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Hello and welcome to my blog income report series!
Today, I’m going to show you how I made $22,343.23 last month, and $64,612.37 in the last 3 months with my small blog.
If you’re new to FinSavvy Panda blog, you may be wondering what this blog income is about and why I publish these reports.
I started this blog income report series to keep track of my blogging journey as a new beginner and to show you that making money online from home is possible.
It’s my way to have fun testing, experimenting, and sharing with you what worked and what didn’t work.
UPDATE: You are also welcome to check out the essential blogging lessons here that I’ve learned, along with a review of how I generated $27,689.76 for the month in my latest income report. Additionally, I will be updating the “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)” section at the end of this post to address all your questions and comments about blogging, including those pertaining to my blog income reports. I encourage you to leave a comment or pose a question – I’d be more than happy to help you in your blogging journey!
All my previous blog income reports are a true reflection of the journey and progress of a brand new blogger, me, who started with no experience with Pinterest, any social media platform, or blogging – you’ll know that I’m not lying or exaggerating when you read through my blogging archive. I’m a very emotional and highly sensitive person so I wrote things that truly reflect how I felt and what I did as a beginner. You can see my previous blog income reports here:
- March (My 3.5 years of blogging and last income report) – $27,689.79
- How I Blog Full Time and Earn A Six-Figure Annual Salary – $120,000
- February – $7,498.94
- January – $6,790.93
- December – $6,840.01
- November – $5,532.13
- October – $4,798.01
- September – $4,509.50
- August – $2,797.61
- July – $703.57
- How I Made My First $100 Blogging with Display Ads
I started this blog because I wanted to share with my readers how I went from living paycheck to paycheck in a low-income family to growing my income and saving my first $100,000.
I know personal finance and money is a struggle for many people, so I share my struggles and stories here on this personal blog to show how I made extra money on the side of my 9-5 job. This extra income allowed me to save more for vacations, experiences, retirement, and the things I value in life.
I also won’t hide the fact that I started a blog because I thought it would be nice to earn extra money doing something that’s fun, new, and exciting.
From earning extra money in my first year of blogging, this little blog of mine eventually allowed me to quit my banking job (which made me anxious and depressed) because of the full-time income it generates.
I was quite surprised and never imagined this small blog earning over $10,000 every month in less than 2 years.
Now, I am earning over $20,000 per month blogging from home, which I will talk more about below.
One of the greatest things about blogging is it becomes passive over time after putting in the upfront work.
Today, I spend 1-2 hours a day maintaining this blog, which allows me to spend more time on things that are more important to me such as focusing on self-care and family – things that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I continued working at my 9-5 job!
Once your blog grows into a more passive mode, you can choose to cruise or continue to grow – it is your personal choice! I personally chose to relax more! 🙂
Start Your Blog and Make Money Online With No Experience!
In the very beginning, when I had absolutely no experience, I told myself that it’s SO cheap to start a blog, and if it doesn’t work out, then so be it. At least I know I tried it without investing a lot of money.
To be honest with you, I didn’t even know what “making money online” meant and the term “blogging” really caught me off guard because the last thing I thought I’d ever do was writing helpful content for my readers.
After I learned that you DON’T have to be a good writer and that you actually DON’T have to draft a blog post every day or week to earn a full-time living with a blog, I signed up on a whim!
I had absolutely NO experience in writing, marketing, tech (I’m still horrible at this stuff), and everything related to starting a blog. BUT I was willing to take initiative and invest my time in learning the strategies of what makes a blog profitable.
You can also learn more about how to start a money-making blog for beginners here in my easy step-by-step tutorial here!
I really surprised myself and didn’t think I’d quit my job after making progress with the blog you’re reading now.
I’m very happy with my blogging progress and I would love to help beginners like you!
How to start a profitable blog: Many readers e-mailed me and asked me what I did to get the results I get. To help you, I created this FREE 7-day e-mail course that teaches you how to start your blog without having to be an expert at what you blog about. There has been a lot of positive feedback from many readers so I highly encourage you to join my free course if you want to learn how to start a blog and make money.
November Blog Income Report
Wow, I can’t believe Finsavvy Panda is now 3 years old!
The last time I published a blog income report was at the beginning of last year February where I made $7,498.94 in one month from home with this small blog.
I also posted another blog post in the Spring of last year where I logged my progress and showed you how I became a full-time blogger earning over $10,000 per month in 18 months of starting this Finsavvy Panda blog.
During that time, I was a novice and new to the blogging world.
You can find my previous blog income reports here when I was still a complete beginner.
