How I Made $115.29 My 16th Month Blogging

Hey loves! If you’ve been following my Income Report journey then you know that I haven’t wrote a report since last September! 😳 Crazy I know! But I want to let you know that although I haven’t been blogging on my monthly income, does not mean I haven’t been making money on my baby blog. It just means that my personal life took over and I had to step away from blogging for a little bit. I explain it all in my blog post Love, Life, and Blogging. If you want to know how I got back on my blogging game like a boss, then you will definitely want to check out my blog post on How to Stay Motivated After a Blogging Hiatus.

**This page contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you purchase something from this page, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you**

Per usual with this income report I plan on keeping it real. There will be no sugar coating it, I am the most blunt and honest when I talk to you about my income. I’m giving you my honest journey and EXACTLY how I made my money. As a new blogger you are looking for any motivation to make you stick with writing. Well at least that was me when I first started my journey. Rather it’s getting enough views on your new blog post, getting real comments from your readers, because those bots can be extremely aggravating, or even making money, can be the motivation! The very reason you decide to stick with blogging. Whatever the case maybe, you have to figure out the WHY behind your blog, you know, why you created it.

Let’s Catch Up

Just incase you are one of my newbies, I always want to share my journey since my first month of blogging. I honestly feel like my first income report REALLY gives you the RAW version on how it was to become a new blogger. It allows you to decide if this is really something you want to do. Blogging isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. So let’s see how I got to where I am today.

Prior Income Reports

• 1st Month – How I Made 91 Cents In My First Month Blogging
• 2nd Month – How I made $42 My Second Month Blogging
• 3rd Month – How I Made $44.82 My Third Month Blogging
• 4th Month – How I Made $59.65 My Fourth Month Blogging
• 5th Month – How I Made $25.66 My Fifth Month Blogging
• 6th Month – How I Made $15.23 My Sixth Month Blogging
• 7th Month – How I Made $29.67 My Seventh Month Blogging
• 8th Month – How I Made $1.15 My Eighth Month Blogging

The Ugly Truth

I’ve been blogging now for a little over a year and I’ve had some high’s and some lows. But let’s get real, that’s LIFE. When you’re a new blogger it’s hard to know if you’re doing a good job when you barely get any views and/or comments. I don’t think a lot of non-bloggers understand that comments mean to world to us. It allows us to see what our readers (aka you) like about our post and possibly what you would like to see more of on our platform.

I could get a hundred views a day, and out of those views I might have one comment. That sounds terrible right? To know that you have people actually on your website reading your amazing post and no comments to gauge whether your post was really amazing or it sucked. That’s why finding your audience is so important. Figure out your niche, what you want to talk about and make it yours! You also have to find your blogging community. This is so important for a new blogger. And just in case you are trying to figure out how to do this, check out my post on Find Your Blogging Community. In this post I give you twelve amazing blogging communities that I am apart of that can help you figure out if you’re crushing this blogging gig or maybe need to rethink this journey. 😁

What Worked and What Didn’t

I always find that my viewers like to know what worked for me and what didn’t. If your new or just starting out it’s important to know how to promote your website and it’s always good to see which social media platform is working for all the successful bloggers in the world. Please believe that the more post you write in a month, the better. The less you write the lower your viewer count might be especially if you don’t have a lot of material posted yet.

Facebook

Since coming back from my blogging hiatus I have really used my facebook groups to get me back on the right side of things. All of my Facebook groups are very supportive and they love to encourage you, comment on your blog post, or even like your Instagram picture. Which is exactly what you need when you have a brand new post that is in need of some loving. My personal Facebook page is vnewtondesigns definitely check me out and like my page while you’re there. If you would like to join some of these Facebook groups check out my blog post on Find Your Blogging Community as I mentioned before. So of course Facebook worked for me this month.

