$5k per mo is possible - Follow the training and you'll get results
I recently resubbed and I've decided to drop a bit of inspiration for anyone who might be needing it.
I've been away from WA since last August or so, and some crazy things have happened since then.
What you're going to see/read shouldn't be taken as gloating or bragging, but simply as an example of what's possible (after time) when you follow the training that's been laid out for you here, and also what could happen if you don't.
Oh, something to keep in mind before we jump in: It doesn't really matter what you sell, it matters how you sell it.
When I first joined WA back in 2013, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing and zero idea of what was even possible. I thought making $500 /mo in residual income would be expecting too much, boy was I wrong.
Fast forward 3 years, and here's a screenshot showing my first month earning over $5K using a single site. Anyone who uses Amazon to monetize will probably recognize the graph.
Let's go back the beginning and talk about those failures, though, maybe my experiences in what not to do can save someone some wasted time.
I spent a good year and a half spinning my wheels going absolutely nowhere because I simply wasn't implementing WA's training well enough - I thought I could "do things my way" and get away with it, but that was definitely not the case. I started by picking niches where I saw a potential to maybe make some money, instead of something that I was super interested in... First mistake.
On top of thinking I could do things my way (with basically no knowledge of IM), I was working on multiple websites at once while trying to learn at the same time, and hoping to actually go somewhere with them... ha... After being around the industry for a few years now, I've noticed that I'm not the only one to get caught up in the "more sites, more money!!!" fallacy in the beginning. Some people can get away with starting like this, but those people are pretty rare.
In hindsight, everything I had done up to this point was basically wrong. I didn't take the advice which is given here, I only loosely implemented the training, and ultimately wasted lots of time/money in the process.
Hang on now, because this is where things start to get a little more interesting.
SO, I decided to wipe the slate clean and start over again using the very first niche idea I had, one which I was already involved in on a daily basis and really enjoyed - great idea. I also decided that I was only working on this single site while actually taking my time to not only learn everything, but actually implement it correctly as well.
I'm pretty sure that made all the difference, because the first month that site was live, it made a whopping $11, or like 1100% more than my other sites had made (they made nothing). The next month, it made an insane $22 and I was starting to get excited.
Month 3 it made roughly $150 and I almost didn't know what to do. This was when I started to think this whole IM thing might actually be possible.
Month 4 rolled by, and my earnings dropped. I didn't lose hope, though, because this IM thing might still be possible. It's a good thing I didn't, by month 7 my site pulled in $1401 in commissions purely through Amazon with my only traffic coming from search engines. My mind was blown.
2 months later, $2500, and just a few months after that is when it finally broke $5K, which has been the average for a few months now. Still relying purely on organic traffic.
Since then, I've started another site in different niche using the exact same method - the same stuff we're taught here - and it's slowly but surely turning into something profitable as well.
Now, this isn't enough to make anyone rich, not by a long shot. What it is, is proof enough (to me at least) that what is taught here works, but only if you take the time to make sure that everything is done the way it's actually taught.
Recent Comments
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Thank you for posting this! Very inspirational and shows us that if we follow the training exactly as it is laid out, success will come. I earned revenue for the very first time on my first website last year and although it wasn't a lot and it wasn't from affiliate sales, it did show me that what is taught here does work because my revenue came from Google AdSense.
I let things slip a bit in the 2nd half of last year, but I've learned my lesson and have started working consistently again and have a plan to stick to it this time as well. I'm also working to get my first affiliate sales this year and continue to grow the revenue I started last year.
Smashing!
I needed this today...thanks for sharing.
Hey, did you use the same type of setup as Jay did with his Football snack helmet site?
One product but with the option to buy the helmet for each team or something similar. Like portable speakers but review for each manufacturer type thing.
Just curious as I did an experiment with his method and I it did have some good front page SEO results although it was a product that wasn't really purchased online much.
Cheers
Paul
Great post. It encourages without creating false expectations. So many people ask "can you really make money?" but what they really mean is "can I make money by the end of the week?"
I'd much rather hear that it will take me 5 months of work than any phoney sales pitch. I can imagine I'll be head over heals when that first $1 comes in!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I picked a niche I love and have stuck to just one site, so it is nice to see that worked for you! I had some success this summer making close to 30 sales a month but then took time off to deal with other responsibilities and have not regained the momentum. I know I need to finish the training.
It is so nice to see a simple example of success that resulted from following the training!
I have a few questions. Did you pay for any traffic or promotion or is it all through organic searches? Did you use social media to promote?
Thanks,
Jessica
If you got to 30 sales /month once already, you can get back there and exceed it, without a doubt!
Nope, no ppc or anything like that really, pretty much all organic. 88% of this site's traffic is organic, 0.78% is social, so not much SM interaction going on yet :)
Thanks for your answers. I had to taper off while finishing my last graduate course (and still working full time). I know I just need to keep at it. It has been discouragingly slow though.
Thanks for the inspiration
Great to read an honest timeline of one person's success. I am two months in and did choose a niche that I love writing about. I have had some doubts that maybe I should have chosen a better money maker instead. Your post gives me motivation to stick with it for awhile and see where it goes.
This is an amazing testament Bthiel!!!
I too had to start from scratch, like from the very first lesson in course #1, after I had completed through course #2. I was going through every lesson and task, but I was having a difficult time with fully understanding keyword search, and it turns out my niche at the time, didn't have a lot of good keyword ranking. At the advice of a member, who had done thorough research for me, I changed my niche, which actually ties into my original niche, so it worked out perfectly!
I'll be coming to my 3rd month in a couple of days; just started course #3 about 2 weeks ago, but before preceding with registering for an affiliate program, I knew I had to develop a lot more content for my site. That, developing content, has been a major cause of delay for me, but again, the root of the issue was not in the writing, but in understanding keyword search and tying that into a post. I thought my site would be "up and running" by Thanksgiving; although it has been indexed by Google, it still needs some major work. My plan is to do whatever I can do, to have it looking professional, before the end of this year; I understand that I'll have to continue with making revisions. but I'd like to present a semi "finished" site.
Again, I appreciate you sharing a little of your story. I look forward to when I can share how I earned $5,430.77 in one month!!!
First, I want to say congratulations for sticking with it and not giving up. Second, thank you very much for sharing your success and how you have achieved it.
Gives me inspiration and I can actually tell my husband, Yes it does work. I just have to keep learning and doing.
Best wishes for your continued success
Linda
Thank you so very much for posting this Branton, it is very uplifting and motivational not bragging at all. I have been here at WA for nearly seven months and haven't made a dime yet, so reading your post was really good for me and I am grateful to you for writing it:-))Steph
Hi Branton,
Thanks for sharing, it's nice to see a success story and thanks for the tips in going forward. I have one question. How did you get organic traffic so early on, when your site was just starting out? I'm guessing it takes 7 or 8 months for site trust to be healthy. Then the rankings will presumably get better. Is this the case?
Hey Craig,
I believe I got somewhat lucky with my initial traffic as I had the domain up & active on a site for quite a while before ever actually doing anything with it.
Older sites do seem to rank easier compared to a completely fresh site, but at what "age" that happens I honestly have no clue - that's a question for someone much more analytical than I :)
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I am glad I read this post. I started hacking on my own and got very frustrated. I need to take stock here and start over with the boot camp and stop the hacking. I am just anxious to get this rolling because my income status (unemployed) at this point in time has me not focusing.