In my last blog income post, I said that I was stopping all my blog income reports because for one, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to relate to beginners who just started their blogs or those of you who haven’t started yet.
Secondly, creating these blog income reports takes a long time since I am not the best nor fastest writer.
A lot has happened over this time frame and I was pretty darn sure that I wasn’t going to write another income report.
Well, if you know me by now, I am “on the whim” type of person, so I decided to have an update on my blog income.
This is due to the heavy requests and emails I receive all the time from my long-time fans and loyal readers asking to please write another blog income report because you find this very helpful and insightful when you read about my personal experience along with tips and recommendations for beginners.
For the longest time, I made a mistake and didn’t realize that I wasn’t listening to readers who have been following me for a while.
One valuable lesson I learned after 3 years of blogging (that I unknowingly neglected for a while) is that you actually have readers who are very loyal and follow you to the tee, and it’s VERY important to give them exactly what they want!
So, here you go – I am going out of my comfort zone and listening to my readers because I care about those of you who are following me.
Now, before we dive into my blog income and how I made $22,343.23 blogging last month (and overall, over $20,000 per month in the last three months totaling $64,612.37 in a quarter), I want to answer one question I often get from my readers about starting a blog, especially when the pandemic started.
Along with answering that question, I will be providing my top 3 blogging tips for beginners and for those of you who haven’t started a blog yet.
Is it still possible to make money blogging at this time and year (even during the health crisis)?
Yes, you can bet it is absolutely possible to make money blogging at this time and year!
This blog, along with my second blog, is generating a healthy income from home even during the Covid times!
If you followed me in my beginning journey, you may know that I lacked a lot of confidence and had a lot of self-doubts. But that has changed in the last couple of years and I have grown and developed so much as a person all because I started my first blog!
This first blog of mine, Finsavvy Panda, has taught me a lot about myself, along with the endless possibilities of earning an online income, which I wouldn’t have learned if I stayed at my 9-5 job.
The great thing about starting a blog is it’s super affordable and the potential to earn money online has NO limit.
I am SO confident with this blogging idea that I even went ahead to start a second blog in the last quarter of last year – which means my second blog is officially over 1 year old!
Starting another blog was a great way for me to diversify my income and to prove that it is STILL possible to earn an income with a new blog this year and beyond.
My second blog is a great additional source of passive income, which is focused on earning from Mediavine using display advertising along with partnering with affiliates. You can learn more about how to make money blogging for beginners in this post here.
If you are a total beginner, I highly recommend focusing on the basics first which is learning how to make money using display advertising on your blog before you jump into affiliate marketing or creating your own products to sell.
Having ads on your blog is one of the most passive ways to make money, and it is much easier for you, as a beginner, to earn your first income online compared to other monetizing methods like affiliates, sponsorships, and selling digital products.
With my second blog, I signed up for the basic Bluehost plan here, which works out to be only $2.95 a month. That’s an upfront investment of only $36 for the entire year, which is 60% off regular pricing!
If you are ready to sign up for a cheap web hosting plan, then you can check out this step-by-step tutorial on how to start a profitable and successful blog for total beginners.
I also documented my experience and all the steps I took to set up my second blog PROPERLY in this affordable ebook called The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days. I admittingly made many costly mistakes starting this first blog, Finsavvy Panda, and these are all the tips that I wish were taught to me right off the bat when I first started!
This ebook is perfect for beginners who are brand new to the blogging world and have just started their blogs. It’s also the perfect guide for you if you have NO experience in blogging and not tech-savvy at all.
Despite earning over $20,000 blogging each month, there are things I realized and learned in my 3 years of blogging experience.
Here are the tips I want to share with you.
Blogging Tip 1: Learn and focus on ONE thing at a time.
It becomes OH-SO overwhelming with so many things going on and when different bloggers start talking about their different monetizing strategies.
You become paralyzed and unsure of what to do, or you try to go all-in doing all those different things at once. It’s like trying to chase all the shiny objects that you come across.
Let me tell you something.
It never works when you are bombarded with too much information!
I highly recommend taking it one step at a time and focusing on only ONE thing to avoid inefficiency or stretching yourself thin.
For example, if you’re a new blogger trying to learn how to make money with your blog, I recommend focusing on one monetization strategy at a time.
You can start off by learning how to monetize your blog with ads and stick to testing out that one strategy until you see results and understand how it really works.
Once you feel that you know enough, and you’ve actually earned your first income from ads, then go ahead and learn a different monetizing method like affiliate marketing for beginners.
