For many, many months, I’ve seen affiliate marketers, internet experts and even wannabe mega-moguls posting their online income status on their blogs. These guys would break down their monthly incomes and each time it would leave me thinking, why am I not earning the same?
You see at the beginning, I was very much into blogging for the money - and I’m not afraid to admit that. But as time wore on, I began to see and realise that there was a whole other world outside of making money online. One which involved networking with other like minded individuals and connecting with groups and forums who shared similar characteristics and goals for the future.
So I kept blogging - determined to build up a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. In some respects, I feel that I have already accomplished this and more as I see so many of you guys commenting on posts. This alone is a major benefit in taking time to write posts day after day, where at the beginning of this blog’s life, I was seeing no reward.
As I kept writing, so my RSS subscribership kept creeping up, passing milestones along the way: 100…200…500. Traffic too has been on the increase and has been up more so ever since I posted the article on 101 Essential Blogging Resources. But most significantly, online revenues have also been increasing, and I feel that it’s finally time to show my community how far they have helped me come.
This July, I managed to surpass all previous records and earn $506.14 from blogging online at Blogtrepreneur.com. The following graph really shows my journey and how I got here:
As you can see, it hasn’t been plain sailing from the off. When I first started recording my income in November 2006, that first month turned out to be a high, and there was a continual downward trend for 3 months solid. After that and in the new year, things started picking up a bit as I pulled my socks up and increased posting frequency.
But again in April, earnings fell after a record high in March. I’m happy to see though, that since April, earnings have taken a turn upwards and now are growing at an ever increasing rate. The good news is, is that August is set to be another record-breaking month.
Where has this money come from?
I’ve always been of the mindset to never put my eggs all in one basket. Unfortunately, so many bloggers rely on Adsense these days - the problem with this is that you just never know when Google might penalize you for fraudulent clicks or ban your account outright. Since the new theme which I released in May, I’ve completely removed Adsense from new posts - as I feel that the ads aren’t worth the space or the time.
Here’s a complete breakdown of my income sources:
As you can see, the new theme has also allowed me to introduce Private Advertising. Ever since I stumbled on Nate and Maki’s posts, I’ve been intrigued as to how one can make such a good living from privately collected and managing advertisers as opposed to a service like TLA which handles everything for you.
In total, Private Ads account for $154 or 30% of my online income which is a really significant amount. However, at $175 plus another $25 for a referral, TextLinkAds continue to be my best money maker. Thanks to Patrick Gavin and the team for continuing to improve the service. ReviewMe were also fairly high up this time due to a review of XHTML/CSS. As a result, MediaWhiz (who own the two companies) account for $325 or 64% of online earnings!
Part-time Income
Now, a lot of people who look at this figure may be surprised, may not care or may simply just laugh. If you compare my site to others like JohnChow who collected $12,400 in July or Yaro who made $6500 back in March, I’m really not earning that much. But as a 17 year old student who actively blogs for 15-30 minutes per day, I’m very pleased with where I am - but I know that there’s room to further increase earnings.
Of course, preparing myself to blog takes a bit longer (and people who talk to me via IM will confirm that I’m online for a little longer than half an hour). But networking is something that I enjoy and something that helps me out in return. Speaking to these guys gives me motivation, and in some cases helps me to sell my private adverts!
As a blogger though, how much you want to earn comes down to how long you’re willing to spend doing the work. Money doesn’t grow on webpages, at least not initially. You must be prepared to spend some time writing articles, writing comments, using social media as a powerful platform for building traffic and taking time to read from other people and experts online.
So, why am I showing you this?
Simple really. There’s a lot of sceptics out there who think that the internet is still some fad whereby the only way to earn some money is through quick, dodgy dealing or eBay. Wrong. As I, and a great number of bloggers have shown, persistence can lead you anywhere and can allow you to push back boundaries unheard of before.
This article is also not intended as a means of showing off or boasting about how many dollars I make. Believe me, once you convert online earnings into GBP £, the value is somewhat rubbed off.
