January 2015 Traffic and Income Report

Traffic & Income Report- January 2015, JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com

Y’all are an intimidating bunch, ya know that? There are some posts that I write for this blog that have me sweating bullets as I push the “Publish” button, and this one tops that list. Never have I ever been so nervous to publish a post on Just a Girl and Her Blog. {Well, maybe my first one… 😉 } You see, for the past year-ish, my sweet and oh-so-smart hubby has been publishing income reports for this little old blog of mine over on his blog, donnielaw.com (all previous income reports have been migrated over to JustAGirlandHerBlog.com and can be seen here). Because of the big impact that blogging has made on our lives and our family, we have always had a heart for helping others by sharing what we’ve learned, and we thought the best way to do that was to be completely transparent by revealing how much money we made from the blog and which streams of revenue contributed to our bottom line.

So every month, Donnie would publish the report, I would usually do a little shoutout about it on Facebook or something, and that would be it. Until now. When we really sat down and thought about the income reports, our reasons for doing them remained constant– our #1 goal with them has always been to help other bloggers and/or bloggers-to-be. We also liked the idea of having some accountability; it forces us to track our numbers and examine our strategies to see whether or not they’re actually working. With that in mind, we knew that we could reach and possibly help more people on my blog, which is a larger platform, so we decided to make the jump and going forward, the income reports will all be shared here on Just a Girl and Her Blog.

I understand that many of my readers are not bloggers. I love, love, love you guys to pieces and will not be at all offended if you decide to skip income report posts if they’re not interesting to you. I also know that there are a lot of bloggers and bloggers-to-be out there, though, who are asking themselves the question, “How in the world do you make money from blogging?” I’ve been there. I’m still there sometimes! My hope is that these income reports will be a helpful learning tool for all of us (We still have a long way to go too!) and that maybe, though it certainly won’t happen overnight, we can all figure out how to take this hobby that we love and turn it into our full-time dream job.

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Since Donnie does all of the technical and a lot of the strategic and business-y things around here, I’m going to turn things over to him to share and break down the numbers… here’s Donnie!


This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

January 2015 Income Report | JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com

Hi, Just a Girl and Her Blog readers! About a year ago Abby asked me to help with the “business” side of her blog. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t allowed to say no I love that stuff and couldn’t wait to get started, so I’ve been behind the scenes helping with technical issues, working with Abby on long-term strategy, and keeping track of the numbers ever since.

Before we start looking at the January 2015 blog income I want you to know that this blog is about way more than money to Abby. She poured herself into this thing for months before she even considered the idea of earning a little money from it. It was (and still is) a creative outlet first and a business second.

My goal in writing these reports is to give you a helpful peek into the inner-workings of this blog. I hope it doesn’t come across as “look at us” but rather “let’s see what’s working for us and what isn’t.”

Here are the January 2015 traffic and income numbers…

Income

Total Income: $13,991

Expenses

  • Affiliate Payouts – $559
  • Gumroad Transaction Fees – $280
  • MailChimp* – $150
  • Virtual Assistant – $135
  • OptinMonster* – $99
  • Paypal Fees – $85
  • Synthesis Hosting – $67
  • Stripe Transaction Fees – $32
  • PO Box Renewal – $23
  • SendOwl* – $15
  • Zapier* – $15
  • Crashplan – $14
  • Viral Tag – $12
  • Adobe Creative Cloud – $12
  • StudioPress Accelerator – $12
  • Fizzle.co* – $0 (Usually $35)

Total Expenses: $1,509

January 2015 Net Profit: $12,482

Income Analysis

This was a record month for us! We were $1 short of doubling our previous high month, June of 2014, when Abby launched her very first eBook. Even with exciting January income numbers the mind does funny things. About ten seconds after adding up these totals I started thinking about how bad the drop in February will be. (Why do we that to ourselves?!) That being said, I do expect a drop-off next month, but that’s ok.

Framework eBook

Abby’s Framework eBook sales were strong this month. A lot of that was because of the Christmas/New Years 20% off sale that carried over into January. I don’t think sales were stronger just because of a 20% discount but because the sale gave us the opportunity to mention and promote the book through social media and email campaigns.