Blogging Tip 2: Don’t neglect building a solid foundation for your blog
This is another important tip that ties in with the previous tip about focusing on one thing at a time.
Beginners who just started their blogs should really focus on setting up the blog, creating valuable content, and building a proper foundation.
I often see A LOT of beginners neglect this step because many newbies are too anxious to make money fast and they get way too ahead of themselves. Don’t make this mistake!
I know it’s tempting, and you are mesmerized by all the stories about how bloggers are making money immediately in a few weeks or months with their brand-new blogs. That won’t happen especially if you are new in the blogging space.
When you just started your blog and you have NO experience at all, I do NOT recommend skipping the important steps of learning how to set up your blog properly and building a solid foundation for success.
This is what I teach in The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days and I highly recommend focusing on building a proper foundation BEFORE you dive deep into learning any traffic or monetization strategies. This is a 4-week program aimed to help you get started on the right foot for success!
UPDATE: I’ve updated this ebook (version 2.0) from 180 to 380 pages, and it now includes new chapters like ‘How to Skyrocket Your Traffic’, ‘How to Properly Use ChatGPT to Write a Blog Post That Fits Your Personal Style and Voice’, ‘How to Use Affiliate Marketing to Monetize Your Blog’, ‘The Secrets That Pro Bloggers Are Hiding About How They Make Money with Their Blogs’, and so much more! I highly recommend you check it out and see what other bloggers have achieved by following my strategy!
The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days!
Again, focus on ONE thing at a time. Take everything step by step!
If you are new to blogging, please go through this detailed tutorial on how to start your blog for beginners – these are the steps you should take once you’ve started and registered for a self-hosted blog. This tutorial guide will also show you step by step on how to register your blog.
Blogging Tip 3: Stop chasing for fast and big numbers!
This is something I always try to keep in mind, and it’s very important when it comes to creating a healthy mindset in your blogging journey.
As I’ve always said, I enjoy blog income reports because they motivate and inspire you to make a positive change in your life.
If it weren’t for blog income reports, or hearing stories about how bloggers are able to make money from home, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to quit my soul-sucking job and share my story here. So, I am very thankful and grateful for that!
However, blog income reports can become dangerous when you don’t feel like you’re making progress or generating as high of an income as another blogger. You might start to subconsciously form negative thoughts and think “Is there something wrong with me?” or “are these high-income bloggers hiding something from me?”
As the saying goes… “everything in moderation.”
It’s okay to enjoy reading blog income reports, but don’t be too consumed by it.
I, myself, used to think there was something wrong with me when it felt like I wasn’t making much progress with my blog in the first 6 months of starting it because of all the stories I heard of how bloggers made over several of thousands of dollars in their first or second month blogging.
But I fought my own battle by setting more realistic expectations for myself.
I kept a positive mindset by ignoring negative thoughts and truly believing in the idea that I was going to earn an income with my blog!
No matter what stage you are at in your blogging journey, whether you’re a complete beginner or someone who has been blogging for over a year, I encourage you to keep learning and growing at your pace. The key is to focus on yourself and your goals and not someone else’s.
Monthly Blogging Income Report:
The time has arrived that you’ve anticipated!
I’m going to reveal the total income and expenses for my two blogs during the months of September, October, and November. But before we dive into the figures…
For those just starting out or yet to begin a blog, be aware that in my early days, my blogging costs were considerably lower. In the beginning, I managed my first blog on a free theme, and it wasn’t until the second year that it began earning more than $7,000 each month.
This is how Finsavvy Blog used to look with a free and very basic theme and overall, I did not spend a lot at the very beginning.
As a newbie at that time, I invested in this basic Bluehost plan for just $2.95 a month along with a few affordable blogging resources and tools to help me get started.
It’s very important to spend money on things that help your blog grow if you want to earn from it. The good news is, it doesn’t have to cost a lot at the start.
During that time, I was focused on building a proper foundation and learning the basics first!
You can check out my older blog income reports in this achieve here, which is much more relatable for newcomers who want to start a blog.
Now that my blog consistently makes money and I’ve learned much about blogging, I’m putting the earnings back into better hosting, hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA), and improving services and tools for blogging. You won’t need these things until your blog begins to bring in more money.
Remember to start small and take your time to learn!
November Blog Income: $22,343.23
Display Advertising: $5,062.09
Affiliate income: $15,201.95
- Saving money and budgeting resources, survey sites, cash back apps, etc.
