I can’t believe I am doing this. I have never posted an income report on my blog before. And the reason I haven’t is because quite frankly, it is none of your business what I make.
But I feel it is time I share this information with my readers on this blog at least once.
Let me tell you why I think it is time:
- Most of the blog income reports I see have a huge portion (if not all) of money earned selling blogging related products, i.e. hosting, courses, products and services. Though interesting reading, it can be very discouraging for someone who does not blog about blogging. But worse yet, I feel those types of income reports make bloggers:
a) all of a sudden start posting about blogging even though it does not fit their niche and
b) promoting products about blogging to their audience that isn’t interested in those types of products
What happens next?
- they make no sales
- they piss off their current followers
- they fail to gain new followers because the blog focus is now unclear
- they get discouraged
- they quit
Sound familiar?
2. It is no secret I am a midlife blogger. You see it up there at the top of every page of this blog.
Right now I am seeing a surge of millennial bloggers, particularly in the travel, tech and money saving niches. Honestly, I think it is great and I wish I knew about blogging when I was younger but here we are.
I want midlifers to see that you can create the life you want, supplement your retirement income and make money online with a blog. If you are a woman over 40, I want this for you. I want you to blog your way to a fabulous life you never dreamed possible.
Which brings me here: to my first blog income report.
Disclaimers:
- I have been blogging since 2014. Like I tell my regular readers and subscribers, blogging is a marathon, not a 100 metre dash. If you commit to the long journey, the huge learning curve and the endless frustration, you can make money blogging online.
- I do make money from promoting hosting packages, courses, products and services on THIS blog. The income below is specifically from my other blog, an online magazine called Making Midlife Matter, which has absolutely no content about blogging.
- I will not be listing my expenses since they are intertwined between 3 blogs. (Yes, I am cuckoo enough to have 3)
How This Midlife Blogger Made Over $3000 In One Month Without Blogging About Blogging
Advertisements: $2595.82 (Mediavine)
Let me clarify that my pageviews for the month of November 2017 were 136,309. I know that sounds really high and like there is no way you could get there but you can. Most of my traffic comes from 10 posts. 10. And remember, they are not about blogging. Even on this blog, my blogging posts are not in the top 10 most viewed.
Check out this post: Do I have to blog about blogging to get massive pageviews.
I have only recently switched to Mediavine as my ad network and I must say I am impressed with the substantial increase in income from ads.
If you click through to Mediavine, know that this is not an affiliate link as they do not believe in paying for referrals. They believe their service is so spectacular that bloggers will recommend them anyway, and they do.
The process to set up was simple and their support department was very hands on and helpful. Mediavine does require a minimum of 50,000 sessions a month for acceptance in their program. If you are there, I urge you to try them out for 90 days (required minimum).
If you are not there yet, work on increasing your pageviews and apply to MediaNet which is a great alternative. I used them for over a year.
Affiliate Income: $249.54 (Amazon)
Making money online as an Amazon affiliate is easy because Amazon is one of the best and most used online stores on the web. It may not offer the highest commission but if you can get a reader to click on your link, a cookie is created and anything that reader buys in the next 24 hours, you will get commission.
So, even though they clicked on your link for makeup brushes and they bought tires instead, you make money! How cool is that? The best thing about Amazon is that every niche can find something to link to in it’s store.
Be sure to read all the terms and conditions. Amazon does have some limitations on where and how you can share their links. They also regulate how your disclose.
Once you are accepted by Amazon, you have 90 days to make your first sale to stay in the program. You should have no problem doing that!
To become an Amazon affiliate, click here.
Affiliate Income: $289.32 (FlexOffers)
Flexoffers is not one affiliate, but thousands rolled into one platform. From small companies to huge brands. You will definitely find an affiliate program in Flexoffers that will work with your niche. You do have to apply within the program to become an affiliate of each merchant but it is very simple to do so.
As well, Flexoffers has one of the best affiliate networks so you can also earn by recommending Flexoffers to other bloggers to join.
To become a Flexoffers affiliate, click here.
If you are a new blogger or would like a more comprehensive look at affiliate programs, you may be interested in this post: 10 Affiliate & Ad Network Programs That Accept New Bloggers
Want to see another blog income report? Check out: How I Made $4549.17 Blogging In December
That’s it. That’s my income report.
