September flew by so fast!
I was so busy with my day job, my freelance clients, and just regular life stuff like grocery shopping (fo realz) that I can’t even believe it’s October already. Geez.
But, I am pretty proud of the fact that September was my highest earning month so far in my little biz! I made $3,422.83 through my blog and freelance writing services. WOO!
This month I tried a few new things.
I earned some affiliate income (a grand total of $8.71 thankyouverymuch!), by promoting my genuine love of email marketing software ConvertKit.
I also earned ONE PENNY from Tailwind. I am not even sure how that’s possible. What did someone do for a penny?! I have no idea. But… thanks, random stranger.
This month I didn’t get as much done as I wanted to. I focused almost exclusively on client work and not my own big ideas, which was disappointing. But that’s how life goes sometimes!
I did get a chance to outline and start creating my upcoming course that I am SO EXCITED about. It’s called Blog SEO Bootcamp and dives into all the nerdy stuff I’ve learned in over 6 years of working at content marketing agencies, and through this blog.
I AM PUMPED to share it with the world. When it’s ready in like, 2020. 🙄
K but seriously, I plan to work on it over the next few months and unveil it either late this year, or early 2018.
Anyway, let’s dive into September’s numbers and stats in detail!
Income
- Freelance writing clients: $3,414.12
- ConvertKit: $8.70 🙌🏼
- Tailwind: $0.01 (YES REALLY)
Total Gross Income: $3,422.83
I recently had a comment asking about how I get my freelance clients and what sort of work I do. I plan to cover this in an upcoming post, but the short version is that I do freelance writing/blogging for marketing and software companies, focusing on list building and conversions. 🤓
aka. Nerd Stuff.
Expenses
- ConvertKit: $29
- BoardBooster: $10
- Tailwind: $15
- Leadpages: $37 (I really need to get on dat annual plan, stat.)
- G Suite: $10
- Ads: $50 (I experimented with Pinterest ads this month, more on that later!)
- SmarterQueue: $19.99
- Bank Fees (dang PayPal): $117.22
- Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course (highly recommended!): $197
Total Expenses: $485.21
Net Income: $2,937.62
So, I made almost the same net income as last month as I had some more expenses this month.
I also decided to invest in some education and take Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s class, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.
At first I thought the class was a bit too basic for me, but I actually learned a lot in the later modules. I’ll write a review about it another time, but what more can I say than it works? I did make $8.71 in affiliate income this month for the first time ever, right?! (Gotta start somewhere.)
One of my regular clients slowed down a bit, so that impacted my income a bit, too.
Please keep in mind that the “net” amount I write above does not include deductions like income tax (which is about 30-40%!).
Net income is NOT the same as PROFIT!
Here’s an idea of how my income has changed over time! I started blogging in February 2016, for reference, and started freelancing in March 2017.
Traffic Stats
Here are my traffic stats for September.
I had about 45% growth in sessions from August, so that was awesome to see!
I was pretty good about promoting my blog in Facebook Groups and other places for most of the month, but petered out by the end of the month. Whoops.
If you want to take a deep dive into Google Analytics and how to use it, I’ve got a post for that right over here.
Goals for October
Last month’s goals:
- Earn $3,500
- Publish 3 new blog posts
Bah. I kinda failed both… although, I’m gonna count my $3,422 because that’s ALMOST $3,500. C’mon.
And, I published 2 blog posts instead of 3… still pretty good.
In October I want to…
- Earn $3,500
- Get 3 modules of my course done
- Unveil a BIG NEW FREEBIE I’ve been working on, exclusively for my subscribers ❤️
- And, lose 5lbs
Working so much on my computer lately has definitely made an impact on my waistline.
Funny/embarrassing story: For the past few months, it’s been hard to get my wedding ring on every morning. Clearly because I’m gaining weight and my fingers are swelling, but still, I would force it on every morning.
Fast forward to last week when it was REALLY TOUGH to get on… I am pushing it and pushing it on and then suddenly CRACK.