- Amazon Associates
- Blogging tools and resources
- Work from home job resources
Digital products: $2,079.19
- The Treasure Map To Blogging Success In 30 Days
- The Ultimate Power-Up Budget Binder
- The Ultimate Blog Booster Binder
Total Blog Expenses: $1,524.33
- Web hosting and paid plugins: $53.20
- VA services, Canva Pro, Tailwind, ConvertKit, advertising, digital products subscription, and transaction fees: $1,471.13
November Blog Net Income After Expenses: $20,818.90
October Blog Income: $21,258.96
Display Advertising: $4,580.84
Affiliate income: $15,012.77
- Saving money and budgeting resources, survey sites, cash back apps, etc.
- Amazon Associates
- Blogging tools and resources
- Work from home job resources
Digital products: $1,665.35
- The Treasure Map To Blogging Success In 30 Days
- The Ultimate Power-Up Budget Binder
- The Ultimate Blog Booster Binder
Total Blog Expenses: $1,465.33
- Web hosting and paid plugins: $53.20
- VA services, Canva Pro, Tailwind, ConvertKit, advertising, digital products subscription, and transaction fees: $1,412.13
October Blog Net Income After Expenses: $19,793.63
September Blog Income: $21,010.18
Display Advertising: $4,249.62
Affiliate income: $15,381.29
- Saving money and budgeting resources, survey sites, cash back apps, etc.
- Amazon Associates
- Blogging tools and resources
- Work from home job resources
Digital products: $1,379.27
- The Treasure Map To Blogging Success In 30 Days
- The Ultimate Power-Up Budget Binder
- The Ultimate Blog Booster Binder
Total Blog Expenses: $1,422.86
- Web hosting and paid plugins: $53.20
- VA services, Canva Pro, Tailwind, ConvertKit, advertising, digital products subscription, and transaction fees: $1,369.66
September Blog Net Income After Expenses: $19,587.32
In the last 3 months, I earned $64,612.37 blogging before expenses. $60,199.85 is net profit accounting for expenses.
As you can see, I didn’t earn this much right off the bat. It took time for me to learn and grow as a person, and starting a blog is something I always highly recommend people to do!
FAQs About My Blog Income Reports and Blogging Questions in General
On a daily basis, I receive many questions about blogging from bloggers, students, and readers. Some are beginners, and some have been blogging for a while but aren’t achieving the results they desire. So, I decided to answer some of these questions in the FAQs here, which allows me to spend less time responding to each person individually via email. If you have any questions, please post them in the comment section below, and I will provide my honest answers to help you achieve your blogging goals.
Most of the questions I receive are related to starting a blog, making money, or getting traffic. For those, I recommend you to visit my other posts below that will help you:
- How To Start a Profitable Blog and Make Money
- How To Make Money Blogging For Beginners
- How To Use Pinterest For Blogging
- How To Get Traffic From Pinterest
- How Long Does It Take To Grow on Pinterest?
1. What is the income report from bloggers?
A blog income report is like a behind-the-scenes peek at the money stuff – it shows you the cash coming in, what’s going out, and what’s left over from a blog. Usually, bloggers will also share a bit of their journey – like what they’ve been up to that month, what’s been hitting the mark, and what big dreams they’re chasing for the future.
2. How much do you earn per 1,000 views on blogging?
The equation for earning money through ad displays on your blog is directly proportional: more traffic equates to higher earnings.
Payment from ad networks for bloggers is usually based on RPM, or revenue per 1,000 page views. Therefore, an increase in your traffic generally means an uptick in your revenue.
Keep in mind that your RPM isn’t a fixed number – it can swing up and down based on a whole bunch of stuff. We’re talking about the type of content you’re creating (your niche), what time of the year it is (hello, holiday shopping season), what’s hot at the moment (trending topics), and how the economy’s doing (boom times vs. not-so-boom times).
Where most of your readers are located (their geographic location) matters too, as does the value of the keyword that’s getting your page to rank. And let’s not forget about who’s serving up your ads (the ad network you’re working with). So yeah, there’s a lot in the mix when it comes to your RPM.
But in general, you might earn anywhere from $5 to $50 per 1,000 page views.
To illustrate, if your blog attracts 100,000 page views per month, your earnings from display ads alone could range between $500 and an impressive $5,000 a month. A more typical estimate, however, usually falls somewhere in between – let’s say between $2,000 to $3,000 per month for 100,000 page views.
3. Can you make $1,000 a month with a blog?
Yes, it’s certainly possible to make $1,000 a month with a blog.