I am not very good at juggling a lot of balls so I like to keep it simple on Making Midlife Matter. I keep the number of affiliates down to a manageable number.
This has worked well for me as it means that I always reach payout minimums plus I am able to take advantage of great statistics on conversions.
Some of my best sales come from products I would have never guessed would be selling. I hope to add more natural links to the existing posts plus write a more in-depth post on how to use affiliate links within blog posts for my readers on this blog.
If you are a midlife blogger, I hope I have encouraged you to press forward and keep blogging.
If you want to make money online with your blog, I hope I have given you inspiration and direction.
- If you haven’t started your blog yet, click here for a step by step tutorial.
- If you are on the free WordPress platform and want to transfer to a self-hosted blog, click here for a step by step tutorial.
- If you are on the free WordPress platform and wish to stay there, this article is for you. Click here to get a list of ways you can monetize.
80 comments
Thank you! I am 48 and just beginning. It’s alittle intimidating with the younger folks, getting used to blogging, and needing this to be my fulltime income at this age. I strongly believe at our age we still have ALOT to offer in this field. Your article inspired and was helpful so thank you again.
It is a lot to learn in the beginning. Set goals. Stay focused on your own blog and don’t let what other people do, distract you. Midlife women have so much to offer and it’s magic when you see your message is being received. Good luck and thanks for visiting!
I appreciate that advice. Take care
Thanks for this post as it inspired me even more to start my blog(s). I’m near the midlife crisis stage, 39, and have been procrastinating on starting the three blogs I’ve had on my mind for over two years. It’s great to know that you can make money on your blog, even $250 will help pay down a bill or save in an emergency fund.
This is the best time to start too. Black Friday sales are on and you can get hosting at a great deal. I suggest you start with one blog and then add as you get comfortable. And you don’t need to buy hosting for each blog as they can all be housed together. You would just have to add the cost of the domain name when you start the subsequent ones. It will take time to make money so the sooner you start, the better. Click through any of the links on my “How To Start A Blog” post to sign up with siteground which is who I use. I have gone through many, many different hosts and they are by far the best I have found. Good luck and let me know when you start or if you need help. Be sure to add your blog in the comments of my post, “Midlife Bloggers, Where are you?”, to connect with other midlife bloggers.
This is awesome! How long did it take you to get to that number of pageviews, if I may ask? Are your primary traffic sources Pinterest and Google?
Thanks! MMM started in April 2016 and my main referral is Pinterest.
I frickin’ love your post. I started my blog Lady Decluttered two months ago and I am exhausted from reading blogs about blogging. Before you know it I was convincing myself I would eventually have to write a post about blogging to generate income and I was dreading it, and It’s not really my thing to write about. Your entire blog is a breath of fresh air and Thank You for keeping my head on straight!
I am so excited I found you! It’s good to have someone out there who speaks my language. Thank you!!
You mean old right? Lol
No way! You are spot on! Glad I found you too! Thanks for your great tips!:)
So interesting. You’re starting to inspire me, Elena. I never even thought of making any money on my blog. Could it be the smallest bit possible? Very exciting.
Of course you can! You are a fabulous writer and I love your content. That’s a really good foundation!
I’ve learned a lot reading this post and the comments, too, Elena. I’ve worked with you on Pinterest and haven’t kept up the pinning of recent months. It is eye opening to think that your traffic is driven by 10 posts and PInterest is your vehicle. I am a long way from qualifying for Mediavine but your revelation makes me believe I could achieve it. I’ve resisted ads on my blog, but it would be nice to have some passive income. Especially as I lean into retirement. Lots to think about!
It’s crazy how the same posts can get hits everyday now and I’m not the one pinning them. They seem to have taken on a life of their own beyond me. Get back To Pinterest and re-evaluate your strategy. It’s definitely worth the time and effort.
Reblogged this on Its good to be crazy Sometimes and commented:
Some good suggestions here
Congratulations on your well-deserved success Elena. I feel a bit hypocritical as I’ve recently shared a post about using Pinterest to increase blog traffic, but I was so excited about what (for me) was substantial short term growth on traffic I couldn’t resist sharing the “secret”
Thanks Gabe! Pinterest can be awesome for traffic but also very frustrating and constantly changing. I wish they would leave it alone.