YAH. I accidentally flipped my finger all the way back and, I think, sprained it? I don’t know. But it’s all swollen and purple and… not great.
#FAIL
So yep, some more dog walks need to be in the mix this month as we enter mashed potato season.
One of my favourite ways to walk is listening to a podcast too. I have been obsessing over Abagail and Emylee’s Strategy Hour podcast for awhile now. It’s definitely an inspirational and educational listen for bloggers in all sorts of niches.
What About You?
Do you have a blog? What are some of your goals for the next month? How are you taking action to achieve them?
Share with me in the comments! ❤️
Free Blogging Resource Library This Way ??
Woah congrats! I dream of earning that much in a month from my blog/services…maybe one day haha 🙂
Thanks, Isabelle! It is totally possible. I wanted to share my income reports because they inspired me so much when I was new to blogging (well, I still sort of am, but REALLY new!). I thought it was out of reach for me, but with a few months of hard work, it’s paying off already. 🙂
We have earned less than a dollar from Amazon, not sure but think it is 30 cents. They are holding it and will send a check when we reach a dollar. lol
Lol! Well hey, any amount is a good start, whether it’s my 0.01 or your 30 cents! 🙂 Gotta start somewhere!
Congrats on earning $3500. You’re crushing it. I need to look into ConvertKit. I didn’t know you could earn money from TailWind. I use it but don’t do too much with it. Thanks for recommending that poscast. I’m going to check it out.
Hi Julie! Thank you so much! Yeah, ConvertKit is really great. I switched to it about 6 months ago after I saw so many bloggers raving about it, but have taken until now to really get into the advanced features of it and use it a lot. I just love how easy it is!
To be honest, I didn’t know you could earn money from Tailwind either. I have no idea how I earned a cent, lol. I love the Tribes feature of Tailwind.
Thanks for your comment 🙂
Hey congrats on the success you’ve had with your blog. I personally run a car review blog and I’m looking to start another blog once the car review site brings in atleast $100 in a month. I’ve $3.59 with it so far from Amazon. Thanks for sharing
Hi! Thank you! That’s awesome progress with your car review blog already, and a good idea to diversify your income with a 2nd (or 3rd, 4th lol) blog too. 🙂
love seeing income reports! as a new blogger it’s great to see what other bloggers are doing and how they are monetizing their blog. thanks for this!
Hi Alexa, thanks for the comment! I love reading them too. It’s what first made me realize I could monetize my marketing experience and knowledge with a blog. I had no idea! I started blogging for fun originally and have since realized how to turn it into a business (freelancing + this blog). It’s so fun, and I can’t believe my “favourite hobby” is a “real job” too. 🙂 Good luck with your blog!
This is fantastic! I struggle to focus on the best plan and this gives me some guidance. Thanks!
Thanks, Sam! Yeah it can be hard to focus on things, I have that problem too. 🙂
Thats so awesome! I’ve heard great things about that course!
Hi Neely – yes, I had the course in my mind for a few months before taking the plunge and buying it, and it is really good. A lot of the value comes from just having a clear action plan laid out for you, step by step. Really helpful. I bought it on a 20% off sale a month or so ago, so watch out for the next sale if you want it. 🙂
That’s great you’re earning so much with your freelance work.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Thank you, Lauren! Yes, it’s been a busy few months but profitable ones for sure. 🙂
Hey Katja – ooh maybe! If so, thanks for all that traffic and for sharing my post – you rock!
Hey Lisa! Thanks for the comment! I remember your Facebook group post a few weeks ago saying you quit your job to blog full-time, congrats on that again!!
Yeah, for me it’s balancing my day job, freelancing, this blog and creating a course right now… too much to do! I’m hoping for a beta launch in November, and then see how it goes after that, and maybe add on some more content. I haven’t done a course before so it will be an experiment. 🙂
Thank you for this! I want to transition to blogging and freelancing eventually, so this is super helpful.
