What’s the best part of planning a wedding? Having a blog that allows for passive income while you are busy planning! This last month went by in a complete whirlwind. I’m so thankful that my blog was able to keep up despite me not getting to pay attention to it!
This month I earned $8.39 compared to last month’s $19.24! You might think, “Hey you went down!” That might be true but the key to this blog is passive income, and we achieved that.
In this post I’m going to breakdown my traffic, revenue sources, and goals. These posts keep me on track and hopefully serve as motivation for you too!
Of course to earn a passive income with a blog you need to start your own blog. Easy setup for your site can be found here: 15 Minute Quick Start to Hosting with Bluehost. Feel free to message me with any questions, I’m here to help with anything you can think to ask.
What Was Accomplished in September?
Blog Posts
Last month I was able to publish 3 blog posts
- How To Dominate Your Digital Interview
- Open Your Heart – Not Your Wallet. Keep That Jingle in Your Pocket Part 2
- Secrets To Launch Your Successful Blog in 7 Days
Views: 2,285 / 4,631 – Doubled our traffic!!!
Total Blog Views: 6,875 / 11,404
Launched Secret to Start Your Site in 7 Days
With the 7 Day Secrets, you will receive information to ensure your blog’s success. Your questions will be answered, and the mystery about starting a blog will be nonexistent. I want your blog to be a money making powerhouse, and I share all my social media tips for fast growth.
Wanting to stay home is natural, starting a blog or an online business can be natural too. If you have a business or an idea, having a self hosted site is 100% necessary for monetization. You’re leaving too much on the table if you don’t have a place where people can find you. The investment is minimal, and refundable. With hosting you have the ability to earn money just from site traffic, and you can expand into the wonderful world of affiliate marketing at anytime. Check out my quick start guide here: Start a WordPress blog with Bluehost.
Shareasale Shout Out!
Shareasale just updated their dashboard and it is fabulous! With the new and improved merchant search it’s easier than ever to find great companies to support and earn from. Shareasale also makes all of your incoming transactions very transparent! My favorites are currently: Tailwind, ModCloth, and PicMonkey. Feel free to click the links if you’re looking to join a new affiliate network.
So What Happened To Convertkit?
Honestly, I couldn’t justify the cost after my free trial was over. I want the blog to be more profitable before I invest money into marketing. With my current email program, Sumo I am able to create email templates, do A/B testing, and create 5 different popup types, all for free. Convertkit is amazing, but I’m going to grow my subscriber list more before I delve into that. If you are looking for a free place to grow your subscriber list I highly suggest Sumo.
Social Media Goals:
- Pinterest Goal 1,400. Failed! From 1,181 to 1,392 followers! Amazing! I’m not disappointed at all. Every month we grow and we got so close! I had less time to share this month,, and Tailwind saved my bacon with automated pinning. It’s so important to consistently share. My fails this month directly correlate with sharing less. Follow me on Pinterest and feel free to message me at anytime with Pinterest questions. If you would like to join my Connect and Share Group Board you can do so here. It’s an active board with great repin rates, use it to grow your own following. My goal is to reach 1,475 followers this month.
- Instagram Goal 450. Failed! I went from 357 to 401 lovely followers on Instagram. Missing this goal was not surprising and it was my fault. Use the lesson for yourself! It absolutely shows you how important it is to consistently share. Let’s try this again! This month I hope to actually get my count up to 450. I always follow back. Find me on Instagram here: Instagram.
- Twitter. Goal 310. Failed! I went from 221 to 247 followers. Twitter has been a great source of traffic, and a reshare can be worth it’s weight in gold. My goal will be to hit 310 for October. Find me on Twitter (I love retweeting content.)
- Facebook Page Follows. Goal 125. Accomplished! From 165 to 279 follows. How did that happen? I really have to credit facebook success to facebook groups and pages! Feel free to join mine here: Facebook Page. Explore FB pages as a source for new readers and people you can support. If I reach 375 for October I will be elated!
- Blog Subscribers. Goal 100. Accomplished! From 65 to 132 subscribers. I’ll be sending out blog interview questions to help my subscribers promote their own blogs for free. This will help to establish more back links for any bloggers looking to up their SEO and page views. I would love to get up to 210 subscribers for October.
Having time for social media is one of the MOST IMPORTANT parts of blogging.
You should be sharing WAY MORE than you are writing. Great content is 100% necessary, but that won’t matter if no one sees it. I have a very aggressive social media sharing strategy. Find it here The Social Media Scorecard to blast your accounts!
Blog Goals
- Share 5 Blog Posts Total. Failed! I shared 4 in total this month! Despite that, it was an exciting month and I received more views than ever before. Without Tailwind I could never, ever share as much on Pinterest as I currently do. Pinterest is going to be a huge part of your traffic while you gain your individual following. Nurse it as often as possible. Share other pinner’s pins more than your own, that’s the key to success.
- Create a Blogging Guide. Success! Sharing Secrets to Starting Your Blog in 7 Days is something that I aimed to do for the last 4 months. Don’t let your time get away from you. When you are creating a guide make sure to outline everything you want to write. It makes things infinitely easier, and will keep you on task and motivated.
