Blogging Income Report – Month 6

How I Grew My Blog to 2.5 Million Pinterest Impressions and Joined an Ad Agency in Just 6 Months!

If you’d told me six months ago that I’d be writing an income report about my blog, I probably would’ve laughed. Back then, I was juggling an upcoming move to the U.S., leaving my nursing career of more than 2 decades, figuring out a new life as a stay-at-home wife, and trying to make sense of this whole “blogging” thing. I had zero tech skills, no idea how to get traffic, and wasn’t even sure if anyone would read what I wrote!

Fast forward to today, and I’m thrilled (and still a little shocked!) to say that I’ve come a long way. I’ve earned my first affiliate payout, joined an ad network, and hit over 2.5 million Pinterest impressions in a single month. Trust me when I say—it hasn’t been easy, but it’s been so worth it.

I’m sharing this income report because I know how helpful these posts were for me when I was just starting out. I devoured them! They gave me hope, practical advice, and a sense of what was possible. Now, I want to do the same for you.

Whether you’re thinking of starting a blog, in the trenches of month one, or just curious about what this journey looks like, I hope you’ll find this post helpful—and maybe even a little inspiring.

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Why I Share My Income Reports

When I first started blogging, I found posts like these to be a lifeline. They were equal parts educational and motivational, showing me what’s possible when you pour your heart and effort into something you love.

Now, it’s my turn to pay it forward. Sharing my own blogging journey is a way to give back to this incredible community and to inspire others who are starting out or considering blogging as a path.

Here’s what I hope you’ll take away:

• Transparency: A real, unfiltered look at the ups and downs of starting a blog from scratch—what works, what doesn’t, and the lessons learned along the way.
• Community: A space to connect, share ideas, ask questions, and cheer each other on as we build our dreams together.
• Inspiration: If I can do it, so can you. No fancy equipment, no prior knowledge—just a willingness to learn and a desire to create something meaningful.

Whether you’re a seasoned blogger or just thinking about taking the leap, I hope these reports offer value and encouragement for your own journey. Alright, well lets get into the nitty-gritty details of what has worked, what hasn’t, and what I’m aiming for next!

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Blogging Wins at the 6-Month Mark

1. Pinterest Growth: A Lot of Work and a Little Luck!

When I first created my Pinterest account, I had no idea how much it would matter for my blog and it wasn’t something that I personally used much. Fast forward to today, my account boasts 2.5 million impressions per month, a total audience of 1.5 million, and 48K outbound clicks as I write. For a blog in its infancy, these numbers are practically unheard of, and they’re largely thanks to a few holiday pins that went viral over Christmas in a Tailwind Communities Group.

Here’s a screenshot of my current Pinterest stats which show that even with the effect of the viral pin wearing off I have still sustained some growth in key areas:

While a bit of luck certainly played a role, I’ve found that consistency and trying different approaches have been key. One tool that made this possible is Tailwind. With its help, I’ve been able to schedule over 11,000 pins for the year ahead, ensuring my Pinterest presence stays active even when life gets busy. I also take advantage of their AI generated pins to help change up my graphics from time to time and some of those pins have also done really well.

I do have to interject here to say I’ve had my fair share of pins that have literally zero impressions too – especially the one’s with spelling mistakes (dyslexic blogger here!) I try not to let it get me down too much, and just try something different next time.

If you’re new to blogging and struggling with traffic, I can’t recommend Tailwind enough—it’s been a lifesaver for me!

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2. Affiliate Marketing: My First Paycheck!

I hope I never forget the thrill of receiving my first paycheck from Amazon Associates: $92.87. It might not sound like much, but it’s proof that the countless hours I’ve spent creating content and optimizing my links are paying off.

Getting started with Amazon Associates wasn’t easy because I was starting from scratch with no social media but it still only took about a month of plugging away, publishing blog posts and advertising those on Pinterest. You need three sales to unlock access to their API, which allows you to create visually appealing product displays with tools like the AAWP plugin. After integrating AAWP, my clicks and conversions skyrocketed. Here’s a snapshot of my click-through rates before and after using AAWP to show just how impactful this plugin has been.

