Welcome to my food blog income report for July 2019! In case you missed it, I posted my first income report for 2018 in January and promised to continue to share income reports this year so here we are. You can find the rest of my income reports here.
A little background on me (in case you’re new here – hi!)
Hi, I’m Jamie and I create recipes, photograph and manage all things around here on A Sassy Spoon. Welcome! My background is in digital marketing. Before that, I worked in health care, managing a team while climbing the corporate ladder. I went to art school for a bit after high school but then I eventually graduated with a ‘safe’ business degree many years later. Read more here.
Pinch of Yum’s Income Reports is a prime reason I am here today. They inspired me to give food blogging a fair shot after I quit my safe, secure, full-time job back in 2016 without a backup plan. So I wanted to pay it forward by sharing my own income reports too. I’d be lying if I wasn’t also posting this income report for my own accountability and to prove to other naysayers out there that food blogging can be a fulfilling, lucrative career. I’ve had to prove myself time and time again because I’m so often told that food blogging is not a “real” job. But guess what, I’ve made a full-time salary from my blogging biz and this is the proof.
Regardless of any promotion or raise I’ve ever received throughout my job trajectory, I was never truly as happy, accomplished, nor proud as I am at this very moment. I personally believe I’ve found my purpose. My hustling spirit and sheer determination are what have brought me to this, my dream career. I have you all to thank for that. Honestly, I wouldn’t be here without your constant support and loyalty to A Sassy Spoon. I appreciate you all so much! <3
Ok, let’s talk numbers!
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Traffic Totals
This month, my traffic has been steadily increasing. July ended with 174K monthly page views which is ~9K more than last month. Hooray for progress! I only shared 3 new blog posts this month but I have been doing several updates on the backend.
My top traffic drivers continue to be Google (organic search) and Pinterest, with Google holding 63% of that traffic total. SEO for the win!
My RPM (revenue per 1,000 page views) with AdThrive this month averaged about $23 for the month.
* Something else to note, I've made $2,083.23 this year from video ads alone! Almost breaking even with how much money I've invested in actual recipe video production this year. Woot woot!
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July Income Report
Ad Income with AdThrive: $4,142.24
Sponsored Content: $2,625.55
Affiliate Marketing: $164.32
Total Income: $6,931.56
Expenses
Food Expenses: $401.40
Recipe Videos: $900.00
VA Services: $350.00
Mazuma (Accounting): $285.30
Wpopt (host): $42.99
SEMrush: $33.00
InfluenceKit (reporting tool): $49.50
Adobe Creative Suite: $9.99
Google Storage: $9.99
MailerLite (email svc provider): $30.00
Zoom Video Conferencing: $14.99
Miscellaneous: $170.12
Total Expenses: $2,297.28
Net Profit: $4,634.28
Note: From this net profit, I still have to pay taxes and my personal / household expenses (including my student loans which are a pain in my a$$. I have a HUGE milestone goal to pay them off by the end of 2020. Pray for me!)
No one ever talks about taxes or household expenses in these reports or any blog post about working for yourself. Yes, it’s a trade-off for living life on your own terms (which is amazing) BUT... it’s definitely something to keep in mind whenever you’re reading any of these types of business posts. It's important for me to show you a realistic view of what owning an online business is like so feel free to ask any and all questions.
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Highlights
July was a good month. I spent most of the month really focused on SEO, updating old blog posts with nutritional info, optimizing content, etc. and making sure my site is in tip-top shape.
I signed up for NerdPress. Think of this service as your personal IT guy making sure your site doesn't crash. They do nightly backups and added efficient caching plugins so my site runs faster. They cleaned up my site quite a bit, actually. I had a lot of outdated plugins and code that was slowing down my site that I had no idea about. Also, I added their Sleep Soundly feature which means I no longer have to live in fear of updating my site and breaking something. This peace of mind is priceless. I highly recommend them. So far, I'm really happy!
Aside from that, I also signed up for InfluenceKit which is a reporting tool for sharing analytics after brand partnerships. And I'm in love with it! It saves so much time from you gathering all the information and creating the reports yourself. You just simply add the links to all the posts (social + blog) and it does the rest for you. I highly recommend them too! Click here to sign up.
Food Blogger Business Blueprint - My New Coaching Program!
As I'm sure you've heard me talk about here, I started coaching food bloggers earlier this year. I’ve always been passionate about business in general and after starting this food blog from scratch just 3 years ago, I'm still in awe that I now able to do this for a living. So why not share what I’ve learned with up and coming food bloggers!
By the end of the month, I'll be launching a new 6-week group coaching program for food blogger entrepreneurs that are ready to turn their food blogs into an efficient, profitable business. The new program is called Food Blogger Business Blueprint. Think of this as the ultimate roadmap to growing a food blog business from A to Z.
There is a lot of outdated info on the Internet these days and I know how frustrating it can be to run around in circles trying to figure it all out yourself. TRUST ME, been there, done that. So I'm really excited to be able to show you the ropes inside this program so you don't waste any more of your precious time!
My last round of clients have already seen so much success and positive results after our coaching session. I can't wait to see what the new group of fabulous food bloggers will achieve! I plan to keep the group small (only 10 spots available!) so I'm able to provide as much support as possible.
As I always say, when you invest in yourself and your business, you get back tenfold what you put in. It’s happened to me personally and I know it can happen to you. Investing in yourself and your business opens doors to bigger and better things.
Click here to sign up for my food blogging mastermind, Food Blogger Business Blueprint! The Food Blogger Business Blueprint is my 90-day, high-touch, group coaching program that helps you grow your food blog and turn it into an efficient, thriving business without wasting any more time. Sign up here!
Thanks for taking the time to do this, I always enjoy! XO
You’re so welcome, my friend! Always happy to help! <3
I love how open and transparent you are with the whole blogging as a business process. There’s so many things that you bring up that other’s don’t. It’s not only refreshing, but really give the beginners (like myself) an honest & realistic perspective as doing this as a full time job. I’m always excited about all the knowledge you’re willing to share with us!
Amazing round up Jamie. Thanks so much for sharing!
Love your income reports, I find it very helpful to follow other bloggers on this journey. A question for you — is your theme custom designed or is it a prebuilt theme? Love it!
Hi Kristina, this is a semi-customed Brunch Pro theme. :)
I appreciate how transparent you are, Jamie! As a brand newbie blogger, I was wondering who you get your video done by? I want to start with video and grow from there. Thank you!!
Thank you, Caitlin! So happy the reports are helpful! I get my videos done by Isabel from isabeleats.com. She’s amazing! :)