Welcome to our comprehensive **Food Blog Income Report for October 2017**, a deep dive into the financial and operational journey of a thriving online food business. This report offers unparalleled transparency, detailing our traffic statistics, revenue streams, operational expenditures, and key strategic insights for the month. Designed specifically for aspiring and established food bloggers, this article aims to illuminate the path to monetization and sustainable growth in the dynamic world of online content creation. Discover how we transformed a passion project into a profitable enterprise, providing valuable lessons for those looking to expand and monetize their own digital presence.
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Starting an income report series wasn’t a decision taken lightly. The thought of laying bare our financial figures, successes, and challenges to the world is, frankly, a little daunting. However, throughout my own journey as a food blogger, few resources have been as profoundly impactful as the transparent income reports shared by others. They provided not just inspiration, but tangible proof of what’s possible, along with practical insights into the mechanisms that drive success. My hope is that by sharing our experience, we can offer similar clarity and encouragement to others on their blogging path, helping to demystify the process of building a sustainable online business.
There’s a common misconception that blogging, especially food blogging, isn’t a “real job.” Many imagine a casual existence of simply creating recipes, snapping a few photos, and uploading content in a matter of minutes. The reality, as any dedicated blogger knows, is a far cry from this idyllic image. Behind every delicious recipe and engaging post lies hours of strategizing, content creation, photography, editing, marketing, and community engagement. It’s a demanding, multi-faceted role that requires constant learning and adaptation.
Clockwise from top left: Paleo Cranberry Apple Chicken Thighs with Rosemary | Paleo Halloween Cookies | Paleo Chocolate Cups with Caramel | Monsteritas Healthy Halloween Margaritas
For me, food blogging has evolved into a fulfilling, full-time career that supports our family, offering the invaluable flexibility of working from home. This series of income reports isn’t just about numbers; it’s about sharing the journey, the strategies, and the lessons learned. Each month, we’ll break down our earnings, dissect our expenditures, and analyze our traffic patterns, all with the goal of providing actionable insights for fellow food bloggers striving to expand their own online presence and achieve their financial goals.
The path to this point has been a long one, spanning over eight years of consistent content creation driven purely by passion. For the initial years, financial returns were minimal, almost nonexistent. It’s only been in the last year or so that our blog, 40 Aprons, began generating significant income, enough to gradually reduce my commitments to a full-time freelance business and eventually step away from a demanding role at an ad agency. I remember countless evenings spent poring over other bloggers’ income reports, discussing strategies with my husband, and envisioning a future where 40 Aprons could become my sole focus. To finally be here, pursuing this dream full-time, is a testament to perseverance and, most importantly, to our incredible community of readers. Your support, engagement, and trust are the foundations upon which this success is built, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Now, with the heartfelt sentiments out of the way, let’s dive into the fascinating world of numbers and analytics that underpin a successful food blog. Understanding these figures is crucial for strategic planning and informed decision-making.
Traffic Overview for October 2017
Traffic is the lifeblood of any online business, and October 2017 proved to be a robust month for 40 Aprons, showing a healthy and consistent increase in visitor engagement. This growth is a direct result of focused content strategies, particularly our emphasis on seasonal and family-friendly paleo holiday recipes. This proactive approach helps to counteract the typical seasonal slowdown that many “health food” bloggers experience as colder months approach and dietary habits sometimes shift. By aligning our content with upcoming holidays and trending search queries, we aim to maintain momentum and capture new audiences. Monitoring these trends and adapting content accordingly is a cornerstone of our traffic growth strategy.
Total Pageviews: 347,552
Achieving over 347,000 pageviews in a single month is a significant milestone, reflecting the cumulative effort in SEO optimization, social media promotion, and, most importantly, consistent delivery of high-quality, engaging content that resonates with our target audience. This metric is a crucial indicator of overall blog health and reach, directly impacting potential ad revenue and affiliate sales.
Comprehensive Income Breakdown
Our income reporting methodology is designed for clarity and relevance to blogging operations. We exclusively include revenue streams directly attributable to the blog and our online presence, ensuring that figures accurately represent the blog’s financial performance. For instance, a photography client sourced directly via my Instagram profile would be included, as it’s a direct result of my established online brand. However, web design work for a brand, even if indirectly influenced by my blog’s visibility, would typically be excluded unless their primary reason for hiring was specifically related to my recipe content.
