How I Earned From My Blog in One Year — Annual Income Wrap-Up

Welcome to my yearly business report, where I share how I make money online.

If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you might be wondering why I publish these business reports every month.

This began as my extra income report because in the early days I focused on the money I earned from side jobs. Back then, my side income reports documented all income outside my day job.

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

Many people ask why I publicly share what I’m working on each month. Some think I’m crazy; others appreciate the transparency. I enjoy publishing these reports and do it for three main reasons:

Before I started blogging, I knew nothing about side hustles or making money online. I didn’t think side jobs were worth the effort and believed the only way to meaningfully increase income was through raises at a traditional job. If others hadn’t published their monthly income reports, I might never have tried side hustling. I share my story to show the benefits of side income and how it can change lives. There are many legitimate ways to make money online, and sharing my progress each month helps motivate others to improve their finances.
I publish business reports to reflect on progress, learn from mistakes, and identify areas for improvement. These reports help me track performance and stay accountable.
I want to demonstrate that earning side income from home is possible. There are many real, sustainable ways to make money remotely.

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

Those are a few reasons I publish monthly income reports. My goal is to show readers that you don’t have to hate your job or your life. You can make changes that let you enjoy life outside of work—whether that means spending time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, or traveling. I’m not saying you must love your job, only that your work should allow you to live a life you enjoy.

This chart shows what an average month’s income looked like (example from September).

Business Year In Review

Here’s a look at my past income milestones:

2013: $116,519 — the year I quit my job to blog full-time.
2014: $163,929 — my first full year as a self-employed blogger.
2015: $320,888 — the year I stopped freelancing and focused solely on the blog, which accelerated growth.
2016: $979,321 — the year I launched my first product, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.
2017: $1,536,732.
2018: over $1,500,000 (I stopped disclosing exact figures that year).

It’s surreal to think I’ve been blogging for over eight years. What started as a casual, anonymous blog has grown into a serious business that changed my life.

I never expected to run my own business. My original plan was a steady day job and a conventional life. Blogging opened up new possibilities and changed my path.

2019 was different for me—I took most of the year off from active work.

I still wrote sometimes and managed my two courses and student support, replied to comments, and answered emails, but I scaled back significantly.

I declined most interviews, didn’t launch new projects, rarely used social media, and skipped industry events like FinCon. After years of 100+ hour weeks, it felt good to slow down and focus on other parts of life.

I wasn’t burned out; I still love Managing Sense of Cents. I simply wanted to be more intentional about time spent online and reduce constant attachment to laptop and phone for both personal and business reasons.

I was curious how the business would perform if I focused on just a few priorities. Honest note: income didn’t grow in 2019 compared to 2018, but revenue remained strong and traffic stayed near 2018 levels. Years of prior work helped sustain the business while I took a lighter year.

For readers who are new here, my primary income streams include:

Affiliate marketing — the largest share of my income.
Sponsored partnerships.
Online courses — Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and Making Sense of Sponsored Posts.
Display advertising — I’ve used services like Raptive and Mediavine, and recommend Media.net for new bloggers.

I regularly earn over $100,000 per month and have generated more than $5,000,000 from this business over the years. At the end of 2018 I stopped sharing exact monthly numbers for various reasons.

I have big plans for 2020. After a lighter 2019, I’m energized with ideas and aiming to grow traffic, income, and the usefulness of the site. Over the next year or two, I hope to eventually double 2018’s levels in both income and readership.

Two recommended posts:

How I Successfully Built A $1,000,000+ Blog
How I’ve Made Over $1,000,000 From My First Course Without a Big Launch

Three actions I took in 2018 that helped my 2019 success:

I improved and prioritized my email newsletter. Social media can help grow traffic, but an email list is owned by you and far less vulnerable to algorithm changes. In 2016 I switched to ConvertKit, which made email marketing much easier. Today I have over 100,000 subscribers. Starting and nurturing an email list is one of the best moves a blogger can make.
I promoted affiliate products to my email list more strategically. My first major affiliate launch in 2017 showed me the power of a targeted promotion. I earned five figures from one affiliate launch by promoting a product I used and believed in.
I raised my sponsored post rates. To work less and prioritize quality, I increased my rates and did fewer partnerships. The result: similar or better earnings with fewer campaigns. If you’re hesitant to raise prices, try it—most brands still said yes.

