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<\/div>\nNow-a-days, anyone<\/em> can start a blog<\/strong><\/a>. And I highly recommend you use Bluehost<\/a><\/strong> to start your blog because it’s very cheap and efficient.<\/p>\n I’m pretty sure even my dog has her own blog.<\/p>\n But earning from your blog is not easy<\/strong><\/a>. You have to set up a blog<\/strong><\/a> and be super dedicated. You can read my step-by-step on guide on creating a money-making blog<\/a><\/strong> right here. Or you can take my free email course that will teach you how to set up a blog the right way.<\/em><\/p>\n In my opinion, I feel there is a lot to learn from Blogging Income Reports because you get to realize where a Blogger’s strengths lie.<\/p>\n By reading other Bloggers’ Blogging Income Reports, you will realize that they reveal what works and what doesn’t.<\/p>\n This is super educational<\/em>, and it’s like testing the waters without actually dipping your foot in it!<\/p>\n I have always wanted to publish a Blogging Income Report, so here goes nothing!<\/p>\n This is my first Blogging Income Report<\/strong>. And most probably my last.<\/em> So, I’m going to be brutally honest with my income and what I did to get up to this point.<\/p>\n I started blogging in April and this is my 6th month blogging.<\/p>\n Woot woot!<\/p>\n If you don’t already know, my name is Angela and I’m an Illustrator, Blogger and Comic Artist<\/strong><\/a>. My blog – Stray Curls<\/strong><\/a> is all about helping young, bright women start their own online businesses and grow their businesses creatively.<\/p>\n So, it not only focuses on blogging, but creativity as well!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My goal is to make Stray Curls a fun-filled community for women (in all walks of life), who want to start something new and earn money from home.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n So, I don’t yet have ads because I want to build trust.<\/p>\n Affiliate Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links \u2013 meaning I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through the links. This money is used to maintain my Blog expenses and feed my beloved cream and chocolate Before I begin, please understand that I was able to earn this income, only because I have had one failed blog<\/em> before. I made a lot of mistakes<\/strong><\/a> with my previous blog.<\/p>\n And I was a little ahead of the curve when I created this one because I researched a ton in that year I took a break from blogging.<\/p>\n My previous blog was without direction and I ignored a lot of tips<\/strong><\/a> that I should I have paid attention to as a new Blogger. I was piggybacking on my husband’s clients and it took me almost a year just to make $100 in affiliate income.<\/p>\n You can read my whole personal story here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n So, if you’re just beginning, and have not yet achieved what you are aiming for, don’t lose heart.<\/p>\n Take courage because once you have enough traffic, the money will automatically pour in.<\/p>\n If you don’t already have a blog, you’re missing out on a lot of potential income that you could be earning from home. So, read my step-by-step guide<\/a> <\/strong>to start a money-making blog from scratch!<\/p>\n It will take you less than 15 minutes to start a blog.<\/p>\n No kidding.<\/p>\n Okay, let’s begin!<\/p>\n Patreon:<\/strong><\/a> $200<\/p>\n Affiliate Sales:<\/strong> $177 (includes Bluehost, Skillshare and Amazon)<\/p>\n Digital Products Sales:<\/strong> $29<\/p>\n Freelance Services:<\/a><\/strong> $3045<\/p>\n ConvertKit:<\/strong><\/a> $24 (I purchase annually so I get a good discount)<\/p>\n Tailwind:<\/strong> <\/a>$10 (I purchase this annually too)<\/p>\n Hosting and Domain:<\/strong><\/a> $15 approximately (I purchased my hosting\u00a0 for 3 years at a stretch)<\/p>\n Accountant Fees:<\/strong> $25<\/p>\n Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign Monthly Package:<\/strong> $51 (paid annually as my livelihood practically lives off these programs:<\/p>\n I talk about all the necessary expenses for a Blog in this post.<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n I usually make $1500-$2000 freelancing, but this month I undertook a massive illustrating project for a company.<\/p>\n I had to create quite a few illustrations for their training manual, hence my income went up.<\/p>\n That’s the fun bit about being a freelancer. You can never predict how much you will earn each month. It fluctuates.<\/p>\n Affiliate Sales are directly proportional to Blog Traffic and Blog Content.<\/strong><\/p>\n I learnt this the hard way.<\/p>\n Last month, I was able to make over $300 with affiliate marketing, because I used Social Media to share my post. But in August, I shared 0 posts as it was my Birthday and I was traveling the whole month.<\/p>\n Therefore my Affiliate sales tanked in September.<\/p>\n Lesson learnt.