December was a great month for income generation, but first, let’s take a look at the entire year.
2020 As A Content Creator
The global pandemic definitely threw us all for a loop, but the time inside has helped me focus on content creation with a much more focused lens.
Honestly, at the beginning of the year, my goal was to simply post on this blog. I really did not see it as a source of income because my Youtube channel is generally what generates my online income. At the top of the year, I decided to try growing my Instagram page for income purposes, but about halfway through the year, my whole outlook on blogging changed.
My main purpose is still to share and document what works for me in hopes of helping others, but I stumbled upon a video by Sophia Lee that changed my blogging outlook. I mean, I thought blogging was dead and that I was holding on because I’m old ?.
Now, I see the growth potential and have taken steps to invest in this blog as much as I do on my Youtube channel and Instagram account.
What worked in 2020
Speaking of Youtube, it’s been a good year. I hit 15k subscribers and am well on my way to 20k. I really pushed myself to create fresh content that is different than most, and it paid off in over 5,400 new subscribers as well as $5k in income for the year.
I really enjoyed the content I created and the printable’s, ebook, and merchandise that I created stem organically from that content. The saying on the mugs comes from my Youtube tagline. The printable’s I created are in response to FAQ’s, and the ebook is a natural offshoot of my 5-year plan video series.
Brands noticed in 2020 and I carried a partnership with TreLuxe haircare throughout the year and ended the year by becoming a Kazmaleje affiliate. Both of which are only possible because my Youtube community has made it known to brands that my content pushed them to try what those brands offer.
In 2020, I truly enjoyed building a community over there that is supportive of each other, that is curious, and that doesn’t mind sharing with me too. The money I make off of that content is just a bonus.
What didn’t work in 2020
On the downside, my Instagram barely grew all year long. Though I invested in great photography, it didn’t really move the needle because the Instagram algorithm is a tough nut to crack. However, I did engage with a great community and do enjoy daily chats with everyone in my DMs.
Moving forward, I think that I found great advice on the algorithm, and am testing it out without investing more money into photography. I’m hoping to see exponential growth in 90 days time, I’ll report back in a future post.
My Biggest Income Lesson
About mid-way through 2020, my goal was to generate $1000 of online income each month. Though that did not happen each month, it did happen overall. There were months where I made more than others, and those shortfalls equaled out to my overall goal by year-end.
Basically, the idea that online income is quite variable was heavily illustrated in my Online Income Reports.
Moving forward, I will set a monthly goal, but I think my focus will be on the analytics and less on the dollar amount. If I build my online community and presence, then I will reach my income goals over time.
December 2020 Blog Income Report (+ TRAFFIC)
I am only reporting income that has actually been deposited into my bank account. This means all the money that I am showing you today was actually made in October and November 2020, because most of the programs I am making money from take around 30-90 days to deposit into my bank account.
Breakdown of December 2020 Online Income – $1,213.76
In December 2020, I made $1,213.76 online. Here is the breakdown of where exactly the money came from:
Affiliate Income – $101.31
*Amazon, Kazmaleje, Shareasale
Merchandise – $150.90
*Printable’s, Mugs, T-Shirts
Services: $490
*Sponsorships, Consultations
Google Adsense: $471.55
*YouTube & Blog
TOTAL: $1,213.76
The total above is before taxes, of which I save 20% from that total and have an amount deducted from my job paychecks to cover taxes as well. In December, subtracting Epidemic Sound, Acuity, domain renewal, plus a few other expenses, my total profit for December is $799.75.
December Online Blog & Youtube Stats
December Blog Traffic: 2,674 pageviews (1,658 sessions)
November Youtube subscribers: +315
November Youtube views: 59,800 (4,900 hours)
December Pinterest followers: +3 (22)
December Pinterest total audience: 72,310
December Instagram followers : +58 (2,365)
What did I do in December to grow my online income?
I focused all of my energy on Vlogmas for the entire month. Though I published a few blog posts, I continued my tradition of posting one video a day from December 1st thru 25th on my Youtube channel. Judging by the views and overall response, it was my best Vlogmas yet.
In December, I was able to grow my platforms by:
- Daily uploads: posting daily videos required me to pre-film many videos, and to keep track of many moving parts, but I did not miss a day. I enjoyed interacting with my subscribers and financially it paid off as my biggest month on Youtube of the year.
- New ebook: I launched an ebook: ‘How To Create A 5-Year Plan.’ I will say that it took quite a bit of work to create my ebook, but I am proud of the result. The method is solid and my journey is a testament to the effectiveness of creating a long-term life roadmap.
