Welcome to April’s online income report where I show you how I made money online last month. It’s time to look at this month’s update and track how I did.
If you’re new here, you may be wondering why I would want to publish my income report each month. You can simply skip to the next section if you’re not new here.
This all started out as my extra income report because in the beginning it was all about the money I was earning from my side jobs. In my side income reports from the beginning, I included all of the income I made except for what I made at my day job.
However, I left my day job as a financial analyst in October of 2013 and now my monthly income reports consist of the many ways I earn a living.
Many have asked why I would ever want to publicly post my income each month. Some think I’m crazy, whereas some are glad I’m open about what I’m doing. Whatever you think, I enjoy publishing my monthly online income reports and I share them publicly for three main reasons:
Before I started blogging, I knew nothing about side hustling and making money online. I didn’t think side jobs were worth the effort and I thought the only way to significantly increase your income was through raises at your full-time job. If it weren’t for others publishing their monthly income reports, I don’t know if I would have ever tried side hustling. I want to help show others the positives in side hustling and how it can change a person’s life. There are many different ways to make money online, and I like to share my story each month to help motivate others to improve their financial situation by making more money.
Secondly, I like to publish my income reports because it’s a way for me to look back, learn from my mistakes and actually see what areas need improvement. I use my monthly income reports as a way to track how I’ve done and I treat it sort of like a journal.
Lastly, I like to show others that making side money is possible and that there are many legitimate ways to make money from your home. If you are looking for information on the many ways to make money online, I published the article Monthly Income Report Roundup that showcases many successful bloggers who are kind enough to share their income with the public each month.
I know I say this every month, but it’s the truth. Life is great now that I’m my own boss and a full-time blogger. I look forward to each and every day and it’s a wonderful feeling. I truly love waking up every single morning.
Above are just a few of the reasons for why I enjoy publishing my monthly income reports. I like to show others that you don’t have to hate your job and hate your life. You can make changes to your life and make money in a way that allows you to truly enjoy the life you are living. I’m not saying that you have to LOVE your job, I’m just saying that your job should, at least, allow you to do what you like to do outside of work (whether that be spending time with loved ones, painting, hiking, etc.).
How was my blog income in April?
I earned $71,761.30 online in April, before expenses.
Blog income in April was great. It was another great month in terms of income, work-life balance, and more. Page views are still a little down, but income is up. This is why I always say that blog income is not 100% dependent on page views.
I do expect income to go down at least a little for the next couple of months. The summer months are usually a slow time for affiliate marketing and advertising as everyone is, understandably, enjoying the better weather and school being out.
Anyway, my business is growing, income is increasing significantly, I have tons of awesome ideas for this year, and I am just extremely excited about everything. I really love my business and I don’t know where I would be without it.
The business is doing well and I’m very happy with it. I’ve been catching myself saying “Life is really good” a LOT lately. And, I mean it. Life is really good.
If you are interested in starting a blog of your own, I created a tutorial that will help you start a blog of your own for cheap, starting at only $3.49 per month (this low price is only through my link) for blog hosting. In addition to the low pricing, you will receive a free website domain (a $15 value) through my Bluehost link if you purchase, at least, 12 months of blog hosting. FYI, if you are asking yourself “can you make money blogging?” – my top tip is to be self-hosted. This is essential if you want to monetize your blog as you will appear more professional and this will help you monetize your blog tremendously. My blogging income did not take off until after I switched to self-hosted WordPress.
I started my income reports back in 2012. Please click here to find them all.
Breakout of April 2016 income – $71,761.30:
Affiliate income – $54,972.10 total:
Bluehost (check out my tutorial on how to start a blog) – $43,250
Survey companies – $6,805
MOTIF Investing – $736
Ebates – $1,000 (estimate as this is a tiered affiliate program)
Digit – $190
Izea/SponsoredTweets – $406.61
Make Money Proofreading By Becoming A Freelance Proofreader – $733.60
Transcribe Anywhere – $19.40
$5 Meal Plan – $189.60
Mystery shopping – $20
Miscellaneous affiliates – $720 (smaller affiliate earnings from numerous companies)
Sponsorships – $14,500
Staff writing and client work – $500
Display advertising – $1,789.20
The number above is for the month of April and before any fees and expenses (some fees and expenses that lower the amount above total around $1,200 (rounded up), which include virtual assistants, technical assistance, newsletter expenses, PayPal fees, etc., however, this does not include taxes) being taken out. After expenses and fees, I made approximately $70,561.30.
Please keep in mind that I work for myself when you read my monthly income report. This means I have to cover taxes (which are over 30%), health insurance, and all other benefits/expenses that an employer may provide.
Check out The Ultimate Guide To Making Money Blogging for all of the different ways you can make money through a blog.
Below are some of my other monthly online income reports. I publish an online income update every month but only included some of them below as it would be a very long list. If you head on over to my income page you can find all of my monthly income reports from the past few years.
Comparisons and 2016 online income total:
Total income in April of 2016: $71,761
Total income in March of 2016: $72,196
Difference: -$434.70
Total in 2016: $238,346
Blog news.
Making Sense of Cents is doing well and I’m very happy with everything. Overall, traffic remained the same in April and I received around 500,000 page views.
Below are several blog-related updates:
Last month I worked ahead on blog posts and I’m now over one month ahead. It is a great feeling, especially right now when I am working on a digital product on my affiliate marketing strategies. Plus, we are moving the RV a lot this month and traveling, so having less work makes traveling much more enjoyable.
In April, I switched to ConvertKit. Aweber was great, but I’ve been hearing amazing reviews about ConvertKit from several bloggers. It sounds like ConvertKit will be much better for my business, so I’m excited to give it a try.