Amazon remains my only affiliate program with consistent earnings, but for transparency here are all of the affiliate programs I’ve joined so far along with some of my top affiliate picks so you can see what I’m offering across my website.

• Journey Ad Agency (Mediavine’s lower entry tier) via the Impact Affiliate Program
• AAWP
• ShareASale
• BigScoots Hosting
• Tailwind via the Impact Affiliate Program
• Temu
• Rakuten Affiliate Program

While these programs haven’t brought in income yet, they represent potential future streams. For now, I’m focusing on improving my affiliate strategies to drive more conversions.

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3. A Review of Journey by Mediavine: Joining an Ad Agency is a Gamechanger!

In month four, I was ecstatic to be accepted into Journey by Mediavine, an ad agency for smaller blogs. The process was delayed while I sorted out my U.S. residency and tax documents, but everything finally came together in month six.

While I won’t see my first paycheck for a few months due to NET65 payouts, you can see I’ve already earned $889.66 in ad revenue for my first month with them. This milestone feels monumental, affirming that I’m building a blog capable of generating income. I plan to write a detailed post about my experience with Journey, so stay tuned for that!

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4. Defining My Vision

When I started blogging, I didn’t have a niche—I had a vision of writing about everything I loved: homemaking, faith, recipes, and more. Over time, I’ve realized my niche isn’t a topic but a person: women like me who want to live traditional, faith-centered lives, build strong marriages, homeschool their children, and maybe even start their own blogs.

This clarity has been transformative. I now create content with my ideal reader in mind, blending personal experiences with practical advice. It’s not about narrowing my focus but about connecting authentically with my audience.

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5. Site Structure Improvements

As my content library grew, I realized my website needed to be more navigable. I added new pages to help readers find topics easily and customized my site using the Restored 316 Designs ‘Boutique’ theme. While I don’t have access to premium tools like Kadence Pro yet, I’ve learned to maximize what I have. The result is a site that’s functional, beautiful, and uniquely mine.

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Challenges and Lessons Learned

1. Delayed Payouts

One of the most eye-opening aspects of blogging has been the delayed income. Unlike traditional jobs, where paychecks arrive bi-weekly, blogging income often takes months to materialize. While I understand the system now, the early months of waiting for payouts have been challenging.

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2. Social Media Struggles

I’ve barely scratched the surface of social media marketing. With only a couple of posts on Facebook and Truth Social, I know this is an area I need to improve. Balancing social media with blogging and homemaking has been overwhelming, and I’d love tips from those who’ve successfully managed both!

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3. Google Impressions Tanking

My Google impressions peaked at 6.6K in October but have since dropped dramatically. Despite updating my sitemap and publishing new content, impressions have fallen to less than 500 a month!

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4. Negative Nancies

I guess it’s just human nature at times, but gosh sometime the mean comments online can really sting! I knew going in to this that I never wanted to hide my Christian faith, and expected a few comments here and there with those who disagreed with my beliefs. And I’ve had a few of those. But, what really surprised me was the negative comments from other bloggers sometimes, especially when sharing personal stats and such to encourage other’s.

I’m lucky enough to be in 2 fantastic social media (Facebook) groups – one with Lisa Bass’ Blogging course from Farmhouse on Boone (take her free blog masterclass here) and another with Restored 316 Designs where I bought my website theme from. I would highly recommend those groups to all new bloggers out there – they’ve been such a source of encouragement and kindness and I’ve not seen a single negative comment in my whole 6 months with them!

I had less fun in the popular newbie Amazon Associate groups to be honest, and at this point wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.

5. Growing Pinterest Followers is HARD!

So you can see here, even with viral pins and incredibly early success on Pinterest I have still got just a tiny following (283 at the time of writing this). You just can’t speed some aspects of the process up and there’s no ‘getting ‘hacking’ longevity and brand awareness! Time will tell if I have what it takes to gain a following rather than just impressions because topics I’m covering happen to be doing well.

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Let’s Talk About That Google Issue!

Yup—you read that right. My Google impressions are tanking big time! Despite putting in the work—updating my sitemap, publishing fresh content, and following all the SEO advice out there—my impressions have taken a nosedive. By the six-month mark, with consistent content creation and SEO efforts, you’d typically expect to see a good portion of traffic coming from organic search. But that hasn’t been my experience—yet.