- New merchandise: I designed a mug and my brother is giving me 6-10 units each month, which I will distribute. Selling a mug was not in the plans, but when my brother approached me with the idea, it seemed like an organic way to build community. I’m pleased to say that the first set of mugs sold within a week!
Yes, my online income grew, but so did my overall viewership. My Youtube channel grew more than normal and the blog is now receiving the majority of its views from Pinterest. I am super excited to asee what six months of using the Pinteresting Strategies marketing plan will do to grow my blog readership.
My content plans for January
I spent time last month researching more and have a solid strategy for growth this year. That led to me investing in a Pinterest pin subscription and Keyword search engine subscription to make blogging simpler as well. The Blog SEO course I took this year has helped me create blog posts that are generating organic traffic via search engines too!
This month I am focused on:
- Reorganizing my blog: in order to keep people on my blog, I have to make sure that the related posts that populate automatically are on topic. Until I organize my blog posts, that will not happen. I write under three large categories, but there are subcategories that I need to break my content into to make it easier for readers to find like posts. It’s ambitious, but I plan to finish reorganizing my blog by the end of the month.
- Instagram strategy: I will test out a new Instagram strategy in hopes that I can speed up my growth. Last year my Instagram feed content was very polished, but the algorithm did not work in my favor. In January, I plan to focus less on polish, and more on pleasing the algorithm by posting every day and using every feature that Instagram offers creators.
- Research: to make sure that my blog posts are SEO optimized, I need to focus on keyword research as part of my writing process. In January, I will learn how to affectively use the Key Search website and hopefully make at least the $17 cost of the subscription in Google Ads by the end of the month.
How I plan to grow my income in January
December 2020 was such a good month, and I do not expect the same return on investment in January. However, there is room for me to grow my income by focusing my energies on increasing traffic to my blog. In the month of January, I will grow my online income by:
- Pining every single day: Pinterest is how I generate most of my current blog traffic, so I must put the effort into pinning every day. The biggest impediment to this was creating pins, so I eliminated that issue by signing up for a pin subscription that I can use in Canva to easily create new pins. My hope is to post 2 new pins a day and to really execute the strategy I learned from the Pinteresting Strategies course I took last year. The best-case scenario is a 10% increase in traffic by March.
- Write blog posts that rank: I hope to use the Key Search platform and my SEO blogging checklist to search engine optimize my blog posts. Knowing which pins are most popular on Pinterest, I will work to optimize those posts to gain more organic traffic on popular topics.
- Market my content: I have not been great at marketing my content, but now I have focused my energies a bit more. I will market my blog posts via Pinterest because it is a platform on which people want to be redirected to blogs. Therefore, exponentially increasing the likelihood that a person will discover my blog via social media. For Youtube, I will market my content on Instagram because people expect the video medium on the platform. By posting daily on Instagram and Pinterest, I will increase my traffic, and as a result, my income too.
Over time, increased traffic will translate into profitable brand partnerships, so focusing my energies on generating organic traffic is how I will grow my income in January.
2021: The Big Picture
Up to this point, I have hoped to make at least $1k a month online, but now that I have reached that goal I will shoot for more. By the end of 2021, I hope to at least make $2k/month online with the content I create.
Initially, I plan to stick with the same strategies for six months straight, adjusting as necessary to grow my traffic. Though I now have eight streams of income, down the road, my goal is 10 streams of income-generating sources every month.
My word of the year is Grind, and I plan to do just that. The biggest factor in my growth is consistency. I have yet to consistently create blog content for a full year. This year I am committing to consistently posting and marketing my content to grow my online income.
With a bit of hard work and know-how, I am pretty sure that I can double or triple my traffic on all of my platforms by year-end. By coupling the increased traffic with a solid brand, I can ensure that 2023 will be a dynamic year.
Therefore, one of my bigger business projects for 2021 is to create a brand guide to help me stay focused as my platforms grow. I am an old school blogger, so authenticity is one of my core values and I hope to grow without losing that vibe.
Big 2021 Goal: Make $2k/month
My online growth has always been steady and small, but it is beginning to add up in great ways. I am not the best blogger, but I am satisfied knowing that the online content I make has integrity.
In 2020, I renewed my love for blogging and took my Youtube channel to new heights. This year, I will work toward 50k subscribers on Youtube, 10k followers on Instagram, and 1 Million monthly views on Pinterest by year-end.
I know that with a lot of hard work, know-how, and consistency, anyone can change their circumstances. Though I still have a few courses to work through, before I can reinvigorate my monthly newsletter to grow my email list, I am optimistic about my growth potential. The year has just begun and I hit the ground running, so we shall see where the road leads in no time at all.