I feel though that I have gained enough skills and knowledge to be able to help anyone who has sustained determination to make money online. And this is where my next website comes into the mix - so stay subscribed so you don’t miss the launch!
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72 responses so far ↓
1 Thomas Cronw // Aug 9, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Hey, thanks for posting this and congratulations. It is always good to learn from people who are doing a good job.
keep up
2 Connor // Aug 9, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Wow, that’s great. It doesn’t seem like much in comparison to the big earners, but I can really appreciate how much that really is, congrats.
Here’s to 1000 subscribers and $ earned over the next months!
3 Ray Dotson // Aug 9, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Congrats, Adnan! Connor’s right in that it doesn’t compare to $30k/month, but what a difference a few hundred dollars extra makes to normal people like us!
4 Kevin // Aug 9, 2007 at 6:31 pm
$500 a month is a great income for someone who is still at school. Congrats
5 Michael Martin // Aug 9, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Congrats Adnan - It’s always nice to see the bloggers who deserve it, getting rewarded! You’ll top off Yaro someday. No doubt.
6 Glen Allsopp // Aug 9, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Thats a lot more than i would have thought. I really don’t care how much money im making on my site at the moment thats why i only have adsense on there but a post im writing in a couple of days will explain all that.
Its good to see that you have enjoyed the other side of things aswell
7 DotSauce Domain Magazine // Aug 9, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Great read, I am trying to monetize my Domain News blog with some private ads.
I would love to hear more specifics on how you got direct advertisers.
8 adnan // Aug 9, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Hey guys - wow thanks for all the kind comments. It’s really you guys that have helped take me to where I am today.
@ Thomas and Connor - thanks guys!
@ Ray - lol tell me about it. This $500 goes very far for me - it allows me to get some electrical goods (*cough* iPod) and I can go out whenever without pestering my parents for money too!
Thanks too Kevin.
Haha I wish Michael. He’s probably way above $6500 now because of Blog Mastermind, that really took off quickly.
Hey Glen - yeah, especially with a new site it can be hard to monetize and Adsense often works well. Yeah money is only one side - there are so many benefits that people dont realise unless they just start blogging!
And @ Mark: no probs buddy. Actually there wouldn’t be much for me to say, because the private advertisers came to me thankfully!
9 Bush Mackel // Aug 9, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Hey Adnan, can I post your earnings on my latest post?
10 Brian Purkiss // Aug 9, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Thanks for the post!
I’m also 17, and want to do something similar to what you’re doing!
So thanks for the encouragement and advice!
And I agree with Ray - an extra few hundred dollars for under an hour a day doin something you enjoy is quite nice!
11 adnan // Aug 9, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Hey Bush - sure thing!
@ Brian - no probs. Awesome and I’m glad I’m helping people somehow!
12 Erik Karey // Aug 9, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Great work Adnan. Not only are you earning more every month it seems, but also growing your readerbase and staying consistent with your posting.
13 Dennis // Aug 9, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Not bad, congrats on the growth!
14 Derrich // Aug 9, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Thanks for sharing this bit of information with us. Best of luck in the future.
15 Jarkko Laine // Aug 9, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Great job, Adnan! Congratulations!
It’s great to hear about figures from other people than the pro of the pro like John Chow and Darren Rowse.
Somehow hearing about your $500 is much more motivating than thinking about the $12000 posted by John. Your numbers make me think that maybe it’s possible to make some money after all while Johns numbers just seem like a dream…
And you really have a good point in saying that it’s not only about the money. I agree that networkting with great people is equally if not more important.
Keep up the good work, you’re going to get far with this blog!
16 sarahG // Aug 9, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Nice figures Adnan, I’m about 66% of the way there with around $350 earnt in July, highest month yet. However mine isn’t from blogging but other sites, but it’s all nice income from very little work (well no work on my behalf usually!).
