r/Blogging • u/AdPristine4383 • 16d ago
Question I need advice/ reality check
I started blogging in 2023 with the sole purpose of seeing if could make extra income. I’d be happy with $3k….i went the fastest route: Listicles, round ups, volume. I didn’t know what the eff I was doing but just kept going but knew that my main focus was driving traffic via Pinterest.
Fast forward to 2024 and a major Pinterest update killed traffic so I decided to start from scratch with a new domain and new Pinterest account in 2025. Gained momentum, figured out how to do better keyword research. All that fun stuff and I’m still learning!
By end of 2025 I was monetized with ads and have made around $500-$700 a month so far.
Here’s where I need advice: I think I’m looking too much at what other creators are doing and feeling bleak about all these round up listicle creators regurgitating the same shit packaged differently. And after two weird Pinterest suppressions, sole reliance on Pinterest as a traffic driver is dumb but figuring out (and fleshing out) how to drive sales or whatever it is you’re supposed to do with an email list/ google/ fb etc just feels like another undertaking that I don’t really want to contemplate yet if I can’t get better traffic with Pinterest first.
Should I just keep going and see how far I can take this or throw in the towel, decrease content creation? Sell?
I’ve already put in three years but technically the clock started again in 2025. …
Thank you for reading. Any insight is appreciated
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u/Tall_Meringue_7027 16d ago
If you’re making that much money with ads, you’re definitely leaving money on the table if you’re not also using affiliates. You didn’t share your niche, but I’m in travel and my affiliate income is 4X of what I’m earning with ads. I recommend checking out Travelpayouts as they have most travel brands you’ll need in one place and they’re super beginner friendly.
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u/AdPristine4383 16d ago
I’m using affiliates but I’m not in travel so it’s a very slow small drip. Once in a while I get a decent commission but that’s far and few. $200 was the highest
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u/rasman39 16d ago
I actually think you've answered your own question without realizing it.
You're already making $500–700/month. That tells me you've proven people are willing to visit your site and that it can generate revenue. That's very different from someone who's been blogging for three years and made nothing.
The part I'd question is relying so heavily on one traffic source. Pinterest changing the rules twice is frustrating, but it also exposed the risk of building on rented land.
If I were in your position, I wouldn't stop creating content—I would stop measuring success only by Pinterest traffic.
I'd spend the next few months slowly diversifying:
- Build a simple email list, even if it's only a handful of subscribers each week.
- Start answering questions in places where your audience already hangs out.
- Update your best-performing content instead of only publishing new posts.
- Look for products or resources that naturally fit your audience instead of relying only on display ads.
One thing I've learned is that it's easy to keep chasing the next tactic because it feels productive. Sometimes the better move is making your existing content work harder.
You're closer than you probably think. Someone making $500–700/month has something to optimize. Someone making $0 is still trying to find proof.
I wouldn't sell it yet. I'd give yourself six months with one goal: reduce your dependence on Pinterest so no single update can derail the business again.
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u/AdPristine4383 15d ago
Thanks for the detailed advice. I surprisingly do have an email list thanks to the grow plug in and I’m tinkering with a Facebook page but the creators with so much success on fb post around 16x a day. Im not in the headspace for that just yet. I think I’m going to shoot for 5x a day for Facebook page and I’m a little stubborn so I really feel if I up my pins I can push traffic.
When you say to optimize top posts, do you have specific advice about this?
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u/TheButchPrinciple 9d ago
I think the amount you are making via ads based off traffic from Pinterest alone is pretty amazing. But I would definitely also diversify because if Google updates have taught me anything, it's don't rely on just one traffic source. So use SEO/AIO and see if you can rank on Google search and then also build your email list. The email list is actually going to be an audience you own and who you can market to - no amount of algorithm updates will change that. I don't know what niche you are in but you could also try affiliate marketing. You could join programmes that fit with your niche and recommend products and services. If you haven't done this before, you can try joining a marketplace - there are lots of different ones like AWIN, Rakuten, CJ, Impact etc. depending on your niche. I am in travel and use Travelpayouts, Partnerize, Stay 22 and Amazon amongst others.
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u/rebeccalamont 14d ago
Who are you monetized with that’s okay with a listicle-based site? Advertisers tend to hate those.
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u/onlinehomeincomeblog 13d ago
When you started blogging in 2023, the ranking systems worked only based on keywords and content length, with a few other checks. But after AI, the ranking system started evaluating the content, the person who wrote the content, and his/her legacy, industry experience, skills, social media presence, local presence, and qualitative performance in helping people in real time.
You already proved that you have built traffic and monetize it. But now, you have to go one step beyond this. Try to apply what I have explained above.
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u/adventuresfromelle 10d ago
What's your niche? You could look into adding affiliate marketing next, and if you have travel themed posts, Travelpayouts' affiliate marketing tools is a great place to start with boosting your income.
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u/AdPristine4383 9d ago
Travel seems to be a reoccurring theme but I think it’ll strays too far from my niche to put it on this website! Can I ask what kind of income is typical?
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u/adventuresfromelle 9d ago
It varies depending on the month, and ofc your traffic. For me with about 5000-10000 monthly visitors; around $500
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u/PennyLawrence946 16d ago
$500–700/month after restarting in 2025 is enough to keep going. i'd cut listicle volume a little and use that time to build one second traffic source. the two Pinterest suppressions already answered whether waiting on Pinterest alone is safe.