I have over 150,000 page views and I don’t even make half of that amount with AdSense..
Omg! Adsense is awful! I was barely making anything! You need to switch.
Owhh.. what about Adthrive?
I’ve heard good things about that one too but haven’t tried it. Let me know how it does if you use them.
I just applied for Mediavine instead. I’m not sure if Adthrive would reply anytime soon..
awesome! You won’t be disappointed.
Love this article. I’m very impressed by the money you made from Mediavine, I never made any real money using advertising! Very interesting…
They really work with you to make sure you are optimized for the best type of ads and placement.
Thank you for an honest, candid income report that shows an income is possible without jumping on the blogging train. I get so frustrated when I see those “start a blog in 15 minutes” posts. Yes you can start in 15 minutes but really doesn’t do a good job of really explaining what it takes to be successful
It takes time and experience to become successful. Small steps taken every day. Do more of what works. Less of what doesn’t.
I’m relatively new to blogging and miles away from monetizing. What are sessions and how do they relate to page views?
Pageviews are tracked every time a page opens. A session is tracked as a user within a given time period. So in one session, multiple pageviews may be tracked.
Thanks, Elena. I appreciate your clearing that up for me. I have a lot to learn.
Have a wonderful Holiday Season.
Laura
Thank lovely you too!
Well done you – that’s amazing!
Thanks Megan!
I’m glad you are finding financial success with blogging, Elena. Very happy for you! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks lovely!
Thanks for posting this! I also feel discouraged that the bloggers making money blog about blogging, which is NOT what I want to write about at all. I’m expecting to make most of my $$ through ad revenue like you. I just need to get my sessions up to apply to Mediavine…I’m at about 19,000. You wrote about its pageviews, but I’ve heard its actually sessions, which are lower. My pageviews were 29,000 but sessions at 19,000. Great post!
Thank you for pointing that out. That is my mistake. You are so close. I hope you make it soon. You will be shocked at how much more $ you will get for ad revenue.
How great of you to do this! You can’t help but be successful when you help others. Rock on!
Thank you!
Thanks for the tips Elena, very informative! Amazon changed their terms tho, now you need three sales to get accepted, I think they give you a little longer to do it tho. I have 2 of the three!
You’re the second person that has said the majority of page views comes from a handful of posts. And I’ve been getting discouraged when every post doesn’t take off lol
Think of it this way. When you do get a post that takes off, you will know what you need to write more about. Keep going!
And that’s how you pay to attend a blogging conference. I’m happy to see my income from the blog starting to pick up. Those Mediavine numbers are impressive.
I won’t see any of this income till February which is standard for any kind of online income. I’m glad you are starting to see income. That’s awesome and inspiring!
You always write such interesting and forthright stuff Elena – and I love that you’ve made such a substantial income without selling your soul in the process! I don’t need my blog to make money and I’ve always resisted spruiking stuff to try to make a few bucks – I like how you’ve managed to remain true to yourself and in the process have made quite a nice profit from it all.
My way obviously takes a little longer but like you said, I don’t have to feel like a used car salesman doing it.
Thanks Elena. As a relatively new blogger I’ve not ventured down the monetizing road yet. This has some great advice. Thanks for being so open. .
Thank you for reading!
Affiliate is my next thing to dive into. I haven’t got a clue how and where to start, there is so much rubbish on the market. I am glad to see how well it’s working for you. If I only wouldn’t hate Amazon that much, I never thought you could really make some dollars with Amazon – obviously you can!
I know this year has been hard because they decreased their commission almost by half. I could make more by searching for new affiliates through Flexoffers but that sounds like a lot of work to convert my existing links. Maybe one day when I have time. Lol
Wow Elena, that is a very helpful and inspiring post, thanks. How do you get 25,000 page views with only 460 Followers here on WordPress? One of your blogs must have a massive following!
None of my blogs have a massive following. Pinterest drives all my traffic and I work hard on that platform.
Wow, that’s interesting- I just decided to delete Pinterest, as I got sick of looking at pretty pictures, when I consider myself a writer… Maybe I’ve been hasty! Thank you for your insights
Pinterest is not a social media platform. It is a search engine just like google.