Simplify eBook

This is something new! Near the end of December Abby had the wild idea to create and launch an eBook in three weeks. After going through the creation and launch of Framework last spring and knowing how much is involved in these projects, I thought she was crazy. It turns out she was crazy but we were able to pull it off! Abby’s parents graciously kept the boys the weekend before the launch and we were able to get everything done. I’m thinking a blog post on how to write and launch an eBook in three weeks would be helpful. I can’t get into all the details here but just know that it is possible. Huge projects planned out over months are great but sometimes selecting a launch date a few weeks out and getting to work is the way to go.

I’ve talked to people in the past who tell me about the plans they have for their first product and it’s surprising that many of them haven’t picked a launch date. I think that’s the first thing you should do. Before you even write the outline or think about your marketing strategy — set a launch date! If you don’t the tendency is to let it drag on and on. In my mind it doesn’t exist until you pick a date!

Bluehost

Wow. That number was unexpected. As Abby’s tech guy I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I majorly screwed up. You see, when Abby launched her Framework eBook last June we setup a simple two-email automation series in MailChimp. The first email is sent three days after someone purchases the book and the second email is sent eleven days after the first one. The idea is to encourage and check in on the readers. In the email series we also direct people to Abby’s Blogger Resources page as well as her How to Start a Blog page. From there people have the opportunity to sign up for hosting, which generates a commission for us. This is all well and good but for some reason in August the automation series got stuck! Everyone who purchased the book from August to December was stuck in the automations series and never received any of the emails.

The issue had to do with the difference between a “subscriber” and an “import” in MailChimp. We add people to the list through an integration between Gumroad and MailChimp using Zapier but these people are considered “imports” in MailChimp. Once I adjusted the automation settings sometime in early January, the backlog of Framework purchasers were finally sent the emails. That resulted in a flood (for us) of Bluehost commissions!

It makes me mad that I wasn’t checking on the automation. For sure we missed out on substantial affiliate income because of my screwup. But on the other hand it was nice to get a big boost of Bluehost commissions in January! The lesson here is to periodically check on your automatic processes. Don’t just set it and forget. Things can go wrong.

Three Legs of Blog Income

  1. Product Sales – $6,344
  2. Ad Revenue – $1,762
  3. Affiliate Income – $5,885
January 2015 Income Report | JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com

The way I see it, these are the three distinct categories of blog income. By paying attention to all three numbers I can spot issues as well as opportunities. I know that if our ad revenue ever creeps up close to the product sales and affiliate income number, something is wrong. It means that I’m not maximizing the potential of the blog.
Me again! I think as bloggers we often tend to get stuck on ads or sponsored posts and think that’s where all the money is. While we can make decent money from ad income and partnering with brands, that is only the beginning. We have had two major “aha” moments on the road of our blog becoming a business– the first was when we had a successful affiliate partnership that made us a good amount of money, and the second was when we published our first product, Building a Framework. We suddenly saw the potential of what all was possible for this little project of ours, and we started to take it a lot more seriously.

Top Posts of January 2015

  1. Our Secret Weapon for Saving Money: The 2015 Budget Binder
  2. How to Organize Storage Bins {With FREE Printables!}
  3. 10 Simple Habits that Will Help You Stay Organized
  4. My Secret to Getting Things Done and Accomplishing Goals
  5. How I Organized My Whole Life

Traffic Report

Just A Girl and Her Blog January 2015 Traffic Report
January 2015 Income Report | JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com

So this was unexpected. This blew our previous high pageview number out of the water by a few hundred thousand pageviews. This is the part where I’m supposed to give you a very scientific explanation as to why we saw this spike in traffic. Unfortunately I don’t have one but I will comment on the traffic in a minute. Take a look at what happened near the end of 2014:

Just A Girl Traffic Increase

It’s interesting to note that something similar happened last year around the same time:

New Year Traffic Spike

Both of the major traffic spikes in the history of Abby’s blog have happened near the beginning of a new calendar year. Abby started her blog in January 2013 so when her traffic jumped substantially near the beginning of 2014 I attributed the increase to improved search results from Google. The site was a year old at that point and it was like something clicked with Google and we started showing up in search results.

