How I Made $4,612 From Blogging In October – Blogging Income Report

How I Made $4,612 From Blogging In October – Blogging Income Report

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I started this blog in 2013 for fun. I never thought I’d make any money from it. 

In 2016, I decided to take this blog seriously. It wasn’t easy. In fact, blogging has been one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had. I’m my own boss which has a lot of responsibility attached to it. I worked for free for a long time before I ever made any real money.

I’m happy I stuck it out for the long haul because I’m now a full-time blogger. I was even recently featured on Forbes for my unique story. I made $80,000 my senior year of college with blogging and side hustles.

Are you interested in starting a blog and becoming a full-time blogger?

If so, check out my FREE 7-day course that will tell you everything you need to know, including how to create your own blog from scratch, essential blogging tools successful bloggers use, how to monetize your blog, grow a loyal audience, and so much more!

Previous income reports:

How much time do you spend on your blog?

I spend around 20-30 hours a week on my blog.

When traveling, the hours tend to be all over the place.

During Fincon, I only spent maybe 5-10 hours on my blog due to being at the conference all week.

I also bought my pass for #Fincon18 in Orlando, which I’m super excited about!!

How to make money blogging

There are many ways you can make money blogging. Some of these are:

  • Sponsored posts
  • Affiliate income
  • Ad revenue
  • Creating and selling your own products

How much did you make in October of 2017?

Sponsored posts: $2,178

Affiliate Income: $859

Virtual Assistant: $900

Ad Revenue: $675

My first product: Making Sense of Sponsored Posts 

Learn everything there is to know about sponsored posts with my course Making Sense of Sponsored Posts.

Sponsored posts helped me become a full-time blogger and is my favorite way to make money blogging!

Over 600 students have taken my course so far and have landed major brand sponsorships, charged 3x what they’d usually charge, and worked with brands multiple times.

You also get access to a private mastermind group where you can ask any blogging questions and get help from me and other successful bloggers.

Take action now: Before we begin, get access to How To Send An Email Pitch To Land Sponsorships checklist. This quick checklist will help you stand out from other influencers and increase your brand sponsorships. 

Top affiliate companies

What worked

  • Creating infographics and savings plans have been a game changer for Pinterest. My most seen pin (very different from most clicked on, but regardless, great for my Pinterest profile) is a travel savings plan which has been doing amazing for months.
  • Creating a free resource library has increased my email list dramatically. People love free stuff! I add printables to this monthly, and they’re also a lot of fun to make.
  • I also created a How To Start A Blog free email course, which has done tremendously well, too. This email course is my highest converting opt-in on my blog.
  • I also decreased the number of ads that are on my blog. My website has too many ads, and I feel like this is hurting my affiliate income. No idea if this helped, but my ad income almost tripled, which is awesome!
  • My Instagram is improving! I am now posting an inspiring quote every 3rd picture, along with my fitness and travel posts. Follow me here!
  • I also added a Pinterest sidebar to my blog, which (I believe) has helped me increase my followers! You can follow me on Pinterest here.

What failed

  • I’ve been wasting too much time on Twitter. I’ve been attempting to gain traction on this platform, and it’s proving to be useless, haha. I have 4,000 followers, yet my views from Twitter are very little. I think this is because people don’t usually go on Twitter to read articles, but instead read tweets.

What I’ll be working on next month

  • I also started a free Facebook community. There are currently around 70 members, which is awesome! However, there is very little interaction between readers, and I need to work on this.
  • My affiliate marketing strategy needs some work. Though I managed to double my affiliate income this month, I still believe there is a lot of work to do in this area.
  • My digital product is finished, and now I need to create a sales page for it. Super excited about this!
  • A few of you have been telling me to create a digital product related to scoring sponsored posts. I’ve been considering this, so I might start working on it!

Blog related posts

New posts from FITnancials this month

Future Plans

  • Since I started full-time blogging, I made approximately $30,000 in the past 12 months. I’d love to double that income to $60,000 in the next 12 months. I’ve been making a steady $4-5K the past few months, so I feel good about this!
  • Work more. Yep, you heard that right! I need to work on being more productive. I’ve only been working around 20 hours a week. Although, I dedicate the entire day of Monday to school work and that burns me out pretty hard.
  • Stay above 100,000 page views. I just hit 100,000 page views last month, but I know keeping it up is going to be hard!
  • Improve my Facebook strategy. I’m stuck at 3,000 likes and would love to increase this and reach more people.

Tips To Become A Blogger:

Are you not sure where to start on creating a profitable blog? I recommend checking out this course roadmap to figure out where you should get started first!

I recommend the Pro Blogger Bundle which includes 4 of the best blogging courses. I’ve personally taken all 4 courses and they’re exactly what took me from newbie blogger to full-time business owner on Fitnancials. I was getting little page views before one of the courses called Pinterest Traffic Avalanche. Now I’m getting enough traffic from Pinterest alone to make my blog a full-time career. You learn absolutely everything you need to know to start and run a profitable blog and business. These 4 courses were created by bloggers who made $100,000+ in their first year running a health and fitness blog.

