You’re probably here because you’re interested in making money from home.
If you’ve already heard about blogging as a significant source of income, it’s true!
Starting a blog is like owning your own business with no ceiling for the amount of money you can make. However, your success is directly related to the amount of time and effort that you put in.
Depending on what stage of the game you’re in, maybe you need some motivation right now to keep going. I’ve been there.
Whether you’re still on the fence about getting started, going through a lull where you’re not super into your blog anymore, or working super hard with nothing to show for it, I hope this income report will help you get inspired.

Not Blogging About Blogging
It is VERY possible to make money blogging. And no, I don’t make my income blogging about blogging.
As you start your blogging journey, you’ve probably come across a ton of bloggers that have websites just teaching about how to blog. I guess this is one of them.
However, I was in your shoes once too. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t find any bloggers who seemed to have regular blogs about their hobbies and interests instead of just about making money blogging.
They all claimed that had a site before this, but it could never be found.
As of now, this blog (Just Simply Blog) is not generating any income. The goal is that in the future it will, but I really just want to share with other women and moms how they can get started in this side hustle/career too.
My Mom Blog
The first blog I started in August 2018 is Just Simply Mom. This is a true mom blog where I write posts about pregnancy, babies, toddlers, motherhood, and all that’s in between.
I began this blog to share my experiences, advice, and ideas with other new moms who were just as lost as I was in motherhood, as well as the insight and tips I learned through trial and error and from my career as an occupational therapist.
That alone is the source of my income.
The bulk of the money I earn is from display advertising and affiliate marketing, with the largest bulk coming from the ads.
Last month was my 17th month of blogging so I have had my blog for about a year and a half.
Total monthly income for February 2020: $7,380
Here is the breakdown of my income:
Display Advertising
Ad Network Mediavine: $6,620.25

I get about 9K page views per day, so about 270K page views per month.
Affiliate Marketing
Amazon: $735.38

Commission Junction: $24.30

There are also a few other incomes I have that are minimal so they’re not worth including here, as well as free products I received from brands and companies.
As you can see, I have no products or services that I am selling. No eBooks or courses and no blogging about blogging.
The bulk of the income comes from my display advertising which is completely dependent on site traffic. That’s why it’s so important to focus on gaining traffic to your blog.
How it works
Here is the low down on the way both of these monetization strategies work. To get more details on other ways to make money from a blog, check out this post on How Bloggers Make Money.
Display Advertisements
This is the quickest and easiest way to start making money with your blog.
You can set your blog up with ads very early on. However, you need to generate a good amount of traffic for it to be a substantial amount.
Advertising is directly correlated to how many views you get on your page. That’s why it’s so important to create great content and bring in a large audience.
Typically, companies themselves don’t place advertisements directly on your site (although this is an option).
The most common way to utilize advertisements in blogging is to collaborate with an ad network. They basically rent space on your website for advertising spots and place their client’s ad display for your readers to see.
There are different levels and types of ad networks.
There are some networks, like Google Adsense, that don’t require a minimum amount of page views. Some ad networks require a higher amount of authority and an application process in order to qualify.
Some ad networks pay you just for placing the ad on your website and some pay more for each person who ends up clicking on the ad.
When you’re first starting out and have a small amount of content and traffic, you can apply for Google Adsense.
Since they don’t have a strict application process or requirements to be accepted, it’s the easiest way to make money in the beginning.
However, the payout is very minimal. I’m talking $2-$10 a day depending on traffic.
Some bloggers just forego applying to an ad network like Google AdSense and cluttering their site with ads to make very little income. You can just wait until you hit the threshold for applying to a higher-level ad network that will be a better bang for your buck (even though they are free to join).
Mediavine is the next-level ad agency that requires a minimum of 25K monthly views in order to apply. Once you do have this many views you are typically accepted.
From there you can start earning the big bucks as your page views increase.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
Affiliate marketing works by promoting other people’s products on your blog. You make a commission every time your reader makes a purchase there via your link or referral code.
When someone buys the product, it is tracked back to your site and you earn money off of each purchase.
What’s great is that pretty much every product that you use probably has an affiliate program. So promote the things you love and actually get paid for it!
If you’re a beauty blogger, look up the brands for your favorite mascara, skin care, hair products, foundation, etc. If you’re a mom blogger, send referrals to your favorite toys, baby products, nursing bras, parenting books, and more.
Someone will pay you for recommending their products!
It simply requires you to sign up for the affiliate network and use the tracking link provided for the product you are recommending.
Some brands utilize their own affiliate network, like Target, which has it’s own affiliate network. However some brands are part of a larger network with many brands, like Trunk Club or One Kings Lane which are a part of the ShareASale network.
There are affiliate networks that host a lot of different brands, like Awin, where you sign up and can automatically be connected with various companies from one platform.
I use Amazon as my main affiliate network because everyone shops on Amazon. The commissions are typically lowers than most affiliate networks, but if someone makes ANY purchase on Amazon within 24 hours, you get the commission.
. . . . .
I’m glad that I can show you how I earn a full-time income from my mom blog. I can understand the frustration when you see time and time again, bloggers who blog about blogging and nothing else.
It often makes it seem like it’s a hoax to get people to start a blog when they’re only making money because they’re getting someone to start a blog or buy their product or service.
Now that you see that it IS POSSIBLE to make a living with JUST a hobby blog, I hope you give it a shot because you won’t regret it!