This year the traffic increase is almost 100% attributed to Pinterest. Abby had a series of posts (see the top posts of the month listed above) that went viral in Pinterest. They were all timely goal-setting and organizing-type posts — the exact thing everyone searches for that time of year.

In January over 48% of all traffic to the blog was directly from Pinterest. Google accounted for 17% of traffic. Historically, Pinterest and Google have been about equal contributors to traffic on Abby’s blog.

What happened for us in January is just an example of what Pinterest can do for you when something catches fire. There wasn’t anything different we did. It’d be nice to guarantee a repeat of those results, but it’s just not possible to guarantee the same Pinterest success. Occasionally the right person pins an article and things just spread from there.

It’s a great feeling when this happens, but unfortunately these sudden surges in traffic are usually not sustainable. Abby and I are already seeing the slowdown in February. If your blog is structured the right way, all you can hope for is to capture some percentage of the new visitors and turn them into regular readers. Email is the best way to do this…

Email Subscriber Statistics

  • 3,364 New Subscribers
  • 17,659 Total Subscribers
Just A Girl and Her Blog Mailchimp List Growth

With increased traffic in January, Abby and I wanted to make sure we did everything we could to increase our email list subscribers.

We’ve found in the past that when selling a product like Framework or Simplify, your email list is by far your most valuable tool. It’s really the only guaranteed way to stay in touch with your audience.

January 2015 Income Report | JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com

Something I try to remember to do when I see a post getting a lot of traffic is pop in and add a reminder at the top of the post, telling people to sign up for my newsletter so they can receive a little freebie from me. I did this recently on my “2015 Budget Binder” post when it started to get a lot of Pinterest traffic, and we definitely saw an increase in newsletter subscribers because of it.

January 2015 Income Report | JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com
January 2015 Income Report | JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com

Speaking of email, we tried something a little very different in January — we paid $99 for a little WordPress plugin called OptinMonster*. If you’re not familiar with this plugin, it helps you create some of the most customizable and best looking pop-ups. You may have seen this at some point over the past month:

optin monster on just a girl

The cool thing about this plugin is not only the ability to customize how your pop up looks, but also customize how and when it appears on your site. You can adjust the timing and even restrict the pop-up to certain categories or pages. We’re really happy with the functionality. If you want to see a behind the scenes look in setting up and customizing OptinMonster*, check out this post from Minima Designs.

To be honest, Abby and I hesitated to use a pop-up. If done poorly, they can certainly detract from the reading experience on your blog. We wanted to make sure our pop-up looked nice and offered something of value to the reader — not just adding them to the general mailing list.

Abby created a 7-day email mini course covering all things organization. We set up this automated series in MailChimp and then connected it to the OptinMonster pop-up. Subscribers received seven emails in seven with new organizational tips as well as directing the reader to various existing posts on Abby’s blog. Two of the emails also mentioned Abby’s new eBook, Simplify, in an effort to drive a few sales. Did the pop-up work?

optin_monster_overview

The first day the pop-up converted at over 7% but then slowly dropped until it settled at around 4.5%. That’s still a fantastic conversion rate and we were able to add a lot of new subscribers into the 7 day email series.

We let it run for a week on the entire site but then decided to limit it only to organization posts for a while. For us, a pop-up is a great tool when you have a very specific purpose but not something we want to have running on her full blog at all times.

If you’re a blogger, what have your experiences been using a pop-up? If you’re a reader, were you annoyed when you saw the pop-up in January?

After going through a few product launches with Abby I realize even more than ever before how important your email list is. It’s tempting to pay attention to traffic numbers but in reality, the real value is in the email list. I’ll continue to experiment and find new ways to keep that list growing!

RPM

RPM is a metric to track revenue per thousand pageviews. This is a measure of the overall effectiveness of a blog and is a handy benchmark for comparing blogs even if they have vastly different traffic numbers. I first learned about this metric from Bjork from Pinch of Yum.

