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January 2017 Blogging Income Report

I cannot believe we are already one month into 2017! I’m still struggling to write the correct year on my checks. Last month I jumped into selling my own products and saw my biggest income thus far! I can really see the potential with blogging, not only as an income source but also as a wonderful way to help other overwhelmed mamas. It’s such a blessing to me to be able to share, encourage, inspire, and create with you all. And to be able to make an income while staying home with my boys. Pinch me. I still can’t believe this is real.

Why I started blogging?

About 15 months ago I decided to join in on the blogging fun because I wanted to help overwhelmed moms who were stressed by their homes and schedules. I have a passion for organization, living a clutter free life, and creating pretty spaces everywhere I possibly can! I wanted to share that with others in hopes that I would help out just one exhausted mom.

But blogging isn’t free, so as soon as the expenses started rolling in, I started trying to find a way to compensate to at least cover those expenses. What I discovered completely shocked me! People are actually making a full-time income with this blogging thing! Don’t believe me?! Check out blogging income reports here, here, and here. These bloggers are rocking it all while providing high-quality, helpful content!

So what is a blogging income report?

A blogging income report is simply the amount of money a blogger made from their blog and all of it’s side hustles in any given month. I’m writing this report to help and encourage other bloggers and to show people that you really can make an income from blogging. Plus, I need a way to hold myself accountable so I’m putting it all out there for the world to see!

If you are thinking of starting a blog, you can check out my tutorial on how you can start your very own blog here. Then head over to find all of my favorite blogging resources here.

How do bloggers actually make money?!

I’ve earned money from my blog in three ways so far. But there are several other monetizing options out there that I plan to look into in the future.

The first way I’ve monetized is through banner ads. Yes, I know they aren’t the most attractive thing, but right now they are helping me to cover the cost of actually maintaining a blog so they will stay. I’m really sorry if you find them annoying!

The second way I’m earning money is through affiliates. This is one of my favorite ways to monetize my blog because it means I get to share about some of the things I’m loving, using, and finding helpful in my life with you, my readers. It’s also a great way for me to share great deals, discount codes, or flash sales on products that you may use. I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

The very end of December I jumped into my third stream of monetizing by selling my own products! Simply Organized: 50+ Printables to Help You Get and Stay Organized was released on December 30th. I also added a second product, my budget binder printable pack the second week of January. It has also been a really nice stream of income for me.

I want to note that what started out as a hobby for me has turned into a (very) small business. While I’m beginning to make money from my blog, I also have a lot of expenses associated with it. The longer I blog, the more expenses I seem to accrue. I invest about 15-20 hours each week into blogging. It’s not a get rich quick type of thing.

There are many people who are making an amazing income from blogging. But it doesn’t happen overnight. You have to be willing to work for next to nothing in the beginning to get there. If you are considering starting a blog, make sure to find something you are truly passionate about and would be willing to work for free because you definitely will in the beginning! 🙂

I want to also share my stats in these income reports so that you can see how many visitors and page views I’m receiving to earn the income that I do.

Okay! So let’s get to the numbers!

January 2017 Blogging Income Report

Ad Networks - $475.10

Affiliates - $258.43

My Products - $964.73

Total $1698.26

Please note that these are amounts earned in January, not necessary what I received in payout. Most of these income sources are 30-90 days out on payments.

Expenses

  • Board Booster $15.00
  • Converkit $79.00
  • Lightroom Subscription $10.00
  • Gumroad $10.00
  • Instapage $29.00

Total $143.00

After Expenses

  • Income = $1698.26
  • Expenses = $143.00
  • After Expenses = $1555.26

Stats

  • Pageviews 62,261
  • Visitors 47,270
  • Unique Visitors 42,876

It’s important to compare your revenue to your stats. Most bloggers calculate a metric called RPM which simply stands for revenue per thousand page views. It’s a simple formula:

(Earnings / Pageviews) x 1000

My RPM for November 2016: $27.28

This means I earned $27.28 for every 1000 pageviews on my site. This is a little bit of a drop from last month, but I’m already seeing some big changes in my income and page views in January and can’t wait to share that next month!

Analysis

My page views were up quite a bit during the January. Unfortunately, it looks like that bump was short lived because February’s traffic is way down for me. I’m hoping to hit that magic 100,000 page views mark soon so that I can switch to a bigger ad network and in turn have a more substantial ad income.

After launching my first product, I’m totally hooked! I’ve loved hearing from you all about how my printables are helping you get organized and stay on track with your home, life, and budget!

I have a few more ideas for new products I’m hoping to launch during 2017 so stay tuned for that!

Goals Moving Forward

I want to continue to improve my stats. Moving forward I’m planning to focus on Facebook and Google+ to try and boost my traffic coming from the google search engines. I’m really focusing on building my Facebook page as well. If you haven’t yet, be sure to head over there and follow me! 🙂

I’m also planning to switch from Board Booster back to Tailwind for scheduling out my Pinterest account. I’ve enjoyed the ease of use of Board Booster, but I’ve found that Tailwind is more compatible with Pinterest. I’m planning to make the transition in February so I will keep you updated as to how this affects traffic.

I’m also looking to add some more streams of income within the next few months. I’m looking into some additional affiliate programs that I think my audience would like and I have some super-secret projects I’m working on for some awesome upcoming products for you guys!

I’m also jumping into a 4th stream of income in February with a sponsored post. I really thought and prayed about doing sponsored posts for a long time because I feel like they can really be a little “yucky” for lack of a better term. But I found an awesome company I’m working with this month and I’m seriously in LOVE with their product and can’t wait to share it with you all!

I’m wanting to continue to grow the community that I’m building through my email list! If you haven’t subscribed yet, head over here so you can get involved there! You also will gain access to my entire library of organizational printables!

Last month I launched A Simply Organized Life Facebook group. It’s a community of people who are striving for a simpler life with less clutter and more organization. If this sounds like you, make sure to come over and join!

What’s To Come on the Blog?

I have some really big plans for 2017 including an e-book, decluttering & organizing course, and possibly a digital planner in the works. I’ve been really striving to provide content and help to you, my audience, with what you are struggling with the most. It seems like we are all buried under mountains of clutter and can’t seem to figure out a way to simplify. That’s where I plan to step in and help you out!

I have a lot of organizing and decluttering posts planned for February and March including finishing up our kitchen organization series and entering into the world of toy storage! 🙂 If you haven’t already subscribed by email, make sure to do that below so you won’t miss out on all the fun.

As you can see, it takes a lot of work to earn a small amount in the beginning. But the potential is there and I truly enjoy helping others in their walk towards a more organized and clutter free life so I continue to push on! 🙂

If you are considering starting a blog, I highly recommend Abby Lawson’s book Building a Framework. You can read a full and honest review of it here.

You can find a list of all of my income reports here.

New Posts from The Simply Organized Home (December 2016):

{This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. See my disclosures here.}

If you do a monthly income report, share a link in the comments below.

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