Let me start with the reasons why I’m publishing my monthly blog income reports.
For some people, that’s crazy. For others, it’s an inspiration and a brave move. But it feels like the right thing and has many benefits for me, my readers and my business. Here’s why I share my blog income reports publicly and spare no details:
1. It helps me keep track of my progress.
You must track anything that you’re looking to improve. Back in the days I was just making a couple hundred bucks here and there and didn’t track my expenses at all.
However, having a budget, knowing what your main income streams are, writing down the costs of your business and considering taxes, are all things that helped me earn more.
2. It’s part of documenting my journey.
I wouldn’t believe making money blogging was possible if I hadn’t been reading the income reports of other bloggers such as Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income, Michelle from Making Sense of Cents, R.J. from The Ways to Wealth, and more.
Once I was making enough, it made sense to do the same. It’s great and seems to help people. Also, it’s part of my mission as a blogger. I have to share what works and what doesn’t so that more people can start a blog and believe that an online business is the way to achieve financial freedom.
3. It’s fun to track your blog income.
I truly enjoy the end of each month when I can sit down and spend 2-3 hours writing my Monthly Blog Income Report and calculating the exact numbers. Also, I talk about the lessons, what new project I’m working on, what I’ve found online (a tool, site or person) that gave me a new business idea, what new income stream I’m trying to add and how, etc.
You can also check out my annual blog income report, where I share exactly how I earned nearly $50,000 in 2018.
4. It brings discipline to my blogging business.
Publishing a monthly blog income report is a big deal. My reports are now around 2K-3K words and have a lot of links and numbers.
I use a template I came up with that includes all the points I want to cover. Such as:
- Updates;
- Traffic Report;
- Email Subscribers Report;
- Content update;
- This Month’s Revenue Breakdown;
- This Month’s Expenses Breakdown;
- Net Profit Breakdown;
- What I Learned This Month;
- Featured reader questions;
- and more.
I also link to products I’ve found useful such. Whenever I share how I made money, I link to any site that helped me along the way.
For expenses, I also link to the platform. For example, I pay $25/month to WPX Hosting. It’s the hosting company I use and am happy with.
I also link to my honest WPX Hosting review next to this expense in case people are interested why I work with them.
All these are reasons why you too should be writing and publishing monthly blog income reports for anything you do online once you start earning $100 or more.
Resources to help you make money online as a blogger:
Blog to Biz System – It took me 5 years to start earning $5K/month blogging. In this course, I share all that I’ve learned about it. It’s the formula for starting a blog, turning it into a 5-figure business, and living life on your own terms. Inside it, you’ll find answers to all your questions about becoming a full-time blogger, behind-the-scenes content, real ways to make money and build blog traffic even if you have no experience, a ton of video tutorials, how-to guides and screenshots.
Blogging Resources – To build a powerful site that turns visitors into buyers and monetize it well, you will need the right tools. In my Blogging Resources page, I’ve gathered the best of the best and the exact tools I’ve used to grow Let’s Reach Success and be able to make a full-time living as a location independent freelance writer.
WPX Hosting – The hosting provider I’m using. Here’s my detailed review of WPX Hosting.
The Blog Sponsorship Boss – My monthly blog income reports won’t be complete without sharing the how-to of sponsored posts. The Blog Sponsorship Boss is your one-stop shop for anything related to making money with sponsored content as a blogger (from making your site irresistible to brands and joining marketplaces that offer sponsored opportunities, to reaching out to brands yourself, negotiating your rates, and turning this into a regular income).
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing – If you’re not earning money through affiliate marketing, then you are leaving money on the table. This step-by-step affiliate marketing strategy course shows you how to increase your affiliate income and make more money blogging. It’s by Michelle from Making Sense of Cents who went from $0 in affiliate income to over $50,000 per month (and also the first online course I’ve ever taken).
Blog Audit – A blog audit is a review of every element on your website. What you’ll get is a 60-page PDF file containing information about the most important areas of your blog as well as suggestions on how to improve and next steps to take.
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