How I Earned from Blogging in September + Proven Ways to Grow a Loyal Audience

Welcome to my September business report. Each month I share how I earn money online and how I managed to travel full-time last month. Here’s an update on how the business performed in September.

If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you might wonder why I publish a monthly business report.

This started as my extra income report because, in the early days, it focused on side-job earnings. Those early reports documented every income stream outside my day job.

I left my role as a financial analyst in October 2013, and now these monthly reports cover all the ways I earn a living through my business.

Some readers ask why I publicly share what I’m working on each month. Others think it’s unusual, while many appreciate the transparency. I publish these reports for three main reasons:

When I first considered side hustles and making money online, I knew very little and didn’t think it was worthwhile. If others hadn’t published their monthly income reports, I might never have tried. Sharing my income helps illustrate the benefits of side hustling and can motivate others to improve their finances by finding new income streams.
Monthly reports are a great way for me to review progress, learn from mistakes, and identify areas that need improvement. They act as a record of performance and help keep me accountable.
I want to show that making side income is possible and that there are legitimate ways to earn money from home.

I say this every month because it’s true: life is wonderful now that I’m my own boss and a full-time blogger. I look forward to each day and genuinely enjoy waking up every morning.

Those are a few reasons I enjoy publishing monthly income reports. I want readers to know you don’t have to hate your job or life. You can make changes, pursue income opportunities that fit your life, and enjoy your time outside of work—whether that’s spending time with loved ones, crafting, hiking, or other activities.

A quick reminder on the recent announcement

I’ll repeat the announcement here for anyone who missed it: see How I Made Over $1,500,000 in 2018 – Is This the End of Income Reports? for context. I expect some readers will have questions after that update.

How was business income in September 2019?

My primary income channels include:

Affiliate marketing — this is the largest portion of my income.
Sponsored partnerships.
Courses — including Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and Making Sense of Sponsored Posts.
Display advertising — I use AdThrive; other options include Mediavine or Media.net for newer blogs.

I routinely earn over $100,000 per month from blogging and have earned more than $5,000,000 from the business over the years.

September 2019 was another strong month for Making Sense of Cents. I earned a solid income and had a lot of fun while doing it. I have an ambitious plan for the rest of 2019 to grow income, increase readership, publish more helpful posts, and expand the brand.

Planned initiatives to grow the blog include:

Getting more media mentions by taking a course focused on media features.
Focusing on SEO with a comprehensive course to boost organic traffic.
Learning Pinterest and Facebook advertising to grow traffic and email subscribers.
Adding an online shop to sell worksheets and printables.
Creating new lead magnets (opt-ins) to grow the email list and reach new readers.

The business is doing well. I have many ideas for growth and I’m excited about the year ahead.

Below are selected past income reports; for the full archive visit my income page. A few highlights include:

$672 extra in May (2012)
$6,523 in January extra income (2013)
$11,927 in October income — the month I left my job (2013)
$12,640 in January income (2014)
$23,758 in February income (2015)
How I made $300,000 online in 2015
How I made $979,321 in 2016
How I made $1,536,732 in 2017
How I made over $1,500,000 in 2018

If you’re interested in starting a blog, I created a step-by-step tutorial to help you start a blog inexpensively. Self-hosted WordPress is important if you want to monetize and appear professional; my income increased significantly after switching to self-hosted WordPress.

*Follow our travel adventures on Instagram.*

Blog and life news

In September we spent most of our time in Utah and western Colorado and drove to Estes Park for a wedding where Wes was a groomsman. We explored national parks, backcountry trails, went mountain biking, off-roading, and hiking. It was an incredible month and we loved spending the summer living in the van.

We were also able to visit family and friends frequently, staying in driveways and catching up before we head back to the boat. One of the best parts of van life is how easy it is to see loved ones. You can read more about our decision to spend the summer living in a van in my post “We’re Living in a Van!”

Other updates:

I’m currently about one month ahead on blog posts and want to get 2–3 months ahead to make life easier.
Traffic for the month exceeded 400,000 page views.
I’m developing a tutorial series answering basic finance questions: building credit, opening a bank account, writing a check, finding an online bank, and creating an investment account. I welcome suggestions for other topics to cover.
Our Facebook group for the community continues to grow; it’s a place where readers can seek advice on finance, blogging, travel, and business topics.
I released a free “How To Start a Blog” email course that has helped over 60,000 people sign up.
Following that success, I launched the free “Master Your Money” email course, which includes budgeting worksheets and practical financial lessons.
I also offer free guides like “10 Easy Tips to Increase Your Affiliate Income” and “8 Easy Tips to Make Money From Sponsored Posts on Your Blog.”

Popular new posts last month:

Want To Make Money From Home? Here Are 17 Of The Best Online Jobs
Are Budget Airlines Worth It? 6 Tips To Cut Your Costs
How To Start As A New Freelance Writer
The Honest Truth About Van Dwelling: Common Van Life Questions
16 Alternatives To Cable TV That Will Save You Money
Is Thrift Store Reselling Good Or Evil?
Common Phone Scams: Tips To Avoid Becoming A Victim

Featured question: What are the best ways to connect with your audience?

Each month I answer a reader question. Many readers ask how to build a stronger relationship with their audience, and I believe this is essential for a successful blog.

Readers often tell me they feel like I’m a friend—someone who cares and speaks in a casual, relatable way. I love hearing that because it means my content is helping people.

Reasons to improve audience engagement include:

Building a loyal following that returns to your content.
Helping readers take action—paying off debt, starting side hustles, or improving finances.
Boosting social media performance so your posts reach more people.
Showing that you’re a real person—avoid robotic, generic responses. Authentic, quality interactions matter more than automated quantity.

Ways to connect and build loyalty:

Ask questions at the end of posts or social updates to encourage comments and interaction.
Reply to comments on the blog and social media to foster relationships.
Write conversationally—imagine you’re speaking to a friend; this tone resonates with many readers.
Be active on Instagram to share behind-the-scenes content and humanize your brand.
Answer reader emails when possible. I still reply to many emails myself, and while responses are shorter these days, I try to be helpful.

Do you have a good relationship with your readers? Do you think it’s important?

My plans and goals for the business

I have a long list of initiatives I’m excited about. Goals help keep me motivated and focused. Current priorities include:

Complete the Facebook Ads for Bloggers course — learning Facebook ads will help grow traffic and conversions.
Finish the Stupid Simple SEO course — SEO is a major area I want to improve to boost organic traffic.
Create a free opt-in for affiliates to promote the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course — affiliates have requested this, and it will make promotion easier and trackable.
Get at least three months ahead on blog posts — being ahead reduces stress and enables focus on other priorities.
Work less than 30 hours per week — I usually hit this target but want to be consistent and improve work-life balance.
Be more present — my main goal for 2019 is to enjoy life more and focus on experiences outside the business.
Have fun — not a measurable goal, but an important one.

Affiliate marketing results

Affiliate income in September was around the blog’s usual level at over $50,000. I expect it to increase as I promote additional offers and continue planning affiliate promotions for late 2019 and into 2020.

To grow affiliate revenue I’m focusing on:

Planning affiliate promotions well in advance to stay organized.
Applying SEO techniques to boost traffic, inspired by guest posts that highlighted effective SEO strategies.
Testing Facebook ads to support affiliate campaigns.
Building a high-quality funnel that delivers consistent value to subscribers.
Expanding reach to attract new readers and potential buyers.
Analyzing top affiliate posts to identify improvement opportunities.
Finding new affiliate products that match audience interests.