When I updated the blog this year, I made an active choice. I took down my display ads. In my heyday I think I made $150 in three months so it wasn’t something that was paying the bills, but it was a nice passive little check. I currently still have a $90 balance in my AdWords account that who knows if I’ll ever see. I’ve been pretty open about what the money I make off the blog goes to.
I want to be clear, I’m not really making money off the blog. The occasional collabs that come in are incredibly awesome, but this extremely out of the norm. I love how much Dana has been killing it and addressed that she wants to make sure we know she hasn’t sold out on her social media. I’m a very small blogger who is happy with what I have and these are my choices that I think honor you, the reader.
I want to focus on content
For a lot of bloggers, the content is purely product driven, which is great. However, we all know that for me I am a long-form blogger and I want my content to stand out. I felt like I wanted ONE safe place on the internet that my readers could visit without seeing flashing text or items they’ve been looking at.
I feel like we are hit with display ads so much that we don’t even realize how inundated we are until we DON’T have them. In the end, they are a distraction from the message I want every blog post to have. Plus, I don’t believe in shoving them at you so that I make money. If you want to buy something that I talk about, you do it and that’s amazing in and of itself.
I want to create great partnerships
So this was kind of one of those things I *wished* would happen, but I assumed it would not. However, shortly after removing all the ads, I landed a couple of campaigns! For example, Meet Sherlock and a Mother’s Day Brunch! I think the timing was coincidental, but it’s nice that it played out how it has. I want to focus on doing genuine partnerships and features.
I spend a lot of time on posts, even seemingly simple posts. I’ve also started putting together a Wichita-focused strategy to share the hometown that I know and love with you all. It’s just not that big of a deal to make cents on a click when I’d rather have a conversation with you all and I think it clutters the message.
I wasn’t really making money
Like I said before, I wasn’t paying major bills with the money. If they were, we might be in a different situation but why make you guys have all this stuff that is taking away from what I work very hard on (blog posts)? I’d rather have your attention and trust than I would your .05 click on an ad.
I still have Shopsense on the blog which gives me about $100 maybe a year now. I’ve switched to life + style blogging which means that I’m not showcasing as many things that you can buy. Plus, I’m renting clothes now, playing around with my style and having fun! It’s kind of nice being able to just publish a post and not really check my metrics. My new metric is am I proud of this content? If so, totally winning. If not? Mmm, try again next time.
I got really jealous
Ugh, this one is tough. Because I wasn’t making a lot of money, I kept reading more about how to make money. I saw my other friends KILLING it in the blogging game and buying luxury bags, skincare, etc. I’ve had some really honest conversations with other bloggers and a lot of them have said that they got lucky with their partnerships and audience because they are from NYC. Shockingly, Kansas is not a hotspot for travel or aspirational content.
My solution to this? Why be competitive at a losing game that I don’t even have to compete in?!
So that’s it. That’s the story of why you aren’t really seeing a ton of exciting ads around here. My content will always my first priority. I still love creating partnerships and authentic collaborations, but my content is first and foremost. I am so grateful that ANYONE is reading my words so I want to respect you!
A note to YOU!
Thank you to those of you who do click my links, engage on sponsored posts and show up for me more than I deserve. You truly are all the best. I don’t want it to sound trivial, but I truly, truly am thankful for all of you. Every comment. Every click. Every visit. Thank you for the love and support.
Rachelle
not blogging with the hope of making money is what it’s suppose to be. One you turn a hobby into a job it always end up not being fun anymore. I just blog about what I want and for the past year I’ve been rejecting most sponsored opp. It has to really be something I care about to consider it.
xo
Pinksole
Tala
I’ve never really thought that much about how and/or how much money bloggers make, but I do find that I don’t enjoy following the bigger bloggers as much. I love the work outfits on PinkSole and the romantic dresses on this blog. It really feels like you both wear the outfits in real life while I know other bloggers don’t really wear most of what they show. I don’t need to find the exact thing a blogger is wearing, I just like to get ideas on how to remix things I already have. At any rate, thanks to both of you for blogging as I really enjoy both of your blogs.
Lyddiegal
The blogging world is tough. It’s easy to get caught up in this idea that your blog could be a sole income if you just do things right. But I hate feeling like I have stuff being shoved down my throat. I want to see content I care about, I want to feel like bloggers are my friends, not celebrities. I’m grateful for all the bloggers out there who still care about content over monetization. And we all know the most successful bloggers check that box.
Chic on the Cheap
Meg @ Closet Fashionista
I’m the same way. I don’t make much money on my blog and a majority of the affiliate money I do make is when I purchase something myself, haha! I’ve long learned to not really care what I make but I do still link to everything and try liketoknowit even though I never get sales from it (it does get me a few more likes because of the hashtags though haha)
I’ve had a few random, really good collaborations in the past, but most of the time there’s nothing really going on.
Karly
Yes, girl! Thanks for sharing the honest truth for all of us small bloggers out there. I still use affiliate links, too, but I make like $50 a year. I know the main focus for many these days is making money in this little online world, but I’m still a firm believer that it should be fun and representative of who we are in the moment!
Leah Noelle Addington
You’re simply inspirational. In my honest opinion, NYC is overrated and it’s really refreshing to read about someone who is from a state that’s not all about hype or “whats hot in the big city.” This is so much more personal than commercial (that I feel with other bloggers). It would be neat to see this wonderful hometown you adore, and showcasing the beauty of Kansas that we have yet to see. As a west coast Pacific northwestern, it would be really raw to see the hidden oasis in a middle state in the U.S.
Although I am not a blogger myself (I’m a musician studying to become a composer), I understand the struggle of wanting to do more with your hobby and wanting it to thrive as an income, but sometimes being in the background and not making the money is what makes the hobby that more vibrant and alive, because then the focus is about your dedication to your readers and more importantly, practicing a craft that you deeply love and enjoy. I cant wait to see how your new partnerships grow and all of the new darling outfits you will be showing us readers!
Shira Rosenbluth
I’m really selective about partnerships and also not pushy so I also don’t do that many sponsored posts! The comparison thing is so tough though!
Patricia Fuller
Hello dear. First I’ll brag on myself for just a minute. I’m usually a pretty good at seeing who has a pure & honest heart. So when I first heard about your post featuring “Sock Tops” made by my girlfriend Debbie Wernowsky I had to go see what all the fuss was about! One look at your beautiful face & I was hooked at reading all your posts on your website. It was through there that I came to know and love you & to realize that you indeed do have a very pure heart. So saying that leads me to tell you I am not surprised that you care more about your blogging content than you do about your income from affiliated links. As a female I know how nice is it to have a few extra penny’s to buy a few pretty somethings for yourself once in a while. I wish that it didn’t take as many of those ads to give you some extra spending money. You, of all people deserve them. I a proud of you though for realizing what was important to you & moving forward with that. It’s not that easy of a thing to do. I love you beautiful girl <3
Rachel Heffington
I love your honesty and the fact that you let us see the economics side of your blogging! And let me just say, the fact that you AREN’T a sell-out is one of the big side reasons (apart from the main reason, that you’re just flipping awesome) that I am a loyal follower of The Adored Life. I hate flashing ads. I hate product-based posts most times because I’m not in the budget category to buy anything they’re talking about and that, in turn, sometimes spurs me into jealousy. So thank you for being content-based and letting us actually see you, and your awesome city, and your fun style. <3