What You Will Learn
With this post, I’m going to explain what I WAS doing in my first four months, and what I DID do in January to switch it up. I will also explain why some things didn’t quite pan out the way I had hoped, and what I plan on doing in the upcoming months.
My Initial Gameplan
When I started seriously blogging in September 2016, I had two main objections. My biggest goal was simply to get content on the blog. I wanted to get a solid base of posts written, but I found I had a really hard time thinking of topics. I strongly believe it’s because I didn’t have a blog niche picked out yet. So, pretty much, each blog post that I published was just to increase my content and it was totally generic. My second goal was to start the process of monetization. You can read more about it in my first income report, but I did the easiest, fastest thing I could do – I became an Amazon affiliate. I’m pretty sure Amazon doesn’t turn anyone away, so long as you follow all their rules! Each of the articles I wrote in my first four months had affiliate links in them, and I DID actually make a little bit of money. One thing I discovered which was hugely disappointing was that, although I had a few legitimate sales, I didn’t earn any fees for them. This is because I had family members use my links, and you can’t earn commissions for orders by anyone who shares your home address or surname (possibly even your hometown, but at this point, that’s just a theory).My January Analytics
The more I learn about blogging, the more I realize all the mistakes I’ve been making. I really am learning all this as I go instead of educating myself before jumping in the water. I’m more of a jump-off-the-cliff-and-build-the-plane-on-the-way-down kind of girl. I guess I’m a risk taker. But with blogging, it’s a fairly cheap business start-up so it’s not as risky as a brick-and-mortar setup. So back to all the mistakes I’ve made.. Literally just yesterday, I signed up for Google Analytics. It’s kind of ridiculous how I didn’t know to do this, but I totally didn’t. I already had Jetpack installed on WordPress, which was quite helpful – showing me how many page views I was getting each day, but Google Analytics goes into more depth and shows you which of your posts are more popular and from where they are being referred. Of course, I don’t know this first-hand because I have no information yet on my Google Analytics, but it’s what I understand! So although I don’t have anything from Google to show you, I CAN show you the information I do have available to me now. Here is a screenshot for January…
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Did Momma Wren Make an Income?
Nope. Nada. Zilch. Needless to say, I’m super depressed that I didn’t make any money this month. Like I said, my main goal this month was to get content on my blog, but I also made the decision that I wouldn’t ever publish anything without some way to bring in even a little income. So, each post in January has at least one affiliate link. On the plus side, I did get my first comment this month. It was an exciting moment for me! A FEW WORDS ABOUT AFFILIATE LINKS: Some people just hate affiliate links. They won’t click on them to save their life, or they just think it’s downright unethical for a blogger to include them on their blog. Here’s the thing, blogging takes a lot of time and it’s a legit job. In the beginning, many bloggers make such little money, it seems like this venture isn’t even worth it. Those that stick it out, however, are the ones that reap the rewards. Affiliate links are just a way for bloggers to suggest certain items or programs that they believe in, and if you click on the link, and purchase whatever you’re directed to, the blogger (affiliate) gets a very small commission. The best part? It doesn’t cost you any additional money. People who blog are doing it to supplement their income, wanting to stay home with their babies, or just enjoy writing and decide to make some money while doing it. Affiliate links help a blogger supplement their income. So be kind, and help a blogger out! *smile*What Am I Working On Now?
This month, I have some big goals. Getting content is always high up on my list, but I’m only planning on doing 1 or 2 posts a week. The rest of my time is going to be spent on the following:- Increasing traffic to my blog using Pinterest
- Upping my page views (resulting from #1)
- Starting a new business Instagram account
- Cleaning up my Pinterest boards and adding killer keywords and descriptions

Excellent post! I am starting to appreciate what a long term process it can be to build up readership on a blog. Like….years ? But, knowing this can be normal helps me adjust my expectations. Thanks for your insights. We still need to have a ‘blog talk and coffee’ date! ?
I hear you, Katie! Thanks for the encouragement. I know it can be a long process, and I’m ready for it! 😉 We definitely need to get together!
Nice report, Wren. Keep on posting, master Pinterest and the page views will come!
Thanks Vlad! With a lot of hard work and tons of prayer, I hope to get there!