- Questionnaire for My Subscribers to Share. Failed! This is partially created, and I hope to share it soon. A lot of us are blogging and I want to provide a space for you guys to share your work and products. Please feel free to message me or subscribe to the blog if you’re already interested.
- Combine all Blogging Printables to Offer a Comprehensive Pack. Success! In my Secrets to Blogging Success in 7 Days I offer all of the blogging printables. Get yours now by subscribing it includes my special Scorecard to blast your social media with a very aggressive sharing strategy.
- Engage With My Tailwind Tribe. Accomplished! Utilize the program in a completely free way with tribes! Tribes are a free place for you to post your pins, but need an invite much like a groupboard on pinterest. Go right here: Promote Your Blog- The Rising Damsel Tribe for your invite. Tribes will always be free, but if you do join Tailwind you will get a free month through my link.
Blog Income Breakdown
- Chitika: $2.3319
- TrustedHouseSitters: $.50 With trusted housesitters you can stay anywhere in the entire world FOR FREE as an international petsitter! Check out the cute animals who need friends while their owners travel by going here. Trustedhousesitters is a great way to see the world, and you can google and research the surrounding area for tons of local exploration and an authentic experience.
- Ebates: $1.98 I love ebates because of how easy it is to save money. Just add the browser extension and easily cruise for discounts. I check ebates before I buy anything.
- Shareasale Tailwind Sign Up: $.50 My favorite Shareasale affiliates are: Tailwind, ModCloth, PicMonkey, and StudioPress by Copyblogger. Shareasale has so many brands that I trust and support.
- Ibotta Sign Up: $5.00 Ibotta is an incredibly easy way to save money on products that you are already going to buy. Easily earn coupons through quick quizes or snap your receipts to save.
$8.31!!!
October Goals
- Share Consistently. Planning a small wedding is infinitely less time consuming than a big one. Nevertheless I was a bit of a slacker on the social media front this month and boy did it show.
- Post 5 Instagram Pictures.
- Continue to research promoted opportunities.
- Create Email Templates. With the success of starting my subscriber list, it’s time to start using it! It’s my goal this month to reach out to my subscribers at least twice per month.
- Continue to Reach Out for Guest Posting Opportunities. Reaching out to more successful bloggers can be intimidating, but it’s exactly what we all need to do in order to grow our reach.
Final Thoughts
Starting a blog was the best thing that I ever did for myself! I hope to inspire you to find your own creative outlet and become financially independent. If you’re ready to jump into blogging I suggest you read my post Start a WordPress blog with Bluehost. It will walk you through an easy setup, and as always feel free to message me, I’m happy to help! For $3.95 a month with Bluehost you can take the next step to starting something great.
Would you like some lifestyle tips before you go? You’ll love these!
Have you made any steps toward change recently? Let me know so I can cheer you on! Every step is a step towards financial independence and we are all worth it.
Be sure and pin this post if you found it helpful! I would love it if you subscribed to the blog in the right column or pinned this for your friends!
When you Subscribe to The Rising Damsel, you will get access to The Rising Damsel’s Library and the exclusive Social Media Scorecard! It’s the only one of it’s kind to help you track all your social media in one place. Learn more about it in this post: Skyrocket Your Traffic Using The Ultimate Social Media Scorecard. Take all the mystery and struggle away when you share enough!
Find The Rising Damsel on Pinterest! You can also subscribe for future free printables, and exclusive content using the ‘Subscribe’ button in the right column.
Join my Facebook Group Connect and Share for Success. I’d love to help spread your content. If you are looking for a free Tailwind Tribe try The Rising Damsel’s brand new one: Promote Your Blog – A Rising Damsel Tribe. Much Love!! Together we will be great!
Questions and comments are always welcome. I really hope this post inspired you.
My Go-To Resources
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing to earn money blogging. There are tons of ways to make money on your blog. If you want to make money by promoting an affiliate, you need Michelle’s course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. It was an invaluable resource to me despite 1,000+ hours of research on how to earn. The money didn’t actually start coming in till I took this course. Save yourself from frustration, Michelle has it figured out for us.
Ebates Coupons deals and cash back. When you’re shopping online if you aren’t stacking your savings, you’re losing serious money. Get rebates from 1%-20%+ on thousands of stores and get $10.00 for signing up. I won’t shop without Ebates.
Swagbucks Use my link to get $5.00 just for signing up. With Swagbucks you can browse the app, watch videos, take surveys, and play games to earn. Swagbucks pays out in gift cards which makes it really easy to collect your earnings. *Protip* Best way to spend your Swagbucks is on a $5.00 Amazon gift cards they are only 450 points, and cheaper in comparison to other offers. (Personal savings and a great affiliate program).
Ibotta! I save on all my staples from eggs, to paper towels, to coffee and even uber rides! With Ibotta you just snap a picture of your shopping receipt and match it with current deals available online. Get $10 just for signing up through The Rising Damsel. Redeem your first $10 by verifying a purchase from any of their stores. It’s an obsession.