So much so after a year of stashing the cash we’re planning a 2 week holiday to Italy. The earnings will cover transport, accommodation, breakfast and maybe a few cocktails. Not bad for very little work. Those who say it can’t be done, or it takes hard work clearly haven’t tried it properly!
Hope your figures continue to rise for you
17 Dave Starr --- ROI Guy // Aug 9, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Very nice to see this post. I’ve been hanging out here since the early days … sadly haven’t always had the time to drop by as often as I would wish to. I’m really glad to see your success. I’m also glad to read so many supportive comments … it’s been my experience on a lot of similar start-up blogs that the readership often seems to be people hoping the blogger will “stub his toe” and provide laugh-fodder for those watching from the sidelines and doing nothing but promoting negativity.
So as a couple others have pointed out, the money is a good thing, the community is an even better thing.
(and I do like that color code numbering system on the comments … why didn’t someone think of that before?
Press on, guy
18 45n5 // Aug 9, 2007 at 11:25 pm
awesome adnan!
$500 per month is no small task, congrats.
19 Paul // Aug 9, 2007 at 11:49 pm
“once you convert online earnings into GBP £, the value is somewhat rubbed off”
I’ve certainly noticed that - $100 in AdSense earnings suddenly looks a lot less when you translate it to less than £50, especially with the awful exchange rate we have at the moment (at least Google pay by direct deposit now though, unlike when they used to send cheques drawn on a US account which most banks will charge you to pay in).
20 Josh Buckley // Aug 10, 2007 at 12:25 am
Great job adnan! Good to see your blog earning some sweet cash
21 Matthew Blancarte // Aug 10, 2007 at 6:46 am
awesome, your blog is really taking off so i’m sure it will get better and better
22 adnan // Aug 10, 2007 at 11:27 am
Wow a lot of people to thank for their really kind comments:
So cheers to Erik, Dennis, Derrich, Mark, Josh and Matthew. It’s really great to have you guys drop by.
@ Jarkko - yeah, looking at the other “smaller guys” and their earnings had the same effect on me. I knew it could be possible by looking at their sites and trying to build mine up to their standard and above.
@ Sarah - thanks :). Nice, congrats on the $350. Awesome - hope you have a great time in Italy. It really is cool to see how far these few hundred dollars earnt can go - and a testament to the power of blogging.
@ Dave - yeah it’s been a while since you’ve dropped by! Thanks for your ongoing support mate, and yeah - the comments just make something a little dull and plain at times, just that bit more likely!
@ Paul - hehe - it doesn’t help that Google don’t give me direct deposits. Most of my income comes through Paypal - which either gets fee’d, or gets a really bad exchange rate. I’m sure Paypal are making good money ripping everyone off with bad exchange rates.
Thanks so much again for the support - onwards and upwards!
23 Powerful Posts - August 10, 2007 | Nate Whitehill dot Com // Aug 10, 2007 at 1:06 pm
[...] - How I Made $506 Blogging In July 2007 Adnan admits that when he first started blogging, he was very much in it for the money. Now, he [...]
24 Okey // Aug 10, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Adna this is really good for one of your age keep it up. I know I wiil need some words from you to aid me move on too. I just started bloging but havent earnd a dimn. I need to know what to do to break this. you can find some time and email me, I’ll appreciate.
Cheers.
25 Shawn // Aug 10, 2007 at 7:03 pm
that’s awesome! I wish I had been making $500 for writing when I was 17
26 Grady // Aug 10, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Thats Great Adnan, I know the help you have been giving me and chris has really improved our site 100%…Keep up the good work.
27 Sudarshan // Aug 10, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Hi,I am new to your blog,I just got into your blog reading this very post,I am sure you have a bright time ahead,keep posting and I am in
28 Shane // Aug 11, 2007 at 12:00 am
Congrats Adnan!
That’s sounds like a good income for a blog with 600+ subscribers … it should scale nicely as your readership increases.