Let’s consider this scenario based on our RPM discussion: If you manage to secure an RPM (Revenue Per Mille or 1,000 page views) of, let’s say, $22 – which is a reasonable figure for many niches – then you would need roughly 45,500 page views per month to generate $1,000 purely from display ads. However, as I mentioned earlier, ad earnings will largely depend on factors.
Beyond display ads, you can also diversify your income streams through other avenues such as affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and the sale of your own products and services. I always encourage my readers to diversify their income streams, as this strategy can increase their chances of reaching that $1,000 per month goal without being wholly dependent on display ads.
4. Can blogging be a full time job?
Absolutely, blogging can indeed become a full-time job.
In fact, there are many bloggers who manage their blogs as their main source of income. I am an example of this myself – I’ve turned blogging into a full-time career and it’s currently earning a six-figure annual salary. You can learn more about my personal story in one of my other posts where I answer this question more thoroughly — Can blogging be a full-time job?
However, it’s important to remember that successful blogging requires your investment of time and effort. It involves consistently, taking initiative, having a positive attitude, implementing effective blogging strategies, staying up-to-date with the latest trends in your niche, and developing and maintaining strong relationships with your readers.
On top of that, to earn a substantial income from blogging, diversification of revenue streams is key so you aren’t heavily reliant on one single source. I made the mistake of being too dependent on one source and my income experienced a temporary fall in the past. Again, diversity can include display advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, selling products or services, and more.
So, while blogging can definitely be a full-time job and provide a great income, it also calls for dedication, strategic planning, and a willingness to adapt and learn continually. With these elements in place, it can be a very rewarding and profitable career.
5. What is the average income of a blogger?
According to one source, the average annual income for a blogger is approximately $73,199.
However, I would caution against relying on figures like these as average earnings because they can vary greatly for numerous reasons.
Here’s the thing: millions of people start blogs, much like millions of people start businesses. Unfortunately, many don’t succeed, not due to lack of capability, but often because they didn’t make the necessary investment in terms of time, effort, or energy.
And then, there are those who put in a ton of time and energy, but their hard work doesn’t hit the target because they didn’t put their money or time in the right places, like decent resources or investing in ebooks, resources, or courses. So, if you ask me, the secret sauce to nailing it in the blogging world – just like with any business – is about making smart moves with your time and money, and sticking with it even when it feels tough.
So, you might hear that the average blogger makes around $73,199 a year, but don’t take that as a promise. What bloggers make can vary big time. Some might not make as much as they would in a regular 9-to-5 job, while others are earning six-figure or even seven-figure salaries from their blogs.
At the end of the day, what you earn from your blog comes down to how much time you’re willing to put in and how good you are at strategizing your content.
6. I have multiple interests like fitness and skincare. How should I choose a blog name that reflects all my passions?
I get a ton of questions every day from my readers who are totally stuck on what to blog about. They have loads of interests that don’t exactly mesh together like budgeting, cooking, fitness, skincare, gardening, fashion trends, you name it.
Just the other day, one of my subscribers hit me up with this question when she was starting her blog:
Hey Ling, I have a question for you: I plan to write about both fitness (which is my profession and my education) and also skincare (which is also a huge passion of mine). Should I keep the name FitbyMary for my blog to be cohesive with the domain name? And do you think I need to add anything about skincare in the name, or just keep it simple like it already is?
Here’s my answer, and I hope you guys find this helpful for any similar situation when it comes to choosing a blog name that reflects your passions:
Choosing a blog name that reflects all your passions can be a balancing act.
I think in your case, FitByMary is simple, memorable, and totally nails the fitness vibe, which is awesome!
I know it can be a bit tricky to weave skincare into a blog that’s all about fitness, especially when they don’t seem related. But if you’re committed to blogging about both fitness and skincare, how about considering a name like “FitAndGlowByMary”?
Or, if skincare is a huge passion of yours, think about starting a skincare blog instead with a name like “GlowByMary.” The great thing about skincare is you can totally still blog about fitness and exercise since they’re actually part of a good skincare routine! It’s a known fact that exercising and staying fit are great for your skin. Plus, you can also chime in about nutrition and foods as they are super important for skin care.
Just sharing my thoughts and opinions as a skincare enthusiast myself!
Regardless of what you choose, the most crucial thing is to make sure your blog content is neatly organized into categories or sections (e.g. fitness, nutrition, skincare, etc.), making it easy for your audience to navigate through your topics.
If you’re set on blogging about fitness and skincare on your blog, I’d suggest focusing on one topic and really honing in on it before branching out (e.g. write at least 20 to 30 posts about fitness before branching out to skincare) – and always make sure your content can relate to each other in one way or another.
