Are you a brand new blogger?! I started my blog three years ago and was able to quit my job after 2 1/2 years of blogging part-time. My results are average; you could very well be making thousands per month after one year, or it could take you five years to see results. Keep at it. Hard work pays off and results will come. For those just getting started, here are my best tips for brand new bloggers.
I’ve been blogging for three years and the most common question I am asked is how to quit your job to make a full time blogging income. This guide will show you exactly how you can start a blog and make a plan to replace your current income from your full-time job so you can one day quit. Sound good?! Let’s get started!
Pinterest is not just a social platform; it’s a visual search engine. What if you could make thousands of dollars per month with Pinterest?! And, what if I told you some of these ways are passive? Here are three ways to make money with Pinterest that you can start implementing today.
*Please note that the first two ways to make money with Pinterest assume that you have a blog. If you haven’t yet started a blog, you can do so here for a discounted price. The first step in making money online is starting a blog, so get started today!
What is your area of expertise? What are you passionate about?! A great way to make money with Pinterest is by creating and promoting your own product. I know that sounds intimidating, but take it one step at a time!
First, I recommend creating a FREE product to get email subscribers and gauge interest. If you want to create a short guide/ebook on potty training your toddler, for example, you could create a free guide first on 100 fun things to do with your toddler after nap time. This will allow you to build an email list of parents to toddlers, some of whom would absolutely be interested in your potty training book.
Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to create an ebook that sells >>
Once you have your freebie and your product created, it’s time to start promoting. Ideally, you’ll want to rank in the top 10 in Google for your targeted keyword, but that actually takes months, if not longer. It’s completely impossible to write a blog post and have it rank #1 within a day or two.
Pinterest, however, is the polar opposite. A good pin can go viral in a matter of minutes. That is why you should focus on the platform for your product!
After you’ve created your product and freebie, you need to insert them into your blog posts and write fresh blog posts that coincide with your product. Then, create pinnable images that will lead to clicks over to your blog, freebie signups and, eventually, product sales.
The beauty of making money with Pinterest this way is that once everything is set up (your freebie, your product, your blog posts, your images and your pinning strategy), the money is relatively passive. That means you can essentially set it and forget it, and watch the sales roll in!
I’ve been blogging over three years, but just recently am realizing the power of an email list. You guys, to be totally honest, traffic doesn’t matter if you have a solid email list. And, you can very easily grow your email list with little pageviews. If you want to monetize your blog, every single post should have a purpose: Make a sale (your own product or an affiliate sale) or get an email subscriber. This way of thinking has totally transformed my blog and my business.
So what does this have to do with Pinterest? Well, Pinterest is a HUGE source of traffic for bloggers and business owners. Pinterest is constantly in my top two sources of traffic (the other being Google, or SEO), and it almost always accounts for almost half of my total traffic.
But, traffic without a purpose doesn’t do anything. Sure, it will increase your ad revenue, but unless you’re getting hundreds of thousands of pageviews each month, you won’t notice a difference. Instead, heavily promote your blog posts that will either make you money now or in the future. To do this, you must:
Need some group boards to join?! Here are 25 that are currently accepting contributors!
And finally, the third way to make money with Pinterest is by starting your own Pinterest virtual assistant business. This is a relatively new career, but it has HUGE potential and is only going to grow in future years. If you have any interest in being a Pinterest virtual assistant, now is the time to get started.
A Pinterest virtual assistant is a virtual assistant that specializes in Pinterest. Again, it’s one of the biggest sources of traffic for bloggers and business owners, so it’s vital that people use the platform to promote themselves. The problem is a lot of business owners do not have the time or interest in learning the ins and outs of Pinterest.
That’s where you come in.
You become an expert in Pinterest – learning everything from creating stellar pins to customizing your client’s boards to joining group boards to promoting pins and more.
You market yourself as an expert, because you are. You charge competitive rates and finally get paid for what your time is worth. Eventually, you may even be able to quit your full-time job, hire your own virtual assistants, and run your business completely from the comfort of your home.
If this sounds like something you’d love, you may be wondering how to get started.
There are two ways: You can absolutely teach yourself everything there is to know about Pinterest and, more specifically, being a Pinterest VA. I would recommend starting a blog, using Pinterest to grow your own blog, watching YouTube tutorials on how to create the perfect pin, finding group boards to join, etc. And then once you’ve become an expert on Pinterest, you can start promoting your services through a “Hire Me” page on your blog, through word-of-mouth, via Facebook ads, and more.
The second way is to take a course on how to become a Pinterest virtual assistant. This highly-sought after course, taught by two of my friends and Pinterest-gurus, is called Become a Pinterest VA Today! and will teach you from the ground up how to start and run your own profitable Pinterest VA business. The course is amazing, and will save you tons and tons of time if this is what you want to do. It’s only open for enrollment four times per year, so hop on the waitlist today to make sure you get a spot in the class.
Have you ever made money off of Pinterest? Since half my traffic comes from Pinterest, I can definitely attribute half of my monthly income to the platform. You can view my latest income report here.
Do you browse Pinterest in your free time? Do you want to work from home? And not just work from home, but actually run a super profitable business from home? If so, I highly recommend becoming a Pinterest virtual assistant.
Whether you are just starting your blog or have been blogging for a decade, blogging struggles will exist. Your struggles will change over the years as your blog develops, but don’t expect blogging to eventually be easy, perfect and smooth. Blogging is constantly changing, as is your life, so expect to come across various challenges throughout your journey.