January 2015 RPM: $25.30

I consider any RPM of over $15 to be an efficient use of blog traffic. Any time you launch a product the RPM is skewed high for that month. It was high last June when Abby launched Framework and was also somewhat high this January when Abby launched Simplify.

and to recap…

Gross Income: $13,991
Net Income: $12,482
Pageviews: 552,915

Click here to see a running tally of all past income reports.


January 2015 Income Report | JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com

Whew! I know that was a ton of info, so if you made it to this point, congratulations!! 😀 I hope you found a little nugget or two of inspiration in there. And speaking of inspiration… I talk to so many people who tell me, “I’ve always wanted to start a blog, but…” They’re scared. There’s not enough time. They don’t know where to start. Believe me, I know! I’ve SO been there! But if this is you, if you’ve been wanting to start a blog but have been afraid to pull the trigger, there has never been a better time. Introducing…

The 7 Days to Start a Blog Challenge

If you’ve ever wanted someone to walk you through each step of the “setting up your blog” process, then this is the challenge for you, my friend! No more excuses– this is your time! My email course will give you the tools you need to set up the technical end of your blog, put the most essential elements into place, and help you start creating amazing content and building relationships with other bloggers in your niche right away. Sign up below and I’ll walk you through it. Let’s do this!

Thanks for coming along on this blogging journey with me! See you for the challenge!

You can see our other income reports here:

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This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

48 Comments

  1. Rita C at Panoply says:

    Congratulations, Abby & Donnie! Although my blog is a no-ad, no-income producing one and I am happily retired, I am a degreed accountant with an MBA who read with great interest your analysis of your blog performance. I’m sure your success has a lot of bloggers scratching their heads as to why they don’t have similar results, but one trait you have that is evident to me is a real sense of business acumen with clear objectives and analysis. While I personally would not divulge the info you have shared, it certainly drives your points and makes crystal clear the need for income-intentional bloggers to have their head aligned with their hearts if they are serious. Again, congrats on your skills/results. I would certainly recommend your blog, this and other posts to those aspiring to make their blog either hobby or full-time income.
    Rita C at Panoply

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Rita! Your encouragement and sweet words really mean a lot!

      ~Abby =)

  2. Wow, what a great post Abby & Donnie! Just like you, I blog because I enjoy doing so; however, this post was very eye opening as far as the possibilities that blogging can bring.

    I’d love to keep reading the income report series and thanks again for opening up with this!

    Xoxo,

    Marite

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much for reading, Marite! I am constantly amazed at what all is possible with blogging! Hope you’re having a wonderful day!

      ~Abby =)

  3. Sondra at Sondra Lyn at Home says:

    Thanks, Abby and Donnie for publishing this! It is very helpful for those of us who are seeking to monetize our blogs. It is so hard to cover l those bases! LOVE your blog, Abby!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Sondra! You are so sweet. I really appreciate the encouragement!

      ~Abby =)

  4. abby @ winstead wandering says:

    I’m in! I bought the ebook and am slowly working my way through it, but I think a 7 day challenge might be exactly what I need. My first email just showed up in my inbox and I can’t wait to read it.

    As a blogger who will continue to post regardless of traffic, but who hopes the hobby she commits so much time and effort to will eventually produce a small income, I can say I love this post. Thank you for giving us a look at your income breakdown.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Yay! So glad you’ll be joining us, Abby! (Great name, by the way! 😉 ) I hope it will be helpful. Thanks so much for reading! Have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  5. Emily, Our house now a home says:

    I find these so interesting. I have had a blog for 1 year. Turning it into a earning blog about 6 months ago. I am just starting to branch out from Google adsense into affiliate ads and links. I am seeing results, have gotten some lucky breaks. But, in my opinion plugging along. In order to make this a goal of mine long term I need to have it grow. It is always positive to see how you look at things. Bringing in series, email subscribers signing up, and news letters are great ideas. I am great with creativity, but need to improve thinking like a business. It is hard to still make it feel like a personal blog while trying to earn money. My blog is a home decor/DIY blog which takes a lot of time off of blogging to create the projects I share. It has never been my goal to earn a full time income. However, seeing the possibilities does make me excited to give it a go. I have some ideas for ebooks, but the whole process seems very overwhelming and daunting. Would you recommend a ebook even if people did not have the kind of reader numbers you do? My concern is the time to create it and have not many discover it.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Girl, I totally hear ya! I certainly wouldn’t be where I am with the business end of things if Donnie wasn’t helping me in that department. (And by helping I mean he does almost everything… 😉 ) I probably would have been content to just make my crafts and put the pictures and tutorials up, but I’m so glad he got me to think a little bigger!