Final thoughts on blogging:
Starting a blog definitely allowed me to pay off debt, save more, and quit my day job. It also allowed me to buy things I appreciate and enjoy in life!
Blogging is also very therapeutic especially during the time of today’s health crisis. If it weren’t for blogging, I would have gone nuts because of Covid.
I knew absolutely nothing and even signed up for a blog on a whim and I’m so thankful that I didn’t spend time overthinking too much. If I had researched way too much or tried to prepare to make everything perfect at the beginning, I would have burned out and not taken action. I also wouldn’t have been here today inspiring you to start one too.
And due to my lack of knowledge at first, I truly understand the struggle of a beginner with NO experience. That is why I created and wrote this ebook, The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days for complete beginners. It’s the resource I really wish I had when I first started my blog. It’s an inexpensive ebook for beginnings to get started on the right foot who don’t have a lot of money to spend.
Again, I don’t know any other business idea that allows you to start with such a low cost at this time and year other than blogging.
If you haven’t started your blog yet, then the best time to start is now!
If you don’t know where to start, I encourage you to enroll in my FREE 7-day e-mail course here that will teach you how to start your blog and make money.
I hope you found this blog income report helpful and inspiring!
Have a question or comment about blogging? Be sure to comment or ask away in the comment box below, and I’ll be happy to answer! 🙂
Hi Ling,
So inspirational, as usual! Thank you for your post and all the details and questions answered. I launched my blog live mid November, 2020. I use Tailwind and Pinterest in an attempt to drive traffic to my blog, and the traffic is very, very minimal. I understand, since I just started using Pinterest. I set up an opt in form on my site using Mailchimp, but can’t set up the automatic emails because I don’t have a P.O. box and don’t want to use my home address. I feel like the little traffic I have from Pinterest is going to waste because I’m not capturing those users’ email addresses. Is this the case? Or is it okay to not have an opt in form on my site right now? Is it okay to not do anything with that traffic while I build my content up? I only have 5 blog posts so far. Thanks!
Hey Skye!
That’s great to hear that you’ve launched your blog a month ago – congratulations on the recent launch! 🙂
Given that your blog is only 1 month young, it’s not surprising that your traffic is still very minimal. This is very normal and expected!
I have confidence that you’ll be able to drive traffic to your blog over time once you create more content and learn the proper Pinterest traffic strategies.
I know you hear a lot of bloggers encourage you to start collecting e-mails on Day 1, but I personally don’t recommend this especially when you are totally new to blogging. Learning how to build and engage with an e-mail list is a separate thing (it’s literally like a course on its own and requires you to nurture them on a regular basis). This may be challenging when you are still at the beginning stages of trying to create content and set up your blog on WordPress.
I followed the advice of other bloggers about collecting an e-mail list along with creating a free opt-in form when I was still very new to blogging. Looking at hindsight, I regret collecting emails that soon because I realized at that time that even when you collect a list, you NEED to know how to communicate and engage with them. This is something I recommend learning AFTER once you have more blog content along with some experience building your blog and gaining some traffic.
About your P.O. Box. question, I am using ConvertKit and I know they allow you to use another address (they provide you with one, so you don’t have to use your own home address).
And no, that is not going to waste just because you’re not capturing their email, especially when you have very few blog posts right now.
I recommend you to focus on building content and learning how to engage with readers on your page first. I also encourage you to continue to learn how to use Pinterest. I always encourage my readers to take things ONE step at a time and to not overwhelm themselves with too many things because all those additional things become a distraction and will stray you from focusing and mastering that one thing.
So, yes, it’s okay to not have an opt-in form for now and come back to it later once you are a little more experienced! 🙂
I hope this blogging advice helps!
Hey Ling!! As a beginner, I have posted a few pins on Pinterest!! Just asking when will I be able to earn money? I guess analytics is quite good!! It would be great if you answer ? please check out the images!
Hey Naazeen
Have you started a self-hosted blog yet?
I highly recommend investing in a cheap hosting plan with Bluehost. That way you can start creating content and make your own pins and promote your blog content using Pinterest and the analytics it gives you based on your Pinterest business account – it’s free to use and sign up for.
Many people ask me if they can start earning money immediately just by pinning a few pins on Pinterest, and it doesn’t work that way. Making money with a blog will require you to build it and get some traffic first.
I always recommend beginners to start a blog and write valuable content for their readers first. Once that’s done, then learn how to use Pinterest, create pins, and save them to Pinterest to get traffic. Once you get traffic back to your blog, you can apply to place ads on your posts and make money online. Keep in mind that learning how to get traffic and applying the proper Pinterest traffic strategies will take some time before you start seeing results.