Determination is everything.
29 ejoe // Aug 11, 2007 at 2:35 am
hey adnan, congratulations!! I just recently started a blog myself and was wondering how long you started writing your content before you began selling ads and making money off them.
30 Steven Snell // Aug 11, 2007 at 5:29 am
Congratulations Adnan! I’m impressed with the growth and it’s definitely a big accomplishment. Stick with it and the numbers will only grow.
31 Paul // Aug 11, 2007 at 3:02 pm
@adnan: Why won’t Google give you direct deposits? They’ve been available for ages now - the only reason that I can think of for not being able to use it in the UK is not having a bank account, but if that was the case you wouldn’t be able to withdraw your PayPal funds either…
32 Matt // Aug 11, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Congrats Adnan! You’ve sure came a long way since I came across your old blogspot blog. Now if I can only get my site to make some money…
33 adnan // Aug 11, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Hey Okey - shoot me an email next week after I’ve released my next site - you never know, it might be right up your street!
@ Shawn - thanks for the kind words buddy, and its not too late to start either!
@ Grady - thanks for dropping by, and I’m so glad I could have helped you and Chris. I’ve added you to Gtalk, so hope to catch you online.
@ Sudarshan - great seeing you here for the first time!
@ Shane, thanks for dropping by. I’ve been reading your blog and it contains real nuggets so I’m really pleased that you’re here. Yeah keeping the will to write articles is hard, hopefully I can keep producing good content.
@ ejoe - hey! I started monetizing my site straight away. A lot of people say you should wait 3 or 4 months before your site has built up a bit, but in my opinion, if you can start putting Adsense on your site unobtrusively, and make a few bucks doing something you like, then why not?!
@ Steven - thanks mate.
Finally, @ Paul - lol I only said that because Google doesn’t give me direct deposits anymore. I don’t really use it on many of my sites - so I havn’t really got a chance to build up any Adsense dollars :). The first time I got my $100, it came by Direct Deposit - it’s a lot easier than a cheque.
Thanks so much for all your kind words guys!
34 adnan // Aug 11, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Sorry, just got your comment Matt. Thanks for dropping by, and yeah, it sure was a long time since I left Blogger - much of the thanks still goes to you for helping me make the transition to .com. I’ve seen that you’ve been writing a lot more articles, so keep it up and I’m sure you’ll start earning soon!
35 Hoobin Money Online // Aug 11, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Well, this is a great post. I’m new here, just manage to find out your blog after the nate power post.
36 Ann L. // Aug 11, 2007 at 9:05 pm
It’s a lot easier to make you my hero because your income seems like a much smaller step than $12,000. Yes, I won’t mind being at the $12,000 level, but I’ve discovered the elevator to the top is currently under repair and I’m just going to have to take the stairs. Thanks, Adnan.
37 mahdi yusuf // Aug 11, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Amazing post! i would like for you to be my big brother blog?! is that possible?!
38 DayJobNuker // Aug 12, 2007 at 3:12 am
You a re doing real well for someone so young. Uh…you are doing real well for any age!
39 sarahG // Aug 12, 2007 at 8:44 am
@ Ann L. - I love your elevator comment! That’s so true for most of us
40 adnan // Aug 12, 2007 at 9:00 pm
@ Hoobin - I’m glad Nate referred you and it’s nice having you here!
@ Ann - I’ve never been anyone’s hero before! Lol. And that’s a fantastic quote as SarahG said. And you’re 100% right. Most of the time the elevator is under repairs - nowadays there are very few GetRichQuick schemes that actually work online.
@ Mahdi - Lol, I sent you an email the other day btw, did you not receive it?
@ DayJobNuker - thanks buddy and I love the name of your site!
Cheers guys!
41 Hoobin Money Online // Aug 12, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Adnan, it’s nice to be here too. Please call me Ken, hoobin.com is just my site name. Nowday, with all the linking, you just don’t know whether you have to put for you name or your site name.