Pinterest

So I’ve had a love hate relationship in the past with Pinterest. I’m referring to that one time when Pinterest blocked me for a week! I literally almost quit blogging because of it. Most of my referral traffic comes from Pinterest and once the light at the end of the tunnel started getting dim I almost said 🤬 it and deleted my entire site. 😂 Let’s just say I was in a very dark and panicky place at that time. If you want the full scoop of my experience check out my post on Pinterest Blocked My Site.

But like I’ve said in the past Pinterest is my best friend, my number one supporter especially when I’m not writing back to back blog post. I can alway count on Pinterest to continuously circulate my post for me. Which in return equates to views on my site. You gotta love when a social site works for you instead of against you! So for the month of May Pinterest definitely worked for me.

Instagram

If you know me then you know I’m not big on Instagram. I’m more of a viewer than a poster, but with a business you can’t have that mentality. You have to become a boss and post like it’s your job. Having a social media presence on a platform like instagram can be VERY beneficial for some. Personally my business instagram never really took off because I couldn’t post three to four times a day. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I actually work two jobs 😂 , so with that being said I never really got my following up, or my likes for that matter.

Since my return back into the blogging world I am trying to give this Instagram posting another try. Currently I’m trying to figure out a theme for my page. I also want to start following people that have some substance. Like some, I joined some loops that really jacked up my algorithm and it had me following people I have no interest in all in seeing on my feed. The pressure to have a lot of followers.🙄

Take it from me ladies and gentlemen DON’T DO IT. Learn from my mistakes. Most of those loops are full of people who only want to gain more followers. Half of which will only follow you to turn right back around and unfollow you. Or even worse, they follow you but never like or comment on one of your pictures. What a total waste right? All in all I would say that Instagram did not work for me this month but if you would like to keep tabs on how my page is doing definitely follow me.

Twitter

Nothing has changed here for the most part. Twitter and I are still trying to become best friends. I have upgraded my use of Twitter. You should be very proud of me. I use to only use it to post my new material, now I’m following more people and actually interacting with other bloggers! Look at me moving up in the twitter world! If you would like to follow me you can do so here. I will say that Twitter didn’t really work for me this month but I think I’ll keep it around a tad bit longer. Just like anything the more active you are the better the response.

Tumblr

Absolutely nothing has changed when it comes to Tumblr. I still have no idea how to really use Tumblr and trying to figure it out is still not on my to-do list in any shape or fashion. I still post to Tumblr but only because I have a plugin installed that makes it easy to post to Twitter and Tumblr at the same time. If it wasn’t for my plugin Tumblr would be nonexistent in my eyes. So with that being said, Tumblr is still not my number one supporter. But that’s not to say it won’t work for you. If you are an avid Tumblr user PLEASE reach out to me and let me know how it’s working for you. I might have to put more time into it.

The Secret Tribe

Since coming back from my blogging hiatus I have made a conscious effort to be MORE active in this group. I am now the primary Host of the group so I try to make sure that I check in and make sure all the new members feel welcomed! I think I’m doing a pretty good job of staying true to my word. Now I’m in no way saying that I haven’t slacked off! I have and I am a work in progress. I will definitely make it my goal to do better next month. So with that being said if you ever want to check this group out click this link and tell them Vee sent you!  You might as well take a peek, it’s FREE! P.S. This group always works for me.

Let’s Talk Affiliates and Monetization

Well before I talk about my affiliates you have to understand what affiliate marketing is. Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts. – Wikipedia.

When you start becoming an affiliate and/or monetizing your blog your will have ads and/or products that you promote on your blog that have some type of monetary value to you. If you choose to monetize your blog I suggest that you choose products or ads that you yourself use or at least know about. Your viewers trust your judgement so they will more than likely trust the products you sell and/or advertise as well.

Squirrly

I want to let you in on a great wordpress plugin. I’ve been using this WordPress plugin called Squirrly for almost a year now. I made it a point not to mention it until I figured out rather or not it was a good plugin/investment for my readers. At first, like any new blogger I had no idea what they heck I was doing with this plugin. I literally installed it and prayed it knew what to do on my platform. But per usual my blogging mentor Morgan got me right! Best plugin I could’ve installed yet!

