Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

Blogging Income Report: Last 3 Months

August 17, 2009 | Blogging, Feature

My blogging income reports were popular, and I was expressly asked to keep doing it. However, it looks like I’ve forgotten to do it since April. I’ve been so busy with other things (including creating content for my students in the Blog Masters Club) that it has slipped my mind.

So, let’s play catch-up. How has my blogging income been in May, June and July?

Here is the monthly breakdown:

  • May 2009: $14,119.99
  • June 2009: $10,846.77
  • July 2009: $14,763.48

So, the total for the 3 months is $39,730.24. My total gross income for 2009 so far is $125,089.40.

In the 3-month period of May, June and July, the rough breakdown of income sources has been as follows:

  • Advertising: $12,140.09
  • Affiliate Marketing: $7,556.35
  • Ecommerce Sales: $4,329.14
  • Memberships: $15,448.54

The remaining amount is from a few small odds-and-ends.

So, what do I make of this?

Overall, my year is going pretty well and 2009 will definitely be my highest-ever year in terms of income since I’ve been in this business.

On the flip side, my income for the last 3 months was lower than my monthly income for the preceding months. In both March and April, I grossed over $20K for the months. So, why did the income drop as we went into the summer months?

First of all, there has been a substantial drop in advertising revenue in the summer. The economy has been affecting company ad budgets and I’m noticing it on my end as well. Secondly, it is not uncommon to see a slowdown in web traffic during the summer and I have been seeing that manifest over on PCMech. The slowdown isn’t dramatic by any means, but it is noticeable. So, while I made $6,800 in April and over $8K in March via ads, I’m seeing an average of about $4K per month from ads right now. That is a rather significant income hit.

Secondly, I think I’ve been asleep at the wheel in terms of promotions. I was putting so much time into the launch of Blog Masters Club that I more or less let other things coast. So, I wasn’t promoting as much. PCMech has been coasting on the back of Rich, and the income has dropped.

Whenever there is a down statistic, I come up with a plan of action. And while I’m not going to get into specifics in public, the general idea is simple:

  1. Promote more.
  2. Increase personal production.
  3. Economize.
  4. Deliver to my readers, and increase efficiency so as to deliver even better than I already am.

I have always said that you have to treat blogging like a business if you want to make a business level income at it. And part of that is to practice business-level discipline to your statistics when they require it and not just leave it all to chance.

The great thing about this business is that I am in total control. At the same time, the bad thing about this business is that I am in total control. :) It can go both ways. Things like advertising budgets decreasing are pretty much outside my control, but everything else is fully in my control and if I’m too preoccupied with one thing and leave other things coasting, it can result in a decrease.

And so it goes. So, time to get busy, bust ass, and help some people. :)

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

  1. April 2009 Blogging Income Report
  2. March 2009 Blogging Income Report – The Last?
  3. Blogging Income Report: February 2009
  4. January 2009 Blogging Income Report
  5. My Income Report – Just To Mess With John Chow

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  • wow that's a lot of money there considering the economic crisis that we've been through. congratulations on your success. i will try to do the tips you've shared. thanks.
  • Great word to light a fire in our butts, We are generating the traffic that we need but we have yet to generate an income. How will we do this ? HMMM
  • It's great to see bloggers that are willing to share their earnings as it really can inspire others to keep going when they are ready to give up. So I went and found 10 bloggers on the net who do just that and wrote up a blog post about them. I have added you to the list. You can view the post here:

    http://www.affiliateblogonline.com/2009/10/06/t...
  • dragonblogger
    Congratulations David, you are a huge success. My blog hit 1 year old last August 23rd, and I have only earned about $1300 in my first year blogging total, averaging between 200 and 300 per month. My blog is not yet prevalent enough to have a high advertising draw, which is where I hope to earn the most, since I don't offer a product or service that I sell like most other largely successful bloggers.

    Would you mind detailing out the "Advertising" More, does this include just banner ad sales, Adsense, paid posts or sponsorships...etc?
  • i wish my site will be like yours.
  • jerky_dehydrator
    Wow - these figures are pretty impressive. I tjust goes to show you that presistance really does pay off in the long run.
  • wow ! what a nine amount of income. that three months were very beneficial for you and i hope it will increase in coming days.
  • davidstillwagon
    Wow, that's great, it is good to know that making money is possible with blogs!
  • Nice breakdown David....appreciate the analysis of what's going on with your income as well. I've definitely found that I can be biggest asset and biggest roadblock as well.
    Hope to meet you at blogworld.
    All the best...
    Kim
  • shankerbakshi
    You are doing good david, Memberships: $15,448.54, thats the program you launched recently i guess. surprisingly your Affiliate Marketing income : $7,556.35 is lower then your private ad sales income. I can't figure this out, i was thinking you make most of your money through affiliate marketing.
  • David, great analysis and points to help you move forward from here. Many people try and let things coast and never steer the ship. Looks like you are definitely ahead of the game when it comes to spotting and correcting problems.
  • Posts like this are great inspiration - that's some serious income, despite the summer lull you are experiencing.
  • Hi David.

    Will you relaunch the Blog Master Club again? or is your 3daymoney program pretty much the same?

    The timing for your Blog Master Club launch was really bad for me, but I am ready to get on now.

    Cheers... Are
  • Definitely good numbers David. I thought July would have been a lot higher with opening of your Blog Masters Club, but definitely a good jump back up from June. I am working hard to get to where you are one of these days :)

    Congrats on living the life!
  • gregellison
    Pretty good income for the three months. I wish I had revenue for two sites like that. Greg Ellison
  • Just like you wrote the summer is like a coin. We love the sun but at the same time we lose some income. How many sites are you making money on?
  • Just two. This one and PCMech.com.
  • patrickburke
    are these figures combining both pcmech.com and davidrisley.com? I just started frequenting your blog so you may have mentioned. thanks David
  • Yes, both blogs. These figures are my business as a whole.
  • Sounds like you're doing well, David! And you are very wise in knowing that you are in control of your business and your life, and that you get out of it what you put into it. I like that you're not sitting around whining about the economy. It is sometimes difficult to get moving at times when we know we should, and it is great that you are taking ownership of your business and doing so! Thanks for reminding us all of a good lesson. :)

    krissy knox :)
    my main blog:
    Sometimes I Think
    http://sometimesithink-krissy.blogspot.com
    follow me on twitter:
    http://twitter.com/iamkrissy
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