The last time I check, my name ken is the biggest incoming anchor text. But it’s totally not related to the site, so I need to do something about it:)
Anyway,i like the elevator idea in Ann comment. Either using elevator or stairs. For me, success is worth every penny as seeing it through from level to level. It’s not about reaching the top, but it’s about enjoying the view to the top:)
42 Link Time! | Matt Blancarte dot Com // Aug 13, 2007 at 1:59 am
[...] Adnan tells about his success with blogging. He makes a pretty good amount of money, and he has a ton of readers. Definitely a great read because you can see that when you put the effort into a good blog and stay consistent, it pays off… literally. [...]
43 pearl // Aug 13, 2007 at 3:54 am
Wow.. thats awesome and a huge feat Adnan… many Congrats! really happy for you!
44 rob tencer // Aug 13, 2007 at 7:12 am
I am having difficulty with TLA. The status says pending and I can’t seem to change it. I have referral buttons on my blogs from TLA but I am unsure how to work with them. if you can help me, please do. I am at about $60.00 this monthso far on adsense. Adbrite, max bounty, are getting hundreds of clicks but no conversions. maxbounty says no conversion unless everything filled out properly by clicker. The only reason i placed them on my blog is that i could pick relevent banners buttons and txt links. i need minor fixes to earn big money. please help.
45 How Much Blogging Income Is Significant? at FreshBlogger // Aug 13, 2007 at 12:08 pm
[...] light of Adnan of Blogtrepreneur’s recent announcement of making more than $500 a month from blogging, it’s a good time to ask this question again. Firstly, congratulations to Adnan! To me, this [...]
46 sarahG // Aug 13, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Rob - when you say status pending do you mean for a site you’ve submitted? If so then perhaps their bot can’t see that you’ve installed the ad script successfully. Go to Publisher -> Edit Listings and click the details next to the site, check them over and run through to the end as if you’d updated them, then it should give you the instructions you need eg. a WordPress plugin or PHP script and name for an XML file to create.
47 Andreas Bard // Aug 14, 2007 at 10:32 am
Awesome Adnan. I knew from the beginning your blog would be a success. You have much more to give and in a couple of months you will laugh at these numbers when you earn many times more than that =)
Keep up the good work!
// Andreas Bard
48 Becky // Aug 14, 2007 at 12:07 pm
$500 isn’t bad, I like the idea that you have tried to sell ads yourself. I’m also surprised that your AdSense earnings are so low, maybe you need to make them more prominent .
Becks
49 adnan // Aug 15, 2007 at 12:05 am
Hey guys thanks for your kind comments again.
@ Hoobin - sorry I’ll call ya Ken now
@ pearl - thanks!
@ rob - it seems like Sarah kindly came to your rescue.
@ Sarah - thanks for being so helpful!
@ Andreas - thanks for sticking with me buddy - I hope these numbers continue to climb too!
Finally @ Becky - thanks. I don’t use Adsense on this blog hence the low dollars - I only use them on a few rubbish sites.
Wow thanks for the awesome feedback guys - I can’t believe I’ve had such nice comments - I love ya all!
50 cooliojones // Aug 15, 2007 at 2:42 am
Hey good job man. You gotta start somewhere and this shows people that the longer you stick with it, the more money there is to make in the long run.
51 TipsoSaurus // Aug 15, 2007 at 8:09 am
Congrats Adnan,
It seems that most of the bloggers are not benefiting more from other networks instead of adsense. Good work there.
52 Show me the money: 7 ideas for getting additional income - Jarkko Laine - Insanely interested // Aug 15, 2007 at 10:01 am
[...] the world. One more thing to mention is that it usually takes about 6-12 months (or longer) before you start seeing any money at all, not to mention the huge numbers that some profilic bloggers are [...]
53 Deron Sizemore // Aug 15, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Wow Adnan, that’s great!! True, $506 compared to that of what John Chow or Yaro is bringing in seems like pennies, but to those of us (me) who have yet to make anything from blogging, $506 seems like a million!
