Hey everyone! I have decided to start my very FIRST income report to stay on track of my success and accomplishments. It gives me a chance to reflect on the month, like what went well and what didn’t go so well. Share my trials and errors with you all.
If you’re here, you are either a new/upcoming blogger or you are interested in my success. Either way, thank you for being here and reading my story.
This is not going to be a “this is how I made a 6 figure blog” type of post, but at least you know by the end of this post that we all start somewhere! 6 figure blogs do not happen overnight. It’s about hard dedication and most of all, patience. Some of us get lucky within the first few months of blogging, while others take time.
I’ve always loved reading other blogger’s income reports and find them so inspiring!! I knew that as soon as I started to see some type of income (big or little), I would share them with you all, and here we are! Finally. ?
Starting my blog
(you can skip this part if you like)
I started my blog in January 2019. Since starting my blog, I have focused on creating a niche and learning how to increase traffic to give my blog PURPOSE. I never knew I could actually make an income until I started to see other income reports on Pinterest. Then I started to wonder how great would life be working from home, taking care of my two little ones, while making a passive income.
It wasn’t until Covid-19 when I started to focus on my blog more than ever! For those who don’t know, I am not a full-time blogger. I am a mommy of two and also work a 9-5 job. With being laid off for a few months, I’ve had plenty of time to brainstorm content and do my research to gain more traffic to my website. I’ve also realized that all of that time being home with my children and blogging has made me look at things from a different perspective. I definitely love the life of not working under any type of pressure. I’ve always disliked being on other people’s time and having to have the same routine every day.
This is a rant that can go on and on but long story short, I’ve realized that my goal is to quit my job by the fall of 2020. Will I? We will see and I will certainly keep you posted. I’ve never felt so ready to take the SM blog a step further! My main focus as a career is blogging and to be home with my children as much as I can.
As a new blogger, I understand if you feel discouraged and unmatched with other bloggers who are making 5-6 figures a year or even a month! But here I am to tell you that you can do it too. Yes, you!!
I felt that discouragement and it didn’t stop me. I took the chance the first year of blogging to learn about all of the tools I need to help me become a successful blogger and that’s probably why I didn’t generate any income last year, and that’s perfectly okay.
As long as you enjoy helping others, you like creating eye-catching content, and you love writing just in general – blogging is a great place to express your creativity.
If you would like to start a blog and make money blogging, click this link to get started!
Anyways, let’s get back to the income report. I added proof of screenshots as well.
May 2020 first income report
1 // Google Adsense: $17.14
2 // ShopStyle: $18.92
3 // Amazon Affiliates: $41.93
Total Income for May 2020: $77.99
Expenses for May 2020
1 // Canva: $13
2 // Tailwind: $28
3 // Bluehost: $10
Total Expenses for May 2020: $51
Total income profit: $26.99
Pageview Analytics
I love seeing how much the SM blog has grown in a year! My current goal is to hit 25k pageviews so that I can apply for Mediavine by the end of 2020. I feel like that is a realistic goal!!
SamoraMel: A huge thank you to those who have visited my blog and helped support it by shopping through my links. Especially those reoccurring visitors!
Pinterest // I literally average just over 19k views a day now on Pinterest. I have Tailwind and my Pinterest groups to thank for that! I currently have a pin that has gone viral on Pinterest, which is the reason for my May income!
The pin that went viral. I knew it was going to be a special post when I created it. I have been obsessing over skincare lately and decided, let’s find some dupes of the best skincare products out there using AMAZON.
Impressions: 250,000+ and growing as of June 2020
Pinned: 1,295 as of June 2020
Instagram: I’ve gained over 20 followers for just the month of May, but mind you this is an area where I need to work on. I have a total following now of 668, give or take. A lot of people enjoy the follow to unfollow. I have noticed though the more I post and create lengthy paragraphs, I’ve gained more followers. My goal is to continue to engage more and schedule Instagram posts ahead of time so that I don’t have to worry about the days I am busy.
Tools That Made This Income Possible
Tailwind: If it wasn’t for Tailwind, I don’t think my Pinterest and blog wouldn’t gain much traffic. Tailwind is an unbelievable tool where you can schedule 100+ pins a day, join tailwind tribes (we’ll talk about that in a moment), and stay up to date on your growth.
Try a month of Tailwind Plus FREE right here!
Planoly: I am currently testing this out now. It’s a really nice tool to have because it helps me visualize how my feed would look before I actually post it! I kind of gamble between this one and the creator studio from Facebook (we will talk about that next). You can schedule your post, see the calendar for months ahead of your scheduled content, and much more!
Join Planoly to easily plan, organize, and post your Instagram feed!
Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio: This is a wonderful scheduler for Instagram and I don’t see other people talking about this. So far, I like this more than Planoly. One of my favorite features of this website is when you go to schedule and add your hashtags, it gives you a list-making it easy to select and move on to the next one. Another convenient feature is “@” other brands. I don’t have to go back to Instagram to figure out their username which is so nice! You can schedule your posts whenever! See images below of using these cool features.
Trello: This is like a digital planner! I love it so much because I can list ideas of blog post topics, side hustle income, and much more! You can literally plan anything on there. It has helped keep my blog post topic in order and keep me organized.
Sign up and get organized using Trello!
Site Host: If I didn’t have this host, my blog would not exist. I have researched a few other site hosts that other bloggers recommended, but my friend said this one is worth it. I am glad I took her advice!
If you want to start a blog of your own the most important thing to do is sign up with the right host. I only use this host for my website and I love it! You can get started at just $3.95/month! If you ask me, it’s an amazing deal. Especially for those who want to start building their online business.
Canva: If it wasn’t for this website, my pins would be dull and impossible for me to create There are picmonkey and other sites, but this is the best creative marketing site out there! You can create anything you can think of. Printables, Pinterest pins, Facebook covers, invitations, so on and so forth. I do all of my designing on this site and pay for the pro membership for $12.99/month. But, it is free! So you can start free, like I did and then if you feel like its worth the investment (it is) then you can up your membership.
Join Canva today and start designing!
My personal/business goals for June 2020
- Create a month’s worth of content on Instagram.
- Create and pin at least 2-3 blog posts a week.
- Get more sponsorship opportunities.
- Create content for boxycharm/ipsy subscription boxes that I’ve received.
- 7,000 unique visitors on my website / 500 followers on Pinterest / 450,000 monthly visitors on Pinterest / Work on 1,000 subscribes on Instagram.
- Start my first campaign AD on Pinterest to create more traffic! I am actually doing this now as we speak, so wish me luck!
- Stay on track with my income reports!
Overall, I am happy about my first income report as a fairly new blogger. I know I’ve been doing this for a little of a year now but that’s working a 9-5, being a mommy/wife, and making time for this hobby I love-Blogging. It’s a lot to juggle and I am sure most mommies out there understand.
Reflecting on this income report for May 2020, I am quite proud of how much I’ve accomplished! Nothing beats the feeling of, “WOW, I can do this too. This can become a full-time career!” Yes, making less than 1,000 may not be a whole lot to people but any amount, I am beyond appreciative! This is just the beginning.
For all other new bloggers out there that are struggling, stay focused, and stay positive! You just need the right resources and the right mindset. If you have any questions email, dm my social media, or leave a comment down below. I am always happy to help.
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