Just like any plugin or app with every update the plug-in has more features and enhancements to make your blog a beast. The one thing that I loved about this plugin is seeing SEO results! I mean people could actually Google something that pertained to what I had mention on my blog and find me. That’s right, my baby blog Designs by Vee is on the map people!! If you want to get your SEO game up definitely check into this plugin. Super easy to use and it has great recommendations for your website. Just like any plugin there is a FREE version and a paid version. I don’t know your pockets but I’m doing FREE all day. Until my baby blog starts walking. 😂

Tailwind

I love tailwind, first and foremost wanted to put that out there. Everytime I use them my Pinterest pins get shared hundreds of times. It’s definitely a must-have for every blogger. Not only do I use this personally but I am also an affiliate for the program. Usually I am able to make at least $15 off of people signing up and also purchasing Tailwind to help ease their efforts of posting on social media as frequently. This month I haven’t snagged a sale but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen again next month so I still have to advise all my Boss Bloggers of the benefits!

It is soo easy to promote Tailwind because it seriously promotes itself. Which is why I consistently preach the benefits of this automated system that has made being a blogger so damn easy for me. Just in case you’ve never heard of this amazing tool let me give you a quick run down, I’m going to break down how Tailwind will change your life forever!!

What is Tailwind?

Tailwind is the smartest way to manage your presence across the visual web (Pinterest & Instagram). Tailwind is an official partner of both Pinterest and Instagram and offers a complete suite of marketing tools including Smart Scheduling, Analytics & Monitoring, Content Discovery, Promotion, and more. Keep in mind a LOT of other scheduling apps and bots are NOT and OFFICIAL partner with Instagram and therefore their activity can severely damage your account. Tailwind is one THE only approved app that I’m aware of that will not get you in trouble with Instagram.

ShareASale

If you’ve read my previous income reports you will notice that I usually don’t say too much about ShareASale because I typically don’t make any money from this affiliate. That is not the case for this month. I made $100 using ShareASale so it’s definitely worth checking out! You just have to have patience and make sure you are promoting.

Google AdSense for the Month of May

So a quick breakdown on what Google Adsense is. It’s a way to earn money with website monetization from Google AdSense. They optimize your ad sizes to give you more of a chance for the ad to be seen and clicked.

A quick breakdown of what you are looking at right now. In the month of May I had 1 Google Ad clicks which amounted to $.29 cents. Now keep in mind this is not money that has been paid out to me yet. With Google Adsense you have to reach $100 in order to receive payment. This is why the more exposure to your blog the better. You have a higher chance of getting paid for all your Google Ad Clicks.

Designer For Hire

Designer for Hire is my own business that I started a while back when some of my blogger friends were struggling to get there pinterest images noticed. Everyone use to always compliment me on my designs and said they would pay me to design Instagram and Pinterest post for them. Next thing you know I had new clients coming in every month, until I didn’t.😂🤷🏾‍♀️ I did make a profit off of my business this month but I don’t promote this business nearly as much as I should. I actually thought about removing my services altogether.

One because there demand doesn’t seem to be there anymore and I just didn’t have as much time. You know with my two jobs and all. But now that we’re working through a pandemic I figure I might want to revamp my Designer for Hire page and actually do more promoting. What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger right? I think the hardest part about starting an online business is getting your viewers to TRUST you and the product you plan on providing.

Previous Income Reports

• January 2019: 91 cents
• February 2019: $42
• March 2019: $44.82
• April 2019: $59.65
• May 2019: $25.66
• June 2019: $15.23
• July 2019: $29.67
• August 2019: $1.15

May Income Report Breakdown

• Google AdSense – $.29
• ShareASale – $100.00
• Designer for Hire – $15.00

TOTAL: $115.29

Traffic Breakdown

The way I measure my traffic breakdown is through Google Analytics. Google Analytics lets you measure your advertising ROI as well as track your Flash, video, and social networking sites and applications.

