Are you discouraged that your blog isn’t making much, if ANY money? Over the past 3 years, I’ve been able to more than triple my income on KalynBrooke.com, and in this transparent post, I share exactly how I took my blog to the next level. Proof you really can make a full-time income blogging!
This post may contain affiliate links.Read my full disclosure policy here.
In 2013, I wrote a pretty in-depth post answering the question every blogger {or wanna-be blogger} has asked at some point in their life— can you really make money blogging?
I did this for two reasons. One, to encourage newbie bloggers that it is possible to make money {even if at that point my income was still very little!}, and second, because I needed a good answer for all my friends and family who didn’t understand that my “playing” on the computer all day was actually paying off.
My goal at the time of that post was to make a full-time income by Year 3. I had already been blogging for at least a year, (KalynBrooke.com started as Creative Savings in June 2012), and knew it was possible. It really just depending on how much time, dedication, and hard work I was willing to put into it!
Since we’ve passed the 3 Year mark — in fact, we’re quickly approaching Year 4 — I thought it might be fun to revisit that post and give you an update on how I’m doing. I know I’m always curious as to howmuch bloggers are really making!
Today, I’m going to be completely transparent and give you the exact income amounts I’ve made at certain milestones over the past 3 years.
Truth be told, I’m always a little bit nervous about doing this,but I think it’s good to explain exactly how this blog is an income source for me.It also goes to show you that if you treat something like a business, and don’t give up, you can earn an income doing what you love.
Blog Stats and Income Breakdown
August2013: 54,000 page views | $308.45
- Ad Networks – $1.19
- Affiliate Programs – $5.99
- Private Advertising – $75.00
- Virtual Assisting– $194.77
- Misc – $25.00
February2016:275,000page views |$4,343.25
- Ad Networks –$1,546.00
- Affiliate Programs –$830.89
- Private Advertising {Sponsors} –$1,900.00
- Products –$66.36
As you can see, a lot has changed!
Maybe this doesn’t seem like all that much to veteran bloggers, or maybe it seems like a lot to those just starting out. Either way, here’s just a few things to note about those numbers before we move on…
1. These amounts arejust a snapshot of one month — every month is different because the income streams are so diversified — I never know exactly what is coming in and when.
2. I have not taken any expenses out of these numbers. I have more and more expenses each month as my blog grows, and continually invest money back into my business any chance I get. I also contribute the majority of our income for personal living expenses too.
What Changed Between Then and Now?
Besides the time factor, which I can’t harp on enough, here are a few things I attribute to KalynBrooke.com’s growth and success:
- Learning to leverage the power of Pinterest. If you’re a blogger who hasn’t read Ruth Soukup’s book How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul), go buy it right now. It completely changed the way I blogged!
- Promoting favorite products and programsauthentically, and not just because I mightreceive a kickback. This also meant focusing on a core group of affiliates and not spreading myself too thin among products that don’t pay.
- Lettinggo of all my Virtual Assistant work, so I could focus exclusively on KalynBrooke.com.
- Joining AdThrive. This is an ad network and management company who continually tweaks my ads on my behalf. It all happens behind the scenes and they make sure I’m getting the biggest return on my page views.
- Creating epic content thatencourages readers to come back again and again. It all starts with catchy headlines and being super personal!
I would not be anywhere without my readers, and I can’t thank you enough for joining me on this journey, whether you’re new around here or you’ve been reading KalynBrooke.com since it was Creative Savings! It so easy to get caught up in the technical side of blogging, but I want YOU to feel appreciated each and every day. Please feel free to tell me if I’m not doing my job!
So where do I go from here?
Well, hopefully up! After Joseph lost his job, we decided to make our dream of growing KalynBrooke.com together a reality. Some months it’s been really tight, but it’s also inspired us to keep going and to keep growing. We love working at home together, and sometimes I still have to pinch myself that we’re actually doing it!
You Can Make Money from Your Blog Too
Maybe you’re reading this right now and feeling reallydiscouraged that your blog isn’t at the place you want it to be. If so, canI give you an encouraging hug and say you are not alone? I wrote and wrote and wrote for years before I finally resonated with someone. Ialso haven’t grown as fast as some of those incredibly successful stories you’ve heard from others.
My purpose of writing this post is not to make you feel defeated and overwhelmed, it is to encourage you. Because if I {who wasn’t at all anovernight success} can make blogging work, then you can too.
Are you ready to change up your blogging routine and finally makean income for your hard work? Leave a comment below letting me know what dreams or goals you have for your blog. The sky is the limit!
What Dreams Do You Have for Your Blog?
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.Read my full disclosure policy here.
