Last month I decided that I was going to start tracking all of my blog stats, social media followers, income, and expenses. I've seen a lot of big bloggers do this and I've been inspired to do the same, especially by Melissa Griffin. I mean did you see her report from July 2016? She made over $100k!

Obviously my numbers will be no where near hers, but they're still worth keeping track of! I know sometimes it can get overwhelming to see bloggers making thousands of dollars, so I thought it was important to show what it looks like for me. I only launched this blog in January 2016, so I still have a lot to learn, but I'm glad I can share it with you!

Actually, I'm more than glad, I'm super excited! I have been watching my numbers and waiting for the month to be over, so I can finally compare everything. Usually my husband is the math guy, but I can't wait to calculate everything!

Traffic Report

August Traffic

To be expected, I think this is my best month so far! It's partly due to the giveaway I hosted, but I will take whatever numbers I can get!

Unfortunately, I did go down in two sections: duration and new sessions. Honestly, I don't really know how to change those, so I'm not too worried about them. However, my bounce rate went down which is awesome!

August Traffic Sources

• Social: 48.4% (+ 20.70%)
• Pinterest: 36.31% (+ 20.75%)
• Facebook: 24.54% (- 6.41%)
• Instagram: 15.42% (+ 145.15%)
• Twitter: 11.76% (- 23.54%)
• Blogger: 11.36% (- 37.51%)
• Google+: 0.61% (-82.57%)
• Direct: 24% (+ 10.59%)
• Referral: 8.6% (- 29.37%)
• Organic: 19% (-23.89%)

After writing my piece, "How I Tripled My Pinterest Following in 10 Days", I'm glad to see that my Pinterest profile is bringing in a lot of traffic. I've also been working a lot on Instagram, so that's good to see a return from as well.

I have to be honest though, I don't really like Facebook. I schedule all of my posts ahead of time and I don't get very much engagement. I guess I just haven't quite learned their algorithm yet. There was also a huge decline in Google+ traffic, but many other bloggers say that it's a dying platform. I publish every post directly to it, but I don't really put a lot of effort onto that account. 

Social Media Report

August Social Media Growth

• Instagram: 1080 (+18.29%)
• Twitter: 1071 (+27.20%)
• Pinterest: 561 (+ 56.27%)
• Bloglovin': 172 (+ 41.80%)
• Facebook: 48 (+ 77.78%)
• Google+: 20 (+ 25%)
• Email Subscribers: 13 (+ 8.33%)

I've spent a lot of time trying to bring my social media numbers up , but it's pretty clear that I focus on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. I plan to move towards my Facebook page next, but I'm not sure how well that will do. 

I also plan on building my newsletter audience. I'm working on a secret project and I know it will boost my subscribers. I can't wait to show it to you all! 

Profit & Loss Report

August Income

• Freelance: $152
• Storenvy Shop: $23.95
• Affiliate Programs: $0.26
• Miscellaneous: $10.95
• Products:
• Glasses: Free ($134) - includes shipping)
• Book: Free ($31 - includes shipping)
• Total Income: $187.16 + $165 worth of free products

I think one of the most important parts of sharing these reports with you is being completely transparent with you all. Being a blogger can be glamorous and pay well, but it doesn't usually start out that way. As you can see, I didn't make much and I'm about 7 months in. 

Of course, I'm still going to hope that changes next month! Plus, I got excepted into a couple new affiliate programs, so those should help too!

August Expenses

• Storenvy: $9
• Adobe: $33
• ConvertKit *: $27
• Blog Boss Babes *: $37
• Total Expenses: $106

(Anything with an * next to it is an affiliate link)

Total Profit: $81.16 + $165 worth of free products

Post Report

August Posts

• Number of Posts Published: 19
• Most Popular Posts:
• An Open Letter to the Doctors That Didn't Take Me Seriously (Published August 2016)
• Product Review: LuLaRoe Haul + Giveaway!* (Published August 2016)
• What I Took Away from Kira Lynne's Aches, Pain, & Love (Published July 2016)
• PAB Feature: McKenzie Ryan Cherrington (Published August 2016)
• 50 Blog Post Ideas for Lifestyle Bloggers (Published August 2016)

Goal Report

Last Month's Goals:

• Switch to ConvertKit
• Hit 1k on Instagram
• Hit 1k on Twitter
• Join affiliate programs

This Month's Goals:

• Finish secret project
• Gain Newsletter followers
• Host an awesome giveaway <-- Already started!
• Hit 2k pageviews

How was your August? Tell me in the comments!

* This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I'll receive some type of compensation. However, this adds no additional cost or inconvenience to you. For more information, you can read our full disclosure here. *