One thing I’m really seeing this year is the ups and downs of influencer income. Receiving more income one month and less the next doesn’t level out when a person relies on online income to make a living.
I knew this to be true, but actually tracking my online income really brings that lesson home. As a side hustle, the money I make online is great, but I really have a newfound respect for the hustle required to make a living as a blogger.
Pretty much, I make money in a more passive way than that of full-time bloggers. However, I do think that at some point I will need to become more aggressive and pitch to brands in order to grow my income.
There are a few months left in 2020, and I can say that I have made quite a bit of progress. Also, I am super grateful that my income has been steady. There is not a month in 2020 that I made $0 online.
I consider that a win.
This year for me was about finding my footing with blogging, and I think I have finally found balance. It is not easy to create consistent content while holding down a full-time job, but I am committed.
Judging by numbers alone, my reach has significantly increased this year, just from creating content I want to share. I know I could make more money if I were to share content focused on making money, but that’s not my style.
Said all that to say, me not meeting my goal is a fact that doesn’t make my desire to create less. I love this community!
2020 October Online 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 September and October 2020, because most of the programs I am making money from take around 30-90 days to deposit into my bank account.
Breakdown of October 2020 Online Income – $767.16
In October 2020, I made $767.16 online. Here is the breakdown on where exactly the money came from.
Affiliate Income – $111.32
*Amazon: $36.22
*Magiclinks – $75.10
Merchandise – $16
*Printables – $16
Services: $135
*Consultations – $135
Google Adsense: $504.84
TOTAL: $767.16
The total above is before taxes, of which I save 15% from that total and have an amount deducted from my job paychecks to cover taxes as well.
In October. subtracting Epidemic Sound and Acuity my total revenue for October is $612.09.
October Online Blog & Youtube Stats
October Blog Traffic: -1,870 pageviews (1,194 sessions)
September Youtube subscribers: +501 (15,804 total)
September Youtube views: 82,700 (7,200 hours)
October Pinterest followers: +4 (19)
October Pinterest total audience: 96,300
October Instagram followers : +33 (2,272)
What did I do in October to grow?
In many ways, I did not execute as planned. My focus was on ending the year strong, so I spent a lot of time preparing for November and December content. Though I do not have lots of sponsors lined up, I can still make a fair amount of money with affiliates and pageviews.
However, I did complete a few things on my list.
I did not re-organize my blog as planned, but I did post as often as desired. Also, I did pin regularly on Pinterest as planned. What I am realizing from going through my blog is how posts I need to update and that I need to learn more about SEO.
To gain pageviews, I need to figure out how to push my posts up in search rankings. Pinterest is doing a great job of driving organic traffic to my blog, but I need to work on organic traffic from Google and Bing.
My Pinterest page views increased significantly, and as a result my blog pageviews rose as well. The Pinterest Strategies course I took a few months back is worth every penny.
Youtube growth was steady as expected. I moved into Afro Season on my channel, and happily my subscribers are all in! It’s new content for me, so I am relieved that it has been received well. My plan is to keep that content short, and to make sure I continue to vary my hairstyles on a whim so people do not box me into a single hairstyle.
Content Struggles
I switched up my Youtube content up in October, adding a few videos focused on wellness and personal development. My hope is that in six-months I will see rising numbers on that content because at the moment it is not receiving many views.
Instagram is my biggest growth struggle. Though I put time into content, I know I do not spend enough time engaging, thus my growth is stagnant. I enjoy stories more than anything else, and I think as a creator the algorithm works unfavorably, against small accounts.
However, I am not a quitter, so after doing some research, I have a new strategy to implement for October. For the time being, I will continue to put extra effort into Instagram until the end of the year.
This means a photoshoot, making time for quality flat lays, and especially engaging with others on the platform. Though I planned for a photoshoot in October, a tropical storm pushed that back to November 1, so I’ll talk more about that next month as well.
My Plans for November
November is all about preparing for Vlogmas. I have planned content and need to record several videos in November to successfully post 25 days straight in December.
Also, I am contacting brands to acquire giveaway items. Basically, I’m hoping to post content as planned but my major focus is preparing to end the year strong.
I really want to re-organize the blog, and I am focusing on Instagram growth. I will post regularly, engage, and see if that makes a difference.
The hope is to get a firm grasp on my online content workflow by the end of the year, so I can start 2021 strong. Vlogmas is on the horizon, and that presents a good opportunity to test the workflow system I am building.
Eventually I want to hire a video editor, so having an efficient workflow system will help when that time arrives.
How I plan to grow my online income in November
I will keep things simple for November by publishing high-quality content and marketing that content. November is all about traffic generation:
*I will focus on re-organizing my blog so there is a clear focus on the content and flow for increased traffic.
*Solidify Instagram workflow: I will get the shots back from my photography session in a week, so my major focus is determining a workflow to increase traffic, which will eventually lead to income.
*Consult solicitation: I do not have any consults lined up for this month, but I also have yet to advertise. My plan is to rework my November hours to account for Holidays and then make it known that my books are open.
*Increased traffic means more shares, which leads to more sponsored income. I still need to work on more shameless promotion to secure at least one sponsorship for December.
*Lastly, I will find a course on SEO. I need to learn how to optimize my posts, and the only way to do that is to find other bloggers who have experience with the subject.
Big goal: Market my content every single day
I hope to post 3 Youtube videos, 2 blog posts, and 3 Instagram photos every single week. Also, I will Pin daily on Pinterest and engage with my community frequently.
With the sponsorship, I have lined up in November, these things should help me reach my $1000 monthly goal.
Though I have changed my Youtube content a bit, my desire to create remains the same. My life requires quite a bit more balance, but I can do it. If I want to grow my online reach, it will require sacrifice in the short term for bigger long term results.
Two things I am working on for creative purposes are my ALove4Me Offline Youtube channel and revamping the Newsletter. I have been vlogging and have decided to create two longer videos a month on that channel documenting life.
I really enjoy creating vlogs, but they take a lot of time and planning. I’m not used to randomly pickoing up my camera, and I need a light camera for vlogging.
It has been awhile since I published the monthly newsletter, and that is because I want to revamp the look. However, my plan is to get it out this month while exploring options.
As I work on my 2021 goals, I am thinking about investing more into courses that help me get to know photography and video editing on a deeper level. More on that later.
Nonetheless, is there any type of content you would like to see more of on ALove4Me?
Did you miss my September Online Income Report? Check it out here.