Are you not sure where to start on creating a profitable blog? I recommend checking out this course roadmap to figure out where you should get started first!

Recap

I hit over 107,000 page views this month, which is soooooo awesome!

I also just got back from Fincon. Fincon is a 4-day conference targeted to online influencers in the personal finance niche.

I met so many people that I’m going to miss SO much over the next 11 months.

If you’re in the personal finance niche, you must go to this conference.

This was a great month for me and I’m loving where the blog is headed. I also feel like I’m in such a good place mentally.

Conclusion: Start a blog that makes money

If your dream is to become a full-time blogger and start a blog, I recommend starting a blog with Bluehost.

I started this blog in college and graduated my senior year making $80,000 a year. Now, I work from home, spend time with my family and dogs, and I get to take my family on nice trips and donate to my favorite charities. 

Bluehost has 24/7 support, a money-back guarantee, and makes it as easy as possible to start a blog. 

Start a blog today for just $2.95/month with my step-by-step tutorial here. It’s easy, painless, and takes less than 20 minutes to start a blog of your own. With my link, you get a discount from $7.99/month to $2.95/month.

If you need a little more help starting your blog, I even have a free How To Start A Successful Blog quick 5-day course that shows you step-by-step what to do AFTER you started your blog. This quick course is filled with a TON of value giving you everything you need to get started the best way.

What to read next: How I Made $80,000 My Second Year Blogging Full-Time In College

What else would you like to see in my next blogging income report?

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This Post Has 19 Comments

  1. Karen

    13 Nov 2017 Reply

    Thank You, Alexis, for the very informative post! I don’t usually comment but reading your article is something I can relate to.

    I am a 51-year-old Mom who just began a food blog back in June! I can relate to Special Needs and your burnout. My teen son has Autism. So I have been there done that. He had ABA Rx for years. But you are inspiring and trying to run a blog while in school? Impressive! I am struggling with visitors to my website. One day at a time I guess. Twitter? Haven’t found it to be useful for social media at all.

    1. Alexis

      15 Nov 2017 Reply

      Oh wow, that’s so cool! Yes! It has been tough and I can’t wait to graduate so I can totally focus on my blog.

  2. Holly

    14 Nov 2017 Reply

    I just recently decided to stop bothering with Twitter (for now). I realized only like 2% of my traffic comes from Twitter and I just don’t have the bandwith to work on it right now.

    1. Alexis

      15 Nov 2017 Reply

      Yeah, same here.

  3. Lily @ The Frugal Gene

    15 Nov 2017 Reply

    Twitter is the worst place for conversions but I go on the hang out and waste my time with other blogger friends…so bad ;( I need to start being more serious.

    I totally shared this on Twitter for irony by the way 😀

    1. Alexis

      11 Feb 2018 Reply

      You are too funny! Haha

  4. Daniella

    6 Jan 2018 Reply

    Congratulations on all success you have had with this blog so far! I love this blog and can’t wait to see more from you! I have thought of doing income reports but I think my blog still may be too new. We shall see. Cheers!

    1. Alexis

      7 Jan 2018 Reply

      Thank you so much!