I have many blog posts that talk about this and you can learn more here:
https://www.finsavvypanda.com/how-to-start-a-blog-and-make-money/
https://www.finsavvypanda.com/how-to-make-money-on-pinterest-for-beginners/
https://www.finsavvypanda.com/category/blogging/
In my free 7-day e-mail course on how to start a blog, I also teach beginners how to start their blogs so they can earn their first income. 🙂
I hope this helps!
Hi Ling!
I signed up with Bluehost for the 36 month plan, but I am a little confused on how to install WordPress. Do I have to do that through Bluehost? Thanks for your help!
Hi Laura,
You first need to log into your control panel here and click on “My Sites” tab from the side navigation menu to the left.
Next, you can click the “Create Site” button on the top right. And finally, you can click on “Start Building” button followed by entering your admin information to install your WordPress.
There is more info on this page here on how to enter your admin information. You’ll be on your way to installing WordPress on Bluehost!
Let me know if this helps! 🙂
How much traffic on average are you getting per month now? Is the majority of that traffic from Pinterest? How did you learn to make such incredible pins that stand out?
Hey Cy!
Traffic goes up and down and it varies depending on the season and algo changes. In general, this blog has over 100K monthly pageviews from Pinterest. I get some love from Google but haven’t really focused much of my time in that space as much as I’d like to. I do enjoy Pinterest a lot more than Google – it’s just more fun for me lol!
As for pin design, I am using Canva and I enjoy playing around with it during my free time. Most of the learning comes from trial and error – tons of experimenting with color, images, and titles. I recommend using the Canva Pro because it gives you a huge library of better quality stock photos compared to the free ones, which makes a huge difference to your pin design. What I noticed is no matter how well a template is designed, if the picture doesn’t speak to the pinner, or if it’s low quality, it may not get clicked into as much. But of course, your title and your audience matter too!
Hi Ling! How are you doing? What are 2 great digital ad companies that we as new bloggers can start off with putting on our Blog for monetizing it?
Happy Holidays,
Hannah
Hey Hannah!
Happy Holidays to you too!
When I first started my blog and didn’t know a single thing about making money with a blog, I applied for Google Adsense. This is a great start for beginners to gain experience and learn how to make money with ads on their blogs. But if you are a total beginner with no experience, I highly recommend focusing on setting up your blog properly first and creating a good collection of content first. This is something I teach in my ebook here, Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days. I also have a chapter about making money with display advertising for beginners in the ebook.
I never recommend new bloggers to dive straight to applying to put ads on their website without building a foundation and setting up the blog correctly first. That’s because advertisers can reject you right off the bat when they see that your blog doesn’t fulfill their standards. This is one mistake I always new bloggers make when they get too anxious to apply immediately, and I hope they read this to avoid it.
Also, you may want your domain name to age a few months (while building and focusing on building quality content) before applying because your blog will be too new and they may reject you for that too.
Once you gain more experience and understand how to get a good steady amount of traffic to your blog, I highly recommend applying for Mediavine for ads – as of Summer 2020, they require you to have a min. sessions of 50K monthly to apply (roughly 60K monthly page views). An alternative is Monumetric, which requires 10k sessions, but I never used them before.
So, definitely start small and learn as a beginner by applying for Google Adsense first as a baby step. But remember to focus on building a quality blog! 🙂
I hope that helps!
Such great info! I’ve had a photo biz and blog for years but never monetized. I wonder if it’s better to start from scratch?
Hi Olivia
If your current photo business and blog still have an active domain and you’re still on a web hosting plan, then you can work off of that – but make sure it’s a self-hosted blog and not something that’s “free” like blogger because those free sites will be extremely tough to work with advertisers and monetize. It is always the best idea to just pay for an affordable web hosting plan and work with that.
If you want to start a blog in a totally different area not related to your current business, then it’s a good idea to start from scratch! 🙂
Let me know what you decide to do! I’m more than happy to help.
Hey ling!
I really enjoy your blog income reports, so much to learn.
I have a few questions if you can help:
1. For Pinterest, when you create a fresh pin, to how many boards you are saving it and with how much interval?
2. I am struggling with Pinterest, my fresh pins getting like 1-20 impressions. I used to get 1k plus impressions. Yeah old account. Hows your fresh pins performing
Thanks
Hey Ankush
I’m glad you enjoy my blog income reports!