- Sponsored Posts: $2,600.00. This month featured two highly successful sponsored campaigns, contributing a higher-than-average figure to our income. Sponsored content is a powerful monetization tool for food bloggers, involving partnerships with brands to create recipes or content featuring their products. Securing these opportunities often requires a strong audience, professional photography, and a well-defined niche that aligns with brand values.
- Ad Revenue: A pivotal change occurred early this month with our transition from Mediavine to AdThrive. This strategic move, detailed further below, has profoundly impacted our ad revenue generation.
- Mediavine (Partial Month): $664.73
- AdThrive (Partial Month): $4,882.00
This split clearly demonstrates the immediate positive impact of the switch, setting a new benchmark for our ad earnings.
- Freelance Food Photography: $944.00. Beyond blog content, my expertise in food photography is also leveraged for client work. The blog serves as an excellent portfolio, showcasing my visual style and capabilities, which often leads to direct commissions from clients seeking high-quality food imagery.
- Digital Product Sales: $326.74. This category encompasses all direct sales made through our website. Our current offerings include custom food photography presets, the “Improve Your Food Photography Almost Instantly” ebook, and the comprehensive “Total Whole30 Guide” ebook complete with meal plans. Creating and selling your own digital products is a fantastic way to diversify income and provide specialized value to your audience.
- Amazon Affiliate Sales: $232.79. Affiliate marketing allows us to earn a small commission when readers purchase products through links on our site, without any additional cost to them. While this figure is a solid contribution, we are actively exploring strategies to increase our affiliate income by more strategically integrating product recommendations and creating helpful shopping guides for our audience.
Total Income for October 2017: $9,650.26
This impressive total reflects a balanced approach to monetization, combining direct advertising, sponsored content, services, and digital products. Understanding the contribution of each stream is vital for optimizing growth strategies.
Essential Operational Expenses
Running a professional food blog involves strategic investments in various tools and services that ensure optimal performance, security, and efficiency. These expenses are critical for maintaining a high-quality user experience and supporting continuous growth.
- WPOpt (Hosting): $42.99. Our blog’s backbone is its hosting provider, and WPOpt consistently delivers exceptional service. Their commitment to site speed is paramount, crucial for SEO and user satisfaction. Furthermore, they include an HTTPS certificate, simplifying website security and providing peace of mind. WPOpt offers various tiered plans to accommodate different traffic volumes, making it scalable for growing blogs. Despite our increasing traffic, their performance remains outstanding at our current plan level, making them a highly recommended choice for serious bloggers.
- Mailerlite (Email Marketing Service): $65.00. Our email list is an indispensable asset for driving consistent traffic and fostering a loyal community. Mailerlite stands out for its affordability, robust feature set, and intuitive interface, making it an ideal choice for bloggers. Compared to other popular platforms like Mailchimp, which could cost upwards of $150 per month for a list of our size, Mailerlite offers exceptional value without compromising on functionality or reliable customer support. Building and nurturing an email list is a top priority, and Mailerlite empowers us to do so effectively.
- Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription: $50.00. As a content creator deeply involved in design, photography, and videography, access to the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite is essential. For the blog, I regularly utilize Premiere Pro for video editing, Lightroom and Photoshop for professional-grade photo editing, and Adobe Illustrator for various design tasks. The comprehensive $50/month subscription represents an invaluable investment in maintaining the high visual quality and professional aesthetic that our audience expects.
- LinkMyPhotos (Instagram Linking Service): $5.00. Social media platforms like Instagram are vital for audience engagement. LinkMyPhotos provides a seamless solution for directing Instagram followers directly to specific blog posts mentioned in our bio link. It functions similarly to other popular services like Linkin.bio but at a fraction of the cost, making it a highly efficient and economical tool for leveraging social media traffic.
- Food Blogger Virtual Assistant (VA): $600.00. Delegating tasks to a virtual assistant is a crucial step in scaling operations and maximizing productivity. Our VA plays an integral role in various aspects of the blog, including curating social media content, assisting with photo and video shoots, and managing numerous other administrative and content-related tasks. Their support allows me to focus on core content creation and strategic planning, making this an incredibly worthwhile investment in the blog’s long-term growth. For those interested, our VA is currently accepting new clients and comes highly recommended.