<\/em><\/p>\n A few posts to help you gain traffic:<\/strong><\/p>\n I have recently created a free 5 email course that will help you grow your Blog Traffic effortlessly!<\/p>\n Basically, it means that you are selling other people’s products. That is affiliate marketing. If you make a sale, you earn a commission from said company\/person.<\/p>\n That is an Affiliate sale.<\/p>\n Let me show you this little illustration.<\/p>\n Okay, the concept is pretty simple.<\/p>\n You become an Affiliate for a product you love. You talk about that product on your blog either in the form of a review or a tutorial and link to that product using your Affiliate Links.<\/p>\n A reader of your blog clicks the link, likes what he\/she sees and buys the product. You make a small commission at no extra cost to them.<\/p>\n And that’s how it works!<\/p>\n It’s easier to make a lot of money affiliate marketing when you’re in a proven, profitable niche.<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n You can read these two posts to help you understand how I go about affiliate marketing:<\/p>\n Anyone reading my Income Report will realize that I’m basically a workhorse.<\/p>\n When I started this blog, my main aim was to gain clients<\/strong><\/a>. So, I wrote posts that showcased my work as an Artist and Illustrator.<\/p>\n For the past 6 months, I have taken on a heap of clients and finished those projects to earn a good Freelancing Income.<\/p>\n I didn’t take that scary leap and focus on blogging entirely.<\/p>\n Yes, I admit it.<\/em><\/p>\n I am a scaredy-cat.<\/strong><\/p>\n But my goal for the future is to focus more on Affiliate Marketing. I plan on writing more affiliate posts and promoting them like a madwoman in order to slowly shift to earning passive income.<\/p>\n I have already taken a step toward my Passive Income goal by creating digital content which I sell in my shop<\/strong><\/a> here.<\/p>\n Take a looksie!<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Gaining clients is super easy<\/strong> <\/a>if people are able to decipher what you do within 2 minutes after they land on your blog.<\/p>\n On a totally separate note, I’ve just started creating baby\/pet portraits. You can get one by booking a slot right now! *wink*<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In fact, I even share 17 easy ways you can gain clients in this post<\/a>.<\/strong> It even includes a free workbook that you can use to identify your ideal client profile.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I spent 2 months designing my website, before I launched it.<\/p>\n People find me via Social Media<\/strong><\/a> and my Blog.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n But for lots of people to actually find you, you need a good amount of blog traffic.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Blog traffic basically equals more money.<\/strong><\/p>\n Pinterest played a huge part in boosting my income because most of my traffic comes from Pinterest. Therefore, I wasted no time in purchasing Tailwind – a Pinterest Scheduler<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n I had done my research. And it took me one failed blog to learn that if I wanted good quality traffic, I had to use Tailwind.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n I’ll show you proof.<\/p>\n Here’s my Pinterest Traffic before using Tailwind.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n And this is my traffic after I started using Tailwind.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This led me to cross over 20,000 blog pageviews!<\/p>\n Awesome, isn’t it?<\/p>\n I reveal 2 of my key blog traffic strategies in this post here<\/a><\/strong>. Give it a read.<\/p>\n Like I said earlier, earning an income via your Blog is super easy if you have good quality traffic<\/strong><\/a>. And Tailwind will actually help you gain that traffic.<\/p>\n You can give Tailwind <\/strong><\/a>a try by enrolling for a free trial right here!<\/p>\n >>SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL OF TAILWIND<<<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I have also recently created a free 5 email course that will help you grow your Blog Traffic effortlessly!<\/p>\n Another way to boost blog traffic<\/strong> is by having good email marketing software.<\/p>\n With my previous blog, I enrolled for Mailchimp because it was free for the first 2000 subscribers.<\/p>\n I was so happy initially because it was free but as time went on, I started getting annoyed.<\/p>\n If I had 2 opt-ins and one person signed up for both, that person was counted at 2 subscribers!<\/p>\n Now, that’s downright evil!<\/p>\n I had a very tough time switching to Convertkit<\/a>.<\/strong> And when I did, I never went back.<\/p>\n I purchased a whole year of Convertkit<\/a> <\/strong>when I started my new blog. It’s $29 a month, but I reaped all the benefits financially straight away, so it didn’t matter.<\/p>\n Convertkit<\/strong> <\/a>allows me to use a different form for each opt-in. It even shows you how each opt-in performs.