      As far as eBooks go, I think having a decent email list is more important than traffic numbers, so I would get that going ASAP. It doesn’t have to be super big– quality is more important than quantity! Launch strategy is also huge. Donnie talked about everything we did to launch Framework, which I would consider a “successful” launch for us, in this post: https://donnielaw.com/ebook-launch/ . I hope this helps!!

      ~Abby =)

  6. Great job! I LOVE reading your income reports. I had record breaking January myself. I had a little over 500k pageviews, and made over 10k in profit for the first time. However, like you, I am worried about February which is definitely NOT shaping up to be anything like January.

    About the automated series, I’ve had a similar thing happen where people on the list stopped getting the autoresponder and it took me a long while to discover it and fix it.

    I’m curious if you have considered something like Infusionsoft or Ontraport? As you get more subscribers the cost becomes closer to what you already have to pay for Mailchimp anyway. (I just hit the 25k subscriber mark, and so I think I have to pay around $200/month now, and Ontraport starts at $300/month. I’ve started giving it some serious consideration.)

    As far east the pop up – I really think you’ve done a fantastic job with yours. It looks friendly and really matches the feel of your site. I started using SumoMe that has a little slide in box at the bottom right, and the conversion rate is about 4%. I feel better about something that pops up just in the bottom rather than an real pop up. When you measure conversions is that people who clicked the confirm link in their e-mail or just people who input their e-mail address regardless of whether they’ve confirmed?

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Laura! Congrats to YOU on an awesome January! That is so exciting! We have talked about moving to Infusionsoft (and I’ll have to take a look at Ontraport). We are approaching 25k amongst all of our lists, so at that point it may make sense. Though I do feel like I’m finally getting into a groove with MailChimp, so it might be easier to stay, lol. I believe the conversion number for the pop up is the people who entered their address. Thanks so much for sharing your story! It is so encouraging to hear what others are having success with! Have a great day, Laura!

      ~Abby =)

  7. Yvette Price says:

    Thank you for sharing this great and informative post for us to learn from and encourage us along the way. Congrats on your numbers and keep dreaming BIG. You are very inspiring to many woman and especially me. Stay well:))

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Yvette! You are so sweet! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  8. you are pretty spectacular, you know that?! Love you friend!! xo

    1. justagirlabby says:

      You are the sweetest, my friend. Thank you. Love you bunches!!

      ~Abby =)

  9. dawn@joyfulscribblings says:

    Congratulations and thank you for sharing such personal information. I am bookmarking this post to come back and reread in more detail. Today marks year 3 for me as a blogger and I have learned so much and feel like I’m finally at the point to start monetizing more. It can all be so overwhelming I appreciate you sharing your successes!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Congrats on three years of blogging, Dawn! That is awesome! And thank you so much for your sweet words– they mean a lot. Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  10. Love, love, love this post. So informative. Been dancing around the idea of starting a blog. I keep putting it off because I fear not having enough time to manage it properly. My husband is always saying he doesn’t get how you can make much money owning a blog. Well, I can show him your numbers. I’m sure they will help him to understand all the ways to monetize one’s blog. Thank you for this!!!
    P.S. I know it’s hard to put something so personal out there. I appreciate y’all doing so. 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Michelle! You can do it! My husband probably thought I was crazy when I started blogging, but now I have him roped into it too! 😉 It’s contagious! Have a wonderful week!!