So in the month of May I have a total of 432 users. Out of the 432 people 420 were new to my website. Now out of the total of 432 users I was able to hit a total of 702 page views. Which is terrible for a blogger who has been doing this over a year. Do you see what happens when you take a blogging hiatus?You get out what you put in, and clearly I need to put in a lot more work!

Out of those 702 page views my users stayed at least one minute and nineteen seconds. So that’s telling me that you my viewers (ie. you) are actually taking the time to read my post! As always, the goal is to have viewers/users stay on your page for at LEAST one minute in order to lower your bounce rate from other users who come to get cliff notes. So Thank you in advance if you have made it this far in the post. Giving me a whole minute of your time is greatly appreciated. 🎉🎊🎉

My Blogging Schedule for May

Schedules in theory sounds great but we are human and sometimes we fall short. Well this month I I did better than I thought in some areas. But the goal is to always do better in the coming months, but just for the heck of it, here is what my schedule looked like for the month of May.

Blog Post

Per usual my goal for my Blog Post is to always post at least twice a month. I ended the month with 3 blog post! Yasss ladies and gentlemen I killed it and didn’t even know it!

Motivational Quotes

For the month of May, I was able to get one motivation quote out. Not my best work but it’s an improvement and it’s still better than nothing. 😁

Interior Design

Typically I like to get at least one post in a most for my Interior Design section and I accomplished that goal this month! Yay me!

Goals for June

I like to put down what my goals are for the following month so I can compare how good I may be doing or how terrible the month is going based on where my numbers are for each category. So if you want to stay on top of your blog, the best thing to do is to create monthly goals. You might not cross all of them off but the idea is to crush each and every one.

Designs By Vee Goals

• Page Views: 3,000
• Blog Post: 2
• Motivational Quotes: 2
• Interior Design Post: 1

My Social Media Goals For June

• Get my Pinterest followers up to 1,000
• Facebook likes to 160
• Instagram followers to 1,500
• Twitter followers to 100
• Tumblr followers to 10

Affiliates Goals

All my goals for my affiliates will remain the same for August. I promise one of these days I’ll be able to change them. My baby blog is on it’s way to a major glow up, I can feel it!

ShareaSale
Make at least 5 affiliated sales

Google Adsense 
Make at least $5

Designer for Hire
Get 6 more clients for the month.

My Top Pin For The Month Of May

Before You Go

I want you to know that you are an amazing soul and your voice needs to be heard. No matter if it’s on a blog post, social media, text message or marching for a cause, you let your voice be heard. Don’t let a few setbacks break you, or make you. There is always time for a change and to make better decisions then the day before. Take advantage of the time you have now and get motivated. Stay on top of yourself and hold yourself accountable!

You never know, the post you write today could saves someone life tomorrow. I was honestly going to stop writing income reports and then I got such a touching comment on my last income report that it motivated to write this one. This is what the comment said:

Hey, just saw your post on Pinterest from where I landed on this page, just wanna tell you don’t give up. You write amazing articles with transparency. Please keep up the good work coming.

Samuel

Remember earlier when I said that a lot of non-bloggers don’t understand how important it is to leave a simple comment?! This comment allowed me to push through and dish out this post that you have before you. I can’t say that with or without the comment this blog post would have still happened. I just know that my sixteenth income blogging report happened partly because of Samuel. Find your Samuel and get posting. I can’t wait to read your next masterpiece.

**This page contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you purchase something from this page, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you**

Join My Tribe!

I have created a Brand New Tribe on Tailwind  called Bosses on a Mission. If you would like to join please click the link. It cost you nothing to promote yourself and I would love to Build a Friendship through design. This is a Pinterest focused group where you can pin your own content for other members to share. The more re-pins the better right? Come join the rest of the Bosses and let’s Build Your Brand today!