There isn’t one magical solution that works exactly the same for everyone but here are my answers:
1. At this point, the maximum I’d save a pin to a different board is up to 5 or 6. I don’t follow an interval when it comes to “re-pins” or “re-saves” – these are pretty random and on the fly for me, but if I choose to repin certain pins, I make sure I don’t re-save them to more than 6 different boards.
2. I’ve heard there are bloggers who are seeing 1-20 impressions on their fresh pins, which is low and unusual for fresh pins especially if it’s happening consistently and all the time. Have you tried writing new content and pinning those brand new blog posts out? If you have been publishing new content, but still seeing low impression on your fresh pins (both directing to older posts and new posts), I recommend contacting Pinterest support and ask them if there are any issues with the account. They can do some investigating for you. Also, it’s not guaranteed that every single one of your fresh pins is going to get high impressions (Pinterest algorithm has its random ups and downs), but if you start getting over 1K impressions for some of your fresh pins – though not all – then I wouldn’t worry about it.
I hope that helps. I wish you success with your Pinterest game! Feel free to let me know how it goes! 🙂
Thanks ling. It’s been a long time so far. I engage in an online business but it was not successful, so this time I will like to start my blog but I don’t know what niche to blog on or what to write about. Please help. Thanks!
Hi Eyong
That is exciting to hear that you would like to start your blog!
In my step by step guide on how to start a blog for beginners, I have a section where I listed several of profitable niches that you can consider starting your blog on:
https://www.finsavvypanda.com/how-to-start-a-blog-and-make-money/
You can find this under “A LIST OF PROFITABLE BLOG NICHES” section of that article and it’s followed by a guidance on what you should blog about.
On top of that, to help my readers determine what to blog about or what niche to choose that will best suit their interests and abilities, I encourage them to ask and answer these 3 questions to get them started. This will help you narrow down your choices:
1. What are your interests? What topics are you excited to learn about? List 3 blog topics you enjoy.
2. What do your friends and family compliment you on?
3. How will your topics help your readers?
Here is an example of my personal answers when I started my blog. This will give you ideas on how to answer your questions and determine your niche and what to blog about:
1. What are your interests? What topics are you excited to learn about? List 3 blog topics you enjoy.
– Refurbishing furniture and home decor
– Personal finance tips, frugal living, and budgeting
– Self-improvement, development and self-care
2. What do your friends and family compliment you on?
My mom and dad tell me I’m good with managing my money. My friends tell me the same. They also say I’m creative and that I’m crafty. Some tell me I’m good at flipping small furniture pieces and decorating homes that are small spaces. I have friends who also tell me I’m good at motivating and comforting people around me.
3. How will these topics help your readers?
– Giving inspiring ideas on refurbishing furniture and home decor ideas to people who struggle to make their homes nice and cozy on a budget.
– Help people who struggle with saving money
– Motivate and inspire people who have low self-confidence
By answering these questions, it will get you thinking about the skills you have, and/or what topics you’re interested in writing about.
I hope this helps you start your blog and determine your niche and what to blog about!
Congrats, Ling! I have enjoyed reading your post, always very informative, a true guide for beginners like me! I’m sure your second blog will do great 🙂
Happy holidays
Flaminia
Hi Flaminia!
I’m glad to hear you enjoy reading my blog posts. And yes, the second blog is doing great!
I can’t wait to see your blog take off!
Happy holidays to you too! ❤️
This is the post that I needed to give that push to start my blog!!! I’ve always wanted to start a blog and have been dragging my feet for almost a year now. I read so many blog income reports but they didn’t push me to start. Yours is different… it shows a real progress that you started from nothing and now you’re here! Thank you for your transparency and honesty!!!
Hi Jenna
I’m glad to hear that this pushes and inspires you to start your blog!
I’m very excited for you and I can’t wait to see you launch.
Let me know if you have any questions about blogging and I’ll be happy to answer!
Hey Ling, your blog is very admiring and has been such an inspiration to me.
I am still working on my blog, not launched, and I’m hoping it comes together soon making some income so I can earn a full time income blogging. Hopefully, I will get to where you’re at one day. Lol
Congrats on your success!
Hi Alex,
That’s awesome that you’ve started your blog! I wish you the best and success to come with you and the blog in the new year!
Thank you for your words!
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions in your blogging journey. 🙂
Ling,
Congrats on the growth of your blog! I’m glad to see you’re doing so well.
Thanks Mark!
It is nice to hear from you. I hope you are well and staying safe! ?
Hi Ling! Thanks for the update! Will do!
Happy Holidays,
Hannah ?