      ~Abby =)

  11. I ran across your blog and love it! I appreciate your openness and your willingness to share. Not everyone is so willing. I believe that has a lot to do with your heart for God. I told myself I would start a blog last year. Still no blog. I have now taken the challenge and launch date will be soon!. Keep up the great work!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Yay! So glad you’ll be joining us, Lisa! I can’t wait to see where your blogging road takes you! Thank you so much for your sweet comments! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  12. A friend shared this post in a FB group I’m in and I read it with excitement! I LOVE when bloggers are transparent and share details about their income and how you’ve gotten to where you are. I am a visual learner, too, so I appreciate all the images and examples as well 🙂 Thanks so much!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Jenn! I am totally a visual learner too. So glad it was helpful! Enjoy your week!

      ~Abby =)

  13. I did the happy dance when my overall google adsense earnings reached $15….. I can’t imagine earning $12,000 from my blog. It is so encouraging to know that’s possible! Thanks for being real with us!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      You can do it!! I was at the $15 mark not all that long ago, so it’s totally possible. Best of luck with your blog, Courtney!

      ~Abby =)

  14. I was just looking at gumroad again last night and adding in some reports to sell and figuring out how to add them to my site without sending customers back and forth.

    So, the name your price option is awesome! I didn’t know it existed and will be looking into that option even more.

    On top of that, I’m bowled over by your income amounts! If only I could get to half that.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Yes, we are huge Gumroad fans around here! It has really worked well for us. Best of luck with your blog, Jenn!

      ~Abby =)

  15. Sarah @ Life On Virginia Street says:

    I have followed Donnie’s posts, pretty much from inception. I’m a numbers person so I love to see the inner-workings of other blogs and I love your transparency. I am SO SO SO proud of you that you have made it to this level. You genuinely inspire me so much and I’m proud to call you a friend! xoxo

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, friend! You are the sweetest! I need some of your affinity for numbers– I’d be totally lost if Donnie wasn’t helping! Hope you are having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  16. Karen @ a house full of sunshine says:

    Wow, Abby! You guys are rocking it. Your success is so well deserved – I’m so happy for you!!

    Ok, I will be totally transparent and admit that I’m also kinda depressed for myself at how out of reach all this seems. 😉 Selfish reaction, I know. I would love to have the kind of support you’ve had. Has your husband ever considered offering one on one consulting?? I for one would snap that up in a heartbeat. I have quite an entrepreneurial mindset and am really interested in watching everything you guys do. I’m in a place where I could really use some coaching or guidance to get to the next level. Honestly (and don’t worry, this has nothing to do with your inspiring post) but I’m feeling the most discouraged I’ve ever been about where I’m at. We put so much of ourselves into this and so it’s all too easy to feel like a bit of a failure at times. I’m at a place where monetising my blog has become essential in order for me to be able to continue doing what I’m doing, but so far my strategies have all flopped. Trying to run the day-to-day of blogging and projects as well as the business end and bigger-picture strategic thinking is all starting to feel a little overwhelming to me. I would love some outside guidance because I’m very much on my own in all this. Anyhow, something for your hubby to consider maybe. 🙂 You guys are AMAZING, and I wholeheartedly applaud you for what you’ve achieved.

  17. Congratulations on these results! I recently became ‘addicted’ to your blog, love it! All the way from the Netherlands 🙂 You’re so open about everything and I absolutely love all the tips, tricks and advice you give to your readers! My goal for 2015 is to be organized and have an efficient and organized home, ready for our first baby and with that a new chapter to our life. So I’m setting up your home binders and reading all of your useful articles to help get everything in order. Love it! Keep doing what you’re doing! 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much for your sweet words, Shirley! And congrats on your new little one! How exciting! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  18. Wow, that is seriously amazing! Thanks so much for sharing. I first heard about you on the Brilliant Business Moms site and now I’m following your feed… keep up the great work! 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks for popping over from Brilliant Business Moms, Meg! Love those girls! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  19. Natalie Bradley says:

    Abby –

    I just LOVE how transparent and helpful you (both) are! I have to tell you that I’ve owned an event planning business for 12 years now, and I’ve been wanting to move more into the blogging world and stop taking on “real” weddings and events so I have more time to be with my family. But I make a lot of money from weddings and events, and have not had a ton of sales from just blogging. And I’m the one who financially supports our family. So … it’s been really hard for me to let go more. Until today.

