
Dee says
Nice blog post! Thanks for sharing!
Kailey McGrath says
I am so glad that I stumtupon this post through Pinterest. I have been throwing around the idea of starting a blog so that I can help support my family while staying at home with my kids. Most of what I have seen is bloggers making money by selling products and this is exactly the information I needed. Thank you!
Ige Lewis says
I’m happy to have come across this post.
I also believe I’ll get there some time soon. I must say your post is so inspiring.
Michelle says
Love the way you explain how you achieve your goals. I am trying to start to make some money with my blog and liked your text.
Demetria says
This is great! Thanks so much for sharing your income reports- it is encouraging. I am interested in adding more affiliate networks in addition to coaching. I love coaching but it is quite a time investment! I may check out the affiliate course. Thanks 🙂
I. D. Moon | Art Beyond Living says
This is such an inspirational post for someone like me who recently started a blog. It’s fascinating and motivating at the same time to see that you are actually making good money with blogging.
Thank you for writing this income report, it motivated me to keep on going with my blog.
Ava Meena says
So interesting and helpful to read this. But sad to say that I searched for board booster and they are no longer available 🙁
The Busy Budgeter says
Sorry, Ava! Board Booster closed down after a huge Pinterest change. We are now recommending Tailwind if you are looking for a replacement.
Jared dela Cruz | phmillennia says
Hi! This is a very inspiring and insightful read. I’ve been hard at work blogging myself but I’ve only managed to earn a few dollars so far. I would like to start working towards a full-time income so I’m out here doing a lot of reading and researching, hoping to learn a thing or two from people who have made it big in the blogging world, people like you. And this post has given me more than one or two insights. Thank you.