Total Expenses for October 2017: $762.99
Net Income: $8,887.27
The net income of $8,887.27 for October is a truly remarkable figure, especially when considering that just a year prior, the blog was generating approximately $400 per month. This exponential growth is not merely coincidental but the culmination of strategic shifts and dedicated effort. The initial boost came from transitioning away from less effective ad platforms like Google Adsense to more lucrative networks like Mediavine, and subsequently, to AdThrive. However, the most profound catalyst for this success can be summarized in two key elements:
1. Finding My People: Niche Specialization and Authentic Connection. This cannot be overstated. The pivotal turning point arrived when I truly “found my people” – identifying the specific niche within the vast internet landscape that deeply resonated with my content. A little over a year ago, my personal journey with the Whole30 program proved life-changing. Inspired by this experience, I began creating and sharing more and more Whole30-compliant recipes. It quickly became clear that a dedicated community existed, eagerly seeking the kind of Whole30 recipes we developed. This specialization allowed our audience to grow organically and authentically, attracting highly engaged readers who genuinely appreciate our unique approach and perspective.
2. Building a High-Quality Email List with Value-Driven Lead Magnets. Equally critical to our growth has been the intentional and strategic development of our email list. We consistently offer a valuable, high-quality lead magnet—a free resource—to entice visitors to subscribe to our newsletter. This could be anything from exclusive recipe guides to photography presets or meal planning templates. The key is ensuring these giveaways are genuinely useful and align perfectly with our audience’s needs and interests. I believe our email list is significantly larger than many other bloggers at a similar traffic level precisely because of these compelling, value-packed incentives. Our email list is a cornerstone of our engagement strategy; I obsess over it, constantly striving to deliver helpful, exclusive, and high-quality material directly to our subscribers.
Mediavine vs. AdThrive: A Game-Changing Transition
The decision to switch from Mediavine to AdThrive was driven by a continuous pursuit of optimization and higher revenue potential. Mediavine had been an excellent partner for 40 Aprons; they were the first premium ad network we joined, offering significantly better rates than previous platforms and providing exceptional customer service. However, through analyzing other bloggers’ income reports and networking within the industry, I started noticing higher RPMs (Revenue Per Mille, or earnings per thousand pageviews) being reported by those using AdThrive. This sparked my curiosity.
Upon reaching out to AdThrive, their team presented compelling figures and, critically, offered a strong assurance of an increase in my RPMs. The potential for higher earnings without a corresponding increase in traffic was incredibly enticing, prompting us to make the leap. The transition process itself was remarkably smooth. AdThrive’s team handled the entire migration manually, requiring virtually no effort on my part. Following the initial setup, they spent several weeks meticulously optimizing ad placements and configurations specifically for 40 Aprons. Their philosophy is to custom-tailor ad delivery to maximize revenue for each unique site, which is why individual RPMs can vary significantly between bloggers.
When I finally gained access to the AdThrive dashboard after their optimization period, I was truly astonished. The revenue generated by AdThrive for the same traffic volume indicated that I would have earned approximately $1,600 more compared to the equivalent month with Mediavine. What makes this even more remarkable is that AdThrive achieved this impressive increase while actually running fewer ads on the site. This not only improved the user experience but also demonstrated their superior ad optimization technology and advertiser relationships.
Looking ahead, this momentum has continued into November, where we are projected to achieve our all-time highest ad revenue, a direct result of these exceptional RPMs coupled with solid, consistent traffic. My experience with AdThrive since making the switch has been overwhelmingly positive. Their team is not only incredibly helpful and responsive but also highly informative, providing valuable insights and support. They are truly dedicated to their publishers’ success.
I wholeheartedly recommend exploring AdThrive if your blog meets their minimum requirement of 100,000 pageviews per month. For eligible bloggers, partnering with AdThrive can be a truly transformative step for your ad revenue, as it has been for our family. It’s an investment in your blog’s profitability and a testament to the power of strategic partnerships in the online world.
We hope this detailed food blog income report has provided valuable insights and inspiration for your own blogging journey. Transparency and community are at the heart of what we do, and your feedback is incredibly important to us. If you’re a food blogger, what aspects of this report did you find most helpful? What specific topics or metrics would you like to see covered in greater detail in our upcoming income reports? Share your thoughts and questions below; your input helps us tailor future content to best support your growth and success in the exciting world of food blogging!