    I just finished reading Framework (this morning) and I love how you really gave simple, clear and even small things that you’ve done to build a profitable blog. I have so many notes in the margins and see all the mistakes I’ve been making that have kept me from making money in this new direction. I’ve had so many “duh” moments, it’s unreal. But blogging is SO very different from what I’ve been doing for over a decade that I needed someone like you to essentially give me the steps so I could clearly see what I’ve done well and haven’t done so well.

    So, that’s my long rambling way of saying thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Miss Natalie, you are the sweetest! Your comment just made my day. I’m so glad that Framework has been helpful! Congrats on taking the steps to grow the online side of your business. I know you will do well!!

      ~Abby =)

  20. Victoria | the Maypop says:

    Abby- thank you so much. Really. I bought your Framework book a few months ago, and I found it so helpful. These income reports are like the icing on the cake. You are so generous to share what you’ve learned. I hope to pay this forward someday, to also share what I’ve learned, whether it’s via my blog or something else entirely. Thank you.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you, Victoria! I’m so glad that Framework has been helpful! Best of luck with your blog!

      ~Abby =)

  21. Warren is Breaking Work says:

    Wow, congratulations on a stellar month Abby! I see that your Bluehost commissions were a result of people either clicking on your resource page or signing up through your How to Start a Blog page.

    I was wondering though, aside from getting traffic to those pages via your eBook, is there any other traffic methods you use to get those pages noticed? I’ve always had trouble getting people to sign-up for hosting (not forcing them of course).

    Keep up the good work!

    Keep inspiring,
    Warren

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Hi, Warren! Yes, getting those sales can be tough sometimes! I wrote an eBook for bloggers and bloggers-to-be, so I also generate some sales from that. I email the list of people who purchased the book reminding them of my resources, so that drives them to the How to Start a Blog and Resource pages and results in sales. Pinterest has also been great for getting people to those two pages to sign up. I hope this helps! Best of luck with your blog!

      ~Abby =)

  22. Well, you have inspired not only me, but my accountant husband! We are going to make a run for it with this whole crazy blog thing as well. And, I know it wasn’t your plan, but what an amazing gift to be able to be working at home with your husband. Wow. Jealous.
    Just a quick question. I working in my own ebook and was wondering if there was a specific resource/guide/ebook you would recommend to help walk me through the process?
    Thanks again!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Yay! You guys will be great! As far as eBook resources go, we recorded our whole process in this post: https://justagirlandherblog.com/ebook-launch/ . And a book that was super helpful for us when we were launching our first book was Nathan Barry’s “Authority.” (Cheapest on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Authority-Become-Following-Financial-Independence/dp/1612060919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424210056&sr=8-1&keywords=nathan+barry) I hope this helps! I can’t wait to check out your book, Nancy!

      ~Abby =)

  23. Thanks for sharing so much detailed and inspiring information. I would love your top 10 traffic sources too! That is amazing that pinterest accounted for almost half. Congratulations!

  24. Thanks Abby and Donnie for posting the financial information on blogging. I didn’t think blogging could make any money at all but to pay for hosting fees. I just started blogging and bought your book yesterday which I already finished. I learned a lot and plan to implement the things that were suggested in the book. So far I’m kind of overwhelmed with what needs to be done (especially the networking part) but seeing your success makes me motivated to keep working on the blog. Thanks for inspiring me. I wish you two continued success!

    –Jen

  25. So let me understand this correctly, you are on average making $12K a MONTH from blogging? Like $144,000 a year??? WOW I had NO idea that was even possible! Good job!!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Lol. It’s true! I wouldn’t have believed that it was possible a few years ago either, but it has been fun figuring out this whole blogging thing! Thanks so much for checking out my blog, Lori!

      ~Abby =)

  26. Jackie Lutze says:

    Thanks SO much for being so transparent! I have been blogging for awhile but am looking to step it up. Your posts are so inspiring! Excited to look through the rest of your blog!

    Blessings,
    Jackie

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