This post may contain Affiliate Links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something. Please check our Disclosure Policy for more details.
I’ve been writing on this blog on and off for about 3 months. I have only started taking it seriously for last month or so. Thus, I present to you the First Month blogging Report.
Although there have been new posts, I’ve finally taken the time to hone into what I was want this blog to be, and now I’m challenging myself to take this seriously enough to update it and update my audience.
I know a lot of bloggers post income / blog updates, but I often feel discouraged when I’m browsing because it’s hard to find posts that start at the very beginning of their journey. A report that focuses on their real First Month of their blogging journey.
This First Month of Blogging Report aims to give you a realistic view of what to expect as a beginner blogger. No crazy gimmicks or results!
On-again-off again blogger
Full disclosure (and shameless plug), this. is not my first blog. I do have another blog, which is more personal lifestyle blog with a focus on topics like baking and books. If thats your pace, be sure to check out Sprinkles & Scribbles. The blog on there is a bit older, but it was always a personal place to document my life. I have only now started to take both blogs seriously enough to try and monetize them, and will incorporate learnings from that on here as well!
Blog Views
There was very little traffic on here in the last month. I focused on Pinterest for the last two weeks of March, and most of the traffic was really a result of that.
Pageviews
- Sprinkles & Scribbles ~ 1,000
- Mint & Gold Story ~ 300
Monetization
Monetization is not the focus of this post but nonetheless I’ll talk about it here. Since the amounts are so low, I have not received the cash yet of course!
Ads – Google Adsense ~ $6.00
I do have Google Adsense installed despite what most bloggers recommend. For me, personally, I feel like it gives me a (false) sense that I’m on the path to monetization!
Affiliates – Amazon Associates ~ $1.50
I did get accepted to Amazon Associates when I applied earlier this year, and made a few sales which means that I am no longer on the 6-month probationary period (yay!)
CURRENT FOCUS
I have read so much about blogging on and off since I first started to think about monetizing my blog.
The way I started to think about monetization for blogging is in three steps:
- Generate traffic,
- Build a loyal audience,
- Monetize with products & services
I am definitely on the traffic generation phase. However, I have set up social media profiles on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, but I am focusing on Pinterest for the moment.
Monthly Average Views: Sprinkles & Scribbles – 444.1k / Mint & Gold Story– 103.42k
Pinterest has been my major focus. Since both blogs have vastly different focus, I created a separate account for this blog.
I am trying to balance between scheduling on Tailwind and manually to see what works best for consistency and growth.
Instagram:
Followers: @sprinklesbyanum – 510 followers / @mintandgoldstory – 40 followers
The focus for Instagram has mostly been testing hashtag strategies to extend reach and increase interactions. However, I have not posted or engaged on the platform as frequently as I’d like
Followers: @anumhashim – 277 followers / @mintandgoldstory – 11 followers
Honestly, I have no strategy on Twitter. I only promote on Twitter when I post new blog posts or sometimes linking new Instagram posts. Sometimes I log in and retweet some accounts. I do have a separate account for this blog, but I haven’t quite decided if I just want to merge the two accounts for simplicity.
SEO
I keep hearing that one of the biggest regrets bloggers have is not investing in SEO from the beginning. I am trying to learn and implement the strategy as I go, and focusing on it’s (hopefully) long-term returns.
Mint & Gold Story: I have not been able to get any traction on SEO yet, but I am using basic strategies for each post!
Sprinkles & Scribbles: Since this is the older blog, I actually have started to see some clicks by tweaking just a few posts. About 10% of my (small) traffic came from SEO last month!
NEXT MONTH’S FOCUS
My biggest problem to date has been sticking to a strategy. I find that there are definitely bloggers who are generous with their knowledge (before they start selling to you), but it is so easy to get distracted by what worked for them rather than focusing on my own strategies.
Content Creation
I spent the first few days in April focusing on creating an editorial calendar for both my blogs. The rest of the month will be focused on executing the strategy.
Focus on Generating Traffic
Pinterest will definitely be a primary focus for the month. I have started to build a Pinterest routine, and will test and tweak that this month!
Content Repurposing for Social
I personally spend a lot of time on Instagram and Twitter, and I feel like they are the sources of loyal audiences. This month, I am dedicating a little time to repurposing existing content from my blog posts to Instagram and Twitter. But only if I have the time.
MY FAVORITE BLOGGING RESOURCES
Starting and updating a blog also requires a lot of technical resources.
(Some of these are affiliate links – you can read more in the disclosure here)
Bluehost – This blog is hosted on Bluehost, and so far I have had no problems. I would definitely recommend them!
Tailwind – Pinterest Scheduler – chances are you stumbled on here from Pinterest. Tailwind helps me to pin continuously when my audience is most active!
Grammarly – Being a solo writer on here, means that I have proofreading and editing my own work, which can lead to unclear writing. I love using Grammarly to spell check, and it prompts me when my sentences sound funny.
Canva – I make most of my pins on Canva! They have so many templates and it is so easy. I have no upgraded to Pro yet, but I could see the value!
YOUR TURN
If you’re a new blogger, I hope this First Month of Blogging Report serves as hope, that not everyone starts with thousands of page views. But also, don’t get discouraged by it! Keep going if you enjoy the process!
If you’re also a new / on-again-off again blogger like me, d love to hear about your blogging journey!
Cheers,