Here’s where I stand:

• Current Pageviews per Day: Average of 2,500
• Current Sessions per Day: Average of 2,300

While I’m thrilled to be generating this level of traffic, the vast majority of it is still coming from Pinterest rather than Google. Despite implementing SEO strategies, submitting sitemaps, and using tools like Yoast, my Google impressions have tanked significantly since October. At one point, they peaked at nearly 6.6K per month, but now they’ve plummeted to under 500 impressions monthly.

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Why Are My Google Impressions Dropping So Rapidly?

Through research and discussions in blogger communities, I’ve come across a few potential reasons for this dip:

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My Current Plan to Address My Declining Google Impressions

Yup, my Google stats are looking pretty bleak right now, but I’m not one to give up without a fight! If I’ve learned anything in these six months, it’s that setbacks are just opportunities in disguise. I’ve been diving into the world of SEO like a woman on a mission, and while it’s a steep learning curve, I’ve got a game plan to turn things around. Here’s what I’m doing to tackle this head-on:

• Focus on Quality Content: Doubling down on creating evergreen, in-depth posts that truly add value to readers and align with search intent.
• Keyword Research: Continuing to refine my keyword strategy to focus on lower-competition terms that I have a better chance of ranking for. Currently I don’t pay for any SEO tools and it does take considerable time to manually research. I hope to be able to earn enough to pay for some SEO resources by the end of my first year.
• Building Backlinks: Starting to explore ways to build quality backlinks, such as guest posting or collaborating with other bloggers in my niche. I’ve learned that my recipe posts get a lot more backlink opportunities than most of the other topics I write about – I need to come up with a way to make the most of that and potentially joined some Tailwind Communities that offer those opportunities!
• Monitoring with Analytics: Keeping a close eye on Google Analytics and Search Console to track any changes and pinpoint opportunities for improvement.

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Staying Positive and Diversifying Traffic

It’s easy to feel discouraged when Google doesn’t seem to recognize your efforts, but I’m reminding myself that this is just one piece of the puzzle. Pinterest has been an incredible traffic driver for me, and I’m grateful for the growth I’ve seen there. However, I know the importance of diversifying my traffic sources to ensure long-term success.

If you’ve faced similar struggles with Google impressions or have any tips that worked for you, I’d love to hear them! Let’s navigate this tricky terrain together.

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Income and Expenditure Summary

At the 6-month mark, here’s a clear snapshot of my blog’s financial performance, including only money that has physically been deposited in my bank account:

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Goals for the Next Six Months

As I reflect on these past six months of my blogging journey, I’m filled with gratitude for how far I’ve come—and determination to push even further. Starting with no knowledge of blogging and navigating everything from leaving my nursing career to moving internationally has been both a challenge and a blessing.

But what excites me most is the potential for growth in the next half of my first year. With every lesson learned, every milestone hit, and even the setbacks along the way, I feel better equipped to tackle what’s ahead.

So, with that in mind, here are my goals for the rest of my first year. These are both practical and ambitious, designed to push me toward building a sustainable and rewarding blogging business!

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The Takeaway: Gratitude and Determination

Six months ago, I started this journey with no experience and a whole lot of determination. Today, I’m celebrating my wins and facing my challenges head-on. The road ahead is long, but I’m excited to see where it leads.

If you’re on a similar path, I’d love to hear your story. Let’s cheer each other on as we navigate this blogging adventure together!

Here’s to the next six months—may they be filled with growth, learning, and success!

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What to Read Next?

Still looking for more Blogging Inspo? Head over to our Blogging Resources Page and check out more great tips, strategies and tools that have helped me on my journey!

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Share

It’s so much more fun to journey together! If you found this post helpful, inspiring, or just a little bit encouraging, why not share it with others who might benefit too? Whether they’re just starting out or looking for fresh ideas, we can all grow together.

And don’t forget—your own story matters! Sharing your journey not only helps others but also creates a community of support and connection. Let’s cheer each other on and build something beautiful together!