<\/p>\n I currently have about 9 opt-ins.<\/p>\n And you can tag subscribers. For instance, if someone downloads my Ideal Client Profile Workbook<\/strong><\/a>, I will tag them as a freelancer. If someone opts for my Creative Course<\/strong><\/a>, I will tag them as a Creative. And if someone signs up to receive stationery updates, I will tag them as a Stationery Lover.<\/p>\n This means, when I’m sending emails, I can select subscribers under specific tags and increase the probability of my open rates.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n And because Convertkit<\/a> <\/strong>creates such pretty opt-ins, I am able to double my subscribers each month.<\/p>\n Something I failed at doing when I was using Mailchimp.<\/p>\n Therefore; using Convertkit,<\/a> <\/strong>actually helped me increase my blog traffic. And it helped me build trust with my subscribers. This helped me gain more clients.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Win-win!<\/p>\n UPDATE: <\/strong>Learn how I set up 2 sales funnels with ConvertKit that help me earn over $600 each month!<\/a><\/p>\n >>SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL OF COVERTKIT<<<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The learning curve is very high when you first begin. And that’s totally okay.<\/p>\n With Convertkit <\/a><\/strong>and Tailwind<\/strong><\/a>, added to my Blog Hosting<\/a><\/strong>, I am spending less than $50 a month on my Blog.<\/p>\n And it’s all worth it! Because I’m making a pretty neat profit.<\/p>\n See a list of all the tools<\/a> <\/strong>I use for my Blog and Business. It also includes resources that I used to improve my Illustrating skills.<\/p>\n I’d be nowhere without them.<\/p>\n Having a blog is a very good business, especially because I can stay at home and give my family all the love they deserve.<\/p>\n I don’t need to waste time commuting to work, or spend hours in an office under scrutiny… All of that is avoided with a wee, little blog.<\/p>\n If you’re considering starting a blog<\/a><\/strong>, then don’t waste any time. Read my super easy step-by-step\u00a0 guide and create a blog<\/a> <\/strong>straight away!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/maria-secret-laptop-882x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Start](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/start-a-blog-horizontal-banner.jpg\")
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\nRelated Post: 10 signs you’re a natural born artist<\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n
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<\/p>\npuffs<\/del> dogs.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Dogs-Eating-Bacon-1024x1024.png\")
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<\/p>\nBlogging Income Report:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Blogging Expense Report:<\/h2>\n
Total Profit after expenses: $3326<\/span><\/h3>\n
Please note:<\/h3>\n
\nRelated Post: 10 things I should have known before becoming an Illustrator<\/a><\/h5>\n
\nTakeaway 1:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"If](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/birthday-stray-curls-cake-1024x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
![\"Grow](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/blog-traffic-horizontal-banner.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSo, what is Affiliate Marketing?<\/h3>\n
![\"What](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/how-does-affiliate-marketing-work.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/stray-curls-cat-1024x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Screen-Shot-2018-12-28-at-3.40.05-PM.png\")
<\/p>\nTakeaway 2:<\/h2>\n
![\"baby](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/baby-portrait-pet-portrait-1024x483.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/blog-traffic-equals-money-1024x314.png\")
<\/p>\nHow did I gain good blog traffic?<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/before-tailwind-pinterest-screenshot-1024x351.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/pinterest-after-using-tailwind-1024x348.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Stray](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/straycurls-pageviews-july-1024x479.jpg\")
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\nRelated Post: 17 killer ways to get tons of blog comments!<\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n
\nTakeaway 3:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/devil-satan-1024x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.straycurls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Screen-Shot-2018-10-10-at-4.00.18-PM-1024x561.png\")
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\nYOU’LL ALSO LOVE:<\/em> 27 EASY TIPS TO DOUBLE YOUR BLOG TRAFFIC THIS YEAR!<\/em><\/a><\/h5>\n
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