This post may contain affiliate links. If you use the link I receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank You!
Backstory
Before we get into the money let’s establish who I am and what I know about blogging.
The earnings I am talking about today are for my first ever blog, Mom Wife and Everyday Life, which is my mommy blog. This is where I dish out parenting advice. If you want to go over and check it out here is a link to do so.
Just to be completely transparent this is my first blog. I started researching at the end of 2020 and launched it at the beginning of 2021. I have no prior experience with online business or writing. My day job is working as a nanny.
The blog you are currently on is Blogging with Amanda. This is where I talk all things blogging and my journey along the way.
I did not take any blogging courses. I used free information online to start my blogging career. It is not a full-time job, but rather a side hustle.
I have devoted hours upon hours to blogging though.
Let’s get into it a take a quick look at my first six months of blogging.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Total | |
| Published Posts | 15 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 48 |
| Users | 12 | 30 | 268 | 203 | 287 | 319 | 1119 |
| Pageviews | 673 | 359 | 502 | 368 | 468 | 581 | 2951 |
| Pinterest Impressions | 7.4 K | 4.2 K | 28.3 K | 38.4 K | 33.1 K | 38.6 K | 151.44 K |
| Pinterest Followers (total) | 2 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 17 | |
| Email Subscribers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Income | $0 | $0.64 | $0.07 | $4.82 | $0 | $0 | $5.53 |
| Expenses | $239.80 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $239.80 |
The Numbers
Above you can take a look at my traffic and growth. I have stats for the first 6 months of my first blog.
Mom Wife and Everyday Life
On the right end, you can see the total for those first six months.
Sometimes I look at my users or pageviews and think I am doing well, but sometimes you look at others’ income reports and their numbers blow you away.
I think the key is to focus on beating yourself. Beat the numbers you did last month and implement the actionable steps it takes to do so.
I can’t worry about having 100,000 pageviews. That’s not an achievable goal. An achievable goal is writing 6 posts each month.
Income
Now let’s get to my income.
In February you can see I earned $0.64. Exciting right!?!
Well, the truth is I asked my sister to test my link. I figured this might be frowned upon. Otherwise, everyone would be making money off their friends, but didn’t realize it is actually against the rule of Amazon’s affiliate program. Whoops!
I was excited to know that I properly installed my links and that they worked. But quickly informed my sister not to use them again! Rookie mistake.
So this first commission doesn’t count in the sense of earning money from outside sources.
In March I earned $0.07! This was real income. I have no idea who made this purchase! I can see on Amazon that they purchased some sort of white confetti, which I most definitely did not link to, but it doesn’t matter.
People can purchase anything through your links and you get the commission. They don’t have to buy the specific item you linked to.
I launched my Blog on January 5th.
I added Amazon affiliate links on February 2nd.
I made my first REAL sale on March 11th.
You can start making money pretty quickly. By the end of March, I only had 30 posts published and some one clicked and used my link.
I don’t believe I did anything skillful to make this happen. Dumb luck was what got me that sale, but that’s ok. Everyone has to start somewhere.
In April I earned $4.82. My thoughts were ok the ball is rolling this is going to be great!
Rough Patch
I truly thought I would continue to affiliate sales roll in.
$0.07 to $4.82 is huge percentage growth right?!?
If I could continue to grow at that rate I would be doing awesome. I would be happy to simply see the number double each month.
But alas, I hit a bumpy patch.
May and June earned $0. This was so discouraging!
Payout
So here’s the deal. In 6 months I have made $5.53. All of this money is with Amazon Affiliates. Yes, I know I need to join other affiliate programs, but I am doing my best to manage two blogs currently.
Amazon does not pay you money until you hit the $100 threshold. So at this rate, it is going to take me 9 to 10 years to get to $100.
So sad.
As always though, I am continuing to press forward and work towards growth.
Other Ways to Monetize
The only way I can currently make money is through my Amazon affiliate links.
My website does not yet have ads. My goal is to get ads on before Q4 which is the best time to earn money that way.
I do not have any e-products or courses to sell.
As I previously stated, I need to join other affiliate programs that may have higher commission rates.
All of these things take time though.
Blogging Long Term
Blogging is not going to get you rich quickly. Part of my strategy is to blog while I have a full-time job. Clearly, I can’t afford to quit my job on the commissions I am getting.
Am proud of what I am accomplishing as far as content creation and my commitment to blogging. I do not let the numbers get me down. I like to see good numbers, but even when I don’t I keep chugging along.
I do not miss publishing deadlines on publishing content. This is important to me.
The ability to place ads or affiliate links is reliant on my ability to publish posts. The more posts I have the more opportunity for these money-making methods.
ScreenShots
I am happy to share my Amazon reports showing where I am earning commission and the number of clicks I am receiving.
Just a reminder January I wasn’t yet posting affiliate links so it was bound to be $0 and 0 clicks.
Something I would like to start tracking is how many clicks I get per month. You can see that number on the far left. I would also like to take the time to figure out which links in which article lead to commissions. I am not yet sure how to do this.
Conclusion
I am here to tell you that it is possible to make money with Amazon affiliate links quickly. The amount though may be extremely low. This post is both optimistic and pessimistic in this way.
This is a real life example of what a new blogger was able to achieve in their first 6 months blogging.
Check Out My Articles
My First 6 Months Blogging Income Report Mom Wife and Everyday Life
Steps to Take Before Launching Your Blog to Guarantee Success
My First Full Year Blogging Income and Traffic Report Mom Wife and Everyday Life