I’m taking an online course for creating and launching a successful ebook – BookBoss. Highly recommend!
In March, I gave up Tailwind and starting using BoardBooster. Tailwind was great, but I needed something that would help me save more time. BoardBooster takes a moment to set up in the beginning, but then it runs very smoothly from there. I highly recommend checking out BoardBooster and using it for your blog! I love how much less time I now spend on Pinterest.
Also, I have received many questions recently about how I’m staying connected to the internet so that I can work and travel in my RV at the same time. I use a Verizon Mifi and I am able to stay connected pretty much anywhere with it. It really comes in handy because you can’t always trust free wifi. Sometimes free wifi is slow, hard to find, or not safe. I don’t know what I would do without this device!
Top new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:
Featured Question: What blogging tools or resources do you recommend?
I feature one question from a reader in each monthly income report. Please leave a comment below if you have a question that you would like me to answer.
Many of you have wondered about what tools or resources I’ve used to improve my blog. I believe that in order to be a successful blogger, you will need to invest in learning new strategies, such as through ebooks, webinars, courses, and more.
Below are some of my favorite blogging tools and resources.
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing – I earn over $50,000 a month through affiliate marketing and I share my exact strategy and tips in this very informative online course. If you’re a blogger, then you NEED this course.
How To Start A WordPress Blog Tutorial – This isn’t an ebook or a course, but it is my free tutorial so that you can start a blog easily on your own. I have included every single step that you need to take and I have negotiated affordable pricing so that you can start your blog at a low price.
7 Surefire Ways To Boost Your Blog Income Overnight – By signing up, you’ll receive a free copy of the great ebook 7 Surefire Ways To Boost Your Blog Income Overnight. Plus, Ruth sends out many other great blogging tips all the time.
Building a Framework – Abby Lawson has a successful blog and has written an ebook about how you can start a successful blog as well. It’s a great ebook FULL of amazing information and it’s at an affordable price. She’s a friend of mine (and we’re in a mastermind together!) and I can honestly say that she knows her stuff! In her ebook, she teaches technical advice, how to write engaging content, networking tips, social media strategies, monetization tips, and more.
BookBoss – This is another digital product by Abby Lawson. As I said above, I am currently taking this course. This course is all about creating and launching a profitable ebook. I don’t know where I would be without it!
Pinterest Presence – Kristin’s course is great and you must take it if you want to improve your Pinterest traffic. In less than 10 months, Kristin’s blog increased from 1,000 monthly page views to 160,000 monthly page views, with over 90% of her traffic coming directly from Pinterest. Her course, Pinterest Presence, helps bloggers and businesses grow their traffic through specific Pinterest marketing strategies.
17 Strategies I Used To Grow My Page Views eBook – Lena Gott’s ebook is full of great information on how to increase your blog’s page views. If you are feeling stuck or if you are a new blogger, check out this ebook! Lena went from 17,000 monthly page views to 350,000 and shares all of her best tips in this ebook.
Facebook Strategies Worth Sharing – I bought this ebook last month and I highly recommend it. Facebook is an area I’m working on when it comes to my blog. I’ve already read the whole thing and there are plenty of great tips. The author of this ebook grew her Facebook page from 2,000 to 100,000 followers in just 5 months! Yes, crazy, right?
As you can see, there are many great blogging resources. Each resource above covers different aspects of blogging and/or making money online. If you have the chance, I recommend getting them all and taking your time with each one.
Past featured questions:
My plans for my website and making money online.
Without plans and goals, it would be very hard to run a business. I believe that working towards a goal can help keep a person motivated.
Below are some of the areas I am currently working on:
Promote more. I am doing much better at promoting my articles and I’m noticing a huge improvement. One area is still Pinterest, and it brought around 220,000 clicks to my blog just in the month of April. I would like to see this number be at 500,000 or higher by the end of the year.
Continue learning. Other than the BookBoss course I am taking, I am also reading Strategies Worth Sharing.
Accept more interviews. I took part in a few interviews in April and I was even in an article on Forbes!
Double my income. Yes, I said double. I would love to double 2015’s income and I think it’s possible considering how well 2015 ended. That means I will need to average around $53,000 a month. It won’t be easy, but it will be fun to attempt. Currently, I am on track with this goal!
Diversify my affiliate income streams. My goal is to diversify my affiliate income and have more sources.
Create a digital product. I’m currently working on my affiliate income digital product. You can sign up for the waitlist here. What affiliate income questions would you like me to include?
Increase my page views to 1,000,000 each month. I realize this is a superficial goal, but it’s quantifiable and that’s what I like about it. I would like to hit one million page views a month before the year ends. Wish me luck!
Staff writing.
I only wrote one article for a client in April and I actually have none planned for May. As you can tell, I’m taking staff writing very slowly. This is because I’m trying to spend more time on creating the affiliate income strategy digital product discussed above, as well as improving my blog.
I believe that making this change and focusing more on my blog instead of freelancing has really helped me. Ever since I made the shift to focus on my blog and my own business, I have seen an increase in the amount of income I am earning as well as a better work-life balance. I think this is because I am a lot less scattered now that I have one main focus.
Related articles:
Affiliate income.
Overall, I generated $54,972.10 in affiliate income in April, as outlined above.
Affiliate income was nearly the same from the previous month, and consists of a significant part of my business income. It’s something that I really love due to how passive it can feel. It makes full-time traveling much more enjoyable when I know I can bring in an income while having a ton of fun exploring new places.
I recommend checking out my online course for bloggers, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I earn over $50,000 a month through affiliate marketing and I share my exact strategy and tips in this very informative online course. If you’re a blogger, then you NEED this course.
How was April for you? Are you interested in earning income online?
Commentaires