Hi Nikki, what sort of freelance work do you do? It’s totally possible to earn a livable income blogging and freelancing, though takes a little time to get started. 🙂
Hi Michelle,
I would love to get into freelance writing – lifestyle, marketing, tech, comedy. Even screenwriting or sketch would be great eventually.
This is awesome! Way to go!
Thank you, Taylor!!
Hahaha I think we just became best friends! That gif made me snort my coffee so thanks for that! Found you from Michelle’s Affiliate course and congrats on that penny from Tailwind! We all start at zero right?! Looking forward to seeing how your October goes… you got this lady!
LOL, whenever anyone says that, I always think of Stepbrothers. Glad I could make you snort your coffee. 🙂 Totally, all start at zero! I actually just earned a $50 sale in October so far, which is so nice to see! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
I had to laugh at the penny. Sometimes those small payouts re the most meaningful. I remember when I made my first 10 cents from shop style collective. Man you would have thought I’d won the lotto:)
Totally true! I was so excited to see it, even if it was only a penny. It’s a start! 🙂
Hey, every cent counts! I don’t make much on my blog. I just don’t know how!
Hi Shannon! There are many ways to make money with a blog, like affiliate marketing or creating your own products. It can take awhile to start bringing in results, though. 🙂
Congrats, that’s a great income report! I’ve been acquiring some new freelance writing clients over the past month which is always a great boost. Now that I’ve got those new clients and I feel more secure in my income I’m wanting to focus more this upcoming month on some of my creative writing projects.
Thanks for your comment, Nellwyn! Yes, it is nice once you hit a level that’s secure so you know you can pay the bills, and devote some free time to passion projects. Good luck with your creative writing this month. 🙂
ok, first of all I have to say: i love your writing style! Very nice!
Secondly tho, I’m confused: the title say: made xxx amount blogging but it’s actually freelancing? Good job on doing that, but to me it’s not the same thing… is it? Or do you see your blog as a vessel to attract your freelance clients so helping you in earning this amount?
Loved this post, both informative and personal. I hoping to start making money off my blog, create a product and obviously increase subscribers!! ininterested in learning more about freelance writing or guest posts.
Congrats on the nearly $3,500, Michelle! I’ll have been blogging once a week for 6 months on Oct. 19th and I’ve made around $55 and that isn’t even what I’ve actually been paid, just what I’ve made from my Amazon affiliate links, which is all I’m using since that’s pretty much where I buy almost everything for myself and my animals, so those are the products I recommend.
I’ve been taking in dumped and abandoned cats and dogs near me for nearly 20 years and in addition to wanting to warn other pet owners about how I needlessly lost two of my dogs to avoidable circumstances, I’ve got a lot of stories/warnings/health advice to share, so that’s why I started my blog. The idea of making money was a bonus, but I had no idea how time consuming writing and promoting would be. With currently 10 cats and dogs total, I need to make approximately $3,012 per month so I can afford the best foods, treats, a full-time ball thrower for one of the dogs, some extra cat petters, alcohol for me, etc., etc. I’ve pulled more all-nighters and drank more caffeinated beverages this past 6 months than I have my entire life. My blogging goal is to not die and keep plugging away until I can hopefully get it making more money as I look for another source of income in the meantime.
I do find that at least half or more of my visitors are using their cell phones, which seems to make it more difficult to get people to click on links (making them leave the article). What are your thoughts on that and how does one work with that? I’m a 20/7/365 laptop user myself, so I can’t relate to doing everything on my cell phone like so many others do. It’s kind of disheartening to get 100 clicks on your links and only one small sale (so far this month). Maybe I’m just impatient and should just accept the fact that aluminum can collection is in my future, but your experience, thoughts, etc. would be appreciated.
As a newbie blogger it’s so inspirational to read this post. I would love to earn a modest income from my blog, so I’ll be sure to check out the courses you mention.
You’re doing wonderfully! I’d love to speak with you or find info about the freelance writing. Would love if we could chat and I could get your mentorship on that! thefrostedpettcoat@gmail.com
That is amazing! I’m hoping to get to that point in my future! Congratulations!