How I Earned $241,649 Blogging in March: My Exact Strategy

Welcome to the March business income report, where I share how I earned money online last month. Here’s an update on how things went in March.

If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you might wonder why I publish monthly income reports. If you’re already familiar, feel free to skip ahead.

This began as an extra income report focused on side jobs. In the early reports I included all income outside my day job. I left my role as a financial analyst in October 2013, and since then my monthly reports have covered the various ways I make a living.

Many readers ask why I publish my income publicly. Some think it’s odd; others appreciate the transparency. I share these reports for three main reasons:

1. Before I started blogging, I knew very little about side hustles and making money online. I believed raises at a full-time job were the only way to meaningfully increase income. Seeing other bloggers publish income reports inspired me to try side hustling. I publish my reports to show the benefits of side income and to motivate others to improve their finances.
2. Publishing monthly income reports helps me reflect, learn from mistakes, and identify areas that need improvement. I use them as a business journal to track progress.
3. I want to demonstrate that earning money from home is possible and legitimate. If you’re looking for examples, I previously compiled a Monthly Income Report Roundup showcasing bloggers who publish their income and share their strategies.

I truly enjoy being my own boss and working full-time as a blogger. Waking up excited for the day is a wonderful feeling. My goal with these reports is to show that you don’t have to hate your job or life — you can make changes to find more enjoyment and flexibility.

How was business income in March of 2018?

I earned $241,649 blogging and online in March of 2018, before expenses.

March was an exceptional month — my best month yet.

I participated in a large affiliate launch in March that significantly boosted my income. I expect income to normalize in April since I don’t have launches planned for that month.

I typically favor passive income strategies like embedding affiliate links within posts, but the product promoted in March was a strong fit for my audience. I plan to participate in more affiliate launches to better support my email list and help readers reach goals like working from home and managing money. I’ll also add a lesson to Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing detailing my launch strategies, including email templates, for current and future students.

My top goal this year is improving work-life balance. I’m gradually doing better but still have room for improvement. I aim to work less than 10 hours per week over spring and summer.

I never imagined earning over $100,000 a month from blogging, so surpassing $200,000 in one month feels surreal. Remember, I started at $0 and built this through consistent effort. If you think $100 or $1,000 a month is out of reach, don’t assume that — with hard work and persistence, progress is possible.

Overall, March was excellent across the board: business, courses, and life. I’ve been saying “Life is really good” a lot lately — and I mean it. The business is growing, income is increasing, and I have many ideas for the year ahead.

My Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course continued to do well, attracting many new students last month. The course growth has been steady even without guest posts or webinars.

Blog news

Making Sense of Cents continues to do well. Right now we’re driving the RV to Florida to look at sailboats, and once we lock in a boat we expect to be very busy transitioning to life aboard. Being ahead on content is essential so I can focus on boat life without falling behind on the blog.

I’m brainstorming a finance-focused product to launch in 2018 in addition to blogging-related products. I welcome reader suggestions in the comments to help shape that idea.

Traffic for March was around 400,000 page views. This month reaffirmed that page views don’t directly determine income — March had relatively low page views but was my highest-earning month because of affiliate launches and strategic promotions.

Other updates:

• My sister joined as a virtual assistant in July 2017. She helps with Pinterest images, Facebook group moderation, social scheduling, and other tasks, freeing up my time for product creation and strategic planning.
• I’m considering offering group coaching in the future to help more people while creating a supportive environment for bloggers.
• The Making Sense of Cents Facebook community group continues to grow and now has over 10,000 members where readers share advice on finance, blogging, travel, and more.
• I launched a new interview series featuring people doing remarkable things, starting with JP who retired at age 28 with over $2 million in net worth.
• I released a free How To Start A Blog email course that has attracted over 40,000 sign-ups, and another free Master Your Money email course with practical money management lessons and worksheets.

Popular new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:

• I Wish People Would Stop Spreading This Awful Financial Advice
• Would You Consider Living In A Camper To Pay Off Debt Quicker?
• Stop Being Lazy – Why Overpay When You Can Save Money On Insurance?
• Real Life Frugality – 20+ Ways Our Family Of 5 Is Frugal
• Here’s How To Save Thousands For Your Next Vacation
• 8 Reasons I Love Using FreshBooks To Run My Blogging Business
• Your Financial Freedom Checklist
• How We Became Professional House Sitters In Europe & Saved Over $5,000

Featured Question: What should I blog about?

I feature one reader question each month. A frequent question is how to choose a blog topic. There’s no single right answer. Consider these prompts when deciding:

• What are you passionate about? Blogging about something you love will show in your writing.
• What blogs do you enjoy reading? If you enjoy certain blogs, a similar topic might be a good fit.
• What are you knowledgeable about? You don’t need formal credentials to help others, but practical experience can be valuable.
• What are you learning about? Readers enjoy following someone’s journey as they learn and grow.

You can blog about one niche or a mix of topics. Popular blog niches include lifestyle, home, family, finance, crafts, DIY, small business, outdoors, fitness, food, personal development, photography, travel, and more.

Should you be an expert or have a degree in your niche?

In most blogging niches you don’t need to be an expert or hold a degree. Many successful bloggers share personal experiences or document how they solved problems, which resonates with readers. However, for legal or tax advice where incorrect information could harm someone, professional expertise is important.

After choosing a niche, you’ll need a blog name — I’ve shared guidance on that in a previous featured question.

Past featured questions cover topics like whether it’s too late to start a blog, startup costs, increasing affiliate income, monetization strategies, and many more.

My plans for the blog and business

Goals help maintain focus and motivation. Current objectives include:

• Get at least three months ahead on blog posts; I’m currently about two months ahead and aiming to finish content through June or July.
• Grow Making Sense of Cents to 1,000,000 monthly page views by the end of 2018.
• Create two additional products to diversify income.
• Grow the email list to 150,000 subscribers by the end of 2018.
• Work less than 20 hours per week to improve work-life balance.
• Have fun and enjoy the process.

Affiliate income results

In March 2018 I earned $187,785 in affiliate income. The large affiliate launch contributed to this record month, and I plan to participate in launches periodically to engage readers and drive results.

I favor affiliate income because of its passive potential. It makes full-time travel and maintaining a flexible lifestyle much easier. New bloggers can succeed with affiliate marketing if they learn ethical promotion strategies — this is a core focus of my Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course.

The course contains six modules, over 30 lessons, worksheets, bonuses, and an exclusive Facebook group. It covers affiliate marketing fundamentals, product selection, conversion tactics, disclosure requirements, key tools, and promotion strategies. The course is designed to help both new and experienced bloggers across niches.