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  • Do you ever wonder what your life’s going to be like in 5-10 years? I love to ponder at this thought because it makes me so excited. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life now, but in 5-10 years I love thinking about the possibilities. My boyfriend graduates in a few short months and we have no idea where we are going (because we can’t stay where we because of no jobs in the area) and I think that’s so fun! Are we getting a van? Are we getting a house so we can rescue animals? Who knows! I’m looking forward to whatever happens. Where do you want to be in 10 years?
  • 2019 was an awesome year and I completed 5 important goals! This year I: 1️⃣Started my retirement accounts and will have contributed at least $25,000 by the end of the year not including my personal savings. 2️⃣Completed an entire vegan fitness challenge with @veganfitnesscom which created a long-lasting commitment to working out and eating healthy. 3️⃣Hired a life coach and worked through life-long issues I’ve had with family, myself, and my business. 4️⃣Feel less scarcity with money and give from a generous place. 5️⃣The goal I’m most proud of is bringing out my creative side and finding a love for cooking and crocheting. I’ve been wanting to learn how to do both and I can’t go a day without doing one or the other. I know a lot of people don’t believe in New Years resolutions, but they work for me! 🥳 What are your 2020 goals?
  • We recently hit 5,000 followers on Instagram and as a thank you, I’m doing a giveaway in partnership with @everydollar! I’ve been using EveryDollar for the past 12 months and it’s the only budgeting system that I 100% recommend. The winner of this giveaway is getting a 1 year premium subscription to EveryDollar AND full access to Financial Peace University. You also get to use a fun dashboard that shows you which baby step you’re on and how far you have to go. I am going through FPU right now and it is SO good! I believe there’s always room for improvement in the finance realm, which is why I love learning from different teachers. To enter, all you have to do is: 1. Follow me @fitnancials and @everydollar 2. Like this picture 3. Tag a friend who loves budgeting or wants to start budgeting! You can learn more about EveryDollar at the link in my bio! I share exactly how I use EveryDollar in my every day life to commit to a budget and save money. This giveaway ends in 5 days. Winner will be announced on Monday, December 9. — "Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's terms of use."
  • As this year comes to an end, I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve grown and how excited I am for the the future. 2019 was the year of change and getting uncomfortable. I turn 27 next year and sometimes I still can’t believe that this is my life. After I graduated high school, I didn’t think there would be much of a future for me. Just a few years later, I’m debt-free (paid off $40,000 in student loans and car loans), maxing out my retirement accounts, and running a six-figure business from home. I work less than 20 hours a week most of the time and I get to spend my time doing what I love - cooking, crocheting, and reading. Life is so good.
  • Did you know you can sell your old phone to earn money? I used to have a ton of old phones laying around the house and I wish I did this. 🤭To find out how much your old phone is worth, you can click the link in my bio and visit the “How Much Is My Phone Worth? page”. You can sell iPhones, tablets, Androids, and smartwatches. You can also buy these on Trademore’s website as well. Link in bio! @trademoremobile #ad #sellyourphoneattrademore
  • Are you looking for books to add to your reading list? I’ve read 47 books this year and my goal is 50! These are some of my favorites from 2019. When Breath Becomes Air & So Much I Want To Tell You: Letters To My Little Sister are 2 that made me ball my eyes out! I love feeling raw emotion when I read books, so I tend to like books that make me feel anger, sadness, and put me on an emotional rollercoaster. What are some of your favorite books you read in 2019? Share in the comments so I can put them on my reading list. 📖
  • For those of you that don’t know, I used to be overweight. I smoked cigarettes and drank a ton of alcohol. I was a biiiiig mess and felt sick on a regular basis. I was a totally different person than I am today. A huge part of that change is due to working out and healthy eating. I started taking care of myself and over the past 5 years have seen change that I didn’t even think would EVER be possible. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Healthy eating and exercising doesn’t have to be expensive. Here’s exactly how I eat healthy and exercise on a budget.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ 1. I went from a CrossFit membership to a $25 membership at a local gym. 24/7 access and free classes. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ 2. I use @aaptiv (which is seriously my FAVORITE app ever. I workout 4-5 per week because this app gets me so excited to workout. Aaptiv uses a virtual personal trainer that tells you exactly what to do. This includes cardio, strength training, pilates, yoga, stretching, meditation, etc. I got a 1-year membership for $50. ⁣⁣⁣(pic 3) ⁣ 3. I do my best to use a meal planner and stick to a grocery list. Without it, I’m all over the place and don’t have a plan. I have a free money-saving meal plan template you can use in my free resource library! (Link in bio).⁣⁣⁣ (pic 4) ⁣ 4. I use Walmart Grocery Pickup to save money on groceries. The employees always pick the freshest fruits and veggies so I don’t pick anything that isn’t ripe or already spoiled. I’m also not tempted to shop in the store since I’m only picking up groceries. I don’t even get out of my car. I have a link in my bio that gives you $10 toward your first Walmart Grocery Pickup purchase!⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ 5. I also love Ibotta because they have fruits and veggies cash back sometimes, and other things I buy regularly like coffee, toilet paper, and vegan meats.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I love love love working out and eating healthy. I’m always trying new recipes from vegan food bloggers and every year my boyfriend’s mom gifts me a vegan cookbook which I use as well. I also recently got the book @plantbasedonabudget — so worth it!!⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ What do you do to stay healthy and workout on a budget?⁣
  • There are so many changes coming in just a few months - it’s really weird to think about. My boyfriend is in the beginning stages of applying to jobs (he graduates with a degree in computer science in May). ⁣ ⁣ We have our eyes on Vegas as his entire family lives there (and we love Vegas), but we’re also open to anywhere. We’ve also invited my mom to live with us as I want to start taking care of her (and I miss spending time with her).⁣ ⁣ He’s got a lot of debt to pay off. If he lets me share numbers, I definitely will and update his progress as we go. He lives on so little that it makes me wonder how fast he’ll be able to do it! ⁣ ⁣ In other news, my October goals went great! I worked out 4-5 per week and I spent less than $400 on food/drinks (including restaurants and social outings). I spent $300 on fun money which included a TON of yarn (and an antique yarn caddy I bought at an antique store) as I started crocheting. ⁣ ⁣ My goal for November is to spend less than $250 on groceries and restaurant outings. I got cash for my cash envelopes yesterday and I’m cooking batch meals to make meals go longer + save money. If you have a favorite (plant-based) batch meal, please share it with me as I’m trying to come up with more recipes. ⁣ ⁣ Happy November. 🍁🍂☃️

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