Way to go.
54 Turn Up The Volume with blogLOUDER | :: Interesting Observations :: // Aug 16, 2007 at 5:26 am
[...] at his article “How I made $506 blogging in July 2007” and you’ll know he knows what he is talking [...]
55 Mike Panic // Aug 18, 2007 at 4:46 am
I read John Chow on a regular, he’s reader base will click on anything he tells them to and / or sign up with any affiliate he suggests. He is known in the tech industry from other sites he runs.
Making $500+ from a blog in a month is a huge accomplishment, you should be very happy. I’ve found that if you are true to yourself and write quality content, everything comes along with it, whether we are talking about alexa ranking, technorati ranking, google page rank, rss subscribers, unique visitors, whatevs.
56 Random Act of Linkness - Jarkko Laine - Insanely interested // Aug 18, 2007 at 10:01 am
[...] over 700 RSS subscribers he has been able to make a nice side business from his blogging and last month he earned his biggest blogging paycheck ($506) so far. But he’s not going to settle with that. A few days ago he started his own blog consulting [...]
57 adnan // Aug 18, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Thanks coolio, Deron and Mike. Yeah just sticking with the blog has been hard but at last I’m starting to see the rewards!
58 sara // Aug 18, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Just came across your site from Jarkko laine and this is a great post. It shows what CAN be achieved with hard work. Keep it up!
59 Joe Richey // Aug 19, 2007 at 12:02 am
I just invited my 30,000 plus readers to see your progress and learn as well….
Thanks Joe Richey
http://www.whoelsalerwholesaler.com
http://www.mywholesalespace.com
60 Taylor // Aug 19, 2007 at 8:16 am
Very inspiring post. Feed added.
61 adnan // Aug 19, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Thanks sara, Joe and Taylor.
@ Joe - wow thanks for putting this in front of your readers, much appreciated buddy
62 Weekly Shark Bytes 19/08 | Shylock Blogging // Aug 19, 2007 at 9:10 pm
[...] making my point about diversifying your income, he made $506 from blogging in July, but only $6 were from [...]
63 Link Love: First Edition - The Blog Beat // Aug 24, 2007 at 1:07 pm
[...] How I Made $506 Blogging In July 2007 Adnan at Blogtrepreneur talks about he built up and spread out his sources of revenue for his site. [...]
64 Robert Tutsky // Sep 23, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Adnan,
Great job you’re doing. Any amount towards the beginning is a plus. Can’t wait to see how you do in the future. Good luck!
Robert
65 adnan // Sep 25, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Thanks Robert. I can’t wait either, this month (September) already looks set to beat both July and August in earnings!
66 nubargulbenkiana // Nov 14, 2007 at 7:59 am
Hi Adnan..what the awesome journey..
I do blogging to and just start, I try to follow your methode and Yaro’s..I hope we can have good blogsphere and maintain the relationship
67 Olanrewaju O LEWIS // Nov 16, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Hi Adnan,
This is a really great piece and thanks for sharing…at your age, the wealth of knowledge and your determination is highly commendable. I came across your website through a friend’s blog and I very glad I did. I have learned a lot today by just reading this write-up…most importantly, the advice in quotes above.
Keep up the good work.
68 Bob // Dec 18, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Wow, nice to see it is working for somene.
69 Edward // Dec 18, 2007 at 10:55 pm
wow! This post is such an inspiration to me! I have just started blogging and reading your post has refueled me. Thank you for writing this.
best of luck to you man!
-edward
70 The Best Of Blogtrepreneur In 2007 // Jan 3, 2008 at 12:19 am
[...] How I Made $506 Blogging In July 2007 [...]
71 Web Design Dude // Feb 22, 2008 at 2:14 am
It would good to see where your stats are now
72 Devin // Mar 20, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Good stuff! This helps to put things into perspective. Keep up the good work.
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