Blogging is a lot of work, but it’s fun. And you can make money from blogging. I don’t know why I didn’t start sooner. I’m going to give you all the details about how I made money in my first month of blogging so maybe it will help you if you’re just starting out or thinking of starting a blog. Here is my September Blog Income Report.
{ Post contains affiliate links }
I actually started my blog on August 22 which is also my anniversary! But I’m going to count the two weeks of August with September for my first month of blogging. When I started my blog, my goals were to:
- Give myself a creative outlet.
- Generate content that is useful and enjoyable.
- Make money.
Now obviously I don’t plan on quitting my job anytime soon. Sure, my dream is to make $100,000 a month like some of the top bloggers, but I’m realistic. I know that they took years to get to that point. They also may have had some luck involved so it may not be entirely possible for me. But that’s ok as long as I continue to make at least some kind of profit.
And guess what! I am!
So I’m going to share with you how much money I made from each source. I’m also going to give you some statistics about how much traffic I got and where it came from. So let’s get to the good stuff.
Income
Ads: $0 because I haven’t joined any ad networks yet.
Sponsored Content: $0. I haven’t accepted any offers yet. I did receive a free subscription to an app for Toot worth $25.
Affiliates: $230. This is where I made all of my money. I’ll break it down for you.
- Zazzle: $83 (Please note that I’ve been on Zazzle for years so this isn’t specific to my blog. I’m including it because I have had a lot of traffic from my Ultimate Guide to Earning Extra Money with Zazzle post.)
- Bluehost: $130
- Amazon: $11
- Ebates: $6
Expenses
Hosting: $35 (This is for the whole year but I paid it all up front)
Tailwind: $109 (This is also for the whole year. This is the original price minus a $15 credit. You can get the same credit here.)
Facebook: $6. (I stupidly paid for Facebook ads that did next to nothing for me.)
Totals
Income: $230
Expenses: $150
Net Income: $80
Not bad for only doing this for about 6 weeks. Next month I may not have any expenses at all since my hosting and Tailwind are paid for the year. My initial investment has already paid off so even if I quit right now, I’m $80 ahead. I’m probably going to reinvest that $80 into my blog whether it’s paying for blogging courses or advertising. I’m thinking of trying sponsored pins on Pinterest since that’s where most of my traffic comes from. Speaking of traffic…
How much traffic did I get?
Sessions: 2,657
Users: 2,100
Pageviews: 3,520
Where did it come from?
Social: 85%
- Pinterest: 53%
- Facebook: 28%
- StumbleUpon: 14%
- Twitter: 4%
- Instagram: 1%
Direct: 13%
Referral: 2%
Organic Search: 1%
Top Posts for September
- Ultimate Guide to Earning Extra Money with Zazzle
- Educational TV Shows for Toddlers
- 9 Mom Hacks to Make Shopping with a Baby Easier
- 5 Things I Couldn’t Live Without – Newborn to 12 Months
- How to Start Blogging Right Now
I didn’t expect the post about tv shows to be as popular as it is. My Zazzle post was by far the most popular because a couple of really popular finance/frugal bloggers repinned it. I’m planning to write an ebook expanding on the post since it’s so popular. My goal is to have it done by the end of the year. Ideally, I’d like it to be done by the end of October.
Goals for October
- Join 4 more Pinterest group boards
- Have a rough draft of my Zazzle ebook done
- Gain 1000 Twitter followers
- Publish 2 quality posts per week on Mondays and Thursdays
- Increase pageviews by 50%
- Update all of my unbranded images to match my new style
- Comment on at least two other related blogs per week (setting the bar low here)
Next month I will update you on my progress and whether I’ve met my goals or not. I think they’re doable. The only one I’m actually worried about is increasing my pageviews. I think I can do it but I’m not entirely certain it’s going to happen. I can only hope and try as hard as I can!
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Brandon says
Great post I have been blogging for 3 years and just started making some pocket money. Great site please check mine out if you have time
grady says
Wow, get it girl!! Love that you have specific goals, too! They help me stay on track for sure.
xoxo
Grady
Vibeke Johannessen says
Congrats! Very good post! Im a new blogger, so this are amazing tips!
Tia @ Retouching Blog says
Wow, that is excellent growth! Especially for your first month. Congratulations on your earnings. I wish more success in the future!
-Tia
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
Thanks so much!
Karen says
Thanks for breaking it down like that. Very helpful!
Sara says
Thanks for sharing, because for all of us who are just starting to monetize blogs, these seems real and reachable! Making that amount of money would be enough for me to pay my blogging expenses, hosting, and even my Adobe subscription, and still have some profit! I think I have to work more on my affiliates 🙂
Elizabeth Doren says
Very interesting and great for you! That’s a solid start. Thanks for the tips!
Terryn Winfield says
Congratulations! You should be so proud, especially for your first full month! Most people can’t say they earn any money for quite a while. Good for you, can’t wait to see more!
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
Thanks!
Jewel Eliese says
I am impressed! I love your level of organization and drive. I think you will reach your Tina Fey hands-pumping dream. Thanks for sharing this personal, and so helpful information.
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
Thanks!
Kemi says
Wow! That is amazing, Those are high page views for a new blog! Congratulations. I just started blogging myself and hoping to start making some money pretty soon!! 🙂
Rita says
Congratulations! Great post, very helpful! Amazing tips!
Rita | http://www.styleroundtheclock.com
Yandra says
You did great this month! I’m super excited for you. Lol, I paid for facebook ads too, and they totally sucked! Anyways, keep up the great work and I can’t wait to see what October brings. Best of luck!
Erika Ravnsborg says
Very good post . You kept the honesty and reality of owning a blog to a Tea. Thank you
Rhonda Swan says
Looks like you’re off to a rockin start, lovely lady! Keep it up and live unstoppable!
Amber says
Great post! Looking forward to more.
Janete says
Thank you for sharing. This is very informative.
Sam says
Wow! I wish I could make money already 🙂 I am 6 months in. Congrats You are doing so well! Keep it up! 🙂 I must look into this Zazzle thing – it sounds fun!
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
Thanks! Yeah Zazzle is a lot of fun! You should check it out. And I’ll have my book ready soon!
Katie says
When you make money from Bluehost, is that from the traffic that visited your site? I am looking into setting up a self hosted blog and I’m not sure how the whole making money thing works. Thanks! ?
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
No it’s from referring people to bluehost. If you’re using their hosting, they pretty much automatically accept you into their referral program. They pay $65 per referral. I do highly recommend them for their service though. Wait until Black Friday to sign up with them if you decide to go with bluehost. They’re having a huge sale. Feel free to email me with any questions!