I plan to continue these strategies in 2020 and expect it to be a great year. Thank you to all my readers for joining me on this journey.

What am I working on?

Plans to grow Making Sense of Cents include:

Getting more media mentions. I recently completed a course on this and have been featured in national outlets.
Focusing on SEO to grow organic traffic.
Learning Pinterest and Facebook advertising to boost traffic and email list growth.
Creating new lead magnets and opt-ins to attract and convert more subscribers.

Below are selected monthly income reports and milestones from past years. You can find a complete list on my income page for more detail.

$672 extra in May (2012)
$6,523 in January Extra Income (2013)
$11,927 in October Income — I Finally Left My Job (2013)
$12,640 in January Income (2014)
$23,758 in February Income — My Monthly Online Income Report (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 thinking of starting a blog, blogging changed my life and made it possible for me to earn online. I’ve earned over $5,000,000 from blogging and share insights monthly. I also offer a step-by-step tutorial to create your own blog and a free How To Start A Blog email course. My top tip for monetizing a blog is to use self-hosted WordPress—making the switch to self-hosted was a turning point for my income.

*Exploring the Dry Tortugas in November 2019*

Blog and life updates

You can read my full 2019 recap—what I did, where I traveled, and other personal updates—in my year-in-review post.

Overall site traffic for 2019 was about 5,000,000 page views.

Other blog and business updates:

I’m roughly one month ahead on blog posts and want to get 2–3 months ahead to reduce stress and create more flexibility.
My Making Sense of Cents community Facebook group continues to grow and now has over 15,000 members, where readers exchange advice on finance, blogging, travel, and business.
I launched a free How To Start A Blog email course that has attracted over 60,000 sign-ups and been well received.
I also created the free Master Your Money email course, which provides practical money-management lessons and useful worksheets like a budget template.
Other free resources include guides on increasing affiliate income and making money through sponsored posts.

Featured Question: Is it too late to start a blog in 2020? Can beginners learn to blog?

I answer a reader question each month. This one is common: Can new bloggers learn to blog, and is it too late to start?

Almost every blogger started out brand new. Blogging isn’t typically taught in school, so it’s a learning process that requires effort. The beginning is the hardest part; persistence is essential.

It’s not too late to start a blog in 2020. The online world is still evolving, new monetization methods appear regularly, and I continue to discover impressive new blogs. There’s plenty of room for growth and many ways to earn through blogging, social channels, and other online platforms.

Brands are increasingly partnering with bloggers and influencers, expanding opportunities. Blogging constantly evolves, so ongoing learning is part of the journey.

If you’re ready to start, today is a great day. My free How To Start a Blog course is available to help you begin.

Past featured questions include topics like where to find blog photos, how much it costs to start a blog, how to increase affiliate income, whether you need millions of page views to monetize, and many more practical blogging questions.

My business goals for 2020

I have many plans and goals, and while that can feel overwhelming, it’s a productive “problem” to have. Clear goals help sustain momentum.

Key objectives for 2020:

Get at least three months ahead with blog posts. This will reduce stress and let me focus on other priorities.
Work under 40 hours per week. I aim for a healthier work-life balance and fewer marathon laptop days.
Be more present. I want to enjoy travel and life outside the business more fully while still loving the work I do.
Read five books. I’d like to read more for pleasure rather than only consuming work-related material.
Have fun. This isn’t measurable, but an important intention for the year.

Affiliate marketing results in 2019

Although I stepped back for most of 2019, affiliate income remained strong and felt fairly passive. I expect affiliate earnings to increase in the coming months as I plan and promote offers throughout 2020.

Areas I’m focusing on to improve affiliate performance:

Planning affiliate promotions for 2020 to stay organized.
Learning and applying SEO strategies to increase organic traffic.
Testing Facebook and Pinterest ads to drive conversions and grow the email list.
Building a high-quality funnel to deliver value to readers consistently.
Expanding reach to attract new readers and analyzing top-performing affiliate posts for improvement.
Researching new affiliate products that align with my audience’s interests.

I’m grateful for affiliate income because it supports a flexible lifestyle and allows me to travel while maintaining revenue.