Right now, my biggest blogging struggles are staying motivated and coming up with topic ideas, both of which I’ll hit on below.
I hope this provides some encouragement to you in your blogging journey.
Happy September!! I’m excited to share what I learned blogging these past three years!
It’s officially (almost) my favorite season: Fall. September is a very special month for me. It’s when my middle daughter was born (she’s turning four this year!), it’s when we moved to Charlotte (we actually moved at the very end of August but the fall season is what I relate our move to), and it’s when I started my blog!
I started my blog exactly three years ago this month. One of my very first posts is on how to move across the country on a budget. You can see it here 🙂 The first thing I notice is that my images have (thankfully) come a longggg way. Graphic design is definitely not one of my talents, but I guess after three years of making images I’ve learned a thing or two, haha.
This journey has been so crazy but also so fun. Here’s how I got started blogging and what I learned in three years of blogging!
Have an idea for an eBook and looking to make some passive income? Here’s how to create an eBook the easy way, market it effectively and make money.
I wrote my first eBook early last year and still make sales every single week. It’s a short, 34-page guide on blogging for beginners. It only sells for $12, but each sale adds up and it’s a nice form of passive income.
While I’m by no means an expert on creating eBooks, I do know the steps to create one. And, it’s really a lot easier than it seems. If you have an idea for an eBook but feel overwhelmed by the process, keep reading as I’m here to simplify this for you.
The summer blog slump is real guys. My traffic and income have been wayyyy down (you’ll see this reflected in August and September’s income reports), but I’m not worried. I’ve been spending my days with my kids, at the pool and on vacation, just as all of my readers have. But, that doesn’t mean I’ve completely stepped away from blogging. I may not be posting as often, but I’m still hard at work behind the scenes when I have time.
Here are 10 things bloggers can do in the summer to prepare for busier times ahead.
Hi everyone!!
I wanted to share what I think is the best affiliate program for bloggers: Ultimate Bundles. I’ve been an affiliate for them for a few months now and have made a few hundred dollars in literally 30 minutes max. I love the company and am happy to spread the word and see others’ succeed as an affiliate!
Ultimate Bundles is a package of books, courses, webinars and more discounted for a super low price (think thousands of dollars worth of products for less than $100!). Bundles are released throughout the year for a limited time only and they’re always on a specific topic, such as blogging, parenting, homemaking, fitness, healthy eating, essential oils, and more.
No matter what niche you blog about, there’s an Ultimate Bundle that will fit in with your audience!
Join Ultimate Bundles Affiliate Program Now! >>
As an affiliate, you’ll make 40% of each sale. The last bundle I promoted sold for $97, so 40% is a decent chunk of change! Others are less expensive, but each sale adds up! Plus, it’s super easy being an affiliate for Ultimate Bundles because…
They do all the work for you.
What does that mean? Once you sign up as an affiliate, you’ll have access to their affiliate portal which is full of promotional banners, images, links and… Sales copy (written by professional marketers). So, you don’t even have to write out the sales copy if you don’t want to! You can simply copy and paste what they wrote and send that to your entire email list or put it in a blog post! Seriously you guys, it’s so easy!
I usually read what the pros wrote and edit/change it to my style of writing. This takes about 1/3 of the time that it takes me to write a blog post or send an email on my own.
To see a list of the upcoming bundles, click here!!
And for more ways to make money blogging, view my six steps to profitable blogging!
Other good affiliate programs for new bloggers to join include:
And, if you need help with increasing your affiliate income, I highly recommend Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I just purchased it and am loving it!! It’s the type of course that will make you your money back ten-fold, too!! I cannot wait to start applying her strategies!
What do you think is the best affiliate program for bloggers? Are you signed up with Ultimate Bundles? What has been your experience? Share in the comments!
P.S. If you haven’t started a blog yet, you can do so here for a huge discount! Blogging has been such a blessing to my family. I encourage you to take the leap; as you can see from above, there are so many ways to make money! Ultimate Bundles is just one of them 🙂
Hi everyone!
Welcome to this month’s online income report, where I share exactly how much money I’m making online and how I’m doing it. This month, I’m not only sharing my June income report, but I’m also sharing a look back at my online income over the years. Hopefully, this will encourage you in your own blogging journey!
Blogging is not a way to make money fast or immediately, but it’s definitely a way to create a passive form of income for yourself after many years of work. Right now, my blog is sort of in “maintenance mode” but I’m still making $3,000+ per month. What is maintenance mode, you ask? Well, that’s where I’m still sharing posts on social media, sending out 2-3 newsletters per month (sign up here!), and writing 2-3 blog posts per month. So yes, I’m still working, and my income isn’t completely passive. But to be making $3K a month for maybe 10 hours of work total is a huge win in my book!
Once my kids go back to school in September (granted, I’ll still have my baby with me!), I plan on entering a more “active” stage with my blog. Active blogging (for me) is posting at least once a week, having specific strategies and goals in mind each month, creating new products, promoting and updating old products, joining more affiliate programs, and more. Hopefully, I’ll see my income increase even more by doing these things!
If you are on the fence about starting a blog, I highly encourage you to just go for it! Don’t overthink it or think you’re too busy to build a successful blog. If you can commit to doing one blogging-related task every single day (even if it’s an easy, three-minute task), you will see results over time.
If you’re ready to start blogging, head over here to receive a special discount on your plan! >>
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